The summer reruns of reading

 

We're getting into that part of the summer season where TV reruns start to conquer the entertainment landscape. Yes, there are some original shows out there(both on cable and streaming) but they are becoming few and far between there.

Some replays are fun and if you think about it, rereading a book is similar to rewatching a few of your favorite shows-relaxing, amusing and pretty sure that you're going to have a good time. Also, you might pick up on some finer points about the plot or characters that you have missed the first time around.

I'm in the middle of a couple of rereads at the moment that are really making this midsummer slump work well for me and perhaps one or two of them might make for fresh reads for you too:

WAITING FOR TOM HANKS: A great excuse for rereading is to buy a new copy in a different format and since I first read Kerry Winfrey's ode to romcom movies in an ebook edition, getting it in paperback is more than enough reason to jump back in.

Annie Cassidy loves the romcom genre so much that any potential mate has to fit into the Tom Hanks standard for her-funny, kind, smart and bonus points for owning a houseboat!

She's also writing a screenplay for a romantic comedy so when a film company comes to town, getting a job on set is a great gig for her. However, the movie's leading man is Drew Danforth, a former sitcom actor who needs a big hit after his big screen action film takes a box office nosedive.

While her best friend Chloe thinks that Drew could be Annie's Tom Hanks, she is firmly convinced otherwise, insisting that his goofy antics off screen and mocking banter with her in real life make him a serious non contender. Yet, as she gets to know him, Annie begins to see a better side of Drew that causes her to reassess him on the TH scale. Can he really be her ultimate Hanks or is Annie's romantic comedy focus limiting her options in life and love?

This story is so much fun, with engaging characters, well timed dialogue and good hearted humor, just like your favorite romcom film. I also have the sequel Not Like The Movies on hand(which gives Chloe a movie themed love story of her own!), making for a great double feature of reading here. Plus, I am planning to rewatch You've Got Mail later this summer as part of my Autumn in August challenge and references to that film abound greatly within these pages:

EIGHT PERFECT MURDERS: This is another "ebook to print copy" purchase that I plan on getting to later this season. Truth be told, it's one of those up all night reads that I want to slowly savor the second time around.

Malcolm Bradshaw has a pretty quiet life, working at a mystery themed bookstore with a mostly silent partner. A bit of excitement stirs up one day as a FBI agent comes calling to ask about an old blog post made for the shop's website.

The post listed eight mystery titles that Malcolm felt laid out the best plans for the perfect murder. He did it just for a lark but as it turns out, someone has taken his deadly TBR seriously and has so far knocked off three people using those books as guides.

While the agent hopes that Malcolm can help her stop the killer before he/she gets to the end of that particular reading list, Malcolm is not only surprised but scared to tell her everything he knows. He does know way more than he's willing to say but is not sure that his secret is going to save anyone, including himself.

I've read some of the books on the title list,btw, before and after this book was published and some of them have been made into great movies-Double Indemnity, Deathtrap and Strangers on a Train. That last one, I definitely have in my home video library and should probably rewatch that beforehand, in order to enhance my literary mood:

THE CUSTOM OF THE COUNTRY: At the moment, my current classic reading is focused on Edith Wharton, most of which is rereading. However, since I've only read TCOTC once before, this almost feels like a new book to me.

The center of the story is Undine Spragg, the daughter of new money folks whose fierce determination to never miss out on the best makes her a hard person to live with if you can't bankroll her every whim.

She goes through more than one husband in this quest for more and the point that I'm at in the book has her with official husband number one(Undine has a bit of a secret past in that department!) Ralph, a dreamy eyed poet who finds that his supposed muse of a wife is simply a mortal woman with a pretty face.

Wharton does justice to all of her characters here by not painting Undine as a one note villain, rather just a product of her upbringing and a reflection of the social standards of the day. Ralph and his old school money notions are satirically skewered as well and he won't be the last spouse to be mocked in this book, no doubt about it!

There are plans underway to adapt TCOTC for Apple TV with Sophia Coppola at the director's helm. I think it will do very well with both audiences and critics, considering how modern our leading lady is.

 So far in the book, she already has a press agent and if she were in our present day world, Undine would be a social media darling with her Instagram page blowing up on the regular , rocking the latest in fashion and other trendy goods. She's the true blue material girl for all time indeed:

I guess reruns do serve a purpose other than to fill up the time. They can be comfortable places to mentally crash or spots of new discovery for the viewer that expand upon an already established fan base.

They can also provide plenty of time for rereading a good book or two, which is always a welcome idea. Getting too wrapped up in reruns can also led to trouble but that is another tale for another time and channel: