I rarely buy books, and tend to rely on the wonderfulness of the public library, but over the years I have created a decent collection of books. Typically, once I’ve purchased and read a book, I don’t like to part from it. As a result, I have tons of must keep books that collect dust and haven’t been read in more than ten years. Granted I’ve moved all of them from one house to another three or four times in those ten years, but rereading them hadn’t happened.
Too busy to make it to the library in the last few weeks, I’ve been scouring my bookshelves for reading material. First, I reread Breathing Lessons by Anne Tyler and enjoyed yet again the quirky characters Ira and Maggie. Next, I picked up Toni Morrison’s unsettling and rich novel Paradise that begins with the words, “They shoot the white girl first. With the rest they can take their time . . .”
What I love about rereading books is when I get to parts that are familiar and remind me of why I decided I must keep hold of it. Even better is rereading the story line and not quite remembering the details enough to know what is going to happen. My experience with rereading books began when I was a child. I loved the book Little Women so much that I simply read and reread it one time after another. I did the same thing with certain books from the Little House series written by Laura Ingalls Wilder.
Today, I can say with gratitude that these books and these readings have all contributed to my desire and passion to be a writer. The magic of composing a work that someone else might cherish leaves me breathless with excitement and possibility. What a gift to be able to be a part of that magic!
