What book could you read over and over again?
When I was moving the last time, I reduced my book collection drastically. I had accumulated a large number of theatre books, many from Berkeley used book stores. (I have a complete collection of the Lattimore and Greene Greek series, mostly from Moe’s Books.) And since I was retiring, I didn’t think I needed to run a physical hand over those hard covers and paperbacks to direct my next show, so they went away. And I also unloaded many of the fiction books I was saving for retirement seeing, at this point, that getting to them was either unlikely or possible online through texts, etc.
While my impressive collection of books is gutted, I did save certain books. The aforementioned Greek plays, the complete works of Shakespeare (also in individual used volumes, many from Moe’s and Shakespeare and Co. on Telegraph in Berkeley), and a wide variety of works of science and speculative fiction from certain authors: Arthur Clarke, Isaac Asimov, Philip K. Dick, Frank Herbert, Thomas Pynchon, and Neil Stephenson among them. Then there are a few single works by authors who tickled my imagination over the years.
So what, to address the prompt, might I read over and over again? Finnegan’s Wake by James Joyce! No, just kidding. While I know the way to get through it is to read it in an Irish accent, I never did get past page 30 the three times I tried. But for re-readability, I liked Gravity’s Rainbow. It’s long and convoluted, but incredibly enjoyable in its complexity. I have already been through it three times (successfully!) but would always go back for more.
How about you? What would you return to? Comment, or at least hit the like button!
MUSOFYR 