I was curled up on the couch when my younger son walked by and made a woof sound. You had some pretty rough reads, hey? he said. I looked at him, puzzled, and he nodded toward the copy of Commonwealth on the table beside me. You’re reading Ann Patchett, he said. You reread your favourites when you’ve read a bunch of sad books in a row. He was silent for a moment, contemplating. Or bad books, he added.
You know, you go through life thinking that to your kids your personality is “Mom,” but then sometimes they surprise you by knowing your very soul.
He is right; that is exactly what I do if I have had too many depressing or heavy books in a row, or if I have had too many “how did this get published” books in a row. But in this case, it was neither. My post-travel library book flood had slowed to a trickle and, like parts of the creek beside which we walk every day, dried up completely.
So I thought I would take this opportunity for a little rereading. I love rereading. If I own a book, it’s because I want to read it more than once. The majority of the books on my shelves have been read at least twice, some many times more.
Someone asked me once why I would ever reread a book; after all, I know what’s going to happen, and there are so many unread books out there. To that I will respond that I certainly read more than my share of new books, and I find great joy and comfort in revisiting beautiful phrases, scenes, characters, and stories. I’m not a plot-driven person, and so it doesn’t matter to me if I already know the twist: I want to revel in the beauty of the words while we get there.
Because I reread so much and so frequently, certain scenes and sentences are constantly thrumming through my mind. I never pick strawberries without thinking of Mrs Elton in Emma, for example, and I am constantly mentally quoting from A Diary of a Provincial Lady. …that to live as I do, without any distractions, only leads to madness in the end. I will think of my poor nerves in the way of Mrs Bennett, the jelly won’t jell in the way of Meg March/ Brooke in Little Women when things are not going as expected. I always think of Grace Marks in Alias Grace when I have a perfect McIntosh apple: if I eat it, then it will be gone. My head is just generally a weird and wild swamp of song lyrics and literary examples at any given time of the day.
I do not like lending out my books because I am very emotionally attached to them, but I am certainly not precious about them myself. I think a cracked spine and stained pages show that a book, like the Velveteen Rabbit, is truly loved. Some books I have read until they have literally fallen apart, which requires delicacy when picking them up again.
One of my clearest childhood memories is when I was seven, just after my younger brother was born: my older brother and I were staying with my aunt at that time, and in order to escape from my pesty and ill-behaved young cousin, I read and reread A Little Princess over and over. It truly is a beautiful book that I have reread as an adult, and I will say that not only is it great in terms of story and clothing descriptions – a thing I value deeply in a book – but it is also a very interesting look at the plight of the poor and the wild class divisions in Victorian England. I have such love and sentimental attachment to A Little Princess, and I will hear no dissenters!
I feel similarly attached and sentimental about Little Women. I first read this at my grandparents’, who had a whole collection of these hard cover double books, meaning there would be two books in one.
Little Women was literally the only book in this huge collection that centred around girls, and I have, from day one, been almost exclusively interested in female-centred stories. The lives of girls and women, if you will. If I read Little Women once, I read it fifty times. I was deeply interested in the above-mentioned Meg: her preparations for the coming-out ball, the loss of her glove, and the scenes which are supposed to be instructive about vanity but I deeply identified with, her being dressed up and having champagne at the ball, and her desire for a new dress. I always thought that her husband was a total dolt, and that she could have done so much better, although this takes place during and after the American Civil War, so maybe she couldn’t. There probably wasn’t a whole lot to choose from.
When I think of my childhood, I think of all the time I spent reading and rereading favourite books, and as an adult, I find myself doing the same. I certainly had access to new books through the library, but I treasured so much diving back into a book I knew and loved. To this day, I can feel myself sink into happiness at the first lines, and then becoming thrilled anew when a beloved character is introduced or the plot turns. It’s such a great feeling.
Speaking of first lines, do you have any favourites? My top three are: Ten days after the war ended, my sister Laura drove a car off a bridge, It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune must be in want of a wife, and Christmas won’t be Christmas without any presents!
