I love books, and I always have. When I was a kid, you never saw me without a book in hand, and even though I’m a busy college student, I still make an effort to read for fun occasionally. As a rule, I don’t re-read books, but there are two novels that break that rule.
Somehow, I just kept picking up these books and giving them another go. It kept happening so often that it became an annual ritual. All through high school, I managed to re-read these books every year, and though I may have missed one or two during college, I still value the ritual and make an effort to re-read them and see what new lessons I can find in familiar pages.
So, here’s what I read and why I read them.
- Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
-
The first time I read this book, I was twelve and dying to live-out my regency fantasies after watching the Pride and Prejudice movie until I could recite every line. Even before then, one of the first books I read was an abridged edition of Pride and Prejudice. Every year, I reread this book, and it’s always different.
I could go on and on about how much I love Jane Austen and how she continues to influence the literature today, but instead, I’ll just tell you why I re-read this book. Lizzie is a powerhouse, but she’s not perfect. She and Darcy make so many mistakes, say the wrong things, and inadvertently hurt people they care about. But in the end, they overcome their pride and prejudice and find happiness. If that isn’t inspirational, I don’t know what is.
- Something Borrowed by Emily Giffin
-
Something Borrowed tells the story of Rachel, a New York lawyer who just turned 30 and woke up beside Dex, a man she’s known for years and secretly loved through law school. The catch? He’s engaged to her childhood best friend, Darcy.
Admittedly, this is a controversial choice. The reason I re-read this every year is that Rachel, Dex, and even Darcy haven’t done what they want to do in years, and one summer, it finally comes back to haunt them. They’ve lived the lives they were expected to live and failed to take chances. In the end, it’s hard to say that anyone’s really innocent, and you’re bound to want to scream at Rachel at times. You won’t find any “heroes,” but you will find inspiration when Rachel finally takes that leap and reclaims her life.