Monday, January 23, 2012

Read-Rewind-Repeat

As a kid, if I didn't have a book in hand, then it could be found on my face. Seriously. I have the pictures my parents took to prove it. I'd fall asleep reading, and my book would settle over my face. I'm so glad that my boys inherited the reading gene. I found my youngest sound asleep once (he was five at the time) with his arms stuck straight up in the air...still holding his book. My middle child can't wake up in the mornings because he can't tear himself away from whatever story he's engrossed in at night...even if he has read it many times before (I think he has read Eragon three times already). And it's not for lack of books. It's for the love of a particular experience.

I'll confess that I'm a re-reader too. Yep. Like my boys, I've read books where I love the characters and their experience...their emotional growth...so much that I'll go back and read it again (and sometimes again). Just because I don't re-read a particular story doesn't mean it's not fantastic or memorable. There are simply some stories that make me feel good in a way that's...well...addicting. Call them chocolate stories, if you would ;). Sometimes it's the setting that pulls me back for an escape. Sometimes it's a delicious, mouth watering hero. Sometimes it's a heroine I can identify with. But often, it's a mixture of indefinable qualities that tap into an inner me. Simply put. I want to be there. So I go...again and again. Nora Roberts is probably at the top of the list of books I've re-read, along with Debbie Macomber, Susan Wiggs, and many others (including shorter, category stories).

Confession number two: I'll watch a movie many times over for the same reasons. I think movies are easier to re-watch just because of time constraints. I can multi-task with movies (ie. crochet, sew, brush the dog...). I've watched my favorite romances, as well as Star Wars and Star Trek movies, too many times to count. I've lost track of how many times my boys have watched the Harry Potter movies (I did make them read the books first ;).

To me, re-reading and re-watching are calorie free comforts. They're vacation escapes without the cost of airfare or lodging. What about you? What's the greatest number of times you've read a particular book or watched a particular movie? Which book or movie was it? Or are you a one time only person?

P.S. Coming soon...three weeks in a row of brain picking author interviews starting next Monday! Check out the right side bar for the schedule. I'll bring coffee :)

10 comments:

  1. Hi, Rula,

    I sometimes intend to read books again, but almost never do. Now the stuff on television is another matter. I'll watch certain weekly programmes like CSI all the time.

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  2. Mostly I'm not a rereader. I keep a lot of books thinking I'll reread, but I don't. Same with movies. And television.

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  3. Hi J.L. and Carol! I figured I might be in a minority on this one. When my son listed a book he'd read earlier in the year on his free reading list, his teacher questioned it. When I told her that he really did re-read it cover to cover...and that I too re-read books...she was shocked lol. She'd never re-read a book before and didn't think anyone did.

    I also keep books whether I re-read them or not. Yes, bookshelves become an issue lol.

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  4. I rarely reread books but I'll re-watch certain movies when I'm sick or feeling down. They're my comfort movies. I don't have to pay very close attention because I know what happens next.

    I'm a sucker for The Last of the Mohicans and Kate and Leopold.

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  5. I'm the same as you, I love rereading books I adore and re-watching my favorite movies. I think that's why I'm so frustrated with my TRB pile. I don't have enough time to reread my favorites. :(

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  6. Hey Maria - Yes, part of the comfort is it doesn't require as much concentration the second time around ;) You can veg out a bit. And I love those movies too. I'll watch any romance with Meg Ryan.

    Hi Stina - Finally I'm not alone! LOL. I'm frustrated with my TBR pile for the same reason...and it just keeps growing.

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  7. Rula, that is so funny about your son falling asleep with his arms in the air! SO great that your boys inherited your love of reading. I can't imagine life without books. There are some movies I'll watch and re-watch, but there has to be some time in between, so there are a *few* surprises (unless we're talking Pride and Prejudice). :-) Same with books--I rarely re-read, but when I do it's classics like Rebecca or Emma. I don't know, I guess I just don't like knowing what's going to happen. :-) Hope you're staying warm!

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  8. Hey Kathy! Now, Pride and Prejudice...there's one I can't get enough of. I do leave some time in between to 'forget', but how long just depends on the movie/book and my mood. I think I did watch Ever After (the cinderella story with Drew Barrymore) back to back once. I just loved the 'how it really happened' twist, and the more kick-ass cinderella :) The prince kept me coming back too ;)

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  9. Hi Rula--My daughter watched the 1980 BBC Pride and Prejudice so many times during college that I had to buy her a new disk for Christmas her senior year. She'd worn the old one out. My son, who lived with her, probably knows more about Pride and Prejudice than the average male. I'm proud to say she got the rewatch tendency from me. Once when I was a wee bit stressed out I watched The Replacements three times in five days. It made me feel good watching Keanu and the boys do the Electric Slide.

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  10. Hi Jeannie! I had to look up the 1980's version. I haven't seen that one (heh, guess what I'll be buying soon ;). Now I have something to add to my Pride and Prejudice collection :). I do have BBC's 1995 version with Colin Firth, as well as the most recent theater version. LOL about your son.

    I'll watch anything with Colin. I loved him in Love Actually too. And Keanu is a cutie ;)

    Yes, comfort and destressing. Gives new meaning to getting some R&R. Read-repeat or rewind-repeat LOL.

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