Re-reading is Like Revisiting Old Friends
Here’s an interesting topic (at least for a bookworm) that goes around on social media every so often – the question of re-reading books you love. Do you or don’t you? It’s a fun conversation to have with fellow readers or book club members. Some people seem to have pretty strong opinions on the subject!
With so many books to read, why would anyone spend time reading something they’ve already read? You know the ending, so there’s no suspense, right? Well . . .There’s no right or wrong answer. To each his own, right?
For me, re-reading a favorite book is like curling up with an old friend. Even though my to-be-read (TBR) list seems miles long, sometimes I want to revisit characters I love, and a story I know I can count on to give me a satisfying plot and ending. Though there isn’t an element of surprise, I often find little nuances in the story that I missed or had forgotten about when I re-read. For me, there’s comfort and pleasure in re-visiting familiar characters. I kind of miss them! I’ve even had to buy a second copy of a couple of faves because I wore them out!
Of course, re-reading fiction is very different from re-reading non-fiction such as a textbook. If you’re trying to learn a concept, re-reading can help solidify the information in your brain.
I have several novels that I occasionally re-read. Here are ten of them (in no particular order).
- The Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood by Rebecca Wells.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
- Plainsong by Kent Haruf
- Lake News by Barbara Delinsky
- Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
- Montana Sky by Nora Roberts
- Paradise by Judith McNaught
- The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver
- The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Mitford series by Jan Karon
Occasionally, I’ll even go waaaay back and read an old favorite from childhood, for instance, These Happy Golden Years by Laura Ingalls Wilder. And I always keep an oldie-but-goodie in my car for those periods of unexpected down time. Currently holding that spot is Montana Sky by Nora Roberts.
Top reasons to re-read:
- Nostalgia – it’s like visiting an old friend.
- More bang for your buck.
- You can read quickly without worrying you’ll miss something important.
- Pick up wherever and whenever you have a few minutes of down time.
- You already know where the “good parts” are.
- There’s a hurricane/tornado/blizzard and you can’t get to the library
Happy reading to all!
Darlene
