Sunday column: Reading and re-reading

Being called a "bookworm" was never an insult to me.
As far back as I can remember, I've loved reading. This also explains my love of libraries. No matter where I am, when I walk into a library I feel at home.
My mom has always encouraged my love of books; in fact, I probably have her to thank for it. When my brother and sisters and I were growing up, Mom always read to us. Part of our nightly routine was for us to all pile on the couch — two kids on each side of Mom — and listen as she read to us. When we were really young, she'd read us short picture books. As we grew up, she moved on to young adult novels. The hands-down family favorite was Where the Red Fern Grows, by Wilson Rawls, but E.B. White's Charlotte's Web comes in at a close second.
As an elementary school girl, my prized possession was my boxed set of Little House on the Prairie books. I also had a deep affection for the Anne of Green Gables series. Mom still has that set of Little House books, which I fully intend to bestow upon a lucky reader of my family's next generation.
As much as Mom and I have in common when it comes to reading, though, there are points about which we disagree.
For example, Charles Frazier's Cold Mountain is on Mom's Top 10 Favorite Books list. I, on the other hand, made two separate attempts at reading that book and just couldn't get into it.
The other major difference between Mom and me is the practice of re-reading a book. I am a fan of the re-read; Mom is not. The only time you'll catch Mom re-reading a book is if she's completely forgotten what it was about.
I like to re-read books that I enjoyed the first time around. It is comforting to me to go back to those old stand-bys that I know will be a guaranteed good read. While Mom tends to think this is a waste of time, I always enjoy the second or third read as much, if not more than, the first one.
Here are a few books that have made their way onto my nightstand more than once or twice:

The Cider House Rules by John Irving
I was in high school when one of my friends and co-workers (we both worked part-time at the Ouachita Parish Public Library) turned me on to John Irving. His favorite was The World According to Garp, which I also like. But, The Cider House Rules is my No. 1 favorite Irving book. I just love Homer Wells, the main character. I refused to see the movie version of the book not only because I knew there was no way the movie could compare to the book, but also because I couldn't stand to see actor Tobey Maguire portray my hero Homer Wells — he just didn't match the Homer I'd created in my mind.

The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger
Back when I was deep in the throes of "adolescent angst" (Mom's term for those horrible years between ages 15 and 18), J.D. Salinger was my only consolation. I started with The Catcher in the Rye and voraciously devoured all of his other books. As time went on and I continued to re-read Salinger, I kept discovering more and more in his writing that I enjoyed and could relate to. His book Franny and Zooey was the topic of several papers I wrote for a senior-level English class at Louisiana Tech, as well.
Salinger's capture of the tumultuous existence of being a teenager is timeless enough to continue to be relevant even today.

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole
A friend from college gave me a copy of A Confederacy of Dunces with a glowing recommendation. Although I'd never heard of the book before, as soon as I started reading I couldn't put it down. I love the humor, the quirkiness and the Louisiana setting of John Kennedy Toole's first and only novel, which earned him a posthumous Pulitzer Prize. This is another point on which Mom and I disagree — she just doesn't get what's so brilliant about this book. Kind of the way I feel about Cold Mountain (I did love the movie, though).
As a side note: This is the only book I've ever seen my brother, the electrical engineer, read from cover to cover since probably junior high. That alone illustrates the power of this book.