Worthy re-reads?

19 years ago

I have NEVER read a book twice although I am accumulating books I love for my old age, when I will forget I ever read them, LOL!

I just read a post from another board where someone said they read a particular book TWICE in one day! I just feel that there are so many books, so little time, that re-reading is out of the question!

However, I thought a list of these worthy re-reads would be good fodder for my TBR shelf, so fire away! What do you consider a worthy re-read?

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Comments (33)

cindydavid4
19 years ago
When I was a kid, I reread books like Heide, Alice in Wonderland, and Little Women often enough that I still can recite paragraphs by heart. But once I started reading adult themed books, I stopped because I wanted to read new books, all of the time, and like you never really thought about the pleasures of rereading. But I have friends who do it, and I have since found times when rereading is rather rewarding. I can think of two cases when I reread a book i right after I finished: American Gods because I knew I missed a ton of references and hints, and Time Traveler's Wife because I wanted to get time lines straight and wanted questions answered. I have reread others because the story was so powerful I couldn't get it out of my head: The Good Husband by Gail Godwin, and When Christ and His Saints Slept by Sharon Penman are a few examples.

However the biggest reason for me to reread a book is usually because I need a comfort read, or I am in a reading slump and I need to read a book that I love to get me jump started. A few:

>Good Omens by Neil Gaiman

>Hitchikers Guide by Douglas Adams

>Once and Future King by TH White

>Far Pavillions by MM Kaye

>Ordinary people by Judith Guest

>Anything by Terry Pratchett

>Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress

Interesting most of the above are fantasy/sci fi.
disputantum
19 years ago
I've reread a number of books, some were classics I couldn't remember very well, and some were novels I just felt like re-experiencing. Sometimes, they're new translations I want to examine. I read Ulysses, and then I turned to the first page and read it again. The only other books I've done that with were some of the Harry Potters.
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Thank you, Marti, for continuing the conversation. It seemed obvious that folks were trying to hijack the other thread because they disagreed with some of the opinions, and at the very end several were posting gibberish, in what looked to be and attempt to run the thread to 150 posts so that it would be frozen. besides being ever so childish, that is also a weirdly controlling thing to do. It's a shame. Posted by beverly27: "Don't you think that after 151 responses everything about this topic has been said and resaid? Why didn't you just let the topic die???" She explained why, she found the discussion "absolutely spot on." I doubt that there is any general topic in the world that is 'over' in 150 posts. What I find worrisome, though, is a vigilante attitude that questions why someone would wish to discuss a complicated topic further, and a topic with such a variety of opinions. If we are unimpressed with a topic, perhaps we should just ignore it (I do that all the time) or even start a new topic that we are interested in? In the origianal post, Is it just me or does everyone look to have a magazine home?, christyinco stated "As I scroll through the endless sites and images on the internet to get ideas for my home I am struck by how many homes look to be perfectly decorated - like out of a magazine. Fresh and up to date on all the latest trends." "I can get discouraged in my own home and ask myself if I've made the right decisions in decorating or why it is that after a year of living somewhere our DVR is still on a plant stand under the tv" "We just purchase a piece at a time and live in the "almost" finished spaces" "I suppose that one of the other things that I notice is how spaces have no personality anymore." Christy had touched on some contentions that every amateur designer has come across, and certainly that every professional has to address. 1. Discouragement at not achieving design goals quickly. 2. Trying to live up to perfectly decorated homes in magazines. 3. Having to build (as I call it) a design one piece at a time. 4. Lack of personality in modern design. 5. Trends. These are quite different but somehow related subjects, that all bring about a spectrum of views. But mentioning the word "trend" around here can be like pulling a mandrake from the roots, what with all the screaming. And I wonder if that is the issue that some folks find most painful, as if they had been pulled up by the roots? It has been suggested that in the Kitchens forums the 'trendy' and 'on trend' are aggressively promoted and any traditional design is squelched. Well, this isn't a kitchen forum, and I haven't visited there to read the posts. But I can imagine why folks would promote the trendy in a kitchen. The thing about kitchens is that they are expensive to rehab and they are where we make our food. People don't live in the same home as long as they used to and see upgrades as a possible investment -they don't want to spend $25,000 on a kitchen and have it bring the value of the house down. If they imagine moving in 5 years, their 'updated' kitchen should still look relatively fresh if it is on trend right now, people are looking for "newer" kitchens, not "older" kitchens when they buy a house and a traditional style kitchen often looks older the day it is installed. The other thing is that a new kitchen looks more hygienic. It just does. I didn't write that it is more or less hygienic than a traditional kitchen, just that perception is what counts. As far as design goes, I feel 'trendy' can be a neutral word, but I admit that I am ambiguous when it comes to trends. My design isn't what you would call trendy, and I do tend to move in a direction opposite of trends (or most likely, I feel that I have been there done that). But I think new trends have their place, especially if you are getting tired of your old decor, and want a little change, like a wall color, lamp shade, curtains, pillow or side chair. Updating is most important for a Traditional design which can easily look dated and quickly turn into a dusty exhibit at a local historical society. There is nothing worse, in my mind, than a beige and brown Traditional interior that looks like a very faded, old albumen photograph. On the issue of trying to live up to the perfectly decorated homes in magazines (2), I like what awm has to say about artistic talent, and her appreciation for it. Years ago my mother taught hobby painting. The students met each week and copied greeting card art, and calendar art, and if they were courageous, they copied a photograph from National Geographic. Time to time I dropped in on the classes to help or visit, and one thing I noticed was the students' general berating of Modern Art and Fine Art in general. (They did like the Impressionists, and when the students wanted to copy those mythical Kinkade Cottages with the rows of bright flower hedges, I tried to steer them toward something more Barbizon). As a whole the women made mediocre work that could be pretty or even have a decorative appeal. There was nothing wrong with the paintings, and a few of the students even showed a talent for this kind of work. But as artists, or art students, I never quite understood their constant need to ridicule Fine Art. Of course, it had to be insecurity, resentment and jealousy. I think the same emotions often play out in discussions on decorating with people who do it as a hobby or who lack the raw talent. Rather than appreciate those who are gifted or admired, they want to throw darts. I took the painting group on a field trip to a major museum to show and explain Modern art. An ethereal painting by Baziotes, caught their wrath and was deemed childish. I pointed out the subtle color changes and effects created with yellow glaze over pink, a technique that would work well for a sunset, and the fact that the coromandel brown in the Baziotes made the pink color glow even more. The point being that they hated that painting when they first saw it, which meant to me that they should study it in depth to reveal it's secrets. If they had no reaction to it, there might not have been anything to discover. Anyway, I do believe that if you design your own home, you have to find a way to make yourself happy, like making your own oil painting. It isn't going to be a museum piece (Magazine worthy), and comparing your work to a Museum Artist is going to make an amateur feel unworthy. However, looking at museum work might make any artist's own work better. You get ideas, pick up tips in the most unlikely places. And that's what the design magazines are good for, too. It might also help to look to blogs (Apartment Therapy) and magazines (World Of Interiors) who aren't afraid to show homes that are well lived in, shabby or even quirky, and realize that when you look at magazines that are written to show off wealth and sell Bentley cars (Architectural Digest) or push the latest garbage pumped out by the furniture industry (Elle Decor), you don't have to buy into what they are selling, but like visiting a museum or poster shop, like an artist, you should only be looking for inspiration not for personality, because those magazines won't provide it, (personality can distract from sales). But if one tries to impress others, or be something they are not, they will forever be on the unhappy carousel. Posted by Mmmbeeer: "Some people want to talk about window dressings and countertops and some enjoy trying to understand why and how a topic like decorating, which seems to many people to have such superficial appeal, is actually such a complex expression of who we are and how we choose to live." So nicely put, and brilliant. Here is a link that might be useful: Screaming Mandrakes
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dynomutt
19 years ago
Hmmmm ..... re-reads. Good question. Ok, here are some books I've re-read :

Some of PG Wodehouse's works (mostly from the Jeeves and Wooster series)

The Harry Potter series (of course)

Shadow of the Wind (I don't know why but I just like this book)

Some of the Sherlock Holmes short stories -- but just the early stuff

The Prince

Shogun and Tai-Pan (I only re-read them when I forget the details)

Some of PJ O'Rourke's books like Holidays in Hell and some of his shorter pieces
thyrkas
19 years ago
karalk - "too many books, so little time" - yep, that's how I feel, also. But, I realize I have switched from never re-reading books to seldom re-reading them.
I have re-read several books over the years as a result of being in book clubs. Most of the books chosen by the book clubs I had read on my own before, and it was very enjoyable going through the story a second time with others, taking the time to discuss it.

