I finished reading the Just So Stories this week. As I was reading them I realized I had read them before; actually my mother read them to me because I hated not to finish a book, but I thought the stories were ridiculous and impertinent. This time when I read them I think I understood better Kipling's intentions in writing such nonsensical stories. I was able to laugh more readily. I've found at certain times of my life when a book would mean something different to me than another time, like when I read Tom Sawyer Abroad by Mark Twain. The first time I tried to read Tom Sawyer Abroad, it was a very laborious undertaking and I didn't enjoy it one bit. I read about halfway through the book and gave it up for another time. The next time I picked up Tom Sawyer Abroad, I loved it. It's a wonderful book and Mark Twain is ingenious! I just wasn't ready for that kind of book the first time I started to read it. I have learned; if you pick up a book and just can't get into it, put it down and read something else till you are ready for it. Years later when I feel ready to try again, and I know the time is right, I get much more out of it.
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