What moves you to reread a particular book or rewatch a movie?
It may be of course that you do not ‘re’ either books or movies but I do and there are a handful (or more) that top my list.

“Apollo 13” starring Tom Hanks and Gary Sinese is THE movie which was based on a book by Jim Lovell. I think it was 1970 when Lovell, Swigert, and Haise headed off for the moon, following in the footsteps of Neil Armstrong. Initially the press wasn’t much interested as it had all been done before, that is, until disaster struck. I remember the actual real life event and yes the announced flight was sort of ho hum and then the world watched. We never left Walter Cronkite for a minute.
The strange thing is that I know the story, I know the movie, and yet…
Each time I watch the movie I wait, holding my breath in the exact moments they have to establish communication after doing a burn to enter the earth’s atmosphere. And each time my eyes fill with tears. I can’t help it. Yes I know the ending. Again. And again. And again.

A part of my brain says, go do something useful, you know this story and how it ends. And another part of my brain says, leave me alone to live in the moment.
You see? I think it is all about living in the moment. Really feeling and valuing every minute. The ending almost doesn’t matter. It is experiencing the moment when all fears, all hopes, come together.
Now I have a number of rereads when it comes to favorite books. I have them close at hand to pull out every few months or every few years. One absolutely gripping story, and yes it is still gripping is Michael Crichton‘s TIMELINE. Good heavens that man was consistently entertaining whether it was The Andromeda Strain, Jurassic Park, or TV’s ER. The man was a writer and story teller par excellence and I for one miss him very much.

The telling moment in that book, you know the one where I lose all connection to the sane voice that says, Chris you know how it ends, comes when the Professor, and Kate and Chris are ready to return and Marek continues the fight and finally tells them to leave him.
It is less a story about time travel and more about connecting with multiverses (multiple universes), and one man’s sacrifice – which still ends well and gets him the fair Claire – and the evil of huge corporations with way too much money hanging around. It is a marvellous story and I recommend to any who have not read it.
But again, the story is so well written it is about living in that very moment.
I think sometimes life gets so busy for us that we forget to appreciate moments by rushing ahead to the next thing we must do, and I always think it is wonderful that there are story tellers out there that touch our hearts, regardless of frequency, and remind us to live in the moment.
Do you have a favorite moment reminder?
Related articles
- The Dilemmas of Rereading (emptybees.wordpress.com)
- ‘Humble’ hero Neil Armstrong farewelled (nzherald.co.nz)