REREADING BOOKS - DO YOU DO IT?

IS REREADING BOOKS A WASTE OF TIME?

rereading books is a waste of time

You only go around this world once, so you might want to make the most of it. For me, as a massive book nerd, one way I measure life is by how many books I've read. With only a short amount of time on this earth I want to read as many books as I can. With so many books out there, is it a waste of time to re-read a book?

A lot of people say "yes, it's a waste of time! You've already read that book! You know what is going to happen. Voldemort is defeated by Harry Potter for the umpteenth time! Re-reading a book is not going to change that."

Which book? The hardest question in life.

While somewhat logical - what's the point of reading a story if you already know how it ends - it seems to me that reading is somewhat illogical. Rereading a book is amazing!

It shouldn't make sense, but we humans do not always make sense (like the sentence structure of this sentence).

Reading a book is different every single time. You might linger and absorb more of the details in your second lap. It may have been a decade since you last read the book, and you have that much more life experience behind you. You may be in a different mood, or have a slightly different outlook on life. There are so many variables that shift and change a person, that each re-read is a different experience.

I just reread Another Fine Myth. A book I've reread half a dozen times. And, as I've stated above, every single time is completely different.

Another Fine Myth - Robert Asprin

I remember the first time I read this book, I was in grade seven. I picked up the book because my Dad was reading the series. He said it was funny and made it sound amazing when he told me they travelled through different dimensions. I was still a sci-fi / fantasy newbie, so the idea of dimensions was a big deal and a big idea that I found fascinating. I still remember reading the book at school, during our reading time right after lunch. I didn't really find it all that funny, but I could tell it was supposed to be, but the jokes flew over my head. What I did love was the idea of travelling to different dimensions.

As I aged and reread the book years later in my teens, I finally got the jokes. By this time the idea of different dimensions was old news, and bigger ideas of race, class, and stereotypes related to these dimensions threw some depth on this part of the story, giving me something different to think about.

Last month, thirty years later, I reread the book and again had a completely different experience. I had just come off reading a few hard sci-fi books full of science and serious topics. Reading a light, pun filled, wacky adventure was like a breath of fresh air, refilling my desire to spend time flipping through pages. 

Rereading books a waste of time?

I'd say no, and I'm pretty certain most readers would agree. But then again, there are so many books in this world and so little time.

Like I mentioned at the beginning, I personally measure the success of life by how many books I've read. Which is what inspired me to design a Reading Journal to keep track of my reads. 

Click on Picture to buy from Amazon

There are pages to track the books you've read and what you thought about them.

Book tracking page

I also added some fun pages to write down things like your reading habits, fav books, etc. Now that would be fun to re-read in a decade...like I said we change over time.

All about you - reading habits, fav books, etc

Also for the artistic readers (*puts hand up*), there are some pages for drawing.

Fill in bookshelf

I strongly encourage you to purchase one for yourself, or consider it as a gift for the big readers in your life, or your book club members, or your mother-in-law, or your child's bus driver. It would be great for anyone...and I wouldn't mind the $1.45 royalty either.

It is available on Amazon right now - https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0B2TW69CG

James Bond - THE SPY WHO LOVED ME

 THE SPY WHO LOVED ME

The Spy Who Loved Me - James Bond was the spy

- Ian Fleming -

I get that authors might feel pigeonholed when they write a successful series, always writing the same character and story over and over. I get that they might want to try something new. It seems that Fleming tried to do something new with The Spy Who Loved Me... but, it also seemed like he wanted to hedge his bets and keep the Bond name attached. 

It was interesting to see Bond as a secondary character in a James Bond novel. However, it was the main character (not Bond but a nice young lady named Vivian) that didn't live up to the Bond standard. She was weak. There were hints and tales of this Vivian girl doing adventurous things in her life, in her past, in her spare time. But, when it came down to do or die, she almost died.

I think it was the authour's fault here. Fleming tried to tell the story from the point of view of a woman...and it didn't quite come across as believable. I get it. Fleming was a man of the fifties, wrote about macho men. He even seemed to believe that woman were frail and needed directing by a man. I give him grace though, he was trying something new. And it half worked. The story was interesting and I made it through the book at a good clip. It was just some of the descriptions, or the thoughts that this Vivian had were...not believable. 

Like I said, the book is good. I would say read most of the other Bond books before you pick up this one. But, if you are a die hard Bond fan, this is one to add to the collection. That's mostly why I'm keeping it. I have a bunch of Bond on my bookshelf right now. But, I can always find room for an early sixties printing of a Bond book!

