On my most recent reading of War and Peace, I opened a document and each time I encountered a new character, I entered the character name and a brief description based on the text. I updated the description as I learned more about the character. This brought the characters much more to life. I realized that in previous reading I had had difficulty in tracking the characters (partly because I found Russian names difficult), but the mini-dossiers I built really helped a lot.
Also, I have found some books *greatly* repay rereading. War and Peace is one, Don Quixote another. Some books — like Morte d'Urban, by J.F. Powers — seemed to be a totally different book when I reread them after a year or two.
My prime example: Madame Bovary. I read it in high school and it was tedious and boring and disappointing. I read it again in my senior year of college, and while it was more interesting, particularly as a basis for discussion, it was still quite a slog. Then I read it around age 40 and I could not put it down. The book seized me, and I read compulsively. I think that it is a book for adults, in that the reader must bring to it a good amount of life experience to understand it.
There are many books that I reread, and I often find new things. Bernard Malamud's A New Life is another that has some revelations on the second reading. The Iliad opens up as one gets older.
Don't reread everything, but some books don't really yield themselves in a single reading.
I try to go back to the books I hated in high school and undergrad (except Billy Budd -- never again, it was pure torture) because I almost always find far more appreciation for them as an adult. I also like being able to digest them at my own speed instead of on a deadline because I had a quiz coming up in English class.
Absolutely. Granted, I was in high school from 1987-1991, so I hope it's been updated since then, but I suspect the curriculum is still mostly books by dead white men.
I have over 4400 Kindle books, and have borrowed many additional ebooks from Libby. That is my primary mode of reading these days, and I even send long articles in PDF form to my Kindle because I think it's the most comfortable way to read anything. I love the ability to have the typeface I prefer, and to read in the dark. I still own many paper books, too, but ebooks have changed my life. I occasionally listen to audiobooks, but mostly only when I am taking a long roadtrip by myself.
I read and write a lot of poetry; I have an MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry. My favorite poets are John Berryman, Muriel Rukeyser, John Keats, and Emily Dickinson.
I re-read a few books each year. Mostly YA and children's books, for nostalgic reasons. When I was a child/teen, I re-read everything constantly. I did it for comfort, I think, because it felt like visiting old friends. I still engage in that behavior, but it's with television shows. Sometimes I just keep watching the same show again and again until I finally burn out on it.
My husband is a ebook convert. I totally get it. I just love the tactile experience of turning pages and seeing my progress visually. It’s not that I won’t read ebooks, I just prefer dead tree.
When I was younger, I read one YA book 14 times. I borrowed it from our classroom library so it often that, at the end of the year, my teacher gifted it to me. I lost that copy along the way. Bought a new version as an adult and read it again about two years ago for a pure nostalgia trip.
Librarians are definitely a type. The webinar will be free and open. Not posted yet but going up here: https://udc.libcal.com/calendar/events - We will record and share with registrants and post to our YouTube.
On my most recent reading of War and Peace, I opened a document and each time I encountered a new character, I entered the character name and a brief description based on the text. I updated the description as I learned more about the character. This brought the characters much more to life. I realized that in previous reading I had had difficulty in tracking the characters (partly because I found Russian names difficult), but the mini-dossiers I built really helped a lot.
Also, I have found some books *greatly* repay rereading. War and Peace is one, Don Quixote another. Some books — like Morte d'Urban, by J.F. Powers — seemed to be a totally different book when I reread them after a year or two.
My prime example: Madame Bovary. I read it in high school and it was tedious and boring and disappointing. I read it again in my senior year of college, and while it was more interesting, particularly as a basis for discussion, it was still quite a slog. Then I read it around age 40 and I could not put it down. The book seized me, and I read compulsively. I think that it is a book for adults, in that the reader must bring to it a good amount of life experience to understand it.
There are many books that I reread, and I often find new things. Bernard Malamud's A New Life is another that has some revelations on the second reading. The Iliad opens up as one gets older.
Don't reread everything, but some books don't really yield themselves in a single reading.
I try to go back to the books I hated in high school and undergrad (except Billy Budd -- never again, it was pure torture) because I almost always find far more appreciation for them as an adult. I also like being able to digest them at my own speed instead of on a deadline because I had a quiz coming up in English class.
I see in my blog where I posted about the practice of rereading: https://leisureguy.wordpress.com/2023/01/12/people-of-the-lie/
I think the books we assign in high school are long overdue for a radical update.
Absolutely. Granted, I was in high school from 1987-1991, so I hope it's been updated since then, but I suspect the curriculum is still mostly books by dead white men.
Some books do hit different at different ages. The influence of life experience, I would say.
I have over 4400 Kindle books, and have borrowed many additional ebooks from Libby. That is my primary mode of reading these days, and I even send long articles in PDF form to my Kindle because I think it's the most comfortable way to read anything. I love the ability to have the typeface I prefer, and to read in the dark. I still own many paper books, too, but ebooks have changed my life. I occasionally listen to audiobooks, but mostly only when I am taking a long roadtrip by myself.
I read and write a lot of poetry; I have an MFA in creative writing with an emphasis in poetry. My favorite poets are John Berryman, Muriel Rukeyser, John Keats, and Emily Dickinson.
I re-read a few books each year. Mostly YA and children's books, for nostalgic reasons. When I was a child/teen, I re-read everything constantly. I did it for comfort, I think, because it felt like visiting old friends. I still engage in that behavior, but it's with television shows. Sometimes I just keep watching the same show again and again until I finally burn out on it.
My husband is a ebook convert. I totally get it. I just love the tactile experience of turning pages and seeing my progress visually. It’s not that I won’t read ebooks, I just prefer dead tree.
When I was younger, I read one YA book 14 times. I borrowed it from our classroom library so it often that, at the end of the year, my teacher gifted it to me. I lost that copy along the way. Bought a new version as an adult and read it again about two years ago for a pure nostalgia trip.
Now I want to know the name of that book.
"This Place Has No Atmosphere" by Paula Danziger - it definitely reads different when you're an adult and when you have your own kid
I would love to see the slides for that personal archiving workshop! It sounds so interesting!
Also, we share many of the same reading habits (is it a librarian thing...? ;))
Librarians are definitely a type. The webinar will be free and open. Not posted yet but going up here: https://udc.libcal.com/calendar/events - We will record and share with registrants and post to our YouTube.
Great to hear, thank you!