Books I Re-Read

There a number of books I re-read on a regular basis. Some of these books I read almost yearly but all of them I've re-read at least 5-times.

• Kim by Rudyard Kipling
• The Killer Angels by Michael Shaara
• Cannery Row by John Steinbeck
• Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
• The Razor's Edge by W. Somerset Maugham
• A Moveable Feast by Ernest Hemingway
• A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens. Re-reading this book has become a Christmas Eve tradition.

When I was in high school I used to read Trinity by Leon Uris every year. I think it was my way of trying to connect with my Irish roots. However, I haven't picked up that book in 20-years - so I won't count it. I guess you could also count the Harry Potter books but I've stopped having an obsession with them.

Kim by Rudyard Kipling

Recently re-read the book Kim by Rudyard Kipling. There was no good reason to do so. Just felt the urge to read that book again maybe for the tenth time. I'm happy to report that the book still holds up for me. 

Kim is among a handful of books I like to re-read just for pleasure's sake.This time around I was worried that I'd be more cognizant of any overt racism (the book is over 100-years old). However, whatever racial slurs there were in the book were used to illustrate the ignorance of any British menial workers or soldiers. The adult heroes of the book include a Muslim horse-trader, a Tibetan lama and a Bengali spy - all portrayed respectfully with authentic detail by Kipling.

I couldn't help but compare this in my mind to Edgar Rice Burroughs' Tarzan of the Apes. That book was a favorite of mine growing up but today would be unreadable because of the overt racism.

I'm sure I'll re-read Kim again in another year or two.