As the snow starts coming down and we begin nestling in with some of our favorite books next to a roaring fire fed by some of our not-so-favorite books, we must ask ourselves: Which ones are worth returning to?
I recently cracked open Wise Blood by Flannery O’Connor, which I loved the first go-round, and it was like putting on a pair of toasty, custom-fitted toe-socks. Still, I’m ambivalent. There’s something reassuring about the familiarity of a book you’ve already read, like a second date where you get to learn more about each other. On the other hand, there are so many books out there that I haven’t read once, entire oeuvres I haven’t yet cracked, that it seems like a shame to squander precious holiday reading time on something I’ve already consumed. (Strangely enough, this feeling doesn’t extend to movies, as I’ve re-watched Jurassic Park approximately 1,587 times. This month.) And not all books are created equal. Some seem to lend themselves to multiple visits, whether it’s the addictive breeziness of Harry Potter or the pretzeled puzzles of Nabokov. Some don’t: As much as I loved Cormac McCarthy’s The Road, I don’t think I could deal with experiencing all that again.
A quick look online shows the rereading debate to be surprisingly heated, with some thinking that it’s a waste of the little leisure time we get in this nasty, brutish and short thing called life, and others of the mindset that you haven’t really read a book until you’ve read it more than once. What do you think? Are there books that you think hold up to a second glance? Are there any you are looking forward to reopening over the holidays?
I love to re-read books. I read Pride & Prejudice at least once a year. A good book plays like a movie in my head and when I re-read it it’s like watching a favorite movie more than once. I tend to lose details of books if I’ve only read them once. When I read them again it seems they stay in my brain longer. I also pick up other things from the book that I may have missed in the first reading.
I am the same. Pride & Prejudice and Persuasion are my two favorites. I can’t even count the number of times that I have read them.
Pride & Prejudice is probably the one book I’ve reread the most.
Pride and Prejudice for me too!
P&P is also my “most read” book. Right now, I’m reading “Emma”, then will go on to “Northanger Abbey”, and again to “P&P”.
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith does it for me. An all engrossing richly detailed story that I read over and over and over.
Good choice!
Think And Grow Rich by Napoleon Hill.
I’ve read “The Secret History” by Donna Tartt a few times, always in the winter. If you have a whole day with nothing to do, it’s perfect (and if you’re a fast reader, you can probably get through it in that day).
The Secret History was the first book that came to mind for me, too. I’ve read it three or four times already.
The Secret History is my favourite book of all time – I’ve lost track of how many times I’ve read it. There’s so much to it, and it’s so beautifully written, I always get totally wrapped up in it. I even have the audio book!
I’ve read this book so many times…I love it. Strangely enough I can never get people to read it. It’s nice to know others loved it as much as I do.
The Secret History is one of my favorites too!!!
Weird to see all this love for “The Secret History” – I HATED that book!
I’ve reread The Secret History at least seven times. Great book.
I adore rereading books. You get to experience it all over again and find things you missed that make it worth. I mostly enjoy rereading children books to kids, but also for my own fun. The books I enjoy to reread are:
The Catcher in the Rye
Harry Potter Series
Sherlock Holmes stories
Artemis Fowl
Moby Dick
Frankenstein
Percy Jackson and the Olympians
The Boy Who Fell Ouy of the Sky
Fight Club
The Outsiders
I too love to read a lot of the same books my kids read. I also loved Harry Potter, Artimes Fowl, and Percy Jackson. If you like those you should try Fablehaven series.
I love Harry Potter. I was lucky enough that I grew up with Harry. I still reread those books now. My HP6 paperback actually broke in half the last time I read it because it had been read so many times. I love all of them and miss having new HP books to look forward to.
I like Artemis Fowl, Harry Potter, and the first book of Percy Jackson.
You should look up Elvenbane by Andre Norton / Melissa Lackey, it’s a great book, sequels are good too.
Great list!!!! I love HP, Percy Jackson, Fight Club, The Outsiders, The Catcher in the Rye and Artemis Fowl!!!!!!!!!!
I must admit there are very few books I’ve read as an adult that I would consider rereading. Instead, I have several from my childhood and teen years that get pulled off the shelf regularly, including An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott, Blue Castle by L. M. Montgomery, and Beauty by Robin McKinley.
YES!! L.M. Montgomery is totally worth re-reading… esp. her lesser known fluff, ‘Blue Castle’
I can’t believe someone else loves Blue Castle
Definitely. I recently reread all the Anne of Green Gables books – so great. Also, The Secret Garden, Heidi, and The Black Stallion.
I’m with you on Beauty; I love, love, love that book and can reread it til there’s no tomorrow.
I can re-read almost all of Robin McKinley’s books over and over again. I love Beauty, Spindle’s End, Deerskin and Sunshine. In fact, Sunshine was so good, I finished it and immediately started over!