One book I have read four times is Peace Like A River by Leif Enger, which was discussed on a thread here a while back.

A book I will read again soon is Gilead by Marilynne Robinson; I don't have any other books on the 'second time around' list at present.
cindydavid4
19 years ago
Oh I loved Gilead, and probably need to reread that one. BTW, I really disliked her Housekeeping, have you read it? Seems everyone I know who have read both only liked one.

Just thought of another group of rereads: books read in HS or college that I wanted to return to. Kiplings Kim is a good example of this; I loved it in HS. REading it as an adult made me realize how much I missed at that time, despite loving it so much!
thyrkas
19 years ago
cindy - No, I haven't read 'Housekeeping', although I am intrigued to see how it measures up to 'Gilead'. How long ago did you read it? What did you so dislike about it?
Chris_in_the_Valley
19 years ago
Cindy, I have to ask, what is it about Beggars in Spain that resonates so much with you? I enjoyed the novel and also Beggars and Choosers but I was off in other directions when the final book of the trilogy was published. I've never been tempted to re-read, although I have always enjoyed in science fiction the exploration of how society changes with technology and particularly eugenics with its potential for unintended consequences. (btw, did you know that the ubiquitous "they" have noticed that the younger generation is using thumbs where we would typically use a finger?) Have you read Heinlein's short story "Gulf" and his novel Friday which deal with some of the same themes? Truth be told, so does Harry Potter, now that I think about it.

My own rereads are more of the comfort kind and are fewer as I age. Those are highly personal and depend more on our experience of life than anything else, don't you think?
vickitg
19 years ago
Like thyrkas, I've re-read many books because of my book discussion group. I have found, however, that some books don't stand up to a second read. For instance, I loved Where the Heart Is by Billie Lettes the first time I read it. The second go-round, however, I began to see its flaws. Although, I guess that can also be instructive for book discussions. Motherless Brooklyn and Sarah Canary both stood up well to subsequent readings, especially SC, which I've re-read at least four times. :)

Other books I've chosen to re-read:

Harry Potter
Tony Hillerman mysteries
To Kill a Mockingbird
Hitchiker's Guide
veronicae
19 years ago
I agree with Cindydavid about The Good Husband, and although I haven't reread that, I have re-read Godwin's Evensong several times. The covers of all four of L'engle's Crosswick's journal are tattered and lovingly worn. Sometimes those are just partial re-reads, but they feed my soul.
I am beginning to prepare for a reread of The Count of Monte Cristo. I want to find a comfortable copy first.
carolyn_ky
19 years ago
Gone With the Wind, Hawaii, Rebecca, Hannah Fowler, The Believers,, several by Helen MacInnes, Mary Stewart, Dick Francis, and others I find to be just good reads. If I ever run out of library books or new ones I've ordered, I go browsing on my own shelves.
cindydavid4
19 years ago
>Cindy, I have to ask, what is it about Beggars in Spain that resonates so much with you?

>I have always enjoyed in science fiction the exploration of how society changes with technology and particularly eugenics with its potential for unintended consequences

This is exactly what I loved about the book. She looked for unintended consequences in every level of society: architecture (no need for bedrooms or beds), relationships (what happens when one person in a family is sleepless?; or vice versa?) 24/7 media (this was before it was obiquitous), electronic communication (again, before the net really took off)governments role in public affairs and private lives, conflicts between races, classes, and gene modes, masses and proproganda, even the need to creat virtual dreaming for the people who can't dream. I read this book and realized I was reading the future.

And I love the bit about the thumb. Yes, that makes sense. Language too - turn the dial, dial the number are among many phrases that will become obselete if not already.

>I enjoyed the novel and also Beggars and Choosers but I was off in other directions when the final book of the trilogy was published.

