The Unabridged Edgar Allan Poe and A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
reading

The Year of Rereading Is Slightly Sidetracked

The Unabridged Edgar Allan Poe and A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami
The Unabridged Edgar Allan Poe and A Wild Sheep Chase by Haruki Murakami

My year of rereading continues, although I keep getting (or letting myself get) sidetracked from the rereading.

So far, the books I’ve reread include:

  • “Connected: The Surprising Power of Our Social Networks and How They Shape Our Lives” by Nicholas Christakis
  • “Charley” or “The Girl Who Ran Away” by Joan Robinson
  • “A Wrinkle in Time”, “A Wind in the Door” and “A Swiftly Tilting Planet” by Madeline L’Engle
  • “The Secret Garden” by Frances Hodgson Burnett
  • “Three Blind Mice & Other Stories” by Agatha Christie
  • “The Tale of Despereaux” by Kate DiCamillo
  • “Saving Fish from Drowning” by Amy Tan

In the category of not really rereading but reading a favorite author goes:

  • “The Heart Goes Last” by Margaret Atwood
  • “Secondhand Souls” by Christopher Moore
  • Selections from “The Unabridged Edgar Allan Poe” by, well, Edgar Allan Poe – Yes, I’ve reread “The Raven,” my favorite poem, but I haven’t reread any of his horror stories yet. My surprise with Poe is that he wrote all sorts of essays and stories and poems that aren’t the ones we usually hear about. Did you know he had a definite idea of a design for an ideal room? He reveals it in an essay called “The Philosophy of Furniture.” I’m not sure his taste is my taste in interior design, but it’s interesting to see what he prefers in a room. (I’m pretty sure he would have hated mid-century modern.) I also read his story “Ms. Found in a Bottle” that reminds me of “Pirates of the Caribbean.”

In the category of totally sidetracked, this isn’t rereading at all, I’ve read:

  • “The Lagom Life: A Swedish Way of Living” by Elsabeth Carlsson
  • “North: How to Live Scandinavian” by Bronte Aurell
  • “Quiet As They Come” by Angie Chau
  • “A Wild Sheep Chase” by Haruki Murakami – Okay, I just started this book last night. I found this and another book by Murakami in a thrift shop and they looked intriguing, so I purchased them. So far, I am not disappointed by “A Wild Sheep Chase.” I’m enjoying Murakami’s writing style and the story he is building.

In case you’re wondering how I can possibly remember what I’ve read, I don’t usually remember books spontaneously. I do, however, keep a list of books I’ve read and have been doing so since the end of 2003. I only have a few pages left in the book-reading journal I’m keeping, so soon I shall start filling a new one.

What is your favorite book to reread?