Re-reading

I am getting to that age......not only do I forget names, dates and other important information, but I can re-read a book that I read in my 20's and it seems like the a brand new book.  I remember the title and the fact that I once read it and liked it, but the plot is barely a fuzzy memory.  This is a bit frustrating, as there are so many books that I want to read for the first time and now I have a growing list of books that I want to revisit.  On the bright side, my TBR (to be read) list is endless and will never be finished so I expect to live forever!

This week, in preparation for the mystery book club that I lead at the library, I re-read The Alienist by Caleb Carr.  I read this book back in 1995 and loved it.  I remembered that it was about a serial killer in New York city but the rest of the details were a little hazy. 

What a nice surprise.  This is not your standard thriller.  The novel is well researched, complex and peopled with real historical figures including police commissioner, Teddy Roosevelt and reformer, Jacob Riis.  The sights, sounds and smells of New York in the late 1890's pop out from the page.  You feel full after reading the description of an endless meal at Delmonico's; you want to wash up after taking in the description of the filth of the tenements. 

If all my re-reads are as good as The Alienist,  I look forward to visiting many more old book friends.