The Joy Of Rereading A Book (A Form Of Self Care)
In my fifth newsletter, I talk about self-care and how important it is in these trying times.
We are going through strange times now, we have to take care of ourselves, then only will we able to take care of others who are in need. Rereading helped me stay sane in the last month. This newsletter has four sections:
(i) The Joy Of Rereading Novels
(ii) How Rereading Helped Me
(iii) Other Forms Of Self Care That Helped Me
(iv) Self Care Patterns Shared By Other Books Lovers
(i) The Joy Of Rereading Novels
I have never before reread a book from cover to cover. I mostly lose interest midway because I already know what’s about to happen next but this time I surprised myself when I managed to read Notes On A Scandal by Zoe Heller and Stay With Me by Ayobami Adeybayo.
Notes On A Scandal by Zoe Heller
Why do I find this book interesting?
a-Premise
An older woman has an affair with a younger boy. The story has similarities to Lolita and Perks Of Being A Wallflower. If you liked reading those novels, you will find this interesting. Lolita is narrated by Humbert Humbert who goes on to make a case for his intentions and actions, and in Perks Of Being A Wallflower, the narrator is Charlie, a boy who confides in the reader as we slowly find out what he’s been through.
In Notes On A Scandal, the story is narrated by a third person, not the older woman or the young boy but by the woman’s colleague. As the colleague establishes the ‘friendship’ between her and the woman upfront, one is compelled to read further.
b-Unreliable narration
Bathsheba, an older woman has an extra marital affair with her student, a young boy, Connolly. And the whole story is narrated from Barbara’s pov, who claims to be her closest friend and the only person Bathsheba can turn to in need of help. She is her colleague at the school.
Who is an unreliable narrator? When you have reason to doubt their ‘version’ of the story, then the narrator becomes unreliable. Ofcourse, we don’t understand that the narrator is unreliable until midway of the book and that’s the brilliance of the writer. (Or maybe I’m slow and didn’t see it coming earlier)
c-Epistolary Novel
I’m drawn to books that are written in the form of letters or diary entries. Perks Of Being A Wallflower is another epistolary novel I really liked.
Stay With Me by Ayobami Adebayo
Why do I find this book interesting?
a-Premise
Yejide and Akin are very much in love but even after 4 years of marriage they don’t have children and this causes their relationship to crack. Yejide’s need to become a mother is heartwrenching. I reread this book on Mother’s Day this time and it is one of those books one must read if they want to explore stories on polygamy, parenting, infertility and more.
b-Unreliable narration
Stay With Me is a roller coaster ride narrated from two points of view, the wife Yejide and husband Akin in alternating chapters. They are a married couple who struggle to conceive. While we doubt Yejide’s narration as we suspect she’s losing her mind because of her inability to conceive, Akin seems like he is holding back a lot.
c-Two POVs
There are few books that narrate a story from multiple povs. This book does it really well.
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(ii) How Rereading Helped Me
- Wanted to relive the feeling of enjoying the tale
This is the basic need to reread a book, I had to fight the urge to read a ‘NEW’ book as there are so many new books coming out and I generally read a lot of contemporary books. Who wants to miss out on all awesome content that’s being published right now right?
- Tired of the screen
We have become over reliant on screens since the pandemic. My eyes get tired of constantly looking at the screen. I had bought the paperback of ‘Notes On A Scandal by Zoe Heller’ at a book sale and I just couldn’t wait to hold it in my hands and read it. The first time I had read the book, it was an ecopy and I was racing through the book because of the suspense, this time I took my own time to savour each detail very carefully. I shut my screens and started reading!
-Slow, close reading and annotating
Rereading the book at my own pace was my way of silencing all the external voices from social media that claimed they read a book in a day! It was my journey with this book and it was no competition. I loved that no one cared that I read this book now, in 2021. I marked all the important scenes in the book that I thought were pivotal to the plot, that were clues to the narrator’s personality that might have slipped my attention the first time.
-To learn foreshadowing and to be able to read people better
I wanted to know what kind of information did the writer choose to reveal about the narrator as I want to learn to do foreshadowing myself. I think Zoe Heller has carved the story perfectly in order for us to stay with the book till the end. I also thought it would be a good exercise in studying a person’s psychology, patterns of behavior etc to help me in real life as well and not just in my writing. I believe in the saying ‘We see what we want to see’ and that’s why I reread these books to make me see it for what it is. I love unreliable narrators and when I read the book for the first time I hadn’t suspected that the narrator would turn out to be ‘unreliable’. So I wanted to reread the book to see ‘How the heck did I miss the signs?’
-Common themes
I like stories about families and marriages. At the heart of both of these books, it’s a marriage that has fallen apart. Yesterday, we celebrated my parents’ 33rd anniversary at home. It made me revisit all the years that they have been married, it’s not easy to keep a marriage going so we count our blessings every day.
