The joys of re-reading
Once is not enough for Read Streeter and author Gail Farrelly. She asks: Do you like to re-read? If so, what's on your re-read shelf? Here's her guest post:
Frank Sinatra crooned that, "Love is lovelier, the second time around." Does that apply to books too?
Sometimes reading a book just once isn't enough. I love to re-read light fiction when I'm tired, stressed, or sick -- any time I can't concentrate but need to be entertained. One of my favorite re-reads is the Hamish Macbeth mystery series by M. C. Beaton. Hamish, the local cop in a small Scottish village, is such a unique character. He's very smart but has absolutely no ambition; he's kind but childish. He gets himself into the most outlandish situations with his superiors, girlfriends, villagers, perps, etc. Hamish never fails to entertain. He's like comfort food. Chocolate without the calories.
Verlyn Klinkenborg in a recent piece in The New York Times confesses to being a re-reader and points out that, "Part of the fun of re-reading is that you are no longer bothered by the business of finding out what happens." He also indicates that the whole business of re-reading starts early, as "The love of repetition seems to be ingrained in children. And it is certainly ingrained in the way children learn to read — witness the joyous and maddening love of hearing that same bedtime book read aloud all over again, word for word, inflection for inflection." Klinkenborg admits, "I forget a lot, which makes the pleasure of re-reading all the greater." Among his favorite authors for re-reading are John J. Rowlands, Michael Herr, A.J. Liebling, and George Eliot.
I re-read for fun, but there are those who have to re-read for work. Judges, for example. Clyde Haberman, writing in The New York Times about the lawsuit regarding J. D. Salinger's attempt to prevent the U. S. distribution of 60 Years Later: Coming Through the Rye, chose an unusual way to introduce (see the following two paragraphs) his article:
"It sounded as if the judge did not want anyone to think she had never picked up a copy of J. D. Salinger's Catcher in the Rye in her younger days.
“I have read — ” Judge Deborah A. Batts of United States District Court in Manhattan started to say, and then thought better of it. “Let me rephrase that,” she said. “I have reread Catcher in the Rye."
Who can blame Judge Batts for setting the record straight? I doubt there were many who graduated from Radcliffe in 1969 without having read that book!
Comments
I have never been much of a re-reader, except for one book - Little Women. I love to read that one every year or so.
Posted by: Kathy | July 27, 2009 7:45 AM
Like the judge, I've re-read Catcher in the Rye, and a few other books including A Confederacy of Dunces. Once in a while, I;ll go back to a short story collection, but I'm usually searching for new books and/or authors.
Posted by: Dave | July 27, 2009 8:44 AM
It is not a matter of not wanting to re-read...but life is so short and there are so many books waiting to be read!
Posted by: caite | July 27, 2009 9:02 AM
I'm in the middle of re-reading Michener's Caribbean. I re-read something of his once every year or so.
Posted by: Mike | July 27, 2009 9:52 AM
I re-read all the time. I have a bunch of books that I read again year after year. The Harry Potter books are some of those.
Posted by: Sarah G. | July 27, 2009 10:19 AM
I re-read any book that I find laying around, but I just read bits and pieces of it most of the time. I don't re-read an entire book unless it's amazing.
Posted by: flippityjane | July 27, 2009 10:22 AM
Huckleberry Finn -- I must have read it ten times, by now. I'd compare rereading a favorite book to listening to a piece of music again -- the rewards increase with familiarity, and yet there are always things that surprise you. Moby Dick is another; I don't think I really began to appreciate it till the third time I read it.
Posted by: Pete | July 27, 2009 10:27 AM
I find reading addictive. When I start a new novel, I can't put it down; so nothing gets done around the house. When I have a project that must get done, I re-read. I have a number of books I enjoy re-reading that do not distract me because I already know what will happen. I confess, though, that sometimes I forget parts and usually I spot some small plot detail that I missed before. So I still enjoy the re-read.
Posted by: Denise | July 27, 2009 10:30 AM
I am a consistent re-reader with my many non-fiction books. I just don't retain information as well as other people, I guess.
Posted by: NotableM | July 27, 2009 11:43 AM
I love to read but like the previous reader, I use reread books for something I can put down easily. Once a year I reread Lord of the Rings and recently the Twilight series (so I can keep tabs on my daughter's reading). Interestingly I've never read Catcher in the Rye. Maybe one day.
Posted by: Sandy | July 27, 2009 12:50 PM
One that gets me every time - Everything is Illuminated
Posted by: Dave | July 27, 2009 3:20 PM
I have many books in the basement that I've read but couldn't tell you three things about. If I reread more and read less, my basement would be roomier. Rereading seems to free me to appreciate the writing and maybe even to learn something about writing.
Posted by: patrick k lackey | July 27, 2009 3:42 PM
Two books by Ann-Marie McDonald. Fall on Your Knees and The Way the Crow Flies. Each time I read these I find new insight to the many, many characters in each.
I love them both and will likely re-read again down the road.
Posted by: Kirstin | July 27, 2009 10:45 PM
Catch-22, greatest book I've ever read. Changes every time I read it, based on maturity and gained knowledge.
Posted by: Rages | July 28, 2009 5:28 AM
Have revisted many books, thinking of them as friends in a way. Growing up the many serial titles of today weren't available so re-reading was common. Always loved re-reading Dickens' "Christmas Carol" and still do. The most recent re-read was Capote's "In Cold Blood" to see if it was as chilling in the dead heat of summer as it was almost 45 years ago. It was....
Posted by: ruth | July 28, 2009 8:14 AM
Love to re-read- have lots of books which are "keepers" -kept for just that purpose. It can be a very calming experience - getting lost in a familiar world is a great way to get rid of stress!!!
Posted by: Lorna | July 30, 2009 7:44 AM
I re-read a lot more when I was teaching. Re-reading TO KILL A MOCKINGBIRD never gets old. ONE FLEW OVER THE CUCKOO'S NEST and THE GREAT GATSBY were also regular re-reads that I taught. And there was always something new to pick up on. I don't re-read as much now because I have so many new books I have to read. Sometimes I'll read a book and listen to its audio, like early James Lee Burke (read by Mark Hammer) or Robert Crais or Craig Johnson. But, I do keep a lot of my books to refer back to sections I especially liked...and my hope is that one day down the road I'll re-read many of them. Who knows!
Posted by: Jen Forbus | July 31, 2009 10:48 AM