I am dedicating this week and the next to rereading, with the hope that no library holds come in, in the meantime.
Weekly Reading
Single, Carefree, Mellow. This short story collection, which I first read in 2021 and have read twice more since, gives me so much joy. What can I say, everything Katherine Heiny writes is pure gold. Some of the stories are connected and some aren’t, but every single one of them is a literary gift of pure delight. She’s just so witty and clever, and I was laughing so hard that I kind of stopped breathing and started to sound like some sort of seal. As with every one of her books, I have been going back and rereading paragraphs and pages that are especially wonderful, including but not limited to the following: “She collects garden gnomes,” Nina said. “You had an affair with someone who collects garden gnomes.” David sighed. “I know there’s that side of her,” he said. “But I never saw that.” Every single character is perfect, so much is conveyed in a single short story. I will never stop being completely in love with this book.
Speaking of garden gnomes, dear reader Heidi (HI HEIDI) sent me this one all the way from Germany. Of course I named him Wolfgang, and now he hangs happily in my spirea shrub. Thank you, Heidi! I love him!
I should probably point out that I am NOT having an affair, let’s not draw too many parallels.
Commonwealth. The book that spurred this post! In addition to being a Katherine Heiny fangirl, I am also a hardcore Ann Patchett fangirl, and so I decided to revisit this beautiful novel about a blended family and how it is affected by an unspeakable tragedy. This book also asks: to whom do stories belong? It is SO well-written and emotive that it moves me deeply in so many ways every time I read it. Every character is truly an entire book unto themselves, which is just like people, I suppose.
My Name Is Lucy Barton. Why not make it three authors of which I fangirl constantly? I adore Elizabeth Strout, and her style of writing is so spare, beautiful, and wrenching, which really describes this entire book. It is heartbreaking and hopeful at the same time. It’s about poverty and trauma, isolation and abuse, but it’s also about escape and the ties that bind. Love is complicated, families are complicated, this book is complicated. I love it.
Anything Is Possible. The second book in the Lucy Barton series delves into all the people that Lucy and her mother chat about in the first book. If you’ve ever wondered whatever happened to so-and-so in your own life, you will appreciate this look into the various people of Lucy’s youth and where they ended up. I find it so interesting when people I knew “back when” end up living entirely unexpected existences. Well, the truth is I’m interested in where everyone ends up, unexpected or not, and so I loved this book.
I’ve decided to make Book Talk a mini-series until the end of the month. After all, there’s not much else to chat about, unless you want a minute-by-minute garden update! (or DO you?) Next week I’ll be talking about the opposite of rereading: DNFing, and then I will talk about genres, choosing what books to read, and making the time to curl up with a book. I’d love it if you’d join in and let me know if you are a rereader, and if so, what are your favourites? I’d love to hear about them. xo
Yes!!! Book Talk! Mini series! You can make it a series till the end of the year if you want- I love it so much.
So, for this week. When I was younger I used to reread books constantly. It’s interesting that I rarely do it anymore. I had to think about that, but I think it’s because when you’re young, time seems limitless. I felt like I could read every book in the world, and also reread them ten times if I wanted to. Now I’m very aware that my days are limited- and I don’t mean that in a negative way, it’s just a fact, and it makes me really think about each day and how I want to spend it. There are SO MANY books out there, and I’ve had to come to terms with the sad fact that I won’t be able to read them all. I want to experience as many new books as possible, so that doesn’t leave much time for rereads.
HOWEVER, I am rereading Agatha Christies. I read them all in my teens and twenties, and it’s really fun to go back and read them again. Also, I reread the Harry Potter series every ten years, because they’re my favorite books of all time. I definitely understand and agree with your point of view- you can get so much out of a reread. When I’m reading an Agatha Christie, I sink into such a happy feeling of nostalgia. I feel like I’m connecting with 15-year-old Jenny, and thinking about how the things I read back then shaped my ideas of life. Hmm! Now I’m thinking I should do more rereading. It really is such a pleasure, and that’s really what reading is all about, not just checking off books on a TBR list. Great post as always, Nicole!!!
