I have been finding myself very short on free time recently (for good reasons, I can’t complain) and this has meant that writing and reading have taken a backseat. Whatever possessed me then, in such precious moments, to choose to read a book I have already read twice before?

Well, firstly, it is a special book. Flight to Arras by Antoine de St. Exupéry is a blend of exhilarating autobiography and philosophical reflection. The author recounts a sacrificial mission he undertook as a reconnaissance pilot with the Armée de l’Air during the Battle of France. His squadron lost seventeen of its twenty-three units during the French retreat which, as he flew, lay beneath him in caravans and burning villages. He believed his chances of returning home alive to be one in three. Cue musings on society, nationalism, friends, family, dignity, love and death. Oh, and plenty of action.

Rereading is for books that open up a part of you. It can be that it holds memories of a place or a time in your life. It can be that it reflects a part of your self and feels familiar like an old friend. It can be that it enlightens you to such a degree that it is a nostalgic joy to relive its genius. Or it can be a bit of all three, which is what this book does for me.

Because it requires a certain relationship to a book to make a reread fulfilling, I can mentally earmark one instantaneously upon finishing it (Gösta Berlings saga), in the same way that I know when I definitely won’t want to even smell a page of certain books ever again (The Sheltering Sky). Once its contents have been unveiled and digested, any further value is purely subjective.

Film is probably the most enjoyable and popular medium by which to revisit the same work. Once I have ninety consecutive minutes free, I might have to watch Dumb and Dumber yet again.

This month's favourites:
   Yeasayer, Amen & Goodbye
   Antoine de St. Exupéry, Flight to Arras
   Eva (1948)