MORE BOND REVIEWS - https://bookwormsfeastofbooks.blogspot.com/2017/04/dr-no-james-bond-novel.html

Book Haul - James Bond & Isaac Asimov

Book Haul

Our last trip to the thrift store was a real winner. Should have bought a lotto ticket that day b/c I was lucky.

First find - '67 printing of James Bond - The Spy Who Loved Me.

James Bond - The Spy Who Loved Me by Ian Fleming

I saw the PAN books logo on the spine of the novel. It was mixed in the 'F' section of the used paperbacks. There is no alphabetical order on the shelves at the Mission Store past the first letter of the last name. So, if you are looking for a Stephen King book. You would need to find the 'K' section, and then look through every single book in the 'K' section. 

I'm a bookworm, so this doesn't really apply to me since I look at every single book they have.

I was lucky, my eagle eye spotted the PAN icon. The spine is in rough shape - really creased up and hard to read. I love old pulp books like this, so I took a closer look. A James Bond classic!

The front cover is a map of northern NY. The Adirondack region. Isn't that strange?

Pan Book - The Spy Who Loved Me

The back cover is pretty sweet. You have the heart with a gun and 007. A nice pic of Fleming smoking a giant cigarette. And the price tag. The book is a real investment piece. Original cost was 60 cents. I bought it for 125 cents, and thought that was a smokin' deal. Imagine you had bought 1000 of these babies back in the sixties. You'd be looking at a nice return on your investment.

The Spy Who Loved Me - back cover

The next find was in the sci-fi / fantasy section. 

Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation

Asimov's foundation books. The first three, all lined up. Sitting there on the metal shelf, just waiting for a dork like me to come along and buy them all up. And, at 50 cents each...well I couldn't resist. Could you?

I've read them before, like all good sci-fi readers should. It was about twenty years ago. I remember having to order one through an inter-library loan b/c the local library didn't have them all. Oh, how nerdy is that?

While I was waiting for the book to come in I read the Lord of the Rings trilogy...I was fresh out of University on the job hunt. So I had a lot of time on my hands.

Asimov's Foundation Series

Overall a good haul. 1000 pages of pure pleasure for the low, low, cost of $2. That's why I love used books!

LINK TO PREVIOUS BOOK HAULS

MACK BOLAN TIME TO KILL

 TIME TO KILL

Mack Bolan Time To Kill - like James Bond

- Don Pendleton's Mack Bolan -

Mack Bolan is kind of like James Bond...'kind of' is the key word.
Bolan takes on impossible tasks and leaves a trail of dead bodies behind him - but, it's okay because all of the dead are bad guys. The body count doesn't matter in this case. I find most of the Mack Bolan books have at least two dozen deaths, but sometimes upwards of fifty. Doing a little math - we are on book 108...that's upwards of five thousand lives snuffed by one man. A small town - small town were full of nasty characters. But, I try not to think about this while I'm in-read.
This book, Time to Kill, reminds me of a good old James Bond book. In this novel Bolan is like Bond when the time comes to fight the 'big boss'. Both Bolan and Bond usually have to sneak onto a boat, or into a warehouse, or break into a super secure secret nuclear terrorist run bomb making plant...and they always complete the task in a death defying impossible way. Which makes for some good, dramatic, reading...although don't think too hard about the statistical chances of them actually completing their task, time after time, after time. Just sayin. Also instead of just out and shooting Bolan the 'Boss' had a good long monologue explaining his reasons for wanting to use nuclear warheads on the world.
There was also a strange Boss's sidekick. That happens in Bond books a lot. In this book the sidekick is a monster. A giant of a man with a grotesque face that moans a lot and hangs out in an old castle. 

TIME TO KILL MACK BOLAN

What I find hard to swallow is Bolan's motivation. It is somewhat confusing. He is fighting the fight nobody wants to fight...which may be a quote of his. He takes on evil organizations the governments of the world won't take on like terrorists, international drug smugglers, those damn Soviet Russians. He has some unresolved anger that drives him to kill boatloads of 'bad' guys, day after day. There is some patriotic ideology, some moral justification, and some machoism. But, if you take a few steps back he just seems insane. Which makes for good reading. This is definitely a world you would never find outside of a book.
Personally, I like this adventure. I wouldn't tell most of my friends. It's like a dirty secret. Since the book is full of violence and out dated stereotypes, which many would find offensive in today's day. It's like an 80s action movie.

VINTAGE JAMES BOND BOOKS

Vintage James Bond Books

My collection of Bond books may get bigger in the next few days. I found these two books on an online auction site - maxsold. It is a collection of estate sales, business downsizing sales, etc. I have gotten a lot of books in the past through these auctions - books seem to go for a reasonable price. Sometimes even really, really cheap. For eg. I picked up 44 western novels last summer for $6.

