I used to re-read all my favorites, but there are so many more accessible books now that I feel like I'm scrambling to catch up! That said, I've got an urge to re-read Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light one of these days soon. I've probably read it a dozen times, but it's been a couple of decades since the last time I picked it up.
A favorite when it was first published was The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. When I read it again recently I was disappointed. I still love the story, but compared to my recent reading, the writing was SLOW. This was not helped by his liberal sprinkling of French words.
Martine, you are hitting all the right notes with me. When I discovered (and got thoroughly hooked) on Joseph Wambaugh through reading The New Centurions it was off to the races with The Onion Field and then the Choirboys and on and on. I didn't stop reading him until I had exhausted everything I could find. It was the ultimate storm of right time and right place and his writing just enveloped me. Great post here, thanks for sharing.
I should do a post on reading streaks, falling in love with an author so hard that you have to read everything they ever did. My latest crush, and still ongoing, is Tana French, but yes, I had a Wambaugh one too and the Onion Field broke my heart.
Yes, it was crushing. In terms of crime writing, I don't think there is anything more compelling than a cop who has the ability to write, and write well, what he has experienced and seen. On the flip side of that Wambaugh had a true talent for weaving humor into the drama and tragedy. The Glitter Dome , was to me anyway, sprinkled with hysterical moments in that ironic cop-humor style. You're right a reading streak post (or series) would be fantastic.
I'm with you on Dune, although maybe didn't love it the first time either - the Dune-iverse is fascinating, but his writing, not so much. Couldn't finish the second book, never tried to go further. Meanwhile, Tolkien only gets better with age - the unfolding landscape of the quest is a bit tedious no matter how many times you read it, but when he's on, he's magic.
Re-read books have affected me in different ways at various stages of my life. And I think this is the way it should be, that we mature, gain insight, and evolve so that when we read the same lines, they take on different shadings and import. Thought provoking, Martine. I wish I could join the launch party, but alas, I will be otherwise occupied. Best wishes for a great launch!
A friend and I swap books whenever we have lunch every month or two. Recently he gave me The Stranger, which I know I read along with The Plague and The Fall back in college. It's been a long time, but I had absolutely no memory of it so it was like reading it for the first time. Of course my memory could be so shot...this was the first time.
And regarding Kafka... did you ever read his diaries? Another college read, this one I'm sure of, because it was a text in one of my classes (along with an assignment to write three pages of your own doings in his style) and I still have the books. There's a new translation out, supposedly including stuff his friend Max Brod kept out.
I have fond memories as a young reader. Long family road trips or summer camp sessions always had ample room for down time. As I peruse my well-worn collection of Archie & Jughead comic books, and Mad magazines, I find the art holds up while the prose have become suddenly juvenile. National Lampoon, on the other hand, is still gut-wrenchingly funny. Is this what we're talking about?
You know how many graphic novels followed me from Belgium to the US. You also know how often I pull them out... still enjoy the hell out of them! And, yes, some make me laugh till I hurt.
A. I can empathize about Tolkien, Dune, etc. Have them. Tried to reread. Couldn't. But I never get tired of Ayn Rand, Victor Hugo, Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, et al.
B. Congrats on the story in the new anthology! I'll be at the launch in spirit. Woohoo!
Red Mars, Oliver Twist, Mythago Wood, American Tabloid, The Given Day.
Funny, I love the movie LA Confidential, but haven't read the book (it’s on the shelf). Ellroy hates the film. How do you think movie and book compare?
I like both. I will rewatch the movie when it's on. The simplification of the plot in the movie helps with the book. On the other hand, the characters are so rich in the book, you want to spend a lot of time with them (not that they're "good" people, but they're charismatic), and it's a pleasure to find them pop up in the other books. It's like a disfunctional family, you know these guys!
