7 Comments
User's avatar
John E. Dobbs's avatar

This post creates a little bit of anxiety. :) But enjoyed it much. Rereading... I don't know that I have reread any fiction (that I remember). But I have reread some spiritually helpful books such as The Ragamuffin Gospel and Reuben Job's A Guide to Prayer. The Bible is a yearly read. Anyway, now I'm off to worry about the books I'll never get to. Thanks.

Expand full comment
Joel J Miller's avatar

I’m amused by that! I do have a few novels I reread. CS Lewis’s Till We Have Faces, Eugene Vodolazkin’s The Aviator, and maybe TC Boyle’s Tortilla Curtain. I’ve reread Lewis’s many times, Vodolazkin’s at least three, and Boyle’s twice (I imagine I’ll read it again). I want to read Emily St. John Mandel’s Station Eleven again but haven’t done so yet.

I’m going to run a post in soon on the books we come back to. I bet you’ll like that one.

Expand full comment
a.k.a.maeby - shabbat pirate's avatar

Feeling this ... too many books so little time. Oy!

Expand full comment
Terry Freedman's avatar

There are some great analogies here, like 'revoking your library car's 'breaking your class's "sink cost fallacy ' That last one: I'd never thought of it like that before, and I used to reach economics! I'm all for numbers, and I quite illogically regret that I won't have time to read all the books I've got, let alone the ones I want to buy or borrow. But there's also a peace and a freedom in that as well. We just read as the need and the fancy takes us, and it's all a journey of discovery. Even when I read books or portions of books I've read many times before it always feels fresh and new.

Expand full comment
Joel J Miller's avatar

I think there is peace in that. That’s what Donald Hall is getting at in that quote: “reading more is reading less.” No one regrets they can’t visit every stretch of beach in the world. Instead, we’re glad for the time we spend by whatever strip of sea we’re closest to. When faced by practically infinite choice and selection, it’s a good idea to learn some contentment.

Expand full comment
Terry Freedman's avatar

good analogy! I agree

Expand full comment
User's avatar
Comment deleted
Feb 4, 2023
Comment deleted
Expand full comment
Joel J Miller's avatar

I can’t hold it against you. I definitely reread. In some cases many times over. But every time I do, I’m forgoing the chance to read something new.

Expand full comment