While cataloging and arranging my home library recently, I ran across several books I haven’t read in a long while. Of course, that’s the majority of them, right? But a few I marked as ones I want to re-read.
But first, why re-read? Because yes, I have sooooo many books waiting to be read for the first time!
1, I re-read for the sake of nostalgia. This happens when I rediscover a book that meant something to me at a specific time and re-reading it recaptures that moment, both the memory of it and the feeling behind it.
2. I re-read to remember the reason I kept it. What books to keep is a very personal thing for me. Often I keep a book when I remember the feeling I had reading it even if I can’t remember the story or why it pierced my heart in that moment. So a re-read will help me remember, and help me decide if it’s still a book that requires space on my shelves.
3. I re-read because I’m in a different season of life. To revisit a work in a different stage of life often feels like reading a whole new book. Did you know that many books read differently in different seasons of life? Maybe I’ve experienced or seen something in the years between reads that causes me to understand characters or aspects of the story in new ways. A book with some substance, some commentary on the human condition, will change for you over time. Sometimes for the better; sometimes for worse.
With all that said, here are a few of the books I’d like to re-read this year and why (note: I wanted to show you my copies of these books, so if you want the buy link, click on the picture!):
…And Ladies of the Club by Helen Hoover Santmyer
Yes, I have it in hardcover and paperback! I originally read the paperback and figured I’d want to eventually re-read and I knew I wouldn’t be able to see the type in the paperback. So when I found the hardcover at a library sale . . .
This will be a commitment, given its length, but I’d really like to re-read it. It’s definitely a “different season of life” read given that it follows two friends from age 18 to their deaths in their 70s or 80s. It’s not only a great friendship read but the magnitude of the history lived is fascinating too.
The Love Letters by Madeleine L’Engle
I remember reading this novel about marriage years ago and finding it impactful. I want to re-read it to see how it feels to me now. Will it be as gripping? As poignant? Will it, perhaps, have different things I relate to all these years later?
Queen Anne’s Lace and The Restless Lady by Frances Parkinson Keyes
These two novels were contemporary when written, and both are set in the Washington DC of the mid-twentieth century. I remember them both as being enlightening. Will they still hit me the same way? Perhaps there are new things to glean from these stories in 2024!
The Reb and the Redcoats by Constance Savery
I remember finding this at a used bookstore and thinking it looked interesting. And remember the story being pure joy! Because I am still interested in writing a novel in this time period myself, I want to experience this one again. It’s a children’s book, and I do love re-reading children’s books. I hope it’s one I will eventually share with my grandchildren.
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett
Yep, another one I own two different copies. Well, the same editions but hardcover and paperback. To be honest, the hardcover is the one I gave my daughter on her first Christmas, but for some reason it’s still on my shelf, not hers! And since that one is technically hers, years ago I bought the paperback for me and for my future grandchildren. Yes, this edition with the Tasha Tudor illlustrations is my favorite.
And I adore this story so much! I remember a friend in sixth grade recommending it to me, and I fell in love with it. In fact, I am currently re-reading it, but in a new form—an audiobook! I’m listening to the one narrated by Johanna Ward, and she is delightful! I love that her Yorkshire accent for the servants in Misselthwaite Manor sounds exactly like Mrs. Hall in All Creatures Great and Small!
Will I get to all of these in 2024? I have no idea, but I want to try!
Do you ever re-read books? If so, how do you decide which ones warrant a second (or third or tenth!) read?
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I never used to re-read books… seems that TBR is forever growing. But a few years ago I decided some books are worth re-reading. I usually wind up experiencing them through audiobook to make them fresh that first re-read. And that has proven to be quite ingenious. Now I have a couple of books that I pick up, sometimes not even with the intention to re-read the entire thing… but rather when I’m in need of comfort and just need a little bit of the story to set me to rights. It’s like sitting down at the table with a friend who will listen and offer their ear.
I agree that re-reading via audiobook definitely adds a new dimension to a loved story! I’m finding that with The Secret Garden.
And, yes, there are those re-reads that, for me, are comfort reads—books I know so well that they are like visiting an old friend. 🙂
I’m a long time re-reader and like picking them up when I’m in between books. It’s fun to revisit old friends, yet enjoying meeting them for the first time all over again. Plus, it’s satisfying to know how their story unfolds….kind of like curling up with your favorite comfy blanket.
I completely agree! In fact, there are certain books from my childhood I re-read when life gets really stressful because I know exactly how they will unfold!
Not counting the Bible, which I read through often, I don’t re-read many books, simply because (as you said) my TBR is toppling. But in the last few months, I have re-read both Pride & Prejudice and Sense & Sensibility (for at least the third or fourth times). I’ve read Redeeming Love at least five times since 1991. I am more apt to re-read non-fiction. I just re-read Randy Alcorn’s The Grace and Truth Paradox. This year I plan to re-read Andrew Peterson’s Adorning the Dark (a book that every Christian writer and creator should read).
It’s been hard for me to make time for re-reads in the last few years, but there are just books that warrant it sometimes. Adorning the Dark was great. I do love re-reading writing/creativity books as well, but that feels different than re-reading fiction.
I read and own “The Secret Garden” in paperback (like yours in the photo) with the 100th anniversary banner on the cover.
I watched the 1993 movie adaptation on Kanopy through my local public library system. (Kanopy is a comparable service to Hoopla)
I definitely DO reread books, but not very often. I usually spend my time on new books in my TBR pile. However, I have several favorites that I visit every few years and others I read each Christmas season. My reasons are diverse. One, they obviously evoked a good feeling in me when I read them, so I want to experience that again. Next, if a new addition comes out in a series, I simply must reread the entire series up to and including the new book. Then, there are some that are just comfy and warm, like the Christmas novellas that I like to visit annually during the holidays— regardless of how predictable they’ve become. Finally, the older I get, I forget many things about a book’s plot and only seem to recall how much I loved it. So, it deserves to be reread. For all of these reasons, I certainly think there is an appropriate time for rereading book favorites.