I am hoping to be lucky this time as well. I have a one vintage Bond book, Dr. No...and original 1958! I didn't know it at the time, but it is worth a fair amount of money. I bought it at a yard sale for $1, then promptly threw away the cover (which I guess gives it the most worth). So instead of $40, it's probably worth $10. But, it's a good start to a vintage James Bond Book collection!

 

LEVEL UP - CRAIG ANDERSON

 

Level Up by Craig Anderson

Level Up - Craig Anderson

What if your life turned into a video game...the question all of us have asked ourselves at some point right? Well, Anderson's book Level Up is one version of that. A fun, witty, adventure that had me levelling up through the pages late into the night. It was one of those books I ripped through b/c I couldn't put it down.

Level Up reminds me of  Ready Player One, a book I read a few years ago and loved - I still think it is one of the best books I've read this decade. Both stories are full of out of this world - literally they take place in a video game type of world - adventure. Level Up is lighter, and full of laugh out loud moments. There is maybe a tad too much 'ball humour' for most folk if you get my drift, but I still laughed at all those jokes - what? A squirrel named nutsack is funny on so many levels! 

The overall story is what really kept me reading. It is a fast paced quest full of exciting fights and mystery items that make the impossible seem possible - just like any good video game. 

The problem I sometimes have with books like this is the transition between the real world and the fantasy world - books like Magic Kingdom For Sale - Terry Brooks did a wonderful job of making the transition seem believable. Anderson does that in this book. I didn't miss a beat when Marcus went from the real world being, um, real...into the 'real' world being a video game version of the real world. What I'm saying is that the story makes sense and is believable. 

I also liked that it was written in the first person. At some points I'd find myself thinking I was the hero, that I was the one telling the story. That perspective worked really well with this book.

Overall, this is a book I'd pass along to friends...which is a way of saying I really liked this book.

FLINT - LOUIS L'AMOUR

FLINT

- Louis L'Amour -

A man with nothing to lose...yet, ends up becoming involved in a range war.
This book has the classic 'recipe for action'. A man thinking he is going to die, a conflict involving some hard working farm owners (one being a beautiful and single lady), and some mean men who like to shoot first and not ask questions later.
There were numerous gun battles, a stalk and prey situation, a knuckle to knuckle boxing match, even some dynamite thrown in there!
Not much to say, it was similar to many other L'Amour books. In other words, another great read by our fav western story teller Louis L'Amour. 
Order your copy - FLINT         

DR. NO - JAMES BOND NOVEL

DOCTOR NO

James Bond #6

- Ian Fleming -

If you only read one Bond novel, make it this one! Dr. No is that great mix of action/adventure, an out of this world eccentric villain, and of course a happy ending with a 'Bond Girl'. As an added bonus, any Austin Powers fans will get a real kick out of Dr. No, who is no doubt the inspiration for the movie's Dr. Evil.
This bond adventure is even more unbelievable than his other assignments. In this book he discovers a madman (Dr. No) has been building a secret hideout on an island in the Caribbean. The twist is that the island is made of bird excrement (no joke).
Turns out the crazy doctor likes to do experiments on people. His forte is testing pain thresholds and things of that nature (ie he has a huge torture fetish).
Yet, as in classic spy novel style, Dr. No is a highly civilized man who treats his captives kindly, providing a nice meal and luxurious accommodations before he does his experiments. He has a very impressive parlour where he entertains Bond, a room that has a window into the sea, a window that cost "1 million dollars!" (again, no joke!).
There are many strange and eccentric henchman, impossible sounding vehicles, unbelievable Dr. No pain experiments, and action packed misadventures that make you want to keep turning the pages of this book.
I was overjoyed with this book and to make things even better I had picked it up at a yard sale for fifty cents! It was that classic cover in the pic above too. You don't have to wait for a yard sale, you can order it on Amazon right now - Doctor No

THE SPECIALIST

THE SPECIALIST - A Talent For Revenge

- John Cutter -

I picked up this exciting looking book at the Bibles for Mission Thrift store for only 50 cents! Well, let me tell you this book is worth at least double that, at least!
If you want to escape reality and enter a world of fiction this is the book for you. It is so fictitious that there is no way it could be confused with any sort of reality.
This is the first book in 'The Specialist' series. First one I have read too. This 'Specialist' is a real action hero. He fights for the good guys by killing scores of bad guys. And, he seems almost indestructible. He is also smooth with the ladies, wink wink. A James Bond type guy...but, a bit more on the psychotic side.
The story could easily have been made into an 80's action movie starring Steven Seagull with a lot of over the top karate moves and bulls-eye shooting. This 'Specialist' manages to show off all his skills starting with a parking lot brawl, moving onto a racy encounter with his lady friend, then onto his snorkeling prowess and his underwater explosives knowledge, followed by his tree fort building skills, and of course his sniping skills. He even manages to single handedly storm a castle style compound surrounded by electric fencing, filled with dimwitted henchmen, and one evil madman.
Not to give away the ending, but, his mission to save the girl was thwarted as the girl ended up saving herself! So, this is a good book for the feminists out there too.
The writing was basic and right to the point, none of that literary mumbo jumbo to take away from the action, and there were even a few phrases I have never seen used before. Eg. He drove his boat towards the chateaux like it was a hard-on. Not sure exactly how to interpret that, but, it sounds like The Specialist means business! Doesn't it?
Would I read another one of these books? Probably. I'm a closet paperback action novel junky!

