Reading 2017: Books Worth Rereading
Of the 63 books I read in 2017, 16 were rereads. Some I read only for a second time, and others for a fourth. I find that many of these books fall into the category of children's books, even if the first time I read them was as an adult. So, in no particular order:
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger is and will remain a long-time favourite. My sister Faith (who also blogs about reading here) had to teach this book when she taught Language Arts in Minnesota (Leif Enger lives in MN). At the time, she had a long commute, and she often spent it on the phone with me. Book recommendations went back and forth (mostly forth from her), and this recommendation did not disappoint. Set in Minnesota, it is about a family whose life is complicated after the oldest son acts in self-defense (or is it really self-defense?) after a threat on his family's safety. This all unfolds in the first bit of the book, the bulk of the book is about what happens after. Though I focused on the narrator of the story in my first reads of the book, as an adult I see how much the book is about the father Jeremiah. As a parent, I sympathize more with the difficulty of his position. It's a book that's hard to describe in a way that captures the beauty and depth of it. All I can say is it has and continues to affect me with each read. I'd recommend reading it in the winter.
My sister also recommended Jon Hassler's Staggerford that same year. Offhand I can't recall if the book specifies where the town Staggerford is located, but I imagine it to also be in Minnesota or a nearby midwestern state. The structure of the book is interesting, as it follows one week in the life of school teacher Miles Pruitt. There are both dull and exciting moments that make the book feel real. I enjoy the characterization as you meet a believable collection of teachers, administrators, students, and community members through not only narration but also through Miles’ journal. As a teacher myself, the hang-ups and fixations of the various characters felt spot on. And as a Midwesterner, I get the coach who’s hung up on one football game, the ambitious principal, and the passivity (sometimes passive-aggressiveness) of everyone knowing everyone’s business in a small town but pretending not to. This time around I appreciated the foreshadowing as well as the character Agatha, Miles’ landlady. I love Miles’ sense of humour and particularly enjoyed the Halloween party scene as the text dissolves into drunken bits of conversation. I expect this won't be the last reread.
While on bedrest pregnant with my daughter (September 2015), I reread the entire Harry Potter series. In May 2017 I started to feel like rereading them again, and soon had a positive pregnancy test. I had a miscarriage in July, yet in that short time, I had already managed to reread the entire series. Upon each reread of Harry Potter, I appreciate more and more Rowling's genius in weaving together so many details and creating a cohesive world. We're trying to get pregnant again, so maybe a reread will be soon in coming.
One thing I love about Madeleine L'Engle is that I came to her so naturally. During one of my childhood explorations of the library stacks, I came across her Wrinkle of Time Quintet, yet it wasn't Wrinkle of Time that I first read. Rather I remember reading Many Waters and the fantasy took me by great delighted surprise. (I didn't read Wrinkle till much later.) I appreciate her fantasy, and as an adult I've also appreciated her nonfiction and memoir, especially Walking on Water and her Crosswicks Journals. Still I think an adult can get a refreshed point of view after reading one of the books in the Wrinkle Quintet. (Reading them in quick succession sometimes overwhelms the reader with repeated themes and patterns; for example ideas of treating our planet well and being gentle with each other are themes in nearly each book.)
In 2017, I came back to C. S. Lewis after a long absence. I reread Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer as well as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which I reread intentionally in December. Again I was struck by Lewis' keen point of view and cogent writing. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe shows the reader so much, and yet it's not a very long book at all. The metaphors are astute and the actions of the characters evocative. One can't help but have their emotions taken up as they watch Edmund, Lucy, or Mr. Tumnus. I didn't read this book till I was an adult, and I look forward to letting my own child(ren) experience it with the wonder of a child.
I hope you also have opportunities to books loved in your youth or adulthood. I'd be happy for any recommendations of your favourite rereads.
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger is and will remain a long-time favourite. My sister Faith (who also blogs about reading here) had to teach this book when she taught Language Arts in Minnesota (Leif Enger lives in MN). At the time, she had a long commute, and she often spent it on the phone with me. Book recommendations went back and forth (mostly forth from her), and this recommendation did not disappoint. Set in Minnesota, it is about a family whose life is complicated after the oldest son acts in self-defense (or is it really self-defense?) after a threat on his family's safety. This all unfolds in the first bit of the book, the bulk of the book is about what happens after. Though I focused on the narrator of the story in my first reads of the book, as an adult I see how much the book is about the father Jeremiah. As a parent, I sympathize more with the difficulty of his position. It's a book that's hard to describe in a way that captures the beauty and depth of it. All I can say is it has and continues to affect me with each read. I'd recommend reading it in the winter.
My sister also recommended Jon Hassler's Staggerford that same year. Offhand I can't recall if the book specifies where the town Staggerford is located, but I imagine it to also be in Minnesota or a nearby midwestern state. The structure of the book is interesting, as it follows one week in the life of school teacher Miles Pruitt. There are both dull and exciting moments that make the book feel real. I enjoy the characterization as you meet a believable collection of teachers, administrators, students, and community members through not only narration but also through Miles’ journal. As a teacher myself, the hang-ups and fixations of the various characters felt spot on. And as a Midwesterner, I get the coach who’s hung up on one football game, the ambitious principal, and the passivity (sometimes passive-aggressiveness) of everyone knowing everyone’s business in a small town but pretending not to. This time around I appreciated the foreshadowing as well as the character Agatha, Miles’ landlady. I love Miles’ sense of humour and particularly enjoyed the Halloween party scene as the text dissolves into drunken bits of conversation. I expect this won't be the last reread.
While on bedrest pregnant with my daughter (September 2015), I reread the entire Harry Potter series. In May 2017 I started to feel like rereading them again, and soon had a positive pregnancy test. I had a miscarriage in July, yet in that short time, I had already managed to reread the entire series. Upon each reread of Harry Potter, I appreciate more and more Rowling's genius in weaving together so many details and creating a cohesive world. We're trying to get pregnant again, so maybe a reread will be soon in coming.
In 2017, I came back to C. S. Lewis after a long absence. I reread Letters to Malcolm: Chiefly on Prayer as well as The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe, which I reread intentionally in December. Again I was struck by Lewis' keen point of view and cogent writing. The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe shows the reader so much, and yet it's not a very long book at all. The metaphors are astute and the actions of the characters evocative. One can't help but have their emotions taken up as they watch Edmund, Lucy, or Mr. Tumnus. I didn't read this book till I was an adult, and I look forward to letting my own child(ren) experience it with the wonder of a child.
I hope you also have opportunities to books loved in your youth or adulthood. I'd be happy for any recommendations of your favourite rereads.
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