Yes

I used to feel guilty about skipping passages so I could get to the good parts of a novel. Now I understand that this was really a good thing. For the reread, the good parts were even better and the skipped parts were delightful additions. Reading The Sun Also Rises at 13, I didn't have enough like experience to appreciate at least half of the story. At 18, the reread was great. At 23, wow. As I pick up my copy for a fourth read, I wonder what my 62 years of experience will bring to Jake and Brett and bull fighting.

Then there are movies. They have always inspird me to read books. That's actually why I read The Sun Also Rises at age 13. The movie was over so quickly --only 2 hours at most to live in Jake and Brett's world. I knew the book would be better and I could enter their world when I wanted and stay as long as my mother let me.

To Kill a Mocking Bird, Of Mice and Men, A Christmas Carol, Lord of the Rings, and so many more are movie/book companions. I never get caught in the "apples/oranges" argument that the movie isn't as good as the book. Instead, I let a wide range of movies lead me to a treasure of books that often get better the second/third/fourth...... time around.

Marlene

Cincinnati, Ohio