What novels have you reread?

motormind · Nov 4, 2009

I'm rereading all the novels in English that I first read in translation.

Samantha's_Song · Nov 4, 2009

Novels I've reread, just for the pleasure:

All five within the Flowers in the attic by Virginia Andrews. I don't particularly like Virginia Andrews writing, My sweet Audrina turned me off forever and all of her characters are too perfect, but I do like the story within the FITA novels.

Interview with the vampire by Anne Rice. Again, I like the actual story.

The holy blood and the holy grail by Henry Lincoln, Michael Baigent etc . This is my most favourite book, ever. I read it when it first came out, at the end of the 1970's, and again in the 1990's.

Lady Ice · Nov 4, 2009

dawinsor said:
It seems to me that the stronger a novel is, the better it stands up to rereading. But perhaps certain kinds of strengths are more rereadable than others. For instance, maybe strong characters give more pleasure the second time than strong plots do because you already know how things turn out.

What books have you reread with pleasure? What made them good the second time?

I'm reading Vanity Fair for the 2nd time. Reading books when you're older makes you seem them in a whole new light. I've read Lolita and The Great Gatsby three times each- they are wonderful puzzles and amazing prose.

I would say themes and complex characters are what prompts re-reads, along with watching a film of it.

WKolodzieski · Nov 4, 2009

Salems' Lot and Bag of Bones by Stephen King. Bones was the first King novel I ever read (probably around 12 or 13 at the time) and then I went on a huge kick with him over the years, reading everything he had ever written. I recently finished rereading Bag of Bones this past summer and each and every time I read it, the book just becomes even more amazing. I truly think his talents as a writer are top-notch in this novel.

I've also read American Psycho and Less Than Zero (both Bret Easton Ellis) a few times. Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk I've read a half-dozen or so times - surprisingly four times it was for school.

For some odd reason I prefer to reread certain novels other than something new. I'm old-school, I suppose....

ChrisKelly331 · Nov 4, 2009

Hmm, Interview With The Vampire (Anne Rice) Sunshine (Robin Mckinley) & White Oleander (Janet Fitch) more times then I can count.

kangolNcurlz · Nov 4, 2009

A few R.L. Stine books when I was teen. Can't remember the author, but Sleepers when the movie was released. I think The Bourne Identity by Robert Ludlum, though I can't remember. Well, I know I want to read it again. Twilight is on my reread list. Anything else, I can't remember.

Freelancer · Nov 4, 2009

Harry Harrison - Stainless Steel Rat and Deathworld trilogy. I read them multiple times. These two are my favorites.

C.S. Forester - Horatio Hornblower Series (My next favorite)
Iain M. Banks - Consider Phlebas and the other books from the same world
Frank Herbert - Dune
Alistair MacLean - H.M.S. Ulysses
Bill McKay - Stargate Series

And there are few others, such as Keith DeCandido - StarCraft Ghost: Nova and the other books of the StarCraft series.

Pink Chick · Nov 4, 2009

All Jane Austen's numerous times
"Jane Eyre"
"The Scarlet Pimpernel"
"The Sun Also Rises"
and many other guilty pleasures I won't admit to here...

I'm a re-reader. And I'm a high-lighter. My books look like rainbows inside.

LadyLucyLuck · Nov 4, 2009

I reread Gone With the Wind every couple of years. Also, childhood favorite: Ella Enchanted. I've probably read it ten times at minimum.

Tristhan · Nov 4, 2009

I re-read novels constantly (even the bad ones), but I think the first one I can remember reading multiple times (like 6 or 7 times in a year) was Heinlein's Stranger in a Strange Land. That was in Elementary School. BIG library fines on that one.

ccarver30 · Nov 4, 2009

I cannot reread novels.

OliviaMagdelene · Nov 4, 2009

The Great and Secret Show by Clive Barker
American Gods by Neil Gaiman.
Dark Rivers of the Heart, Phantoms & Midnight by Dean Koontz.
Anything in the In Death series by J.d. Robb.
The Born In Trilogy, the Dream Trilogy and the Chesapeake Bay Series by Nora Roberts.
Most books by Stephen King.
The Phantom of the Opera
Dracula

Non-fiction:
Dynamic Stillness by Swami Chetananada
When Things Fall Apart by Pema Chodron
The Kybalion by The Three Initiates
The Works of E. A. Wallis Budge
The Diamond Cutter Sutra
The Heart Sutra
The Gnostic Gospels and the Bible

Kathleen42 · Nov 4, 2009

I reread quite often. In almost all cases, it's because I love the characters and want to spend more time with them. Like well-loved friends, I already know their best stories, but I'm willing to sit down with a cup of coffee and listen again.

Most reread:

The Mirror of Her Dreams & A Man Rides Through
Good Omens
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason
About a Boy
Circle of Friends

JulieHowe · Nov 4, 2009

The Grapes of Wrath. I've lost count of how many times I've read the book. Read in the context of modern times, with people losing their homes and entire neighborhoods becoming ghost towns, I'm in awe of John Steinbeck's brilliance as a writer. His words are still meaningful today.