As a teen, one of the first books that felt like I was hearing from a kindred soul was Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's WIND, SAND AND STARS (and yes, I know I missed A LOT of the subtleties only reading it in a translation. It was given to me as a gift by an aunt of mine who died very young, and who was also a kindred spirit, so there was a double dose of meaning in reading it. Now, I have reread it several times as an adult and the funny thing is that I still love it & find Antoine a fellow traveler, BUT I am moved by different passages than in the first readings, and when I come across some of the passages that once moved me, I wryly remember the impressionable kid who in reading it was encountering certain observations or comments on life for the first time, and therefore thought they were more novel than they actually are (or did Antoine enter the culture for strongly that everyone adopted his observations as their own?) Also, learning more about his biography has made me respect him even more. Just this week after crossing a large expanse of difficult snow and ice, I quoted a passage from the book to my 20-something son about how humans are the only animal that never quits; so, Antoine is with me forever.
I grew up obsessed with flying - I was gluing and painting plane models - biplanes, fighter planes... - I don't remember if I read Wind, Sand and Stars (Terre des Hommes, in French), but I remember being entranced by Night Flight (Vol de Nuit) and Courrier Sud. These guys risking their lives to deliver mail... it sounds weird but it was exhilarating. Adventure, but real. And beautiful writing, poetic, as I remember it. I'm glad to hear that it still moves you. I would be a bit reluctant to re-read, afraid to be disappointed....
I forget who said it, but I read once that looking at the books that you used to read on your shelf is like being a lobster looking at a collection of your old shells and seeing how much you've grown. Favorite books are both old friends and old versions of ourselves.
I found that with movies too, or tv series, when you revisit they stand the test of time, or they don't. Sometimes, we have grown, other times we have developed different tastes. I saw La-La Land the second time just a few days ago and loved the movie whereas the first time it barely left a mark...As for books... I started reading this self help book earlier this year and am unable to go beyond page 80. It's just not doing anything for me. Two Week's Notice it's called. Despite raving reviews and a great subject matter I find the style and language are not speaking to me at all.
I used to re-read all my favorites, but there are so many more accessible books now that I feel like I'm scrambling to catch up! That said, I've got an urge to re-read Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light one of these days soon. I've probably read it a dozen times, but it's been a couple of decades since the last time I picked it up.
I'm in the same situation... some old ones are calling though... Six Days of the Condor sits next to my laptop... it's winking!
"Don’t go scratch the good memories."
A favorite when it was first published was The Day of the Jackal by Frederick Forsyth. When I read it again recently I was disappointed. I still love the story, but compared to my recent reading, the writing was SLOW. This was not helped by his liberal sprinkling of French words.
Ah, funny, I first read that one in French, lol. I don't remember if the translator sprinkled English!
Martine, you are hitting all the right notes with me. When I discovered (and got thoroughly hooked) on Joseph Wambaugh through reading The New Centurions it was off to the races with The Onion Field and then the Choirboys and on and on. I didn't stop reading him until I had exhausted everything I could find. It was the ultimate storm of right time and right place and his writing just enveloped me. Great post here, thanks for sharing.
I should do a post on reading streaks, falling in love with an author so hard that you have to read everything they ever did. My latest crush, and still ongoing, is Tana French, but yes, I had a Wambaugh one too and the Onion Field broke my heart.
Yes, it was crushing. In terms of crime writing, I don't think there is anything more compelling than a cop who has the ability to write, and write well, what he has experienced and seen. On the flip side of that Wambaugh had a true talent for weaving humor into the drama and tragedy. The Glitter Dome , was to me anyway, sprinkled with hysterical moments in that ironic cop-humor style. You're right a reading streak post (or series) would be fantastic.
I'm with you on Dune, although maybe didn't love it the first time either - the Dune-iverse is fascinating, but his writing, not so much. Couldn't finish the second book, never tried to go further. Meanwhile, Tolkien only gets better with age - the unfolding landscape of the quest is a bit tedious no matter how many times you read it, but when he's on, he's magic.
So maybe I will go back to Tolkien some time... Thank you Troy!
Re-read books have affected me in different ways at various stages of my life. And I think this is the way it should be, that we mature, gain insight, and evolve so that when we read the same lines, they take on different shadings and import. Thought provoking, Martine. I wish I could join the launch party, but alas, I will be otherwise occupied. Best wishes for a great launch!
Thanks for reading Rebecca. Glad I keep you all interested!
Fascinating topic. Really enjoyed reading this.
Thank you, Orlando!
