After reading Aurora’s post about which books she wants to revisit, I was inspired to do it myself. So here I am, happily stealing her idea. I have never been much of a rereader, which is a shame. In the never-ending pursuit of finding the perfect story, it’s easy to forget about all of the great stories you’ve already experienced and loved. So I’ve decided I want to make sure to reread some of the books I know I love, as well as some I remember loving when I was younger, but which I haven’t revisited since.
What We Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver. In high school, we read a couple of the stories from this awesome short story collection. A couple of years ago I read all of the stories consecutively. I fell in love all over again. As with every other book on this list, I want to reread it. But I’m not sure if I’ll read all of the stories, or just the ones I really love.
Ham on Rye by Charles Bukowski. The summer of twenty-fifteen was the summer of Bukowski for me. I remember purchasing Ham on Rye, Post Office and Women solely because of the cohesive design of the covers. Since I was near some pretty awesome bookstores — one of them being City Lights in San Francisco — I bought a couple of more Bukowski books, and some of the beats as well. The point is, I hadn’t read a lot of character driven novels I liked before. This was the first time in years I adored a way of writing as much as Bukowski’s. I read all six of his novels back to back that summer. And while I loved every single one of them. In the end Ham on Rye made the biggest impact on me.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson. I bought it at a record store. It was on sale for about a dollar. What drew me in was the illustration on the cover, and subsequently the illustrations throughout the book. I love this book in a wholesome but inexplicable sort of way. It’s the only book of which I frequently quote the first line; We were somewhere around Barstow on the edge of the desert when the drugs began to take hold. That is one heck of an opener. You know you’re in for a wild drug-fueled ride from the very beginning.
Nothing by Janne Teller. This is one of the only Danish book I remember from school. It’s dark and weird. Just like with Sabriel, I don’t remember any specifics about the story. I only remember my fondness of it, and the feelings it awoke in me. That alone makes me want to read it again. Now I just have to find a copy somewhere.
A Brief History of Time by Stephen Hawking. When I read it this summer, it had been collecting dust on the shelf for at least three years. I knew I wanted to read it at some point back when I bought it. And although it took me a long time before finally picking it up, it happened to be the perfect time. I mainly read it because I wanted to test if physics was something I could understand, and maybe even study. I found out that it really is exciting stuff, which I want to know much more about. Since reading A Brief History of Time, I’ve expanded my library of books pertaining to physics. I’m grateful for it and I really want to reread it this coming year.
Sabriel by Garth Nix. The only thing I remember about Sabriel is the dark atmosphere of the story. I believe I read it when I was around ten or twelve. I can’t remember exactly when. Recently, I’ve seen it around a lot, which has made me want to read it again. Refresh my memory and perhaps, if I like it, continue on with the series.
1984 by George Orwell. It might be the last book on here, but I doubt it’s the last book I’ll end up wanting to reread in the coming year. I read 1984 as part of an individual project I did in my senior year of high school. If I remember correctly, the project was about propaganda, specifically using language and rhetoric in propaganda. It was a great experience diving into that project. And I devoured this classic, loved every single page. I’m curious to see if it will live up that first reading experience I had with it.
That was a lot of fun. Now I ask you. Which books do you want to revisit in 2018?
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