As some of you may know, I have the fantastic job of being the Community Manager for the Heroes and Heartbreakers website, and part of my fantastic job is to find things that are relevant to romance novels.
So one of today’s finds is that rereading, or rewatching, favorite pieces is not an obsessive act (despite how many times some of us might have viewed certain of our favorite actors performing certain favorite acts).
Rather, it’s an opportunity for our minds to re-analyze what we’ve seen or read to find new layers of meaning in it. Which totally justifies all the times you’ve watched whatever version of Pride and Prejudice most floats your boat.
So if you reread favorite books, or watch favorite films, what have you discovered most recently in your last re-whatever?
I reread at least one Austen work each year, and since I started reading her as a young teenager, my reading of each is now in the double-digits.
On my last reread of S&S, I noticed a conversation between Edward, Elinor, and Marianne in which they discuss each other’s character and this discussion reveals so much about each of them. It’s really a brilliant passage and one that I am just skimmed in past readings. If you’re interested, I did do a blog posting about in Jan 2011.
As I was reading Northanger Abbey with my daughter, she related to Catherine’s experiences in a way that made it very fresh to me. Maybe that’s part of rereading and re-watching something really good: we think we’re going to a comfort zone but it comes alive for us each time.
I reread Pride and Prejudice and Jane Eyre every year. I have since I was nine years old. (Which was quite a few years ago!) Every time I read it I fall in love with those characters all over again. And I always find some little nuance I didn’t catch the first time or simply forgot over time.
I reread Mary Balogh’s Slightly Dangerous quite a bit because it really is such an unexpected love story.
Anytime I want to get a handle on the dark, wounded hero I reread Rexanne Bechnel’s Dangerous to Love.
And when I want to remind myself what romance is all about I read The Mysterious Miss M by the Divine Diane Gaston.
I find when I first read a book or watch a movie, I am in a hurray to find out what will happen. As a result, I miss the finer points and nuances of both. A really good book is worth the reread. The story will be richer the second time around. You can take your time and savor it. In addition, a reread 5, 10, or more years later will give you a different experience. Your perspective has changed, and you bring more experience to it.
I haven’t had the time to reread anything lately. There are a few “comfort reads” I have that are always there if I need them. They are the first romances I read and still favorites, Julie Garwood’s historicals. I have reread them all several times.