Repeat? Yes, Please!

What is the one book that you feel you could read over and over without it ever feeling old?

I have a long list of books that I read over and over. These books remind me of a simpler time or I know they will bring laughter at a time when I might need that.

There is one series of books that are my “comfort” books. I have been reading this series since I was probably seven. Before I received my first set for my 9th (?) birthday I had been borrowing them from my Grandma June’s personal library; she also loved this series and would read it often. Reading these books bring so much comfort to me. I never get to read them on my own anymore because I introduced the books to Wyatt several years ago and now they are our books. We read the series through EVERY year. Last year we were looking for a book to read for our family reading time and Wyatt looked at me and said, “You know what we haven’t read in awhile?” I asked him what book he was thinking of and he pointed to the book shelf, “The Little House series! It’s been SO long since we’ve read them. Let’s read them again.” I then pointed out to him that we had just finished reading the series a few months before but he didn’t care. He was ready to read them again. This series gets us through so many dark times. When we read them we’re suddenly away from the anxiety of illnesses and drama. We’re in the big woods of Wisconsin enjoying the Sugaring Off dance. We’re in a covered wagon traveling across the country, helping Pa to build a door for the new log cabin, finding beads in an abandoned camp and using them to make a necklace. We’re running along the banks of Plum Creek, playing in the clear, fresh water, catching fish in the fishtrap, going to school for the first time, watching grasshoppers destroy everything, and rejoicing when they finally do go away. We’re traveling on a train for the first time, living in a railroad camp, watching the railroads be built, and spending winter in a place where the nearest neighbor is more than a day’s journey. We are watching a new town spring up across the prairie, meeting new people, and seeing the claim shanty be built. We’re huddled in together in the house trying to stay warm during the long winter, twisting hay with Pa and Laura to try to keep the family from freezing, we’re grinding wheat into flour just to make a little bread, and praying that Almanzo and Cap find the wheat on a homestead 20 miles from town, knowing that a blizzard could come at any time and cause them to get lost on the prairie. We’re celebrating the 4th of July in town with firecrackers, watching the horse races, and enjoying lemonade. We’re missing Mary when she goes off to the college for the blind in Iowa. We’re teaching school while having to live in a hostile environment, looking forward to the long cold drives home with Almanzo every weekend. We are living through times that we were never able to experience but that Laura Ingalls Wilder was able to write about so beautifully that we could experience them in a way. We could travel with her and her family, struggle, love, laugh, and build right along with them.

As I write this, Wyatt and I are currently reading through the Little House series. We just started reading By the Shores of Silver Lake. No matter how often we read these books I always find myself needing a few tissues while I read chapter 2 of this book. We noticed as we finished up On the Banks of Plum Creek that it is time to get a new set of the books. These books are so well loved that the pages are beginning to fall out. Each page is carefully tucked back into the proper place of the book.

Is there a book or books that bring you a sense of comfort?

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