I’m trying something new!
A few weeks ago, I came across a quote from Kelly Corrigan (mentioned yesterday in my September book review post) that got me thinking about how much we bring to the books we read—and how the exact same book can land completely differently depending on who we are and what’s currently happening in our lives.
I originally sat down to write about it, but somewhere along the way I decided this felt like something I should be reading out loud.
Instead of publishing it as a written essay, I’ve turned it into a little audio reflection for my Lighthouse Keepers Patreon community. It’s casual and recorded in a single take, and I had fun trying something different. I’ve also had a few people mention they’d like to hear my voice more often. Ask and ye shall receive.
You can listen to my audio essay—it’s short, less than three minutes—over on Patreon. (No paid subscription necessary.)
Your turn.
- What’s a book you love that other people seem to dislike? And vice versa?
- Have you ever reread a book and had a completely different reaction the second time around?
- Is there a book you suspect you encountered at exactly the “right”—or “wrong”—time in your life?
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Oh, great topic, Elisabeth!
For me, it’s “The Little Prince”.
I read it first when I was about 12, and I thought it was fine.
I reread it in April, and I suddenly found it so annoying! Not the actual theme, but how it’s presented. It feels overly sentimental, even a bit manipulative. It feels like someone was trying to tell me what I’m supposed to feel, instead of letting me decide for myself. The whole “wise child who understands what silly adults have forgotten” thing also got on my nerves. Maybe I need to wait another 40 years to read it again!
Isn’t it fascinating??
I liked The Little Prince okay when I first read it (and still think about a few quotes from it), but have zero desire to re-read it and I think it would not have “aged” well for me!
I’ll give that a listen – nice idea. One book I never “got” is Alastair MacLeod’s NO GREAT MISCHIEF – I read it twice, but still didn’t get it. I read BECAUSE OF WINN DIXIE (Kate DiCamillo) when I was beginningto write, and it was a huge influence on me – she’s the writer I’ve always wanted to be:)
I read Because of Winn Dixie based on your recommendation and loved it. I should re-read it again!
I loved getting to hear your voice!
I’ve certainly had the experience of reading something, loving it, and then coming back to it later and wondering what I was thinking. Ayn Rand is a great example! I always loved Jane Eyre, but I’m wondering if I would have the same reaction as you to it now, so that’s a great reason to bask in my memories and not reread it.
Cheers to all of the books that we’ve loved before and to all of the books that we have yet to read! Also…BERRY PICKERS 4 LIFE!!!!
DON’T RE-READ JANE EYRE. I loved that book so much as a young adult. In fact, in that English class I reference (with the prof obsessed with Faulkner), we were asked to name our favourite book and I said Jane Eyre.
Re-reading it was such a wet blanket. I was just infuriated by so many things and felt like I looked at the men through completely different lenses as an adult (married with kids).
I’m glad I read Gone with the Wind as an older adult. I dont think I would have appreciated Scarlett as much if I g ad read I t as a teen.
Half my library loans this summer turned out to be not right now books. No nonfiction , even though they should have appealed.
Agreed! I just read GWTW for the first time a few months ago and I think I appreciated it on a completely different level because of my age!
One of the great delights of getting books from the library is the chance to give them quick tries and then opt to wait for another time (which could be never)! When books are free, I feel zero guilt in trying them out and seeing how they work for me in the moment. Passing on ones that aren’t quite right.
I will listen to this when it’s not 5 in the morning! I don’t want to wake up the house and my earbuds are elsewhere 🙂
Was the blogger who didn’t like Culpability ME? Eeee!
Oh gosh, there are a LOT of books that I love, and others don’t. I think anyone who likes a thick and fast-paced plot will NOT like the books I like, which tend to be more into characters and minutia.
One book that I loved both times I read it was The Friend, but it affected me SO much more when I read it after Barkley died, when I had Rex, than it did when Barkley was still relatively young and active.
Ha. It was you. But I actually LOVE this. In addition to giving me fodder for my writing, it just goes to show how much individuality we bring to our reading preferences.
The version we bring to each book definitely changes as we age, especially in light of things we experience. Saying goodbye to a beloved family pet is a major life event, and it would almost certainly cause you to read things differently <3
FAIR ENOUGH!
Nice idea, Elisabeth! And it’s always fun to hear your voice. Reading over the comments here, I’m reminded of how I LOVED Ayn Rand in college- and I’m pretty sure now I wouldn’t like her books at all. I’m also wondering what would happen if I reread Jane Eyre- I also loved that book when I first read it (I think college?) Also- Gone With the Wind. I read it a couple years ago and LOVED it. I think I would have liked it as a young adult, but I’m not sure. It’s interesting to think back on what I was looking for in books back then, and what I look for now.
Okay… who is Ayn Rand?? Never heard of this author in my life before today?!
I loved GWTW, but do wonder how I would have felt as a teen?
I loved Jane Eyre so much as a teen, but really was furious at every male character on an adult read through of the book.
Such a fun audio essay! I am very impressed you did it in one take. It sounded so smooth and effortless.
This is a great topic, although I think in many ways you and I are book opposites (I am thumbs down on Berry Pickers, which I couldn’t even finish, and thumbs up on As I Lay Dying, and I have zero desire to read Culpability because a prior book of the author’s rubbed me the wrong way). I 100% think books “hit different” not only for different people but for the same person at different times. I am a bit afraid to reread anything by Jonathan Safran Foer, whom I used to adore, because I am afraid I will have outgrown him. There are some books, though, I don’t think I will ever appreciate. Catch 22 and House of God, for instance.
Ha! Berry Pickers is definitely a divisive book (a lot of the books I mentioned are, I’m realizing). Which is… wonderful! I think it makes the reading landscape—and discussions—so much more interesting!
It’s interesting that you haven’t heard of Ayn Rand! She’s was very popular at one point, but I think Gen Z probably has not heard of her. I once met a guy in an apartment building I lived in and we ended up going on a date and he bought me an Ayn Rand book and said I reminded him of the MFC… I think it was “We the Living.” The MFC was a very strong, opinionated women… LOL. It was a less popular book so I ended up reading Atlas Shrugged and it was SUCH A STRUGGLE. So I would not recommend her, but like you discuss in this essay, others will feel completely different!
I definitely have “book twins” but we don’t always match up exactly. Nicole and I tend to like the same books, but there are books we don’t agree on. There are 2 podcasters who are sort of book twins, but again, not 100% matches. Then I have anti-book twins which is as helpful as a book twin!
100% agree that ANTI-book twins can be very helpful, indeed!