MobileRead Forums - View Single Post - Which Book Have You Read/Re-Read All Your Life?

poohbear_nc · 05-26-2010, 08:13 AM

I have to agree with all the "comfort" reasons - going back to books is like a pair of old slippers molded perfectly to your feet, your flannel pj's, etc. Re-reading books is like meeting old friends after a separation - you're likely to say the same things again but often notice something new or something you've never noticed before in all the years you've known them.

For example, I've re-read the James Herriot books and seen the TV adaptations. When I re-read them now I can hear the voices and picture the characters - sort of a multi-media experience in my head.
Just this summer I re-read Moby Dick (which I HAD to read in various college courses I think 5 times) - and found both broad comedy I had never noticed before and an impressive range or literary/historical references I had never appreciated before.
I'm currently re-reading the Ngaio Marsh Inspector Alleyn mysteries - and am discovering a comedic depth I'd never appreciated before.

So, re-reading for me constitutes both comfort and discovery.

05-26-2010, 08:13 AM	#304
poohbear_nc Bah! Humbug! Posts: 63,634 Karma: 135239851 Join Date: Feb 2009 Location: Durham, NC Device: Every Kindle Ever Made & To Be Made!	I have to agree with all the "comfort" reasons - going back to books is like a pair of old slippers molded perfectly to your feet, your flannel pj's, etc. Re-reading books is like meeting old friends after a separation - you're likely to say the same things again but often notice something new or something you've never noticed before in all the years you've known them. For example, I've re-read the James Herriot books and seen the TV adaptations. When I re-read them now I can hear the voices and picture the characters - sort of a multi-media experience in my head. Just this summer I re-read Moby Dick (which I HAD to read in various college courses I think 5 times) - and found both broad comedy I had never noticed before and an impressive range or literary/historical references I had never appreciated before. I'm currently re-reading the Ngaio Marsh Inspector Alleyn mysteries - and am discovering a comedic depth I'd never appreciated before. So, re-reading for me constitutes both comfort and discovery.