I love this, Jenny! I feel like it can go both ways: there’s not enough time to read all the books, but on the other hand, life is too short for me not to enjoy that favourite again! I guess we just need to figure out how to live to 250, because otherwise HOW are we going to get all this reading done?
A book I loved when I was 15 was The Mists of Avalon, and it is a chonker of a book, but I read it SO many times. I reread it as an adult and I can see why I loved it so much!
I have had those kinds of “my kids actually see me” experiences with both kids. But when it comes to books and movies, especially Noah. He’s really good at picking things I will like. It’s like a love language for him.
I am currently about halfway through Emma. It’s a reread, but since I haven’t read it since college I remember only the broadest outlines of the plot. I was inspired to pick it up because when we were visiting North in Michigan last month we watched Clueless.
OOOOOHHHHHH EMMA!!! I am so excited for you, and I want to talk to you about it for the next several hours. She had lived until age 21 with very little to vex her, Steph! I love the word “vex” and I want to incorporate it into more conversation. One of my very favourite scenes is when her sister and her father have a “physician-off” where they talk about whose physician has the best advice. Sigh. I should reread that, maybe. “It is not improper, after all, we are not brother and sister.” “No. We are not.” SQUEEEEEE. Steph, you know how I feel about screen adaptations BUT there is a 2020 film version that is honestly everything anyone could ever want AND MORE. I UNDERSTAND YOU COMPLETELY
Oh and I forgot “I am an old married man, now. I do not dance.”
Your collection of books is fabulous! I, too, keep only the books that I feel connected to. However, I have a fraction of your stash! I am such a slow reader that I don’t re-read. However, sometimes I’ll grab a Harry Potter and read a chapter just because I’m in the mood. Are you a fast reader, or do you dedicate a large portion of your day to reading..curious!
Judy, it’s both: I am a fast reader AND I spend a lot of time reading! These days I spend a few hours each afternoon reading, and right now my husband is away so I’m reading even more!
This made me instantly well up: “You know, you go through life thinking that to your kids your personality is “Mom,” but then sometimes they surprise you by knowing your very soul.” Isn’t that what we are all looking for, Nicole? To be *seen* and *known*? And then to realize your most beloved dear ones DO??? The grammar of that thought is quite messy but I trust you will forgive me as I am over here sobbing.
Okay, okay, I am recovered enough to read the rest of your post.
I am also an unapologetic rereader. Some books are so good, they require rereading. I think I mainly reread for comfort, too — I think I reread a ton of Beverly Cleary and Judy Blume during the height of the pandemic. It’s so interesting that you reread for the beauty of the language — I would say my top rereads are usually mystery series. Now, Tana French is, in my opinion, an incredible writer in addition to being a great mystery writer. But Sue Grafton — while a good, solid writer! — does not craft the beautiful sentences or make me think about things deeply in the same way. And yet I reread both of their books because I looooooove them. I should reread some of the literary fiction I’ve loved, though; I don’t know why I don’t do that more often. I feel like I’ve been thinking a lot recently about books I want to reread — The Goldfinch, Bel Canto, Middlesex — but I ultimately get distracted by a) all the NEW books I haven’t read and b) the old, comfortable mysteries that feel somehow “quicker” to read than literary fiction.
Oh! One of the fun things about parenting is the opportunity to reread a bunch of my old favorites. I just finished reading Heidi to my daughter, which was a DELIGHT (although much more religious than I’d remembered). There are tons of books that I could ostensibly reread under the guise of sharing them with my kid. Unfortunately, she is quite picky and rejects a lot of my suggestions.
Awww, I know, it’s how I felt too! And it was so specific to Ann Patchett!
HEIDI!!! I reread that in the early days of the pandemic, because all the libraries had closed. And it was so good, but wow, the whole concept is pretty wild and disturbing. Her parents die. Her aunt takes care of her. Her aunt gets a job and can’t take care of her. Her aunt takes her and just randomly drops her off at her hermit grandfather’s house who everyone is scared of. She’s five. WHAT IS HAPPENING. And then! Then the aunt takes her back and she almost dies of sadness, being in a city. Also the whole thing about grandmother and having no teeth and wanting soft bread, omg, the whole thing. It’s a beautiful book though, what a delight, but wow, what a crazy thing.
