I’m a repeat reader; if I like a novel, I’ll read it five times. If I really like it, I’ll get around to reading it 10 times. If it’s among my favorite novels, I never stop re-reading it. One of the payoffs of repeat reading is catching character or plot insights, or finally recognizing — on reading number seven — a plot device. That happened to me today as I was repeat reading Stephen King’s “It.” I finally noticed that one of the survivors of the fire at The Black Spot in Derry, Maine (set by racists) was a young black cook named “Hallorann.” In fact, Hallorann was pretty much a hero in that scene. Of course, as my brain had missed the previous six readings, Hallorann is a main character in “The Shining” and is also in the sequel “Doctor Sleep.”
Repeat reading is common in religion; in the LDS church, we’re urged to read and re-read the Scriptures, including “The Bible” and “The Book of Mormon,” particularly the latter. I’m sure that most other churches urge their members to read “The Bible” more than once.
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