Do You Re-Read?

Thinking about the books we return to and why

Welcome to A Narrative of their Own, where I discuss the work of 20th century women writers and their relevance to contemporary culture.  This is a bonus fortnightly post dropped every other Tuesday - thank you for being here! 

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I read a great post on the Substack Spark by Elizabeth Marro last week about re-reading.

I’ve talked before of how I tend to have seasons for my reading life.  In the winter and especially around the busyness of the winter holidays, I like to curl up with a familiar read; something I know that will hit the right spot.  This is the time you will find me tucking into a favourite short story collection or a short, feel-good novel. 

Summer tends to see me delving deeper into longer novels and generally exploring new titles and authors.  I also like to read non-fiction books around this time, particularly if there are ideas I want to think about for research and writing as the summer approaches September and that new-term feel.

A few years ago my family and I downsized and whilst it was one of the best decisions we ever made, (and I love living a more minimalist lifestyle), the one thing I regret downsizing is my book collection.

Because I had studied literature as an undergrad, I had many novels, plays, poetry collections and text books from all strands of literary study.  Many of these books were not ones I would necessarily read again, and so I gave them away in order to make space for new books and a less cluttered bookshelf.

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Fast forward a few years and after studying for my MA in English Studies, I started this newsletter, and many of the themes and writers I began to write about had formed part of my culled collection.  Of course, I did keep a lot of my favourites, but some of the others, the ones I thought I would never return to, have cropped up in the themes and ideas I have developed over these past months.

Suffice to say, I can always re-purchase any I have missed, as they are generally available on second-hand book websites, as well as borrowing many from the local library, which is what I tend to do if possible.

But it set me to wondering: what books on my shelves (or not) have I returned to re-read most often - and when or why?

Several candidates jump out at me as I look at my (much tidier, but a bit sadder) bookshelves…

Olive, Again by Elizabeth Strout

Elizabeth Strout is, in my humble opinion, one of the best contemporary novelists around. Her novels, often written in the form of short stories which form a whole, appear on the surface to be about nothing very much.  Pay attention to them though, and you see they are about everything.

I recently read her latest book, Lucy by the Sea, which features her famous character Lucy Barton (from two previous novels) as she leaves her beloved home of New York to spend 2020 in Maine with her ex-husband during the pandemic.  As with all her stories and novels, Strout writes about our humanity and relationships and the fallibility of humans like nobody else.

Olive, Again is a book I received a couple of Christmases ago from my daughter and is a follow-on from her bestseller Olive Kitteridge.  Both books are wonderful, but this one has a special place because it was a gift, and I return to it every Christmas, as well as if I am doing some creative writing and need inspiration.

Second Fiddle by Mary Wesley

Mary Wesley is another author I love and found around the same time as the Maupin series (in fact, I think I purchased my first copy of her most famous book, The Camomile Lawn, at the same book fair I got the first Tales of the City!)

I love all her books and again, have collected the whole collection.  Two other favourites are Jumping the Queue and Part of the Furniture.  If you have never come across Wesley before, she was amazingly first published as an author in her 70s, when she then went on to publish 10 bestsellers until her death at the age of 90.

Her books are light and funny although they often tackle sensitive issues, and in the case of The Camomile Lawn, war.  Second Fiddle is about a young male writer who is taken under the wing of an older woman, and the consequences for both of them, and is a book like to pick up over the summer.

Wild Mind by Natalie Goldberg

This often accompanies me on holiday, or is a book I pick up when I feel a bit lost in my writing life and want to remind myself of why I write.

Goldberg, who is a well-known creative writing teacher and has many more books on the craft, as well as one on visual art, always manages to inspire and re-invigorate me when I need a boost!

The book isn’t like a traditional ‘how to’ book (which I think is why I like it so much) and instead encourages the writer in a daily practice whilst talking about Goldberg’s own writing life.

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff

This is an absolutely delightful read (in fact, I may do a whole newsletter on this one soon!!)  It tells the real-life story of Helene, a New York script-writer who contacts an English bookshop in London to order a book.  The ‘story’ is told through a series of letters between Helene and a manager at the bookshop, Frank Doel.  

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Over the span of several years, these letters become more personal and the whole staff of the bookshop - and even Frank’s wife - begin writing back to Helene, who promises to come over and visit the bookshop when she can sell enough scripts to take a trip to London.

The book features lots of literary references, as Helene is obsessed with English literature, and the bookshop is one of those perfect old-fashioned ones with ladders to the top shelves, that you just want to fall into.

My copy of the book, which is more of a novella length, has a second novella contained inside called The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street which tells the story in a more diary format of Helene’s eventual trip to London.  

A film was made in 1987 featuring Anne Bancroft and Anthony Hopkins as Frank, and unlike many film versions of great books, it is very faithful to the book and doesn’t disappoint.  This is a film to put on when you want an indulgent afternoon!  This is a book I like to re-read, often more than once a year, whenever I’m between books or just need something to put a smile on my face 😀

I could go on with more of my favourite reads, but I would love to hear about yours!  Do you indulge in re-reading or are you a one-and-done kind of reader?  Do you have a favourite book you return to when you need some pleasurable comfort reading?  Let us know in the comments!

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