I also reread a ton of Judy Blume as an adult – more than once. She’s so great! All her books are just perfection!
I do almost no rereading on purpose. Occasionally I will forget that I read something and about halfway through it will seem familiar and I’ll realize that I read it before! I have reread some childhood favorites with my kids although less than I would like – they don’t seem to have the patience for eg Madeline L’Engle, who I loved throughout my childhood and teen years, and into adulthood.
Hahahaha I have done that too! I’ll think “this seems familiar somehow” and then I’ll check my spreadsheet and sure enough, there it is.
This post was so well written, Nicole!
I reread all the time, but sometimes I’m scared it won’t feel the same like the first time and then I’ll be disappointed.
I remember specifically feeling paranoid about rereading “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” because I LOVED that book as a teenager but didn’t know if I’d like it 40 years later.
I did and it was wonderful!
Oooh yes, there is always that risk, but usually even if the book isn’t AS wonderful as when I first experienced it, I can usually see WHY I loved it so much!
I love all the books/authors you are rereading, but alas, I am not a rereader. Mostly because ‘there are so many books out there.’ But also because when I reread Catcher in the Rye as an adult, I thought it sucked and that really disappointed me! I had loved it so much the first time I read it. The only books I will read again (and again) are the Sedaris ones because they make me laugh so hard. I can never get enough of Dinah the Christmas Whore around the holidays!!!
However, I had very few books of mine own as a child, so there was a lot of rereading in the summer. Mostly Nancy Drew, but my copy of The Cat Ate My Gymsuit by Paul Danziger really got worn out and both of my daughters loved it as well. Please tell me you know that book!
Of COURSE I know The Cat Ate My Gymsuit! I only read it from the library though, but I certainly read it more than once! And yes, every single Christmas I bust out Dinah The Christmas Whore! The details about her shoes, like paint cans strapped to her feet, always crack me up.
The way his mother treats Dinah like royalty is the part that cracks me up every time!
YES. We have a guest!
“Hells bells, I can’t always be held to what I say at the steam table.”
Oh, it makes me so, so sad that you disliked The Catcher in the Rye as an adult! I taught that book for decades, and I found that loved it even more each time. The fact that Holden really wanted a Mother just tore me up. And that he was so lost, so full of emotions that he had no idea what to do with…as a mom, I found myself having so much empathy for him.
Sigh. I miss teaching all the books I used to. Talking about a book all day, every day for weeks was an incredible delight.
I love to reread! Sometimes I will have forgotten key plot points, but even when I remember every turn, I find it deeply comforting to follow a path that I know I enjoy, and leads me to something I love.
One of my favorite first lines is from Douglas Adams’ The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul. Backstory is that it was the first book on tape I bought (read by the author!), and this was back in the day when contact lens care was a multi-minute process, so I listened to it in the bathroom, over and over again. It starts out, “It can hardly be a coincidence that no language on earth has ever produced the expression ‘as pretty as an airport.’ Airports are ugly. Some are very ugly. Some attain a degree of ugliness that can only be the result of a special effort.” His deadpan delivery just kills me.
Hahaha that is a GREAT line!!!
Yes, it IS deeply comforting. I know I’m going to be happy!
I am here for any and all book talk, so bring it out! Commonwealth is my FAVORITE Patchett book. It is so well done! She really is a master!
I am not a re-reader, though. I will only re-read a book if it’s something we are reading for book club that I’ve read before and liked enough to read it again. My to read list is just so dang long so I would rather read new books than revisit old ones, even if I adored them. Sometimes I worry that revisiting them will tarnish my view on the book so I’d rather just keep that rosy view.
The only book quote that comes to mind for me is “The world was hers for the reading” from “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn.”
I love your newest gnome! How darling!
