This week’s theme is books that I'd like to reread. The thing is, I'm not a big rereader. I've done several of them recently because I've had book clubs select books that I read before, but too long ago to remember well enough to discuss, but there are so many books out there that I want to read, that rereading feels like a big waste of time for me on a personal level. But I also believe that the way we relate to books is greatly affected by when we read them, and I've been considering some rereads of books I read (and loved) when I was in school to see how they've aged. So this list is going to be books from my childhood I think I ought to reread. Let's go.
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
My 8th grade English teacher recommended this book for me, and I absolutely loved it. But I was talking about it with a gentlemen I'm in a book club with a couple weeks ago and we had very different views on the story, and I'm the one who hasn't read it since they were 14. So it might be time for a reread.
I absolutely loved this series when I was in elementary school (I dressed up as Laura for Halloween in 4th or 5th grade). When my son was in elementary school, they read an excerpt from I think Little House in the Big Woods, and I mentioned that we had the whole series if he wanted to read it. I don't think he got very far, but he did tell me that he thinks Pa is crazy and not a great parent. I don't recall picking up on that when I was a kid, so now I wanna reread to try and understand what my kid saw.
I remember this book being a lot like the Little House on the Prairie series, featuring a young girl when horses were common transportation. It would be interesting to see if one aged better than the other.
I read several of the books in McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series when I was in middle school, after my mother suggested them to me. And I definitely remember there being talk about coupling between the dragon riders, so I think I should reread to see how accurate that memory is. Also, I just really love the historical fiction feeling science fiction.
I used to reread books a lot, mostly this one. I read it so many times, my copy literally fell apart. I obviously related to Matilda being a young girl who absolutely loved to read and got in trouble for it from authority figures (it was a major talking point at parent teacher conferences when I was in 2nd grade). I think it would be interesting to see if I still relate to Matilda.
And it turns out there are only five books I read during my childhood that I can remember reading, how they made me feel, and have solid reasons for why I think I ought to reread them. But I'm okay with that, because it's really way more than 5 books with the two series I included.
What books did you read in your childhood that you've reread as an adult? How did your perception of things change?
Have you read any of these books as either a child or an adult?
If you're stopping by from the linkup, please be sure to drop a link to your post below so I can check out your rereading list. - Katie
