"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads but what he rereads." Francois Mauriac
I know I am not the only one who rereads books. What is it about a particular book that brings us back to it time and again? For me it is the comfort of familiar characters, the beautiful use of language, or the needful insights in an area of my life. And there is something so comforting about the familiar. Once you have read a book, you know the ending and thus alleviate the stress of "what happens next?" I think that it is in the rereading that I really come to value a book, I can take time to focus on the characterization and the ingenuity of the author. Or I can just enjoy visiting, once again with the characters.
Does this mean that all my rereads are deep and soul searching? Well, no. But it is a source of comfort, especially in long sleepless nights or times of intense stress. Then I seek the comfort of those books in which nothing too critical happens, and people just enjoy everyday living.
Some of my rereads:
The Anne series by L. M. Montgomery
Bookends by Liz Curtis Higgs
A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott
Seasons of the Heart series by Janette Oke
Created to be His Helpmeet by Debi Pearl
and of course the Bible
What are some of your rereads?
I hope the fact that you're re-reading doesn't mean that you are having a stressful time.
ReplyDeleteSome of my re-reads (actually I re-read most 'good' books):
Stepping Heavenward - Elizabeth Prentiss
Love Comes Softly Series - Janette Oke
Passion & Purity, Quest for Love - Elisabeth Elliot
Some Lori Wick & Kristen Heitzmann books
My favorite re-reads in the Bible - Psalms, the Epistles, Romans, and Hebrews.
A book that I re-read every two years or so since it was assigned as collateral in college is Fresh Wind, Fresh Fire by Jim Cymbala of Brooklyn Tabernacle. Each time it revitalizes my prayer life in new ways. Other than that, I find that Garfield comic books are very stress relieving. :)
ReplyDeleteStephanie -
ReplyDeleteNot too stressed at the moment, I don't think... but then I start VBS next week and Mark is leaving tomorrow on a business trip. AHH.. stress!! :) No, really I'm fine, just fine...
My favorite Elliott reread is Let Me Be A Woman.. Have you read it? Very good - her instructions to her daughter.
Michael -
I remember reading Fresh Wind at GBS. I should dig that one out again! As for comics, I read and reread Tumbleweeds comic books. Very funny, and un-politically correct! :)
C.S. Lewis-Perelandra
ReplyDeleteFrank Peretti-Visitation
James Byron Huggins-The Reckoning
The Bible? Job, over and over again.
Comics-mostly Peanuts, then Calvin and Hobbes, with a dash of Far Side
Charlie Brown, huh? Good Grief! :)
ReplyDeleteSpeaking of Far Side, Gary Larson's birthday is today (for another nine minutes in my part of the world.)
I must needs get to bed!
Oh, and my most reread book of the Bible would probably be Proverbs.
I loved "Let Me Be a Woman." very practical! Probably my favorite re-read cartoons are "Family Circus." Some of them are a little boring, but I love lots of them!
ReplyDeleteHello,
ReplyDeleteGreetings from south Georgia! It was great to find your blog. I hope y'all are doing well. Our blog can be found at http://curtisandjennifer.blogspot.com
Hi, Curtis and Jennifer!
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the blogging world. I'm glad you found me! :)
Hello My name is Luanna Wright. I know Shari Stratton. You can find my blog at www.luannajoy.blogspot.com and email me at luannajoy@gmail.com
ReplyDelete