Let's Discuss -- Rereadings

I've been feeling a big hankering for a good rereading of several of my favorite books lately. Not sure why. Perhaps it is because I have slowly (very slowly) been reading a book of essays called Rereadings: Seventeen Writers Revisit Books They Love, edited by Anne Fadiman. I am not even halfway through the book so I will save any editorial comments about it, but it certainly makes me wonder if I was asked to write an essay about a book I'd like to reread, what would I pick?

Another reason I may be thinking/pining for rereading old favorites is I just loaned my mom a book I've probably read four times, and plan to read more times. My mom is 94. She rarely goes to the library these days, though I noticed a library book on her counter last time I visited. Every time I visit her I bring her books I've read and am ready to part with. This has been going on so long, I no longer have any books to pass on, except those I'm not ready to part with. The book in question is The Ladies of Missalonghi by Colleen McCullough. the last time I read it was 2016. Clearly time for a reread.

The other reason I've been thinking about rereading old favorites is, weirdly, often these are the books I've never reviewed. Take for example The Ladies of Missalonghi, even though I've read it many times, even since 2009 when I began blogging, I've never reviewed it. Other books that fall into that category are: Shipping News; The Round House; and In the Shadow of the Banyan.

Lastly, I find comfort in rereading old friends. My husband never wants to watch movies he's seen before. If I love a movie, I want to see it over and over. It is comforting to me. The same goes for books. If I love a book, it deserves my devotion throughout the ages. Right?

So, let's discuss rereadings. 

1. Do you enjoy rereading favorite books, why or why not?
2. What books have you reread more than once?
3. List a few books you'd like to reread if you could find the time in your schedule.

Here are my answers:

1. I have had both experiences with rereadings -- enjoyment and disappointment. I reread Little Women a few years ago. It was a favorite of mine as a child. I could barely bear it on the reread. It came across as preachy and I felt let down. I wished I'd never read it again. But then, I recently reread Pride and Prejudice and got just as much joy out of it as I have every other time I read it. I will never stop rereading it. I actually don't reread books as often as you'd think based on this post. I confess to worrying that a reread may wreck my memory of the book.

2. Here is a partial list of books I've read and reread several times:

    a. Stations Eleven by Emily St. John Mandel

    b. Whistling Season by Ivan Doig

    c. Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion by Jane Austen

    d. A Town Like Alice by Noel Shute

    e. To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee

3. Books I'd like to reread, if I can find room for them in my schedule:

    a. Shipping News by E. Annie Proulx

    b. Scorpio Races by Maggie Stiefvater

    c. The Round House by Louise Erdrich

    d. David Copperfield by Charles Dickens

    e. Stolen by Lucy Christopher

Your turn... Let's discuss rereading books.

-Anne