On books

On re-reading:

The real secret of re-reading is simply this: It is impossible. The characters remain the same, and the words never change, but the reader always does. Pip is always there to be revisited, but you, the reader, are a little like the convict who surprises him in the graveyard — always a stranger.

The books that I could re-read and do re-read are often different. The books that I've re-read at least 20 times range from The Westing Game to Pride and Prejudice to The Great Gatsby to Harry Potter. If I could name three books to re-read, it would probably be The Life of a Cell, John Adams, and Atonement.