One More Time for the Re-Reads
The last few weeks have been busy in a way that feels like a slog. I have determined not to be busy like that anymore, and so I kept trying to put on the brakes and decide quickly what to throw out the window. I crashed hard into this weekend and just lay there, feeling dazed.
I was grumpy with everyone at first, and then I did what always seems to work, and yet I don’t always remember it in time: I got out a book.
Not just any book either--I pulled out an old favorite, one I’ve read two or three times already. Joe bought it for Christmas for me several years ago, excited to have found a paperback copy when the book was brand new in hardback, because he knows I really prefer paperback books, and then we both cracked up when it was a large print edition. I actually liked it. It’s not like my eyes are getting any younger.
The Almost Sisters by Joshilyn Jackson feels like slipping into the best pajamas and lying on the couch, southern weather heavy outside. The characters immediately feel like your own people--they are skillfully drawn in a style that feels effortless, and you slide right into this family. It is true of all her books, but especially this one. Leia, Batman, Lavender, Rachel, Birchie--they are all people I know and love, even the ones it’s hard to love.
This book also makes me happy because of Leia’s job--she’s a comic book artist, and the self-proclaimed nerdiness and inherent creativity thrill me. I love when people are obsessed with something fun, and even more when they are good at it. The way she talks about the art and story involved make me want to go back through my son’s comics and look for the hidden stories.
Maybe most of all, I love that Joshilyn Jackson makes me want to write. Some books make me step back because they are beautiful but feel so separate from anything I know as real. Her books, set in places that feel so familiar, make me feel like she’s reaching out a hand.
A hand was exactly what I needed this weekend, and I inhaled this book in one day. Rereading it helped me pull myself back together, shake off the negativity, and be present with the people who needed me. I don’t totally understand how it works, this reading and re-reading...but I’m glad it does.
