I am a re-reader.Yes. It's true.
Also? I don't regret it for a second.
I have hundreds of books and I think it's safe to say that I've read all of them at least twice, some even more than that.
This fact seems to confound people.
"You re-read them? All of them?" They ask, hardly able to contain their surprise.
"All the ones on my bookshelves I've read at least twice." I nod.
"Why?"
Of course they have to ask. Why?
I strive to be clear, "Because each of these books have several stories to tell. Each book can hold layers of meaning that a single read doesn't always reveal."
"Oh. I usually give all my Danielle Steele away when I'm done with them."
"Yes. I can see that."
So. Here's a little bit of what I re-read.
There are books I read at least once a year, books I keep around for reference, and books that I re-read just because they are so beautifully written that it would break my heart to be rid of them.
Books I read at least once a year:
Robertson Davies - The Cornish Trilogy ("Rebel Angels" is my favorite)
Irving Stone - "The Agony and the Ecstasy"
Books I keep around for reference:
Mark Kurlansky - "Salt: A World History"
Bill Bryson - "The Mother Tongue: English and How it Got That Way"
Simon Winchester - "The Professor and the Madman" (which I've just noticed seems to be missing off my shelf...I wonder whom I lent it to!)
Books too beautiful/interesting/entertaining to get rid of:
Timothy Findlay - "Pilgrim"
Carol Shields - most all of her works I admire greatly
Alice Munro - same as above AND she resides in Comox, which can't help but endear her
Anthony Bourdain - "Kitchen Confidential"
A. S. Byatt - "Possession"
There are SO many more though!
For instance, I really enjoy many of Anne Tyler's books; they aren't particularly deep, but they hold something that I enjoy (think Geena Davis and Kathleen Turner in "The Accidental Tourist").
I'm starting to find history interesting as well (especially the racy bits about the courtesans!).
And there are some books about physics and quantum mechanics (like those by Richard Feynman) that I feel compelled to read again and again.
(Yeah...I know, 'quantum mechanics'. I do recommend Feynman though. His love of science and of his 'job' is truly contagious. Carl Sagan falls neatly into that category, as does Joseph Campbell.)
I find as I grow older, books that captured my attention for one reason or another develop a different flavour as the years pass.
That my world changes, and thus the fact that my views change certainly factor into this...but a well-written book can be returned to (should be returned to!) over and over; always with something new to exclaim over.
Robertson Davies is a great example of an author who is able to write one story containing a multitude of layers.
I first introduced myself to "The Rebel Angels" * when I was about 12 or so.
The story was fascinating...a defrocked monk, a gypsy family and a secret affair between a teacher and his student.
What wasn't there for a 12 year old to enjoy?
But as the years went by I saw more; I saw sexual relationships beyond the 'sex'; observations about religion that my young eyes couldn't comprehend, and a view on history that my 12 year old self didn't even see the first time 'round.
So.
I guess Robertson Davies is the reason I re-read.
Books that don't stand the test of time, that don't deliver that depth or an exciting revelation I don't hold onto for very long.
But the ones that spark that fire?
They keep burning and burning; there's no end to the fuel they add. **
And p.s.
That first picture in the top right hand corner? Not me!
Also?
Despite the fact that laryngitis has turned into a stuffed up nose?
I can tell.
Some one nearby has pissed off a skunk.
It's rage is drifting over my balcony and into my living room.
You know...if I have to have a stuffy nose, couldn't it be good for something!?!
*Thanks for all those books laid out at my finger tips, Dad.
I don't always scrub my hands before I read 'em, but I sure do love 'em.
** NO! I don't mean in the literal sense! My apartment gets cold in the winter, but not THAT cold!
35 comments:
I too am a re-reader---there are books out there too good NOT to read twice. My list is different than yours,but perhaps because I haven't read many of the books you mention.
That is the only problem with re-reading: so many good books out there, so little time.
As for the picture, I realized after a sec it was not you, Tai, but I needed to give it a hard glance to be sure. :)
Hi Tai
You're my hero! Why does everyone I know think it strange that I keep all the books I read and reread the ones I like. I am a book horder and would rather reread something I love than read something new that I didn't. Thank you so much for this post...
Now that I look back at the picture I see where it does look a lot like you, but I didn't think that right off...
I love re-reading. Neither of my parents get the appeal of either re-reading or of buying books (even my dad, who's a librarian), but if I enjoyed the story the first time, why not enjoy it the second time? (Or third, fourth, fifth...)
You say you like history--have you read "Sex with Kings" by Eleanor Herman? It's an entertaining & informative read, very well-researched, etc. Definitely worth checking out if you haven't already.
I am a huge re-reader. I reread the books I love, and keep most of the books I've read. I'm a hoarder, too.
I love Carol Shields. Her work is so awesome, and I find that I have to reread it to really unravel it.
Sometimes we don't see stuff the first time - sometimes we have learned stuff since the last time we read something... nothing wrong with re-reading (I often have to re-read blogs just to realy know what is said)
I have also been known, on occasion, to purchase two copies of a book which I particularly love -- one copy for me and ONLY me, and one copy to lend out to those I feel are worthy of putting their grimy hands all over my library.
Kinda cool.
I have read W. Someset Maugham's "hidden book of creative writing" about six times.
It's called The Summing Up, and though the old gay master still kind of wanders a bit, he was nevetheless way ahead of his time, writing at about the time I was born.
Ah, the old masters.
I have not picked up a book in about a year..My concentration level is pretty low lately..I'm going on vacation soon, maybe that will do that trick.
I love books, but I'm not much of a re-reader...I think it's because I'm afraid I won't have time to read something new. I don't have as much time as I would like to spend reading so I tend to seek something new when I get the chance. Of course, that doesn't keep me from holding on to them...just in case.
