Read Around the Rainbow | Contemporary Re-Reads

It’s Read Around the Rainbow time! On the last Friday of every month, we’re a group of authors who blog on the same topic. This month, the topic is: What book could you read over and over again?

I never used to reread books. Never. Then I broke my brain fifteen years ago. I hit the famous wall, and since then, I’m changed. My brain doesn’t work the same. It’s not capable of doing the same things it did before, and some days all I want to do is to sit in quiet and read, but the idea of opening a new book, take in a new world, get to know new characters, and so on, is too overwhelming.

Nowadays, I have periods when all I do is reread old books. I can rest in that.

I figured I’d list a few contemporary re-reads here and do some paranormal over at Holly’s site.

Frog by Mary Calmes – I don’t know how many times I’ve read this book. Many. It’s too sweet for me, too predictable, and if you’ve read more than one Calmes story, you know what you’re in for. And some days, that’s exactly what I want. It’s short, easy to read, and fluffy. So if you’re looking for an escape from the doom scrolling…

Too Stupid to Live by Anne Tenino – This is silly, Ian is an ass, and I’m uncomfortable with Ian calling Sam kiddo when they’re hooking up, but Sam *deep sigh*. I laugh every time I read this one. Sam, Sam, Sam.

Hidden in Darkness by Alice Winters – It’s not too long ago I read this for the first time, but I’ve already reread it a few times LOL. It’s over the top, Felix is unreal, but if I’m in the mood for light and funny, I read this.

In the Middle of Somewhere by Roan Parish – I haven’t read this as many times as, say, Frog, but I have read it a few times. It’s a little longer, not super long, but not a book I read in one go. I like the characters here. David is snarky, and Rex is so sweet.

Between Sinner and Saints by Marie Sexton – I don’t know why I keep rereading this because it always annoys me. I love Levi and Jamie, but I wish all horrors upon Levi’s family. I’m not religious, I’m not part of a church, I’m not baptized, my kids aren’t baptized, and so on. And Sweden isn’t like I imagine the US or the UK is. You really can go through your entire life without having to partake in anything religious. When I went to the UK, I was dragged to church despite telling everyone I didn’t believe. They just smiled and said it’s a social thing *deep sigh*. It would never happen here, and I was deeply uncomfortable. Anyway, I’m all for religious freedom. I will fight for your right to believe because a world where we start to decide what people are to believe is a scary place (and one I dare say we’re very close to experiencing).

The reason I get so angry with this book is that in the end, Levi’s family, learn to tolerate him despite him being a filthy queer, and that is the HEA. I mean it’s not the real HEA, the HEA is between Levi and Jamie, but *spoiler* they move to live closer to Levi’s family, and I just want to burn their house down with them trapped on the inside… sort of. And yes, I’m aware they’re fictional characters, but they represent everything that’s wrong with religion. No real parent wants to torture their kid, and yet they do it over and over again in the name of the lord, and that makes it okay because it’s their belief.

*Steps down from the soap box* Sorry. I like this book, otherwise I wouldn’t have reread it as many times as I have, but simply writing about it pisses me off LOL.

I think I’ll leave it at that before I start lecturing about something else.