Addison Fox: To Re-Read or Not to Re-Read

My name is Addison Fox and I’m a book geek.

Since I was a small child, I’ve loved books. Both the act of reading as well as the whole process of reading. Anticipating a new book.  Smelling freshly printed pages.  Watching a pre-ordered title appear on my eReader just after Midnight. Hmmm – heaven!

While I suspect those things make me very much like any other book lover, there is this one other thing I do. Um. Well. I keep track of what I read. Let me amend that. I obsessively keep track of what I read.

Since high school, I’ve kept a book diary. I got the idea from a friend and I suspect she has no idea what level of OCD she unleashed in my book-loving heart by showing me her book diary. But….alas, I took the idea and ran with it. Not only do I keep track of the books I read, but I have specific rules about what can go into my book diary. In no particular order:

1.       I must have completed the book.

2.       The books are only listed on the right hand page of my book diary.

3.       If it’s a romance novel, the hero and heroine’s names are written out on the left hand page.

4.       I put the total number of pages in the book (you have no idea what additional challenges my eReader has posed on this ‘rule’ since “percent-read” is not page count.)

5.       All books go into my book diary in the order they were completed. So if I’m traveling and my diary’s not handy, I keep track of the order in which the books were read.

I suspect at this point you’re either laughing at me or seriously thinking of suggesting help. (Please feel free to do both.)

Where things have gotten really tricky, however, has been around re-reading. I was a big re-reader of my favorite books as a kid, but as I became an adult and always had something new to read, I found that not only was I not re-reading books, but I wasn’t interested in re-reading books.

I wanted something new. Something I hadn’t experienced before. My latest fix.

Funny enough, the last year or two I’ve begun to rethink that. There are books that live in my memory that I loved and want to revisit (Jude Deveraux’s A KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOR). Series I wanted to start again (J.D. Robb’s In Death series). Children’s books that have a special place in my heart (ARE YOU THERE GOD? IT’S ME, MARGARET by Judy Blume).

Going back to these old favorites has been a true joy – one that’s made me question why I was so darn hesitant to re-read in the first place.

 

But….what about my book diary? Can I list them again? I still need to follow my rules, of course. The book must be fully read, cover to cover. But does it “count” to count a book I’ve already read before?

As you can probably imagine, my rules ultimately trumped the concerns a book was written down more than once. Though I often have visions of researchers a thousand years in the future uncovering my book diaries like something out of Pompeii and wondering why I kept track of the same book more than once. (And yes…I suspect you’re reaching for that phone number RIGHT NOW of someone who can help…)

So what about you? Where does re-reading rank on your list of reading habits? And please – PLEASE – tell me I’m not the only one out there with a book diary!

Thanks for joining me today!

XOXO,

Addison

~~~~~~~~~~

Despite early ambitions of being a diver, a drummer or a doctor, Addison Fox happily discovered she was more suited to life as a writer. She lives in Dallas and - thankfully - doesn't have to operate on anyone. You can find her at her home on the web at www.addisonfox.com. Her latest book, THE LONDON DECEPTION, is out now from Harlequin Romantic Suspense.

You can visit her at her website at www.addisonfox.com or on Facebook: www.facebook.com/addisonfoxauthor or on Twitter: www.twitter.com/addisonfox