I came across an article earlier today in The Atlantic about rereading childhood books as an adult. I had so many favorite books as a kid, books that really gave me comfort and spoke to me. I have a long list:

• The Egypt Game and The Headless Cupid, both by Zilpha Keatley Snyder. The Egypt Game, in particular, sparked my affinity for Egyptian, Greek and Roman historical fiction.
• Island of the Blue Dolphins by Scott O’Dell. I found an old copy for 5 cents at my library, and devoured it again. This also happened not long after we took our first family vacation to Santa Barbara, where there is a plaque commemorating the woman who inspired the novel.
• The Mixed Up Files Of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler by E.L. Konigsburg
• The entire Wrinkle In Time quintet featuring the Murphy children. A Wrinkle In Time and a Wind in the Door were my favorites as a kid, and when I reread the series in advance of the Ava DuVernay-directed film that came out earlier this year, Many Waters became my favorite.

I was also constantly rereading my Baby-Sitters Club and Nancy Drew books till their spines fell off. I always had a book in my hand as a kid. I was really weird to my cousins, who were more inclined to play card games at family get-togethers. Me, I always looked for a quiet spot to read my book.

There is an allure to the repetition of rereading, submitting to the rhythms of a narrative, place, and characters you know well, and the familiar emotions they evoke. Rereading also has a different pace. I tear through a book on the first read, to find out what happens next, but rereading feels mellower and more leisurely, even while relearning the parts I’ve forgotten.

Rereading my favorite books is a habit I’ve carried into adulthood, and I also do the same thing with my favorite TV shows and movies. I get really attached to characters. I became enamored with Reacher, from Lee Child, when I came across the first book, The Killing Floor, while Trin and I were on our honeymoon in Maui. It was in “take one, leave one” bookshelf in the condo we were staying at. I am also super attached to Kahlan and Richard from the Sword of Truth books from Terry Goodkind. Hilariously, I was first introduced to the characters via the short-lived TV series, The Legend of the Seeker — it was fantastically cast, but the Sword of Truth stories were mashed together in a way that made no sense and spelled its doom. I’m also in love with Taita from Wilbur Smith’s River God and ensuing novels. If only there were truly such clever, talented and compassionate people as he’s written Taita to be.

I also rewatch movies and TV shows constantly. If I’m having a bad day, I fire up Firefly and/or Serenity — for whatever reason, reliving what few episodes we’ve got in that ‘verse make me feel like the world is right again, as if there’s hope for justice in the world. I love both Firefly and Serenity so much I bought them when they were on sale, so I can watch them any time I want — also at the time, Netflix had removed Firefly and Serenity from its offerings, and I was feeling bereft.

I know this is considered the golden age of television, with critically-acclaimed shows on premium cable, Netflix, Amazon Prime and Hulu, but with my terrible schedule, I have a hard time introducing new TV characters into my life. So I continue to rewatch, over and over, The Closer, Eureka, Psych, Chuck, Bones, Monk, Numb3rs, Burn Notice, House. I would love to rewatch Castle (Nathan Fillion for the win!), but it’s not available anywhere to stream for free. I’m in the middle of rewatching Dresden Files on Vudu. Plus, I’m on the lookout for Warehouse 13 and Alphas. And I’m seriously thinking of buying The Lost Room on Vudu; it’s the only place I’ve found that miniseries. And Agent Carter. I really want Agent Carter back.

The movies I love to rewatch are countless, but a few come to mind: Under The Tuscan Sun, The Golden Child (which has been airing lately on El Rey), Coming To America, the original Total Recall, Terminator and Terminator 2, Bend It Like Beckham (which really should have Parminder Nagra on the Amazon Prime image of the move, hmph), pretty much all the Marvel Cinematic Universe movies.

Trinity is amused by this idiosyncrasy of mine. But rereading and rewatching is like visiting with old friends.