I reread lamb the gospel according to biff christ’s childhood friend by christopher moore.
actually I reread everything of his he’s a nutcase at the moment because its christmas im rereading the stupidest angel a heartwarming tale of christmas terror
Agreed. Christopher Moore is one of the most talented, entertaining writers our there.
Lamb by Christopher Moore is without a doubt one of my favorite books. Funny and hell. I’ve read it twice and will definitely read it again someday.
Also The Stand by Stephen King
Harry Potter
Lords of the Rings
The Book of Joe
The Stand is one book I will never get tired of reading over and over! So is IT and The Dark Tower books.
Christopher Moore is hilarious!Lamb is on my “Must Read Again” list. So is Life of Pi, The Warriors series and The Story of Edgar Sawtelle.
The Road and The Firm.
Although there are many books I’ve read more than I can count, the one which springs immediately to mind (for reasons obvious to anyone in the mid-Atlantic region this week)is “The Long Winter” by Laura Ingalls Wilder. I read it whenever we have a big snow storm; nothing says winter to me like curling up on the couch a cup of hot chocolate and spending the time with Laura and her family while the snow piles up outside.
Oh yes! Laura Ingalls rocks!!
Half-Pint!
I love Little House on the Prairie.
A Prayer For Owen Meany by John Irving – always great to read again. At once both the funniest and the saddest book I’ve ever read. Both my mother and I were stopped by strangers asking what we were reading because we were laughing so hard at the time.
Agreed.
Agreed. I re-read it last month, and was a satisfied, blubbery puddle by the end.
All books are worth rereading. I reread all the time. In fact, there are times that I will just pull a book and reread certain parts just because I love them. And I read P&P at least once a year as well.
I reread Harry Potter multiple times.
I reread Harry Potter anytime I do not have a good new book to read. I have read the series atleast 15 times. I also like anything by Michael Crichton especially Timeline and Jurassic Park other books I love are:
The Mists of Avalon
The Sword of Truth series
The Belgariad/Mallorian series
Pride and Prejudice
The Once and Future King
As you can tell I read a lot of fantasy and need some new reading material….any suggestions guys?
Have you read the rouge angel series by Alex Archer. A little fantasy but not to deep. Some younger stuff in fantasy is Fablehaven.
If you like fantasy and Harry Potter, I’d go with Philip Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy. I’ve read it a few times – never gets old. And of course, the classic Chronicles of Narnia.
The best fantasy series I think I’ve ever read is A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin. He’s only finished 4 books out of 7, but I’ve re-read the series a couple of times waiting on book 5 to be published. It’s a series that can be dark, but it is extremely well crafted and very intriguing. Each read reveals something that was missed the times before. The series is lengthy but reads quickly. Well worth your time.
Thanks for the great suggestions guys! After I posted my comment I was envisioning a bunch of “go read twilight” comments and it was nice to see some real interesting reads listed =)
Elvenbane by Andre Norton and Melissa Lackey. And the two sequels.
R.I.P Andre Norton
Sindy Sue I love that you mentioned the Rogue Angel series. they are a fun easy read, and i tend to reread them as i wait for a new one to come out
Great list Ashley G.! If you enjoy the Sword of Truth series, you should give Elizabeth Haydon’s Symphony of Ages a try!
I have to admit that there are certain books that I return to again and again, usually seasonally. A Christmas Carol is one of them. At Halloween, I have to read Dracula, Turn of the Screw, Twice-Told Tales, or (if I’m going to make a season of it)Harry Potter. I also often return to Stephen King’s Dark Tower books (in autumn) and Ian Fleming’s 007 series (summer). Summer is also the time for Moby-Dick (and In the Heart of the Sea), Treasure Island, Patrick O’Brian’s Aubrey/Maturin novels, or pretty much anything nautical or with pirates. Kerouac, Hemingway, Palahniuk, Highsmith, S. Jackson, Dickens, Atwood, and Hawthorne are the main authors I return to consistently.
Moby Dick and On the Road are perfect summer reads.
I’ve got Gone With the Wind sitting on my desk right now. I need to finish it. I read it ages ago, but I’m trying it again.
The Lord of the Rings–over and over again
The Thorn Birds–the same
Most of Stephen King’s work (bar Tommyknockers, Cell, and Dreamcatcher)
The Poisonwood Bible
A good book can be like comfort food. Agreed that I will probably never read “The Road” again. It was beautiful, but brutal. I have plenty of ways to beat up on myself, thanks.
A good winter read is a YA book called “Life as We Knew It” by Susan Beth Pfeiffer. A meteor hits the moon, and everything changes. Each chapter it gets colder and colder here on earth…..I read this in winter and had to keep piling on blankets as I got colder the more I read.
The companion book, The Dead and The Gone, is just excellent (not exactly a sequel since it’s the same event from another viewpoint. Both of them were wonderful and scary at the same time.
The Great Gatsby. Each time I re-read it, I discover something new.
I read it at least twice a year.
The Great Gatsby is one of my favorite books ever!
Agreed!