The third is a disappointment, tho the premise is interesting. You didn't miss much.

thykras, Housekeeping has exquisite language. Every page is like a poem of prose. And while there are characters, and a plot of sorts, nothing happens. Now, I can handle books that are not plot driven, but I need them to be more than a book for the sake of language. Gilead also has beautiful language, but there are characters that you care about, a plot that is interesting, and intermittent history lessons about a time I knew little about. So....Lemme know what you think when you've read it.

veronica, I think you are the first person I've met who read Good Husband! I first read it the summer that a dear friend was dying of cancer. So many of the scenes were spot on, and the main character could have been played by my friend. The husband's love and care, and frustration, was so well brought out.

Incidently, the husband's hobby - misericords in cathedrals - ended up interesting me enough that I got my husband interested, and we spent many hours in churchs around Britain looking for them. Fascinating stuff.

Here is a link that might be useful: Misiercords
laceyvail 6A, WV
19 years ago
I haven't posted here in quite a while--the garden is coming in and I'm BUSY! But this thread interested me. Pretty much everyone who frequents this forum knows that I reread Kristin Lavransdatter every few years, massive as it is, and each time it brings me to my knees.

But I also recently reread Peace Like a River, which I adore. I also will reread occasionally one of Bryher's magnificent, short historical novels. I'm especially fond of Ruan and This January Tale. I reread Anya Seton's Katherine last winter. I loved it as a teenager and read it several times then, but it didn't really hold up.

I've reread Cyra McFadden's wonderful memoir Rain or Shine a couple of times, and also Mary Karr's Liars Club. Both terrific.
minnie_tx
19 years ago
I reread "The Lomg Winter" by Laura Ingalls Wilder and "Alas Babylon" about once each year.
I don't reread as much as I used to but still keep holding onto the books.
woodnymph2_gw
19 years ago
Whenever I am looking for comfort, I re-visit the "Miss Read" series. Others I periodically re-read are:
Rumer Godden's "Greengage Summer"
Alan Paton's "Too Late the Phalarope"
Laurie Lee's "Cider With Rosie"
Flora Thompson's "Lark Rise to Candleford"
Alain Fournier's "The Wanderer"
C.S. Lewis' "Til We Have Faces"
Fitzgerald's "Great Gatsby"
Willa Cather's "My Antonia"
Ernest Hemingway's "A Moveable Feast"
M. L'Engle's "A Two Part Invention"
Sinclair Lewis' "Main Street"

Also, some works by Hermann Hesse, Knut Hamsun, and Ian McEwan.

Cindy, I read "The Good Husband" and I think I recall we briefly discussed Misiercords on this thread awhile back....
I liked Godwin's "Evensong" much better and have re-read that.

As some of you know, as soon as I finished "Kristin Lavransdatter" for the first time, I promptly re-read it.
minnie_tx
19 years ago
Sorry I left out the Miss Read books I think I have them all.
bookmom41
19 years ago
I'm not big on re-reading either, but some stellar books beg to be re-read now and then. Pearl Buck's The Good Earth, Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston, The Pick-up by Nadine Gordimer and the aforementioned TKaM are some of my favorites. Richard Adams' Watership Down is next to be repeated since it is a bookclub choice. I last read it 15 or 20 years ago. I've re-read HP books and Little House books, too--especially when I'm "out" of something to read. Glad I had kids!

Anything you've tried to re-read and it didn't work? This summer, I tried re-reading Lonesome Dove and was not enjoying it so I stopped. I'm thinking it was because it was a very good story with some very unpleasant occurances, some of which happened so suddenly. I think knowing what lies ahead, in this instance, spoiled the re-reading.
ccrdmrbks
19 years ago
About a quarter of my reading time is spent rereading. Sometimes for comfort, sometimes for the pleasure of an author's wordcraft, sometimes because the next in a series is coming out, sometimes because the author of a series has died and there will be no more.
My top rereads by number of rereadings:
Queen Lucia (all six books) by R.F. Benson
Little Women Louisa May Alcott
....and Ladies of the Club Helen Hooven Santmyer
In This House of Brede Rumer Godden
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie Muriel Sparks
gooseberrygirl
19 years ago
I reread quite often, esp. if I am going through a spate of books I haven't liked I pick up one of my tried and true.

