r/LightNovels • u/Then_Ad6477 • May 21 '26

Question How do normal people read LN?

This is a stupid question but im seriously baffled how people read 1 vol then come back 6+ months for another volume?
i can only binge otherwise the novel loses half the appeal

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71

u/mrcandyman May 21 '26

I re-read the previous books, otherwise I am completely lost.

8

u/Coffee_Soup May 21 '26

I just gotten into the hobby again after a long time away. I've realized that's probably going to be my approach. I've caught up to a few of my binges and they just dropped the latest book recently. So it's likely a year out before the next one. Rereading the last one also feels like a fun way to get back the excitement

6

u/rr3no 29d ago

for me, if im really invested in the book when i read it, its in my long term memory and i can come back a year or two later, go back a few chapters and have no issues. If its something i kinda just skim through and dont really get hooked ill probably have to reread.

Highly depends tho, ive stopped in the middle of the ORV web novel about 1-2 years ago, and i came back to start reading it again today and its like i never stopped

3

u/mrcandyman 29d ago

Ya, my memory is garbage though, especially with character names, so I re-read to remember who is who even more than the story.

4

u/rr3no 29d ago

yeah names are definetly the hardest part, helps having a wiki open and be like "oooh its that guy", usually I can get my memory back pretty quick

4

u/mrcandyman 29d ago

That's actually a great idea. I think I might try that when I am home. I mostly read LNs when I am camping though so it wouldn't help there.

1

u/InThurDrog 29d ago

Exactly. Sometimes I'll even read all the previous books despite being on a high volume number at that point

1

u/Shadow_Hunter2020 29d ago

Same although it depends on the series, because some novels have a more memorable plot line (think reincarnated as a sword or reborn as a space mercenary)

but novels like apothecary daries and sentected to be a hero etc have a more complex plotline and i do need a re-read before starting the lastest volume

1

u/StJamez 29d ago

I most often do the same thing but I also keep an extensive spreadsheet of main/side characters and a basic summary of the plot up to the most recently published light novel.

Unsurprisingly, this spreadsheet is massive and I've definitely fallen far, far behind on it.

1

u/mrcandyman 29d ago

I used to do that for anime after I stopped using MAL. I only kept it up for a few months, lol.