The Ritual Bath by Faye Kellerman. I really like the main characters, an Orthodox Jewish widow and an LAPD police detective, and I've read the book more times than I can remember.

Danielle Steel's Palomino used to be one of my favorite read-it-again novels, but I picked it up the other day after not reading it for a few years, and the book was so boring that I couldn't even read it all the way through.

Pyrohawk · Nov 4, 2009

Almost every book I ever liked I have read at least twice.... All the ones I own I've read between 5 and a dozen times each.

The Harry Potter books I have read so many times that I can open them to any spot in the book and just start reading from there without missing a thing.

C.bronco · Nov 4, 2009

dawinsor said:
It seems to me that the stronger a novel is, the better it stands up to rereading. But perhaps certain kinds of strengths are more rereadable than others. For instance, maybe strong characters give more pleasure the second time than strong plots do because you already know how things turn out.

What books have you reread with pleasure? What made them good the second time?

Only two I can think of: The Scarlet Letter, and Watership Down.

They were both awesome each time, and I re-read them for no apparent reason.

I did re-read John Elder Robison's Look Me In The Eye while looking for insight.

All good reads, both times.

jinap · Nov 4, 2009

Throw me in with the chronic re-readers. I can't afford a lot of new books, and if I liked it, I've read it more than once. Actually, I've also reread books that I didn't like the first time round, so that's not an impediment. Any surviving books from my childhood have been read 10+ times. Wodehouse & Pratchett are in my library, so I go through them regularly.

writerwithQs · Nov 4, 2009

I probably read Pride and Prejudice four or five times a year, same with Jane Eyre. Two books that never get old! I read really fast, and it never takes me more than two days to read a book, so I re-read EVERYTHING, otherwise I spend an exorbitant amount of money on books and my husband threatens to cut me off.

OpheliaRevived · Nov 4, 2009

Susan Kay's The Phantom of the Opera.*puts paperbag over head*

I've also read Wuthering Heights a jillion times and have gone back to Tess of the D'Urbervilles tons of times.

David Wisehart · Nov 5, 2009

I've read Lord of the Rings 14 times.

The Name of the Rose 3 times.

Sometimes I re-read the early books in a series when the new books come out; for instance, The Game of Thrones.

Several books I've read multiple times because I've taught them (Lord of the Flies, Catcher in the Rye, The Scarlet Letter, A Separate Peace, Ender's Game, et. al.)

Libbie · Nov 5, 2009

If I like a book, I will eventually re-read it. I've liked a lot of books in my time, so to list them all would be crazy. But here are the ones I re-read the most (I suppose you could say these are my favorites, though I don't necessarily say that.)

Lolita, Watership Down, Maia, Lord of the Flies, George R. R. Martin's series, The Stars My Destination, Ender's Game.

These are each re-read at least once a year. Others I'll re-read every few years.

ChaosTitan · Nov 5, 2009

Watership Down, Richard Adams
The Outsiders, SE Hinton
The Story Girl/The Golden Road, LM Montgomery
Pet Semetary, Stephen King
The Green Mile, Stephen King
Island of the Blue Dolphins, Scott O'Dell
All of the Little House on the Prairie books

Chris P · Nov 5, 2009

None recently, but I do plan on rereading War and Peace because there were several things that I knew where important but didn't understand on first reading.

I also plan on rereading Dennis L. McKiernan's "Mithgar" series, as the books came out over the course of 20 years and don't take place in the order they were released. I hope to read them in the order they take place for a more complete story. Oh, and I'll probably reread Vonnegut's "Dead Eye Dick," "Cat's Cradle" and "Player Piano" again.

And of course I've reread my own books! I don't care if that's narcissistic.

Tzalaran · Nov 5, 2009

the Dune saga by Frank Herbert (rereading this now actually)
LotR (read over vacation and the holidays many years)
the Taltos series by Brust
The Stand (unabridged edition twice)
Elfstones of Shanara and Wishsong of Shanara (read a few times as a teenager. not read them in years though...)
The dragonlance original trilogy and legends trilogy (read these a year ago again and still love them)
Ender's saga (ender's game, speaker for the dead, xenocide, children of the mind)
The moon is a harsh mistress by Heinlien (i'll reread most anything he wrote, but this is my favorite)

johnrobison · Nov 5, 2009

I read stuff over and over again. But people always sais I was strange

What novels have you reread?

At least I don't need backing-up

Makes useful distinctions

Peter Steele <3

...

Nicole Castro

Dancer of Life

crushing on fictional characters

Spent the night with Jack Daniels

Aspiring author

I have plans...

Aspiring Tree-Killer

Forgetting book endings is my superpower

Real Men Have Gills

Worst song played on ugliest guitar

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