Reruns and other security blankets

I like reruns. I happily rewatch TV shows and movies all the time. I even use reruns as background noise when I work on my editing. I find them comforting and there’s something to be said for watching a thing, while not quite watching and knowing exactly where it’s going.

And yet, I feel bad when I reread books. I have a very long To Be Read pile waiting for me. I have editing (did I mention that?) that I should get done. I also have other responsibilities. Do I have time for stories I’ve already explored?

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Rereading books is like comfort food. It’s comforting because it’s comfortable and known. There are times, and especially when times are uncertain, when all you want is certainty. A reread book is that—certainty. And I never feel bad rewatching something on Netflix despite having a long watch list.

Do you reread books? Any in particular?

Fairytale Retellings 2022

Before you ask, no that is not a typo and yes I am aware we are now in 2023. But the turning of the year was bumpy complete with an injury and a rather bad cold. Because of it, I got a slow start to all my work. But I’ll take a note from all the fairy tales I’ve read and know that how you start isn’t necessarily how you finish. In that spirit, I’m starting the year with a list, my list of fairytale-based reading from 2022

At the beginning of the year I read Shanna Swendson’s Fairy Tale trilogy. It’s a classic story in a modern setting about a woman who learns she and her sister are of the Fey and how that changes their lives. I don’t believe in spoilers, but I will say that although I loved this trilogy I know it was supposed to be longer. Some of the story for both sisters were left unresolved, which left me frustrated. As a writer I understand that life can get in the way when you have to finish a series, but as a reader my trust in a writer is broken when a story’s resolution isn’t addressed in a timely manner. And yet, I recommend all of them.

Toward the middle of the year I needed something lighter. I also have a tendency to read at least one Jane Austen retelling a year because I think of her novels as long form fairy tales. Somehow Maria Grace knew what I was looking for and as a bonus threw in dragons, my favorite cryptid. I made my way through the first three books of the Jane Austen’s Dragons series, but there are 11 so far. I intend to read each of them when I need a respite from my usual weightier reading. I think it’s important to have reading breaks while still finding a way to read and this fit the bill. And a special mention for the covers, which I loved!

My final reading was a continuation of a series I started the previous year. A Crown of Wishes was one of those books that I love and hate. I love them so much that I read them from cover to cover in an obscenely short amount of time, which I hate because the next book I read can’t possibly measure up. It’s based on Hindu mythology and is the second book in the world Roshani Chokshi created within that framework. It had everything I love in a book—mythology, a warrior woman protagonist, slow-burn romance, lots of magic and excellent writing.

I hope to have a list like this every year. Do you have any suggestions for this year? Do you have any go-to kinds of books? Happy 2023!