A friend and I swap books whenever we have lunch every month or two. Recently he gave me The Stranger, which I know I read along with The Plague and The Fall back in college. It's been a long time, but I had absolutely no memory of it so it was like reading it for the first time. Of course my memory could be so shot...this was the first time.
And regarding Kafka... did you ever read his diaries? Another college read, this one I'm sure of, because it was a text in one of my classes (along with an assignment to write three pages of your own doings in his style) and I still have the books. There's a new translation out, supposedly including stuff his friend Max Brod kept out.
I have not read the diaries... we owe a debt to Max Brod who did not burn the whole stack as he was asked to do. Friends, right?
Great post Martine. Just back from watching Dune 2 - Awesome!
I have fond memories as a young reader. Long family road trips or summer camp sessions always had ample room for down time. As I peruse my well-worn collection of Archie & Jughead comic books, and Mad magazines, I find the art holds up while the prose have become suddenly juvenile. National Lampoon, on the other hand, is still gut-wrenchingly funny. Is this what we're talking about?
You know how many graphic novels followed me from Belgium to the US. You also know how often I pull them out... still enjoy the hell out of them! And, yes, some make me laugh till I hurt.
A. I can empathize about Tolkien, Dune, etc. Have them. Tried to reread. Couldn't. But I never get tired of Ayn Rand, Victor Hugo, Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, et al.
B. Congrats on the story in the new anthology! I'll be at the launch in spirit. Woohoo!
Thanks A.C.!
Red Mars, Oliver Twist, Mythago Wood, American Tabloid, The Given Day.
Funny, I love the movie LA Confidential, but haven't read the book (it’s on the shelf). Ellroy hates the film. How do you think movie and book compare?
I like both. I will rewatch the movie when it's on. The simplification of the plot in the movie helps with the book. On the other hand, the characters are so rich in the book, you want to spend a lot of time with them (not that they're "good" people, but they're charismatic), and it's a pleasure to find them pop up in the other books. It's like a disfunctional family, you know these guys!
As a teen, one of the first books that felt like I was hearing from a kindred soul was Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's WIND, SAND AND STARS (and yes, I know I missed A LOT of the subtleties only reading it in a translation. It was given to me as a gift by an aunt of mine who died very young, and who was also a kindred spirit, so there was a double dose of meaning in reading it. Now, I have reread it several times as an adult and the funny thing is that I still love it & find Antoine a fellow traveler, BUT I am moved by different passages than in the first readings, and when I come across some of the passages that once moved me, I wryly remember the impressionable kid who in reading it was encountering certain observations or comments on life for the first time, and therefore thought they were more novel than they actually are (or did Antoine enter the culture for strongly that everyone adopted his observations as their own?) Also, learning more about his biography has made me respect him even more. Just this week after crossing a large expanse of difficult snow and ice, I quoted a passage from the book to my 20-something son about how humans are the only animal that never quits; so, Antoine is with me forever.
I grew up obsessed with flying - I was gluing and painting plane models - biplanes, fighter planes... - I don't remember if I read Wind, Sand and Stars (Terre des Hommes, in French), but I remember being entranced by Night Flight (Vol de Nuit) and Courrier Sud. These guys risking their lives to deliver mail... it sounds weird but it was exhilarating. Adventure, but real. And beautiful writing, poetic, as I remember it. I'm glad to hear that it still moves you. I would be a bit reluctant to re-read, afraid to be disappointed....
I do the same with favorite movies and TV shows. Sometimes old friends are exactly what we need to read/watch.
I forget who said it, but I read once that looking at the books that you used to read on your shelf is like being a lobster looking at a collection of your old shells and seeing how much you've grown. Favorite books are both old friends and old versions of ourselves.
I love this... yes... let me get that fairy tales album that's been with me since the age of 6!
I found that with movies too, or tv series, when you revisit they stand the test of time, or they don't. Sometimes, we have grown, other times we have developed different tastes. I saw La-La Land the second time just a few days ago and loved the movie whereas the first time it barely left a mark...As for books... I started reading this self help book earlier this year and am unable to go beyond page 80. It's just not doing anything for me. Two Week's Notice it's called. Despite raving reviews and a great subject matter I find the style and language are not speaking to me at all.