I re-read sometimes, too.
And damn, if your nose is gonna be stuffed up, it can at least keep *that* out!!!
My goodness, someone else has re-read Somerset Maugham. I read (devoured) all of his books when I was a teenager and then re-read them when I was in my 20s and 30s. Steinbeck too. They both knew about human nature, and their stories still hold up today.
I just might re-read them.
Not sure why people are surprised to hear this. I think it is because many people today don't read much at all. They watch the sae movie over and over, so what is the big deal. You can always find something new with each read.
I, too, am a re-reader (and a re-watcher). But it's only a few books or series that I dive into more than once.
-- david
Re-read.
I love it.
I've read the little prince at least 5 times now.
I keep Paulo Coelho's books near, I always enjoy reading a short sentence.
Of course, it's always complicated to explain. You just don't get everything at the first read. Especially if you take your time to do it. Sometimes, you get lost. I always draw the people from book I read. Then, everytime I get confused, I just look it up.
:)
cheers
Is it wrong that I plan in advance which ones I need to re-read? Almost just as I'm finished them?
I like to watch movies over and over again too. You're right, there is just so much that gets missed the first time around!
Oh, as we grow and change we must re-read because we are no longer the person who first encountered the book; incremental changes within ourselves and incremental changes in the outer world beget different encounters with certain literary works. That is why some works are destined to become classics; because they change with us, and change with the generations. Hamlet is always growing and adjusting to where we are. A fine piece, Tai. I liked it very much.
And, Alice Munro may live in Comox, but I assure you she is not a particularly warm and cuddly person, writing prowess notwithstanding.
Cheers,
Ian
Anybody who still reads Antoine de St. Exupery still has my vote.
And even good, gay "Mom"s.
I think we've got too much of what Truman Capote once said about handwritten manuscripts and typed ones. About the typed ones: "That ain't writin' that's typin'."
That ain't writin', that's keyboardin'?
I only re-read the books that are extremely important to me since there are already more good books in existence than I'll ever have time to read. Having said that, I do read King's Hearts in Atlantis a couple of times a year.
See, I'm not dead. Buried by work, not fresh earth.
It's all about evolution. You may "get" something the second -- or third time around. I re-read too.
I re-read too.
To the tune of the monkees
"I'm a believer"
Then I saw her face
Now I'm a re-reader"
Actually I already was a re-reader...
Cheers!
I re-read and I always find something even deeper as I age in the good ones, and a different laugh in the well written funny ones. If I find a book worth reading twice I treasure it! And sometimes if I see a movie I enjoy, I make sure that I find the book to read(but very rarely the other way around).
Totally right - you can read a book again that you haven't read in a while or read when you were younger, and see it though new eyes. Or the really good ones, return the depth of feeling you felt the first time you read them.
I'll have to check out some of your recommendations. Although...quantum mechanics?!?! I liked the old show, Quantum Leap - does that count?
YAY for re-reading!!! What I find amusing is the same people who tend to sneer at re-reading will watch television reruns ad nauseum.
Hi Tai. That picture is not you but I bet it sure does represent the real you in many positive ways. :)
I'm not as much a re-reader as you. But there are books I have reread such as C.S. Lewis' Narnia series, Tolkien's The Hobbit and the trilogy that follows it, and Homer's Illiad and Odessey.
You communicate your love of books very well.
I don't re-read everything, but many times, a book deserves a second or third helping.
To Kill A Mockingbird is a book I've read at least 10 times.
Great post.
I am a re-reader too. Although I have to admit I don't read as much as I would like/want too.
If a movie comes out that I am interested in and it has previously been written in a book form--I will read the book and skip the theater.
There is no better way to lose youself in your imagination than whilest reading a good book.
The best advice my grandpa gave me as a small child was "Learn to read, and read well. If you have a book you can learn anything or go anywhere in the world"
He was right.
Huggerzzz...
Ever since reading 'Fifth Business' I've been a huge Davies fan.
I also see nothing wrong with re-reading. I do the same thing. Sometimes, I read a third time too.
Just ask my copy of 'Fifth Business' and 'Cosmos' by Carl Sagan.
;)
Lovely to see all those books - I wish I was able to make more time for reading. I have a zillion books - and I love every one of them. Many are from my childhood - and they beg to be re-read.
Great Post! I have read some of the most amazing books in my life, and some of them just cry to be re-read. I could re-read anything by Edith Wharton a hundred times, I've re-read The Fountainhead several times (the book was especially appealing to me in my youth), and A.S. Byatt's Possession was also a book that I enjoyed and maybe should re-read.
That is a very nice post. I think we all keep some books we re-read. I have some of mine. But in my case, most of hte books I re-read are in my mother tongue. Reading them, it feels like I am back home!
I'm a re-reader, too. There is always something incredibly new and fascinating to notice when you read again a book (of any kind) that you enjoy.
Cool blog!
I read the Lord Of The Rings Trilogy three times before putting it away.
Smaller books like "Of Mice And Men" get read once a year, or thereabouts.
I've gotten to the point where I don't read "books" anymore. Just a phase, I guess. It has been going on for months, now.
Sometimes, life seems more important than reading about life...
I re-read too. The Poisonwood Bible is one of my favorites. I'm a re-listener, too, taking in my favorite books a 2nd (or 3rd) time on tape, while I do housework.
For the most part, I am NOT a re-reader, BUT there are a couple of books that I will read again and again. Only a couple.
I have just begun to discover Anne Tyler. I read an essay by Nick Hornby recently and he mentioned that Dinner At the Homesick Restaurant was the novel that made him decide to become a novelist. So far, so good.
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