Published: July 05, 2008 11:48 pm            

Laura Wilson 07-06-08

When you finish a book, what do you do with it?

If you checked it out of the library, I hope you take it back. I’m not very good at doing that on time, which is why I hardly ever check books out of the library, even though I love the library and books.

I tend to put the book down on the nearest table, desk or flat space (which is sometimes the floor). This is why I can’t always find books right away when I want to read them again.

Most often I will want to read the book again — unless I hated it. I’m not in school, so I don’t have to finish books I don’t like.

But I do like to reread books. There are people who don’t understand this, I guess because they figure you already know what is going to happen on the next page. That’s true. The plot is no longer a surprise.

But there are more things to learn from a book the second (or third or fourth or 20th) time around. It’s a different book then. You can enjoy things you didn’t even see the first time through. Or (as in the case of the sixth “Harry Potter” book) you can be OK with the death of a major character because you know that even though he’s dead, he still lives on.

Mostly, for me, it’s just a chance to revisit people I like. Who doesn’t want to do that?

Laura Wilson can be reached at 372-5000, Ext. 230, or .

        

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