I love Commonwealth! I cannot choose a favourite, they are all my favourite, but wow, I love it so much! My TBR is staggeringly long too, but you know what, as I said to Jenny above, life is too short not to enjoy my favourites again and again!
Yes, I’m here for any book talks you write about! But first and foremost, HELLO WOLFGANG! How cute is he, hanging from the branch. Sigh. I will just sit here and look at his adorableness for a while.
I have many favorite books that I love to re-read. All the Jane Austens, Anne of Green Gables, and YES, A Little Princess. I have also re-read the No. 1 Ladies’ Detective agency series several times, which is a bigger deal now that there are 27 books! I see the next book will be released on Sept 15! YAY! That’s so exciting!
Isn’t Wolfgang darling? I love him. He is near the other gnome with a German name, Gustov.
27 books! That’s a lot! And I am with you on Austen, Anne, and of course A Little Princess!
That gnome is PERFECTION, Nicole.
I used to re-read a lot, and my father re-reads to a truly insane level. He finds so much comfort to returning to the same stories again and again. Though, as I’ve noted, he also reads the last chapter first in new books, so perhaps that explains why he loves re-reading so much: he knows exactly what’s going to happen.
I re-read a lot less these days because there are just so many books out there and so many books I want to read. I find re-reading less comforting these days and feel a bit more… (AND I KNOW THIS IS HORRIBLE! DON’T JUDGE ME) like I’m wasting my reading time. Which is ironic, because a few decades ago, re-reading was my favourite form of reading.
I definitely re-read series. Harry Potter, Little House, Nancy Drew, the LOTR books, Anne of Green Gables. There are some classics I’ve read a few times: A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Little Women, some Jane Austen, and a few of my favourite non-fiction.
I’ve never read A Little Princess, but I had one of those hardcover books like you Little Women/Little Men. It was Robinson Crusoe and Swiss Family Robinson, the latter being a book I adore and have re-read probably a dozen times in my life, including last summer (or was it the summer before last?) to my son. He also adored it.
I’m feeling like it might be time to re-read something 🙂
My grandma also had a Robinson Crusoe/ Swiss Family Robinson double book! She had a massive collection of them, and when I went to see her…let’s call it 2003?, I asked if I could take the Little Women with me because it was SUCH a big part of my childhood!
I am not judging at all! This is a safe space!! We can all read whatever we like!
I’ve heard similar comments about rereading books, but that has never stopped me from doing so! I’ve lost track of the number of times I’ve flipped through the pages of Jack London’s “The Sea Wolf,” and Tolkien’s “The Hobbit” and “Lord of the Rings,” and Sterling North’s “Rascal,” and…
Well. Let’s just say it’s a lot. #TeamReadItAgain
YES! Team Read It Again! Sometimes once is just not enough.
You have raised a sensitive and attentive man-good job! And you know I reread books. I especially like to reread the ones I read in college that I thought were ever so profound and see if they withstand the test of time. Sometimes they do. The times they don’t make me feel tender for the innocent, enthusiastic girl I once I was.
Laura, I agree, even if I don’t LOVE it on the reread, I can always see WHY I loved it back then!
I don’t get to re-read as much as I would like as I juggle my library holds, but The Little Princess was SUCH a top re-read for me as a kid, more than The Secret Garden which I also loved but the details of TLP when she came in cold and wet from her day and the little attic room was transformed – magic!
Always so happy to see Katherine Heiny appreciated! She gives me the same feeling re-reading Laurie Colwin does, like good things might be possible without sugarcoating it.
The first lines I have on lock: “The first week of August hangs at the very top of summer, the top of the live-long year, like the highest seat of a Ferris wheel when it pauses in its turning” and “Where’s Papa going with that ax?”
Heiny is just so good and she is SO funny! I really love everything she’s ever written, fangirl forever.
Oh YES, that is one of the very best scenes EVER. She basically thinks she’s going to die soon, and then her attic is just a magical place, warm and with food. Also! Remember when she had the sixpence, and bought fresh buns, and then gave most of them to the little beggar girl because “she was hungrier.” Ah, I should reread that right now.
