Do You Hang Out With Old Friends? (Re-Reading Books)

Okay, I know some of the followers of this blog are complete book addicts.

Which means, if you’re like me, you’ve got a To Read List that’s nearly as long as the world’s longest fingernails (that’s over 42 feet, by the way… cringe fact of the day).

Which also means you might not have time to re-read old tales.

But lately, I’ve been doing just that. With quite a few books, actually.

And it’s been a delight getting to hang out with favorite characters, to explore forgotten story lines, and to giggle at familiar jokes.

But why in the world would I, a book junkie in a world of SO MANY books, bother with these old tomes?

Well, let’s see…

Re-Read #1

One reason for this re-read bonanza is a favorite author of mine (C.K. McDonnell) has a third book coming out in his series, The Stranger Times.

I’d read the first two: The Stranger Times & This Charming Man. And I remembered liking them. But I honestly couldn’t recall what happened in them. Oops.

Plus, I discovered my library had these two stories in audiobook, and having heard the narrator before, I was keen to give them a re-read with my ears.

And re-read I did, gobbling up both books in little time and loving the quirky stories at a rather bizarre newspaper all over again!

This time, let’s just hope I can keep the plot lines in my head before the new book launches!

Re-Read #2

Another reason for my re-read blitz was for a little inspiration.

I’m working on a new book set in the same world as an older series of mine (The Cassie Black Trilogy).

This series was partially inspired by Ben Aaronovitch’s Rivers of London books, so I was hoping a re-read (a re-listen, actually since these are EXCELLENT audiobooks narrated by Kobna Holdbrook-Smith) might stir up the creative juices.

It didn’t exactly, but I absolutely LOVED stepping back into the paranormal side of London with Peter Grant, Beverly Brook, and Thomas Nightingale.

As such, even though Lady Inspiration didn’t slap me in the face, the instant I finished Rivers of London, I put the next book in the series on hold (Moon Over Soho – audio, of course).

And I’ll be honest here, this isn’t the first time I’ve re-read this series…it’s that good!

Re-Read #3

As for my other recent re-read, well, this one was just for fun….and who knows, maybe a little inspiration will come from it.

It’s the Tales of Pell books by Delilah S. Dawson and Kevin Hearne.

The first book, Kill the Farm Boy, still proved to be absolutely hilarious (and yes, this is another re-listen, and yes, this is another SUPERB narrator).

These are books that are on the surface just silly re-takes on old fairy tales, but if you listen to the whole trilogy, you learn they’re also about friendship, accepting who you are, and unexpected heroes.

Who wouldn’t love that, right?

That’s exactly why I can’t wait to get my hands (or would that be ears?) on the next books The Princess Beard and No Country for Old Gnomes.

And Finally, Some Very Strange Re-Reads

And finally, there’s a weird re-read… my own books.

See, that new book I mentioned above? It’s a continuation of my Cassie Black Trilogy (I know, I’m heading into Douglas Adams’s territory here with the “trilogy” numbering thing).

Unfortunately, when I sat down to write this new book, I realized I’ve forgotten most of the details of the world I created in those earlier books.

Which meant doing something I dread….reading over my own work.

Sure, I read draft after draft of my books while they are “in progress”, but once I publish these puppies, I don’t give them another glance.

So, yeah, opening up and reading The Undead Mr Tenpenny after not reading it for a couple years was…. bizarre.

And sometimes embarrassing as I found myself laughing at my own jokes.

So embarrassing.

Still, reading this book after so long has actually sparked loads of ideas for the new book… which is not always a good thing when I’m already brimming over with too many ideas for these new books.

And it wasn’t just book one that needed a re-read.

To be sure I know what happens with everyone (and to make note of all the spells I came up with) I also read over the other two books in the trilogy. Ugh.

But this was necessary research as Cassie will now be traveling back and forth between MagicLand (her name for Portland’s magic neighborhood) and Magic HQ (in London) where she’ll be getting up to plenty of trouble as she tries to obtain her detective’s license and solve a few cases without destroying the world.

You know, your average daily troubles.

Your Turn

Do you ever re-read books?

If so, what makes you want to re-read them?

If you’re a writer, have you ever gone back and read old books you’ve published?

Pop a comment in the box below!

 

Prefer to read something new? I’ve got you covered in SO many ways!

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If you’re a Kindle-reading Brit, Amazon is featuring The Undead Mr Tenpenny in their Kindle Deals throughout the month of January for only 99p

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