love notes 05: the peace and calm of rereading
talking about rereading, what i read this week, weekly recommendations and more
This week I’m obsessed with: rereading old favourites, bookstore visits, hot showers, cinnamon chai lattes, pinterest boards, candlelit baths, enemies to lovers romance, the daisy jones and the six soundtrack and peanut butter cookies.
I’ve struggled with my mental health this week — bouts of anxiety that unravel and exhaust me, making me feel sluggish and powerless in my own body. It’s forced me to slow down, reevaluate my priorities this week, and seek out comfort in the things that bring me joy and happiness instead.
For me, that’s been revisiting the fictional worlds and characters that have a special place in my story-loving-heart.
I’ve been rereading The Cruel Prince by Holly Black and getting lost in this familiar world has been surprisingly easy. My mind, overwhelmed with anxious thoughts, doesn’t have to do any hard work — it already knows the story and the characters, and it’s already familiar with the world’s lore and it’s rules. I can just sit back and enjoy the fantastical adventure. At the same time, I’ve also been rewatching The Vampire Diaries, which has made me feel connected to my 16-year-old self who was so excited for season one to premiere that she spent hours online obsessively looking for updates. I mean the show is a little cringe-worthy now, but the drama and angst is so enticing that I can’t help but keep watching anyway.
This has always been the case — when life feels hard or overwhelming, I fall back on the things I’ve already read or watched thousands of time before. But I never feel calmer or more at peace with myself than when I’m in-between the pages of one of my favourite books. Returning to the world of The Cruel Prince has been like coming home after a long vacation or that feeling of getting into my oversized sweats after a long day. It feels like being hugged. It feels like being at home, safe.
Since I wanted to write this week’s Love Note on these feelings, I found myself curious to understand the reason why I — and so many other people like me — seek comfort in rereading and rewatching our favourites. And I found some really interesting articles that you can read here, here, here and here.
I definitely think nostalgia and sentimentality play a role in my love of rereading books — returning to my girlhood favourites or books I read in happier times are the epitome of calming and peaceful to me. But I’ve also learned that for me, when things become overwhelming and unwanted daily stresses rear their ugly heads, I find myself drawn into the loving arms of a story I already know. The familiarity of this old lover offers a respite from the unpredictability of life. There’s no surprises, no disappointments. It allows me to find a small semblance of control amidst life’s most uncontrollable moments.
But there’s also another reason I love rereading my favourites. Some days I have these moments where it feels like my brain has finally reached it’s capacity. I feel depleted and mentally exhausted, and in desperate need of a total recharge. Sometimes this means I don’t read at all — I don’t even bother picking up a book and choose to rewatch something else instead — but other times, when I’m seeking out escape, I like rereading a book because it feels good not having to think about what’s going to happen next. And because my anxious/tired mind doesn’t have to overwork itself, my nervous system has the space to calm down.
Like I said, I’ve been rereading The Cruel Prince. But there’s so many other books I enjoy rereading too:
Daisy Jones and The Six by Taylor Jenkins Reid
City of Bones by Cassandra Clare
The Raven Cycle by Maggie Stiefvater
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Bunny by Mona Awad
Do you like re-reading any of your favourite books? What are your favourite books to reread? If you don’t reread, I’d love to know why too.
part i: what i read this week
Like I said, I’ve been rereading The Cruel Prince by Holly Black. I first read it back in 2018 and I’m pretty sure this is where my deep-rooted obsession with enemies-to-lovers romance started. I decided to reread since I’ve been reading a lot of books with heavy themes lately and wanted something more lighthearted and fun (and less work!). Definitely a good choice, I finished rereading it today and I fell in love with this fantasy story all over again.
I also have some article recommendations that I found particularly interesting and inspiring this week:
“With alarm, Your Scholar,” and Other Excellent Sign-offs from Emily Dickinson’s Letters
Which “The Tortured Poets Department” Song You Are, Based on Your Zodiac Sign
I’m Smart and I Need Everyone to Know It
part ii: what i wrote this week
I’m still working on the second draft of my dark contemporary fantasy book, but I've managed to finish chapter three and I’m currently working my way through chapter four.
I think the hardest part of a second draft is having to discover new ways to feel achieved. I mean, when writing a first draft I can see my progress with a growing word count. But that doesn’t happen with a second draft. I’ve been forced to shift my perspective and find other ways to feel a sense of achievement: finishing edits on a chapter, fixing a particularly rough paragraph or feeling my characters become more and more like real people.
Fingers crossed I can continue getting two chapters edited per week!
part iii: what i watched this week
Last week I devoured The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides in a few days, and wanted to see if the film lived up to the heartbreaking and tragic exploration of girlhood depicted in one of my new favourite books.
The film adaption was both visually beautiful and wonderfully acted, capturing the real essence of the book and the experience girlhood (and adolescence) as a whole. I think reading the book first adds to the experience of watching the film, so I recommend getting your hands on a copy before having a movie night. Also I would have liked to see more of the isolation the girls suffered through, just to add to the emotional weight of the story’s ending.
But overall this is probably one of my favourite adaptions ever — it was so good.
And that was my week — my fingers are crossed that next week is less of an anxious one. I just want to spend the new week focusing on my family, writing my book and creating content for my subscribers.
Don’t forget to let me know if you love rereading too!
Until next time,
- Madeline
You really do write so beautifully Madeline!
I love rereading and rewatching. I haven’t reread a book in a long time but my typical favourites to reread are The Hunger Games and Twilight series, The Great Gatsby, One Day and A Thousand Splendid Suns - even when they’re emotional you know it’s coming!
I’m a big rewatcher and have a number of comfort shows I go to time and time again. I can pretty much recite the US version of The Office now 🤣
I read The Virgin Suicides a few months ago and found it really tough to get through, I just couldn’t get on with the writing style. But I am now desperate to watch the film because I think I’d like it much more than the book!
Best of luck with your writing this week and I hope it’s a kinder week to your mind too 🩷
I completely feel that. Sometimes I’m looking for a new book and just can’t find one, so I have to return to the comfort of the ones I’m familiar with! And they don’t disappoint!