Words of Wisdom from Mr. Koreander

Gateway to another world...

In the beginning of The Neverending Story II, the main character Bastian Bux visits the bookstore where he had found the magical book also titled The Neverending Story in the previous movie.  When the store owner Koreander catches him looking at the book, he scolds Bastian and the young boy naively protests saying that he's already read the book.  Koreander comes back with "Ahh, but have you ever read a book twice?  Books change each time you read them."

While thankfully books here in the "real world" don't change as drastically as The Neverending Story did for Bastian, there is so much truth in what Koreander said.  There are some who only read a book once, and I'm not sure whether they are wise or if they're missing out on a real treat.  I am one who likes to reread books.  Favorites are often reread several times over the course of the years.

Rereading a book is like visiting old friends.  You're already acquainted with the characters.  You know 

Scope for the imagination...

them, love them, hate them and you think you know what to expect.  For the most part.  Nothing changes about them or the plot - except for our perspective.  We see details we missed the first time, and sometimes even the second time.  A character's action that seemed almost commonplace is suddenly laden with double meanings.  A random comment foreshadows disaster.

I love to reread certain series.  Anne of Green Gables, The Wheel of Time, and the Little Women series are three good examples.  The first simply because I love Anne.  I saw the PBS mini-series first when I was a child.  It wasn't until I was an adult that I was able to read the entire series.  No doubt part of the draw is that I identify with Anne the dreamer and writer.  Part of that is why I love Jo in Little Women.  Jo March was more successful in the literary realm than Anne was, and strong-willed.  I admire her pluck!  The Wheel of Time was reread right before the last book in the series came out, so that it was fresh...as fresh as a series that big could be.  And let me tell you, trying to follow all the details in a 14 book series is no easy feet!  That is epic fantasy at its best (and worst) and I tend to look at it with a far more critical eye.  Encourages me to be more detailed, but not to much - and warns me not to drag it out foreeeeeeever!  I admire and envy his world creation skills!

Reading in bed...

Different books in the In Death series get reread from time to time as well, usually when I just want a quick 'Lt. Eve fix' and I only own a handful.  I haven't even begun to make a dent in reading all the books in the series, much to my dismay (maybe I'll borrow a couple next time I'm at the library!).  I love Lt. Eve with her no-nonsense kick-butt attitude.  The books are somewhat predictable, but that in no way takes away from the charm of the colorful cast that enlivens Lt. Eve's world.  Part science-fiction, part romance, part murder mystery, but ALL fun!

When it comes to stand alone books, the one that always comes to mind is Frank Peretti's The Visitation.  Every time that I have read it, I discover something new about myself.  In short, the book follows a disillusioned pastor (Travis) as he deals with a false Messiah (Brandon) that invades his town.  Travis is still mourning the death of his wife at the start of the novel.  While Brandon was a pretender with evil intents his arrival and all that went with it did manage to do one good thing: it eventually woke Travis out of his grief.  The book flip flops between the present and Travis' past, and in my opinion does so successfully.

Because I went to a Pentecostal/Charismatic church at one point in my life, along with some that weren't so Charismatic, I got all the inside jokes.  As I began to become disillusioned myself, I saw the book more and more from Travis' perspective.  I'm not sure how to put it without sounding blasphemous, but in many ways it's been far more influential than the Bible.  It has been one of the best books I've ever read...and re-read.

Of course, this doesn't even begin to cover all my favorite books.  And doesn't even touch on my beloved Star Trek.  Q-Squared, Imzadi...Vulcan's Heart (Best ever!)

I love reliving the best moments in a book, remembering small moments that add up.  Crying over the familiar losses.  Raging when the enemy gets the upper hand, even if for just a moment.

Do you ever reread books?  Which ones and why?




Just a reminder!  The Broads have a presentation this Saturday at 1pm!!

Hope to see you there!