Rereading Books

With all of the books in the world, it makes no sense to read some more than once -- but I do. Generally, they're books I like, such as Pompeii (Robert Harris), the Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling), and nonfiction, such as In the Garden of the Beast (Erik Larsen).

Much of my reading is via audiobooks, since I'm in the car a lot. Several times in the last few years I've taken out a library CD a second time, because I didn't recognize the story (having read it years ago). I generally return it without rereading, but if I'm down to my last audio book, I'll listen again.

As I enjoy it a second time, I hear things I missed the first time  through. Sometimes I spot foreshadowing I didn't recognize, other times I'll realize the antagonist dropped hints I didn't pick up on. Louise Penny's and Daniel Silva's books are so rich I miss subtext sometimes. I recently bought Moscow Rules (Silva) at a library sale. I loved the book and plan to listen again on my next 1,000 mile drive.

So, apologies to the many authors whose books I've not read the first time. May some of your books become favorites when I do get to them.

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