Rereading

The other day on Twitter I came across an article published in the Mail called "Reading a book really is better the second time round - and can even offer mental health benefits." I completely agree! I've reread several things in the past several years for the second time, and found those stories to be much more wonderful the second time around.

Here are a few of my favorite rereads:

Lord of the Flies (blog post coming soon on this one) by William Golding
Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Scarlett Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain
The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain
Pride and Prejudice (OK, anything Jane Austen)
The Color Purple (turning 30 this year, by the way) by Alice Walker
A Wrinkle in Time (my most recent reread) by Madeleine L'Engle
As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
The Diary of Anne Frank
Little Women by Louisa May Alcott

What are your favorite rereads?

Reread: A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

I've just finished rereading Madeleine L'Engle's Newbery Award-winning book, A Wrinkle in Time, which turns 50 this year. I was probably 10 or 11 the only other time I've read it. I was surprised at how much seemed so familiar, even though it's been over 20 years since I read this classic. Besides enjoying this story again, I also really enjoyed the essay at the end written by science writer Lisa Sonne in 2005. In the essay, Sonne points out all the things that L'Engle imagined and included in her book that weren't yet discovered when the book was originally published in 1962. Much of what she conjured up has now been discovered by scientists to exist in our solar system and beyond. It was great to have that spelled out for readers at the end of the book in the version I read.

USA Today quantified the success of A Wrinkle in Time. And a good, entertaining summary of the novel can be found as part of the 90-Second Newbery Award Film Festival. Also, I like Kate Milford's post on McNally Jackson Kids' blog. Check it out.

It's Monday! What are you reading?

I'm participating in this event hosted by Sheila from Book Journey (be sure to visit her site). Here's what I'll be reading this week:

Finishing Second Chance by Jane Green

Rereading A Wrinkle in Time by Madeleine L'Engle

The December 2011 issue of Travel + Leisure (I'm way behind in my magazine reading)

The Thank You Economy by Gary Vaynerchuk

Finishing Mockingjay by Suzanne Collins on audiobook

Listening to Lord of the Flies by William Golding on audiobook