I don’t often re-read books, but I’ve reread Elizabeth Strout books, Little Women and I think Commonwealth will be a reread as well. I can’t stop thinking about Whistler, so that one will be a second read too! I’ve got some favourite books through the decades stories coming up so we are in similar wavelengths! #booktwins
Ooooh I cannot WAIT for this!!!
I rarely reread books, although I intend to. I save books on my shelf for rereading, but then the new, shiny books sidetrack me, my library holds come in, and away I go. But I would love to reread some old favourites, and maybe I should set aside time devoted especially to that.
It’s so hard to reread when the library holds come in! But I am in a library drought right now (although I COULD request some of the ones on my TBR that are “available” right now, but I’m on a roll with rereads!)
I am a constant reader! Little Women has always been a favorite, along with Anne of Green Gables and all associated books (with both!). I recently read a book that absolutely floored me, but I don’t write down what I read so right now I can’t remember what it was!!
Oh darn! If you remember let me know! I also loved the Emily books, did you read those as well?
You’re the second person recently who mentioned loving Blind Assassin. I had picked it up a few weeks ago, and….i DNF. I just couldn’t get into it. I didn’t like the book within a book, and the current day stuff wasn’t too engaging. I read maybe half of it?
I do re-read , but don’t keep a lot of books around, as I prefer e-readers and using Libby. I often reread Dianna Wynne Jones- comfort read and fast!
Oh, too bad about The Blind Assassin – it’s my favourite book of all time BUT I do like the book-in-a-book concept. We all like different things!
I have never heard of Dianna Wynne Jones! I will look her up!
I like book-in-a-book concept, I just didn’t like this specific book-in-a-book. Maybe I’ll pick it up again in a few weeks and try it again.
I am absolutely a re-reader. I have my favorites, which are mainly things I read when I was young, but also I am all in to reread current books. One weird thing I do (I find it weird at least) is that I sometimes reread a book right after I finish it. I’m not ready to let it go, and I like knowing the story fresh and then seeing all of the foreshadowing and so on. I read Whistler three times. Well, I read the physical book twice and then I listened to it. I’m ready to reread The Correspondent and am waiting for that to be in paperback so I can buy it. My current physical book is The Odyssey which is hot right now for obvious reasons. I read it in grad school and loved it, but right now I’m stuck in the 80 pages of academic stuff, history about the time, discussion about the translation, all of that, before it starts and am thinking I might want to skip that and move on. BUT it’s interesting, so maybe not.
My biggest re-reads though are: Little House, Narnia, Gone With the Wind, A Little Princess, and sometimes The Secret Garden. I can pick any of them up and open the book to any part and just read and know exactly what is going on. It’s comfort reading for sure.
J, I feel so bonded to you right now – I often will wait for something to come into paperback and then I can own it. Although I do have a lot of hardcovers too because sometimes I just cannot wait (like Whistler!). I think I told you I also read The Odyssey back in university and honestly I don’t think I can do it again. But I may reread The Penelopiad!
I’m with you on Little House and A Little Princess, I’ve read GWTW a few times, and I – get ready for this confession – have never been able to get through Narnia or The Secret Garden!
I loved the Narnia books so much, but when I did my purge last year I decided I am done with them, so I gave them to my cousin’s kids. I hope they enjoy them! I like Secret Garden OK, but it’s no Little Princess. (I know lots of folks feel the opposite. Live and let live, even if they are wrong.)
Oh, wow. I’ve never been able to get through any Little House book, but I must have reread The Secret Garden dozens of times in my tween/young teen life. I feel Mary Lennox in my soul so much more than I do with Miss Perfect Sara Crewe (no real sting at A Little Princess – I adore the entire Burnett oeuvre).
When we downsized to our apartment, I had to get rid of a whole heap of books. In our old house, the study had a whole wall of bookcases, but we only had a few shelves in our apartment. I mainly kept non-fiction books, but I managed to included the LOTR and The Eight which I’ve reread several times. I do love a good plot but knowing how something ends doesn’t seem to diminish my enjoyment.
