Monday, July 11, 2011

The Art of Rereading

     Rereading. It's something that some say they despise. After all, they've already gleaned everything they can from that particular piece. Others say that they find more to love upon their second appraisal.
     So what exactly is it that pulls some of us back to a book? Is it the characters? Does the plot draw us in that well?
     I think it's something a little more than that. Everything about a book pulls us back. The plot, the world itself, the characters, and the writing all make or break a book. What really makes us pick it up again though is how the book impacts us, as individuals.
     People pick up an old favorite because it feels right. It takes them back to the first time they read it. For me, rereading helps me find parts of myself that I had almost forgotten. For instance, last November I read The Velveteen Rabbit again after about a decade. It brought back so many of my childhood memories, things that I hadn't thought of in too long.
     Maybe I'm just being too philosophical, but I really do think that reading books more than once helps us find ourselves. Those little pieces that make us who we are get lost in the hustle and bustle of life. Sometimes it really is good to remember.

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