Read Again and Again

Favorite Book(s) that Don’t Get Old (to me)

By Jeff Salter

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

When I noted our topic this week, I had some déjà vu — seems like I often reflect on things I’ve enjoyed in the past… and would likely enjoy again. That could be movies, old TV shows, comic books… and, of course, monographs (fiction or non-fiction). It could be said that I even long for another chance to taste some particular dish or meal (or snack) that I remember fondly!

But to the matter at hand, I also felt like I’d batted this topic around in a previous Hound Day post. So I went hunting. Nothing recent, however. Turns out it was during the very first few months of this group blog’s existence [before any of the CURRENT Foxes joined this group].

I won’t repeat my entire list, but I do encourage you to click on the link to my April 14, 2011 blog, so you can see what I had to say back then.

Favorite Titles & Books I’d Read Again

Since I know some of you won’t bother to click on that link, I’ll lift a couple of paragraphs to re-print here.

Read More Than Once

            I had to strain to come up with even this very small list.

            Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird — an excellent, powerful book which I’ve read twice (about 10-12 years apart).

            Nathaniel Benchley – father of author Peter Benchley and son of humorist Robert Benchley – wrote the novel which was made into the movie “The Russians are Coming…”.  Titled The Off-Islanders, it’s another book I’ve read twice (some 30+ years apart). Also his novel, A Winter’s Tale …and possibly a third title [Catch a Falling Spy].

            Two times, I’ve read Walker Percy’s second novel, The Last Gentleman.  [Probably about 15 years apart.] I’m about 99% certain I’ve also re-read his first novel, The Moviegoer.

            Though I can’t recall which titles, I know I’ve read at least one or two of Ian Fleming’s James Bond books twice (first as a young teen and later as an adult).

            Notice that all of these re-readings have been at least 10 years later.

Since that earlier compilation, there are a few titles I’ve re-read. One was Bill Bryson’s A Walk In The Woods — though it was not as funny (to me) on the second read.

Another book that I’d LIKE to re-read is Pegasus Bridge, by Stephen Ambrose.

Children’s Books

I touched on this in the earlier blog, but let me repeat that I LOVE children’s books… and enjoy reading / re-reading them even if the kids / grandkids are no longer around. Especially those books with terrific ART in conjunction with imaginative / entertaining texts. I would strain too hard to remember all the titles / authors, but here are a few.

            Being a public librarian for some 29 years gave me opportunities to re-examine titles which I had read over and over as a child myself (like Ben and Me by Robert Lawson, several from Dr. Seuss, most of the early Disney titles, and many of the ‘Little Golden’ books) and had the added pleasure of reading multiple times to my own children. Several titles of the Berenstain Bears series arrived in time to read to my kids … as did Harry and the Terrible Whatzit by Dick Gackenbach. Some books (like William Joyce’s George Shrinks and Mercer Mayer’s There’s a Nightmare in my Closet) appeared too late for my kids, but have been viable reads for my grand-children.

QUESTION:

What about YOU? Do you ever re-read books? Which ones?

[JLS # 628]