WHAT ARE YOU READING, AGAIN?

by Kevin Coolidge

What are you reading? Is it something new? Something borrowed? Something tried and true? I get asked what I am reading a lot, partially because I work in a bookstore, and probably because I’m always reading something. Working in a bookstore for an avid reader is a lot like a diabetic working in a candy store. There’s always more than I can possibly have time to read, and I’m still adding books to my “to read” pile, but any book that falls into my favorite category is a book that is worth being reread. Here are some of the books that made that list.

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss: I originally read this in the summer of 2008, and devoured this 700 page book in the course of two evenings, staying up late into the night. Name of the Wind is everything a fantasy reader wants to read---rich, complex characters, believable action, poetic writing, and great storytelling. The second book in the trilogy was just released in the beginning of March, and I put aside the book I was reading and dived into Wise Man’s Fear. If the third had been finished, I would have started it right then, but I settled for rereading The Name of the Wind…

Old Man’s War by John Scalzi: I recently read that this book would be made into a movie and that reminded me of how much I loved the book. “John Perry did two things on his seventy-fifth birthday. First he visited his wife’s grave. Then he joined the army.” It’s the best new science fiction I’ve read in the last five years: it has the feel of a classic, but a modern perspective and some imaginative new ideas. I grew up reading and rereading science fiction by Robert Heinlein and Joe Haldeman and it’s obvious that John Scalzi did too. He shows us that the universe isn’t near as big as what we’d like to think, and not nearly as friendly either…

American Gods by Neil Gaiman: It’s the tenth year anniversary of this American, road trip fantasy, and it was well worth hitching another ride. America is a land of immigrants, and they all brought their own gods, demons, and beliefs, and yet America is a bad place for gods. Americans love progress and are too willing to give away their power. Meet Shadow, a man with a past just released from prison. All he wants to do is live a quiet life, but opportunities come hard for an ex con. He is soon pulled into a battle between the gods of old, and the new gods of America. He’s hired by a mysterious man named Wednesday, who knows more about him than any stranger should. Things are about to get very wyrd…

Rereading can give you that opportunity to notice the small details you may have missed during your first read, especially if you were rushing to the end. These are just some of my many favorites that I’ve enjoyed more than once. I’m looking forward to some of my new favorites that I haven’t had time to reread … yet, but look forward to visiting again and again…

Read once? Or Read it again? Drop me an email at from_my_shelf@yahoo.com and let me know. Miss a past column, or would just like to read your favorite again? Visit the blog at http://frommyshelf.blogspot.com A cat has nine lives, and has lots of time to reread, so Hobo the cat chooses to reread “Hobo Finds A Home” as good the ninth time as the first. Can’t get enough Hobo? Look for Hobo, the greeting card coming soon from Stonehenge Cards.