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When is reading the same book more than once an obsession?

I seem to be drawn to certain books and read them over and over again. I often wonder why I keep on doing this. I know that I cannot possibly read all of the millions of books already out there, so what pleasures am I missing by re-reading my own familiar library?

I do so enjoy these books, even though I can practically say the words out loud. I keep five books especially to read at Christmas, in particular Charles Dickens’s short story, "A Christmas Carol," is a classic which really gets me into the Christmas mood. I also love the romantic novels of Jane Austen (and read the whole set yearly), as well as John Buccan—an early 20th Century author—who is memorable through his writings about war, which he graphically and beautifully portrays and which his characterisation is second to none. He is best known for his First World War novel, The 39 Steps, although his catalogue of books is quite extensive—again, all of these are re-read yearly!

You can see from the above how much of ‘butterfly’ I am where reading is concerned, but re-reading so many?

Am I alone with this obsession?

I just like well written books, which tell a good story and leave me feeling satisfied and contented.

As I have got older I lose patience with badly crafted books. After the first couple of chapters I know if the book will retain my interest and, if not, I cast it aside. Perhaps that is why I re-read so many books: I get fed up with being disappointed. How do these books get published in the first place? You hear of how difficult it is to get published, and yet the rubbish I have tried to read astounds me. Someone has gone to a lot of trouble (and cost!) to publish this rubbish. In my opinion, there should be an automatic returns policy on badly written novels. Publishers should be made to give you your money back if the book purchased is poorly composed with a terrible story! The reviewers should be castigated for facilitating this drivel to be sold.

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This being said, I do love the internet and can lose myself chasing down an obscure thread. I am so impressed by how others have taken the time and trouble to research a topic and then post it for me to read and learn from. I fully believe that knowledge should be passed on. After all, why re-invent the wheel? Sometimes though, I worry that research can be taken just a little bit too far. For example, one person actually made batches of cookies to find out what would be the optimum time to leave cookies in the raw state before baking them to achieve the best results in texture. He baked the biscuits at hourly intervals and found that leaving the cookies to rest for 24 hours before baking achieved the “perfect cookie”. The poor man must have gone without sleep for several days. I relish his obsession though, as I have used the information to improve my baking and add to my knowledge.

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I am an academic, having a BA (hons) Degree in History, as well as being a highly qualified chef and baker.

I have lived a long time and have plenty of experiences to share!

My passion though, is baking. I use my academic abilities to look into the science behind baking; after all, if you understand the science behind the procedures and ingredients then you can bake anything. Using my knowledge and abilities I have built an unorthodox website which is all content. It should really be a book but, why should a website only contain pictures with few words? That is not my style. I want to educate everyone in the wonders and simplicity of baking. If you need a reference, then you will find it here at: www.get-baking.com

Here, I have compiled a huge amount of information. What you won’t find are lots of pictures, I leave the camera work to other sites!

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I have recently moved from England to Spain along with three cats, two dogs and three horses! Eight months ago I had no plans to do this; circumstances have instigated my life style change. I might discuss this in more detail later, I might not. Whether you can be bothered with my story will be the deciding factor. In the meantime, I will leave you to ponder my musings and comment on the questions posed. I will regularly post—mostly with baking tips and techniques—but there will be added titbits of my life. There will be some funny, some sad, and plenty of ridiculous.

Hey ho, is that not life?

I've just started on Twitter, follow me there, too: @igetbaking