Here’s a photo from yesterday-
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(iii) Other forms of self-care that helped me
a- Walks near home
This has reduced a lot because of the lockdown and increasing number of cases in Mumbai however I stepped out recently after a long time and looking at the sky at dusk made me forget about the times we are living in, even if for only a moment.
I also noticed a man who ran with a tire dragging behind him. It stood out from the rest and in a way was motivating, that the show goes on. Bollywood songs like ‘Dhaakad’ and ‘Ziddi Dil’ came to mind.
b-Buying books to reread
I couldn’t order books a week back because of the lockdown, it has finally opened up. Just being able to buy these books makes me hopeful.
c-Shows and Films
Normal People
I loved the book by Sally Rooney. I’m really enjoying the adaptation.
Central Park
I don’t usually like musicals, but this is an animated series. It’s funny, awkward funny. I enjoy domestic tales, there are four members in this family and they all are flawed and funny.
Tina
This documentary was a big eye opener. I never knew a lot of things about Tina Turner’s life. All I knew was she was pretty famous and more recently I heard her song ‘Simply The Best’ in Schitt’s Creek. Here’s Noah Reid’s version.
Soul
This is an animated film, loved it so much! Made me think about ‘existential crisis’, the purpose of living, passion, hobbies and much more.
Upload
I enjoyed this sci fi series about afterlife. I’m a big fan of Andy Allo after this. Isn’t she cool?
Murder Of The Mormons
This was interesting, made me think of religion, cults and how documents can make or break a system.
d-Work
Work has kept me going. We have just released Season 3 of Books and Beyond With Bound. We spoke to more talented writers this season. Our first episode is about ‘The creative habit of reading’ and what we do to get over reader’s block and more.
e-Doodling
I enjoy doodling, it’s my time away from the screen.
f-Journaling
I bought this new journal yesterday as my current journal is almost over. Just looking at the cover makes me smile!
g-Songs
Lambada by Kaoma (1989) and On The Floor by Jennifer Lopez (2011)
I love to dance, On the Floor’s beats is just right for me to dance and forget the world, but it always reminds me of the original song from which its tune is inspired. Lambada by Kaoma was quite popular in the 90s. It reminds me of growing up in Bahrain.
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(iv) Self Care Patterns Shared By Other Book Lovers
I asked you all to share your stories of self care, Here are some. Thank you for sharing with me. :)
Colouring and doodling. Reading poems out loud and copying them by hand. Freewriting. Physical exercise.
-Kandala Singh, Writer (@kandalasingh)
The act of making tea, seeing tea leaves boil and dissolve, crushing ginger and tulsi is therapeutic and helps me be in the moment. Drinking tea is slowly without the distraction of my phone allows me to organize the chaos within my mind, atleast slightly.
-Ananya Vats, Writer (@ananya_vats)
Morning pages
-Neharika Gupta, Writer (@neharikagupta23)
Reading poems aloud to myself every morning, really slowly, allowing myself the luxury of slowness and pause, taking in every word, not necessarily logically thinking through it, but just enjoying the sounds. I’ve been reading The Wild Iris by Louise Gluck. A Thousand Mornings by Mary Oliver and Rumi, the translations by Coleman Barks.
-Kuhu Joshi, Poet (@kuhus_library)
Poetry has kept me going. Offered solace. Have discovered numerous poets and reading a few poems everyday has uplifted me while the world outside was gloomy. Three names I’ve discovered are Nazim Hikmet, Danusha Lameris and Joy Harjo.
-Mohua, Personal Development Coach (@menagerie_of_musings)
Meditation. I've been finding it very calming. I try to do atleast 20 minutes but if I can't then atleast 10 minutes. I started with guided meditations and now I can do without the guidance as well. What helps is the training to disconnect from ruminant thoughts. For those 10-30 minutes, I am taking a break from everything that is loud in my mind and the idea is that the present moment is fine, be in it.
-Sanchary Ghosh, Content Marketer (@budgetreader)
I have been reading quite a bit but at times I am assaulted by guilt, having the privilege to read when the world is crumbling. Recently, I've loved reading Nobody Killed Her by Sabyn Javeri, Those Pricey Thakur Girls, Atonement. I enjoyed watching Queen’s Gambit, Pushpavalli, and Ajeeb Dasta.
-Joseph Rai, Bookstagrammer (@joe_is_bookedforbooks)
Sarah Beth yoga - 15 min videos on YouTube. It’s a manageable amount of time. Started last year this time with easier ones , now graduated to longer/ harder ones. Really helpful for neck/ shoulder/ posture trouble. And a mindfulness podcast by Tara Brach.
-Supriya Rakesh, Writer (@ssupriyarakesh)
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Thank you for reading, please let me know what you have been doing to take care of yourself!