I'd Rather Be Reading: The Delights and Dilemmas of the Reading Life

by Anne Bogel

A good book, when we return to it, will always have something new to say. It’s not the same book, and we’re not the same reader.

This passage was inspired by the proverb that originates with the Greek philosopher Heraclitus, who wrote, "No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it's not the same river and he's not the same man." I'm an avid re-reader, and my own experience with returning to my beloved books (or, in certain circumstances, my once-beloved books) has convinced me that there exists a strong parallel to the reading life.