Why I reread books
Before I fall asleep at night, I’m rereading A Burning in My Bones, the biography of Eugene Peterson written by Winn Collier. I read it last spring and it is a masterpiece. Over the past month, I’ve felt a strong pull from some favorite books, and that was the first one I picked back up.
I know a lot of people do not reread books, and, good news, this isn’t a moral decision. If you don’t like to reread, that’s fine. But as long and ever-growing as my book list, I’m never going to read everything on it. I won’t conquer this. I can’t look at it as a to-do list. That means that I am free to reread books if I desire without feeling like I am wasting my reading time.
After all, much of my reading is directed by whim. I do design my reading stacks at home to hold a diversity of authors and a series of topics, but I go through them based on what seems compelling. I do way more reading that way than assigning myself a regimented book list and schedule. Love of reading and a desire to learn directs most of my reading. Books are a gift that other people have offered to the world and I want to accept them as gift instead of making them a burden.
I’ve found that when I reread, I bring a different person to the page. With Peterson’s biography, only a year has passed since I read it last, but I have changed. I live in a different state. I’ve done a year more of seminary. I’ve mothered a year longer. Right away this time, I noticed that Eugene’s mom prayed for a different member of her family every day so that each person got extended prayer time. I didn’t notice that last time, but this time, I made my own list. The book might be the same but I am not, and that means I will have a different experience with it.
I try, on occasion but not all the time, to read slightly beyond my comfort level. I’ll read something I don’t fully understand. I’ll plow through knowing that I’m missing things but building a foundation for later. When I come back to those books, I build more and more layers. I see my own growth and how much more I understand than the last time. It’s actually a great feeling.
There are a lot of things I will never reread. There are some books I will flip back through and look at what I’ve underlined. There are books I will refer to again for research. But some are worth visiting time and again.
Do you have a book you will read more than once? What is it?
Always,
Lisa
Links I Love:
Listen to Mary Oliver read one of her poems.
Loved this chicken marinade.
This program by American Airlines makes me so happy.
I happily reread Wuthering Heights and Harry Potter every single year.