In bleak November when it gets dark too early and you forget what the sun looks like, it can help your mood to turn to the literary version of comfort food and read a book you’ve read before. Many of us have books we read over and over because they make us feel safe or happy or deliciously nostalgic.
But not all books stand the test of time. I recently tried to reread Wuthering Heights. When I first read it as a teen I fell in love with dark, brooding, to-die-for Heathcliff. But when I reread it I couldn’t stand Heathcliff. I couldn’t understand how Cathy could have fallen for such a cruel and abusive jerk, or for that matter how I had when I first read the book.
- But maybe the problem wasn’t with Wuthering Heights. Maybe the problem was that I couldn’t face what this book showed me about my younger self. The author of this post runs into a similar issue when she rereads The Catcher in the Rye and decides it’s time to break up with Holden Caulfield.
- This writer loved Twilight as a teen, but on a reread she realized “if he stalks you and says things that make you feel threatened, then he’s not the guy for you. No matter how much his skin sparkles.” Here are some of the dangers of rereading your favorite YA novels from high school.
- Do some books have to be read at a certain time in your life? Is 28 too late to be reading The Perks of Being a Wallflower?
- If you find yourself rereading your favorite YA novels too many times, these YA adult novel pairings may give you some new choices.
What YA novels do you read over and over again? Are there any that weren’t as good the second time around?
I like this roundup Emily, especially since I broke up with Holden Caulfield a long time ago.