REDWALL

REDWALL

- Brian Jacques -

Redwall is a classic story of good vs evil. In this case the fight is between a collection of woodland creatures - mice, rats, snakes, badgers, ferrets, sparrows, and even moles.

On the 'good' side we have a monastery full of mice in monk wear who are dedicated to helping and healing.

On the 'evil' side we have the nastiest rat ever (one eyed, pegged leg, scar covered, temperamental..."loony" as Jacques implies) and his gang of rats.
It was the 'bad guys' who really made the book for me. First, I was fascinated by this evil rat leader - Cluny the Scourge - and how terrible he was. Just the most repulsive, mean, nastiest character ever imagined. We was constantly swatting, bad mouthing, and threatening his followers. He must have killed half a dozen members of his horde (all ranks, no discrimination there) without a second though. He was obsessed with remaining in power and using his power to take over the world. I bet he was fun character to write.

I also got a bit of a chuckle from the names of some of the evil rats - Cheesethief, Scumnose, Wormtail, Ragear.

The actual plot was pretty simple - Cluny and his gang, who have been laying waste to most of the world, show up at the walls of Redwall Abbey. Surprisingly, they are repulsed when they try to attack the Abbey. They lay siege to Redwall, making additional and more creative attempts at getting inside.
During this time the occupants of the Abbey realize their full potential and in some cases their destiny - like say, being a world class warrior.
What make the book a page turner is the pace and the characters. There are very few slow moments with lots of battles, adventures through the woods, and a mystery made of riddles to solve. It keeps your attention. Also, you really have no idea what is going to happen. The action goes from very tame to pretty gruesome and violent. Will the next battle be waged with rotten radishes or will an oversized arrow go straight through a row of ferrets? You have to read to find out.

On that note, I think there might have been a mistake - a mistake labelling this book. Everywhere I look it is filed as a 'kids' book. But, to me, it should be shelved in the 'must read by everyone before they die' category. It reminded me of Harry Potter, which is also a 'kids' book that appeals to every age. Don't let the animal characters discourage you, it is a great read.

SPARTAN GOLD

SPARTAN GOLD

- Clive Cussler -

A fast paced read that takes us on a treasure hunt across the world. It's overflowing with action and adventure - a book that lives up to the genre Action/Adventure. But, along with that comes some unbelievable moments. You know? The scene were the bad guys empty their guns and miss with every bullet, while the hero takes one shot that kills three of them. You have to take the good with the bad. In this book there was more good than bad.
A treasure hunting couple stumble upon a WWII German sub hidden in a swamp, while a local antique dealer attempts to sell a broken piece of an old wine bottle. These two events start a whirlwind adventure that takes a treasure hunting couple across the world. It also challenges them to become experts on Napoleon Bonaparte's obscure wine collection in order to solve riddles that lead them to the jackpot pile of spartan gold...sadly, there is no Dragon named Smaug sitting on top of the pile of gold.
This book reminds me of the James Bond collection, which I have been making my way through recently. They both give off the same attitude (if a book can do that?), where the main characters are invincible, have unbelievably good luck, and can solve obscure riddles with impossible ease. This could never happen in real life, but, it makes for some pretty good story lines. I don't know how many times the treasure hunters in this book outwitted the mafia type thugs that were hunting them down. Even in the few hand to hand battles, the smaller treasure hunters managed to win with a well placed judo kick or a spot on hundred yard throw of a brick that smashes into the thugs head while narrowly missing the other treasure hunters face that is only millimeters away. If you are reading this kind of book you have to turn off your logic/reality brain and just go with it. Accept that it is fiction and enjoy the fakeness of it all.
This is the first Cussler book I've read. It was a Christmas present from my daughter, who found it at a special event they have at their school where they can pick up free presents for family members. It is all donated stuff that allows the kids to bring home a surprise present for Mom, Dad, Sister, Brother, whoever. She thought this book looked like other books I read. Good pick by her.

RATING: READ