I got rid of a lot of books when we moved but I think they were mostly old textbooks. Don’t get me started on the inability to get rid of old textbooks – it was such a pain!!
Rereading is so comforting, isn’t it? I don’t think I have the memory any more to remember specific lines from books, but I do remember the way books make me feel, and I think that is why I turn back to some again and again. I reread Jane Austen and Edith Wharton books quite a bit, I love the Forsyte Saga, and Little Women of course, and like others here, I have reread a number of books when my children read them. I have reread Margaret Atwood, I recently reread Unless (great book) by Carol Shields and I really like to reread Alice Munro, though now that I have learned she had dementia and a complicated home life, I feel a bit shy. I feel now like her writing was much more personal than I had realised and I feel voyeuristic. Great topic, thanks for writing about this.
Some books just make me feel a certain way, and I just need to revisit them. They make me so happy! I like Carol Shields a lot – did you ever read The Stone Diaries? It was a really interesting book.
I confess that I never re-read, almost never if it’s a fiction. my reasoning is the time spent in discovering new books. I just finished Americanah last night which is another long book but my favorite book of the year, and didn’t want it to finish. I liked the latest book of Elizabeth Strout but when I went back to older books, I felt too sad/down reading it so I abandoned it.
I’m interested to this book series, Nicole, I really want you to review more memorable books and do book matching (to the mood/topic)?
Oh I liked Americanah a lot!! I think that was a book I accidentally reread. I started it and thought “wait, this is familiar” and then I looked up my spreadsheet and sure enough, I had. Whoopsie! It was worth a reread! The Elizabeth Strout books are often very bleak but also hopeful in a way, and they are so beautifully written that I love them.
Book matching! What a great idea! Thanks Coco!
Isn’t it fantastical when your children grow up and really SEE you? It’s the best feeling.
I’ve not been a great re-reader. I think the only books I’ve ever read more than once are: A few of David Sedaris, The Poisonwood Bible, The Red Tent, and Gone With the Wind. I mean, we’re not counting books we read to our kids, right? Because I had a lot of those memorized, and thirty years later, I can still quote a few of the Muppet and Dr. Seuss books. Is that a flex? If it is, I’ll take it.
I’m giggling about the gnome affair. Or, you know what I mean.
I don’t think I ever knew you had two brothers and that you’re in the middle. Look at me, constantly learning over here!
Oh you just reminded me of The Red Tent, I loved that book! I should reread it! My reread list is getting as long as my TBR list now.
Yes! I am very much a Middle Child, I feel like it explains my whole personality.
I love to reread for the same reason I love to read a long running series. I just want to hang out with my favorite people (the characters). There’s a YA book by Sarah Dessen called Just Listen and I just want the character of Owen to be a real person. I don’t know how many times I’ve read that book, but it’s a lot.
I even have a reread goal this year to reread at least one book a month. Next year I think my big reading goal is going to be to reread the entire Realm of the Elderlings saga. I CAN HARDLY WAIT. Maybe I’ll start as soon as I’ve completed my reading challenge for 2026, I can dive into those books.
Oh I am so excited for you! Even though I don’t know those books, I am excited that you get to revisit something you are excited about! I kind of go on rolls of rereading, and it’s usually when I don’t have any library books forthcoming. I don’t know that YA book, but I’m going to look it up right now!
I thought I was a rereader, but tried to think of which ones and then blanked!
My friends got me into reading fantasy last year, I’d never been into fantasy before, but admittedly I really enjoyed it. They have a good mystery element to them with so many clues, so rereading means you pick up some new angle every time.
But I’m sure I’d reread a lot of books from when I was young. Maybe this is a 52 item for me next year – nominate some books from when I was younger and reread them!
Also, would love gardening updates, just saying 😂
It’s really fun to revisit books from your youth! I actually reread some Sweet Valley High books AND Flowers in the Attic, and it was a hoot!
GARDENING UPDATES FORTHCOMING!!! I won’t disappoint you!
