So Good...I Read It Twice...

A voracious reader, I probably read two books a week, maybe more depending on the size of the book. I'm always on the hunt for something new and with so much to choose from when it comes to books, I rarely read a book more than once. I won't say "never", but it has happened by mistake or a determined choice. For example, I re-read "To Kill A Mockingbird" a few months ago. Initially read in high school I read it again so that I could discuss it with my son who was reading it for school. He is a reluctant reader and I hoped that by being able to talk about the book at home he would be more encouraged and interested in reading. We had some good discussions about the book, the characters, etc. but I can't say that it made him a convert.

When I find myself re-reading something by mistake I generally stop and move on to another book, however, even my own rules need to be bent or broken from time to time. Saturday night was a case in point.

As I was reading Moshin Hamid's "The Reluctant Fundamentalist" I kept thinking from time to time that it seemed familiar and asking myself if I had indeed read this before. I wasn't certain so I continued. By the time I was left with only 1/4 of the book to read, I knew I had read it before but continued because I was compelled to read these words.

Was it the words? Or was it the narrative style of the writing? The tension? The honesty? The beautiful flow of the placement of each word and thought? It was probably a combination of all those things...and the fact that it was a short book didn't hurt. Sometimes our lack of memory is a gift in itself.