Another year and another rereading of Dracula. This year my rereading amounted to listening to an excellent, unabridged audiobook version of Stoker’s classic I had not listened to before, an 18-hour, 25-minute version of Dracula featuring Patricia Alison, Rachel Atkins, Daisy Edgar-Jones, Jason Forbes, Theo James, Harry Myers, Himish Patel, Jason Watkins, and Richard Reed. For me, it was the perfect audiobook version of my very favorite horror classic.

Each time I begin another rereading or relistening of Dracula, I ask myself: what it is about this particular, imperfect classic that brings me back to it again and again?

After struggling with this question I decided to ask for help from ChatGPT. I asked, why in general do we reread certain books? I liked the answer ChatGPT provided so much, that I am including it here:

Emotional Comfort & Nostalgia

• Rereading can offer a sense of safety and familiarity, especially during uncertain or stressful times.
• The story may remind you of a specific period in your life, acting almost like a time capsule or emotional anchor.
• It’s like visiting an old friend — you already know how it ends, and that predictability can be soothing.

New Meanings with New Context

• As you change, so does the lens through which you read.
• A book read at 25 will feel different at 35, 45, or 65. The story may stay the same, but your interpretation matures.
• Subtle themes you once missed may now stand out.

Ritual & Structure

• Annual rereads can be ritualistic, marking seasons or life events (e.g., reading a certain novel every winter).
• This act becomes part of your personal rhythm, much like holidays or birthdays.

4. Deepening Understanding

• Some books are layered and complex, and rereading helps you uncover details and connections you didn’t notice before.
• This is common with philosophy, poetry, or literary fiction — where language and subtext reward close reading.

5. Connection to Identity

• Certain books may express something fundamental about who you are or what you believe.
• They might reflect your values, dreams, or fears — and returning to them is a way of checking in with yourself.

6. Mood Alignment

• You might return to books that mirror your current emotional state, or help you shift it.
• For instance, lighthearted fiction during stressful times, or serious, contemplative stories during introspective phases.

It is clear that my annual reread of Dracula serves many of these purposes for me, particularly perhaps: Emotional Comfort & Nostalgia, Ritual & Structure, and (maybe) Mood Alignment. But in truth, rereading the novel could also provide any of the others for me as well.

I am thinking now of a number of other works that I routinely re-read:

• “Big Two-Hearted River,” by Ernest Hemingway
• Treasure Island & Kidnapped, by Robert Louis Stevenson
• Sherlock Holmes, by Arthur Conan Doyle
• Misc. Poems, by W.B. Yeats & others

Clearly they fulfill a number of needs. Just like my preference of re-watching certain favorite movies over new ones I have not yet seen.

I am going to do more thinking on this subject and perhaps will write more about it here some other time.

But for now, I will simply recommend (again) reading Dracula if you have not yet had the pleasure of doing so. And if it has been awhile since you last read it, pick it up again. You will be glad that you did..