What a lovely and interesting post. And what your son said!! I have 3 boys/men and they do surprise me frequently. I am not a re-reader generally. Nicole you are a reader in all caps with stars around it. I consider my myself an avid reader but I just don’t seem to make enough time for reading.I read daily but sometimes just an hour. The book I read most as a child was Jane Eyre because our house owned a copy and whenever I ran out of library books I read Jane. I have not read a lot of the classics but you have inspired me and I’m going to suggest Pride and Prejudice for my book club! Your book shelves! I think I spotted a Bobbsey Twins collection – oh how I loved those books. (I may be a late commenter; but I race to your blog within minutes. Sometimes I like to mull over your writings)
Pat, yes, the Bobbsey Twins! I loved those books so so so much! I recently reread “The Tagalong Giraffe” and it was just delightful.
I keep books that I think I want to re-read, but I find I very rarely do re-read a whole book. Sometimes, I pull a book off the shelf and thumb through and re-read sections that I loved – some books just have a lot of words between the good parts that I don’t really feel like I want to spend the time to re-read, you know? I like to re-read all the bits of Jane Eyre where Jane and Mr. Rochester are getting to know each other – I’ve always loved that slow burn, cautious then consuming relationship.
And then there’s the accidentally re-reading. That happens a lot with Agatha Christie – she wrote so many books and they go down so easily that I often forget which ones I’ve read.
I’m Team Attic Wife over here! I actually have Wide Sargasso Sea on hold at the library, I shall report back!
I have done some accidental rereading – sometimes I keep it going, other times I put it away.
I’m excited for a book miniseries from you! Yay! I am not a huge rereader, although I will reread romance novels way more than other novels, even the ones I loved. I would like to reread some of my favorite non-romances, particularly rereading Taylor Jenkins Reid’s whole catalog and maybe some of the books on my favorites shelf. That’s why they’re there, after all!
Oooh I hope you do that! I will be along for the ride. I love seeing if and how my perspective changes on a reread!
I used to reread Gone with the Wind every single June. As a book buyer who does not use the library (although I fervently support them, especially with my tax dollars!), I have a great many books on my bookshelves. I don’t often lend them unless it’s to my son Jared. I once loaned a book to a friend, didn’t get it back for years, and spied it on her bookshelf. She gave it back–embarrassed–but it was in horrid shape. I even remember the exact book: The Painted House by John Grisham. From that moment on, I have always placed a personalized book plate in the front of each book and abide by a No Lending Policy.
Your son is sensitive and insightful. What an absolute joy he must be!
Oh Nance, I would have just gasped. I have lent out books and then they don’t come back, and I just don’t lend them out anymore. There are two exceptions, and those friends are ones I see almost weekly. I have lent out books to them and they give them back pretty promptly, but they are the only exceptions! My friend Allison says that when she lends them out, she assumes she will be buying a new copy and considers it a gift, and I wish I could be that generous. But I can’t!
Okay, there are definitely certain ones I won’t lend (I would buy another copy to lend), so don’t feel bad.
„ I’m not a plot-driven person, and so it doesn’t matter to me if I already know the twist: I want to revel in the beauty of the words while we get there.“ I absolutely, 100% agree with this statement. In a way, it’s nice to already know what happens so you don’t have to “rush“ to find out 🙂
P.S. I love that your son knows you so well 🙂
Yes, you’re right, you can enjoy the journey that much more!
Eughghghgh, I just typed a long ramble comment and it got eaten. Suffice it to say I have come to the chilling realization that most of the books I’m drawn to reread often are written by MEN (sob). And Ann Patchett, of course.
Ugh so sorry about the comment eating! I don’t know why that happens!!!
Hi Nicole, I don’t know how/why I stopped receiving notifications for your posts but I re-signed up again! I’m a re-reader, though not a regular one. Sometimes something just hits me and I want to revisit again. That includes childhood favorites (how many times HAVE I read “Stuart Little”?) down to more modern favorites and even (sometimes) mysteries. I have one friend to whom I will lend out books and she treats them like gold. I’ll happily share some but others I save and I love seeing the on my shelf, going back to them. They are such friends.
Oh, I love that and I feel that way too – they ARE such friends!!