Project Reread Update #2

Over the past few years my book collection has expanded a lot. Because I have a small apartment and as a result, limited shelf space, I decided I wanted to limit the number of books I have on my shelves with no reread value. Initially I thought I’d just unhaul books I’m no longer interested in, and one set of books that almost didn’t make the cut was The Boyfriend List. But then I remembered how much I loved that series growing up, so I gave it another chance, reread it, and absolutely loved it. Since then I started Project Reread, where I reread all the books on my shelves in order to give them a fair chance before potentially unhauling them. Here’s the latest set.

I was a bit wary going into When Dimple Met Rishi because after reading it I hadn’t enjoyed any of Menon’s books nearly as much. Thankfully my worries were unfounded. I’m always going to have a soft spot for When Dimple Met Rishi because it was the first book where I really felt seen as a POC. I was so like Dimple when I was an undergrad and for that reason I get a sense of nostalgia reading it. I’m definitely keeping it on my shelves.

I’m not surprised that Graceling holds up so well, even now I see people reading it for the first time and loving it. As for Fire and Bitterblue, well, that’s a different story. The first time I read Fire I loved it and considered it an all-time favourite, but I’ve changed as a reader over the past three years, and there are a lot of elements in Fire that I was willing to overlook three years ago, that drive me crazy now. Now I want to read about characters with more agency, and I hate reading about overly possessive male characters. As for Bitterblue, I didn’t quite like it as much the second time around, again the “romance” annoyed me, the book felt too long, and it read a bit too young for my tastes. I’m definitely keeping Graceling, and can see myself rereading it again in the future, but I’m unhauling both Fire and Bitterblue.

Three years ago I made the mistake of marathoning all of Jane Austen’s novels. I’m not a big classics reader, so it didn’t surprise me in the slightest that I got burnt out and I vowed to never pick up another Jane Austen book again. Obviously I haven’t stuck to that vow, and here we are, three years later, with me slowly making my way through Austen’s novels once again. This second time around I read some more in-depth reviews/analyses alongside the novel and I was able to appreciate Pride and Prejudice a lot more. It also helps that I’ve realized I can really max out my enjoyment of her novels by listening to them as audiobooks. I’m keeping Pride and Prejudice on my shelves in all fairness though, I bought a copy after having reread it, as I previously unhealed all my Jane Austen books.

Both my reads of Winnie-the-Pooh have been through audiobook format, and I think it’s safe to say I’m done with the audiobook. I can only take so much of hearing Piglet’s snorts. Listening woes aside, I still think Winnie-the-Pooh is wonderful, hilarious, and adorable. Though, to be completely honest, I do not foresee myself rereading Winnie-the-Pooh again unless I am reading it to a child. I do think that, and the fact that I love my edition is enough to keep it on my shelves though.

It’s books like Pachinko that remind me why I love historical fiction. It’s one of my favourite genres, but not a genre I pick up often. I tend to prefer historical fiction that is not set in the western world, and that does not revolve around WWII, and I always have a hard time finding such titles. If you have recommendations I’d love to hear them! Anyways, I pretty much felt the same way rereading Pachinko as I did the first time I read it. I’m definitely keeping this on my shelves, and even if I hadn’t enjoyed it nearly as much I would have had a hard time giving it up because I love the cover so much.

Final thoughts: This set of books was a bit of a mixed bag. I was a bit hesitant with When Dimple Met Rishi, Pride and Prejudice, and Pachinko, but thankfully I still love all those books. I was expecting to love the Graceling Realm books so was surprised when that wasn’t the fact. And Winnie-the-Pooh held up just like I expected it to. I’m only unhauling two books this time around (Fire and Bitterblue), so overall I think this set of books was a success.