My friend, Anya, tells me she never reads a book more than once. When she’s read it, she’s done. That got me thinking about what books I’ve felt like were so good that I’ve read them more than once. Here’s my short list:
IT by Stephen King
The Touch by F. Paul Wilson
The Doomsday Conspiracy by Sidney Sheldon
A Gift of Violets by Janette Radcliffe
I’ve read several books twice, but the list above is comprised of books I’ve read at least 4 or 5 times. The oddest thing about those four books is they are all different genres. IT is horror. The Touch is, I guess, a supernatural thriller. The Doomsday Conspiracy is SciFi/Adventure. A Gift of Violets is a historical romance. See, I’ve said many times that I’m an eclectic reader. 🙂
What books have you read more than once? I would love to know!
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Most of Nora’s trilogies I’ve read several times. The Irish ones particularly. Madeleine L’Engle’s A Circle of Quiet, And Both Were Young, and A Ring of Endless Light. Of course Pride and Prejudice. There are totally others but those were the ones that immediately spring to mind.
I really need to read some Nora. You’ve got my interest sparked. 🙂
Hey now I did read one book twice…Gone With the Wind. 🙂 But that was only because Alexandra Ripley came out with a sequel to it and I wanted to compare her writing voice to Margaret Mitchell’s to see if they were totally different or not. It had been several years since I had read GWTW so I had to refresh my memory.
Oh, you’re such a Gone With the Wind freak anyway. LOL.
I’ve read all of J.K. Rowling’s Harry Potter books at least twice — the first few I’ve read a handful of times. The Mists of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley, is another I’ve read several times, and I count it as my favorite single book of all time. Then there’s Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Legacy series. You’re making me wish I could go curl up with a book. 🙂
I can honestly say I’ve never read any of those books. Yes, I’m one of the few people on this planet that didn’t read Harry Potter. Does it count if I saw all the movies??? 🙂
I wish I could curl up with a good book, too. Like, right now.
I’ve never read any of the books you mentioned, either. Although when I was a kid a babysitter read to me and my little brother from It — we were probably about five and seven, and she read us the part where the kid reaches down in the storm drain after his boat. Isn’t that evil?
I can’t believe anyone would read that passage from IT to a child! That is one scary book.
I used to repeat read a lot when I was younger, but that was mostly down to a lack of new to me books. 😀 Now the only book I’m certain to reread is Jane Eyre. If I still used paperbacks, I would probably reread more – not sure why that is.
Okay, Claire, I’m almost positive I already responded to this comment. Where did it go??? I know I did because I mentioned how my TBR pile is so big that I can’t imagine rereading anything right now. My comment went to la la land apparently. LOL.
Okay, I’m going to make a confession that will shock the literary world. I’ve never read Jane Eyre. Really. I haven’t.
This needs to be rectified. Immediately. 😀 Nah, I only read it because it was the book we worked on one year at school. I read it at home, had to read it in school, and fell completely and absolutely in love.
Yeah… the TBR pile is pretty scary right now, I’ve stopped turning on the wifi on my Kindle to make sure I don’t fill it up without deleting/reading books first. 🙂
I reread all the time! I can’t imagine not rereading, although I’ve gotten a fair amount of “why do you read the same books over and over again?” from friends and family. My books are like old friends. I’ve read It more times than I can count (although this is partially because I sometimes just pick it up at a spot in the middle, read a few chapters, and am done with it). My boyfriend actually bought me the collector’s edition for Christmas! If you haven’t seen it, it’s gorgeous. Although of course the illustrations are of the most disturbing parts, like when Eddie Corcoran’s brother Dorsey shows up at the canal…
IT is probably my favorite book. It’s so scary, but it’s also about deep friendships. Although there was one part of the “friendship” that I found disturbing, considering how young the kids were.
Oh, I would love to see the collector’s edition. I would probably have to make sure I looked at the illustrations in the day time. LOL
My mom always told me that It was dumb because of “what It turns out to be” at the end. But I agree–it’s so much more about the kids and the friendships they forge while they battle It together than actually about It. And I agree that that one part is disturbing…
Yes, if you ever get a chance to see one, definitely make sure you look at the illustrations in the daytime…or at least with all your lights on!!
