I rarely read books twice.  As a teen I would read my favorites until they fell apart, but then I discovered there was a whole world of books I could love and stopped visiting my favorite characters.  When I posted my Favorite Movies list last year one of the ‘rules’ I made for myself was that I had to have seen the movie twice, how else was I to be a judge of it?  Maybe when I watched Rosemary’s Baby the first time I only liked it because I was watching it in the dark, alone, at 1 am?  Or The Breakfast Club only worked if I was watching as a teen?  I actually watched one movie on my list to do a review and decided it wasn’t a favorite after all.

What does this have to do with rereading books?  Well,  what I get out of a book is based on many things, not the least of which is what was going on in my life when I read it.  So, maybe if I read it five years later and I’m happier, sadder, more stressed out, whatever, I might have a completely different opinion of the book.  So, last year I decided to commit to rereading at least one book from my Favorite Books list every year.  Yes, if I only read one a year it will take me 100 years, so it is obviously not a perfect plan, but quite a few of the books on the list I have read more than once already. 

I hadn’t decided which I was going to reread this year when I got an email from Brenda Joyce announcing that there would be a 9th book in the Deadly series out next year.  My decision was made.  I LOVE this series.  It is classified as romance, but there is always some mystery involved and I just can’t get enough of Francesca.  So, I’ll be reading the first eight books, one a week, until I’ve made it through.  Every Sunday, for the next two months, spend a little time with me, Francesca and her life in 1902 New York City.

This is part of the email from Brenda Joyce and I want to share it with you because it applies to so many of our favorite authors.

I would love to write 3 more Deadlies. Mira is interested, but it will depend on 2 factors. First, the level of enthusiasm in the coming six months when they try to “sell in” the books to the accounts (stores), and in 2011, the actual sales. I have no control over this; publishing is in a much greater, deeper recession than the overall economy. Books are only published when a publisher is actually willing to pay to do so! If Mira won’t publish these books, because of lack of sales, neither will anyone else. I want to be very clear. It is REALLY scary out there. Like all of you, I am interested in continuing to have a job. I cannot write 3 more titles if no one will publish them!

You can help! Give a friend an old, used book and get her hooked. Pitch the series to everyone, chat about it online in chat rooms and on reader websites. And of course, run out to buy those books when they go on sale!

I’m doing my part for the Deadly series because I love it, but we can all do this for our favorite authors and series.  As book bloggers many of us receive free books and it’s great, but if we’re not buying the books, who is?  So, don’t forget to sometimes shell out a little money to support your favorite authors.  I ordered the two books of this series I didn’t already own and can’t wait to delve back in to Francesca’s story!

Have you ever wondered what book you are?  Well over at, http://bluepyramid.org/ia/bquiz.htm , there is a very short quiz you can take to find out.  I took the quiz three times, changing the few answers I felt inclined to and came up with three very different books.  I tend to like the first one, but the other two are a little… dark?  Scary, yes, but pretty interesting too.  Take the quiz and tell me what book you are.

You’re Adventures of Huckleberry Finn!
by Mark Twain
With an affinity for floating down the river, you see things in black and white. The world is strange and new to you and the more you learn about it, the less it makes sense. You probably speak with an accent and others have a hard time understanding you and an even harder time taking you seriously. Nevertheless, your adventurous spirit is admirable. You really like straw hats.

my comment-I like hats, but not straw ones.

You’re The Things They Carried!
by Tim O’Brien
Harsh and bitter, you tell it like it is. This usually comes in short, dramatic spurts of spilling your guts in various ways. You carry a heavy load, and this has weighed you down with all the horrors that humanity has to offer. Having seen and done a great deal that you aren’t proud of, you have no choice but to walk forward, trudging slowly through ongoing mud. In the next life, you will come back as a water buffalo.

my comment- Maybe it is my bitterness that’s weighing me down around the middle.  Maybe if I listen to the birds sing and to the children play I can lose 10 pounds.

You’re Siddhartha!
by Hermann Hesse
You simply don’t know what to believe, but you’re willing to try anything once. Western values, Eastern values, hedonism and minimalism, you’ve spent some time in every camp. But you still don’t have any idea what camp you belong in. This makes you an individualist of the highest order, but also really lonely. It’s time to chill out under a tree. And realize that at least you believe in ferries.

my comment-I’m pretty set in my values although I like to know what other people’s values are so we can coexist.  And I don’t think they mean ferries.  Who doesn’t believe in boats?