Why I Am Re-Reading My Old Books Again
I’ve decided to do a more personal post today: why I am choosing to mainly re-read books for a little while.
I have obviously read a good few of my books 2 or 3 times, but I have ever decided to do it with multiple books in a row.
Since I have been reviewing all the books I am reading, I have decided to do a post as to why most will (probably) be re-reads.
I usually read prolifically every month, mainly books I haven’t read before. I get new (well, secondhand new) books at least a month.
I usually have a 50/50 split between books and genres I know little about and books and genres I know and like.
This usually works just fine for me, but lately I have wanted a change.
This is in the main because of COVID. To be honest, I cruised through 2020, but 2021 hit like a ton of bricks.
I have been in online school since January. I have on average 8 classes online every day (and by that I mean Zoom call) for at least 40 minutes each. Plus homework. Plus no face-to-face contact with my friends.
I do 100% understand why this is necessary and realize I have it lucky. I am safe, healthy and have not lost anyone to this virus.
But, at the same time, this is still hard for me. Online classes are a new level of exhausting I couldn’t have imagined from school. I appreciate the effort from the teachers, but in some ways school online is more intense than physical school.
My mental health is more vulnerable than ever. So I have turned, in part, to books to help me escape this reality.
More recently, however, I have found it difficult to find new books that interest me. This is due, in part , to the lack of supply. So my old books are calling to me more and more.
I feel that re-reading will help my ‘interest crisis’ and my mental health by giving me a sense of comfort. Reading these books is almost like coming home in a way. I am surrounded by characters I feel I know intimately in a book I have read before and know to be good.
These are books that have survived many shelf purges because of their quality. They are the best of the best, my top books. And yes, some of them are sad, but they are sad in a good way, a familiar way.
Here is a brief list of the books I’m planning on re-reading and why. If you are reading this a little while after it is posted I will include a link to their review.
Divergent
A story of a girl who is standing out in a world where it is a lot safer to fit in.
I am re-reading it because it is the first dystopian (set in the future) young adult book I read with a female main character and I love it. It is part of a trilogy. Will I be crying? Yes, absolutely, but in a good way.
The Hunger Games
The story of a girl who has to kill to survive.
Another female-led dystopian novel. Another brilliant protagonist. More death. What more could you ask for?
Black Beauty
The story of a horse’s life.
Possibly the oldest and most re-read book I have. I honestly don’t know why, but it calls to me. I’m not a massive horse fan, but Beauty is a brilliant character.
Glass Houses
About a girl who moves into a town filled with vampires.
I can really relate to the main character in this (15 book!) series. She is a nerd, just like me. Probably braver than me though - I don’t think I could stand up to a vampire queen!
Skullduggery Pleasant
Yet another girl - this time a skeleton’s sidekick.
I love this series because of how funny it is. The dedications especially always crack me up.
So that wraps up this blog post. Hopefully my re-reading books can lead to even better book reviews for you guys (fingers crossed!). I’ll let you know how I get on when I review them.
Happy reading,
Saoirse
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