Rereading in April 2015!

In April of 2012, I decided it would be worthwhile to take time to reread some of my favorite books in April. It's funny now but at the time, I felt like I needed to give myself the permission to stop and reread. There is just so much to keep up with that I don't often stop and reread. But over the last few years, I've realized how much I do reread. I don't always reread a whole entire novel...but I do reread parts or my favorite texts and I definitely reread picture books.

Whether I'm writing a book review and scouring a book for a great snatch or text or looking through my favorite books for some writing inspiration - I find myself rereading more than ever before. I know I reread my own writing a lot. Revision and I are best buds lately and rereading plays a big part of revising for me. Recently, I was stuck with how I wanted to introduce a character in my novel and I pulled out two of my favorite books: The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern and To All The Boys I've Loved Before by Jenny Han. Jenny Han's book is very similar in genre and style to my own but The Night Circus is not the same genre at all. What's great about rereading is it allows a reader to really hone in on what the author is doing well. Regardless of the genre, we can look closely at what craft moves an author has made and think about applying these in our own writing.

Close reading has been in the spotlight now more than ever. Close reading is harnessing the power of rereading. When we reread, we go deeper into the text, into understanding what has been written, why the author might have written it, and how the writer communicated his or her message.

In previous years, I made a list of novels I wanted to take time to reread but I'm thinking a little more flexibly this time around. I'm hoping to share some of my favorite texts to read and reread and to highlight how or why we might reread. It'll still be a celebration of rereading but we'll discover some favorites to share together along the way.