I’ve been rereading Jane Eyre and Possession by A.S. Byatt every year for a really long time now, so those definitely top my re-read list (oooh, looks like I’m not the only one to reread Jane Eyre!). I also love Persuasion by Jane Austen, so I pull that out every so often when I’m in-between books. I’ve been meaning to reread Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel’s Dart, but that’s more for research purposes than anything else.
I know a lot of people that like Jane Eyre. I guess I’ll have to read it someday. LOL
Every time I hear anyone mention Persuasion, I think of that movie The Lake House. That was the first time I had ever heard that book mentioned.
I’ve read The Lord of the Rings at least once every decade as they were the first books I ever read (and that’s only been three times to be exact). Other than that I’ve read most of Robert Mccammon’s books at least twice. Love his work.
It’s been awhile since I’ve read Lord of the Rings. Honestly, I haven’t heard of Robert Mccammon. I’m learning of lots of books I haven’t heard of since posting this. 🙂
Ahhh…it’s the thought that I might want to read a book more than once that keeps my book shelves so full. (Some day I’d like to be stranded on an island with my entire book collection…and maybe with my husband (he’d keep the thatch roof from leaking so the books would stay dry. LOL!) Books that have gotten more than one read include Interview with the Vampire and the Vampire Lestat by Anne Rice, and Perfume by Patrick Suskind. It’s funny that you mention F. Paul Wilson. I ran across The Keep in a used book store last year and bought it because I read it as a kid and it made such a chilling impact then that I want to read it again in the near future. I’ve also revisited books by Thoreau and Nathaniel Hawthorne more than once.
Michelle, you should read all of F. Paul Wilson’s books. He is one of my favorite authors of all time. I love his Repairman Jack novels. I read somewhere that Stephen King is the president of the Repairman Jack fan club. That was a joke on Stephen King’s part, of course, when he was praising one of FPW’s books.
I try to stay away from of the classic writers, so no Thoreau or Hawthorne for me. Those kinds of books generally disappoint me. I read The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde because it was free on Amazon. It was HORRIBLE! The story was great, but the writing was just awful. I can’t believe people used to actually read that stuff. LOL
Certain books call me back again after a time…
Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen
The Great Divorce, C.S. Lewis
Red Storm Rising, Tom Clancy – yes…I’ve read this book about three or four times….
Hi Nadja! I haven’t read any of those books, but I know I would like Pride and Prejudice. Is it as good as Sense and Sensibility? I’ve read Tom Clancy before, but not Red Storm Rising.
What have I read more than once? Little Women, Charlotte’s Web, Wuthering Heights, Great Expectations, and To Kill a Mockingbird. It seems the classic pieces of literature are what I tend to re-read….
I think I MAY have read Little Women more than once. That is one literary piece that I actually like. There are a few. LOL
I actually didn’t read To Kill A Mockingbird until my oldest son had to read it in school. I did enjoy it.
Stephen King – Christine, They Body (Different Seasons), Gerald’s Game
John Sanford – Eyes of Prey, Winter Prey
and lots and lots of Edgar Allen Poe stuff.. 🙂
I’ve read some of Stephen King’s books twice, but IT is the only one I’ve read more than twice. I like John Sanford and have read most of the Prey books, but not more than once. In fact, I noticed one of the Prey books had been made into a movie and it’s on my DVR.
It’s been a long time since I’ve read any Poe.
It sounds like you like creepy stuff like I do. LOL
🙂 The creepier the better!
IT is one of my favorite books! 🙂
It’s a great book!
The Dare by RL Stine (teen thriller)
The Giver by Lois Lowry (somber view of a perfect society for middle school students)
The Vampire Diaries by LJ Smith (teen romance; not a fan of the TV show)
A lot of Sweet Valley High books (from the 80s; now I’m showing my age)
I just noticed since leaving college, I only read books once except for the Bible. Weird.
Showing your age? I’m older than you! LOL
My husband actually asked me if anyone mentioned the Bible when I asked this question. I told him most people haven’t read the WHOLE Bible more than once.