Just before the latest Precious Ramotswe Good Husband On Zebra Drive> came out I reread the entire series which was great and I plan on rereading all the Susan Wittig Albert's Beatrix Potter books before the new one is released in September.

Some of my other favorite rereads are:
Stalking the Divine by Kristin Ohlson
Mama Makes Up Her Mind by Bailey White
Agatha Christie
In This House of Brede

gbg
veronicae
19 years ago
I just finished Long For This World. It's an unremarkable novel based on a great ethical issue. The only part that really rang true was the antagonist's reaction to the death of a patient. But it is stunningly unworthy of the amount of time I spent reading it.

I've just started Julia's Chocolates, and it promises to be an enjoyable read, just what I need after the above. And it's about chocolate, how could it be wrong?
judithp
19 years ago
I never read a book twice now, although when I was younger in my 30's I reread Gone with the wind. If I would read a book again today, it would be " The Samarise Garden" and
"Stones from the river" . As a senior citizen of 65 I appreciate good reading that makes me reflect on life and the people in it. These were both great little books worth reading.
ghoghunter
19 years ago
I often read a good book more than once. The most frequent books I have reread were all of the Georgette Heyer Regency Romances. Boy was she ever a good author. My favorite of all her books was "A Civil Contract". No author since her can ever match her wit. Other Regency type Romances are pale in comparison! As I said though I often reread my favorite books. Right now I am rereading the Lawrence Block "Burglar" books. I love those too!!
rouan
19 years ago
I reread a lot, especially if I can't find something new that catches my attention, or if I need something to match my mood or the day. For example, we just had a spell of absolutely beautiful summer weather, warm (not hot)days with a light breeze, low humidity, clear skies... you get the picture, I'm sure! I had to have something to read that matched the weather. I found myself looking for a light, relaxing book that would fit my mood and the weather. Books that came to mind included: The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett, Farewell I'm Bound to Leave You by Fred Chappel, The Nine Brides and Grannie Hite by Neil Wilson, I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith and Thale's Folly by Dorothy Gilman. So what did I end up reading? The Secret of Chimney's by Agatha Christie. Go figure!

What would be the point of buying books if you didn't want to read them again? I like having books around me that I can pick up and read again whenever I feel like it.
ccrdmrbks
19 years ago
Good point, Rouan-except for a select few tried and true authors, I usually read a book before buying it. To sort of quote Helene Hanff (I think)..."How do I know I want to own it unless I have read it?"
Great-now I have to go reread 84 Charing Cross Road.
woodnymph2_gw
19 years ago
CeCe, I just revisited the film "84 Charing Cross Road" and H. Hanff, did, indeed, say that....
thyrkas
19 years ago
OOOH! - "84 Charring Cross Road" - On my one and only trip to London in 2004 I was describing the book to my traveling companion, when a fellow sitting in front of us turned around and said "Sorry to intrude, but it is so astonishing to hear you talking about life in London after the war. I was a youngster at that time, and haven't thought about those days in years"
Might have to re-read that book, too!
carolyn_ky
19 years ago
I re-read both 84 Charing Cross Road and The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street last winter. They are both such good books. Did you all see the two-person TV production of 84 with Anne Bancroft as Helen?
carolyn_ky
19 years ago
Helene! Helene!
thyrkas
19 years ago
carolyn - I saw the movie starring Anthony Hopkins and Anne Bancroft, but I don't recall a TV production with Anne Bancroft. Would love to see that!
carolyn_ky
19 years ago
Thyrkas, I saw it on TV, but no doubt it was a movie. I'm sure it was the same--a two-person drama?
ccrdmrbks
19 years ago
Same one-check the link for a description.

Here is a link that might be useful: 84 Charing Cross Rd. movie
veer
19 years ago
I enjoyed both the film and the book and used to listen to Helene Hanff when she was on the BBC with a monthly 'Letter from New York' with her growlie 40-a-day fag-habit voice describing her fashionable friend Arlene and walking the dog in Central Park.
As in the book Hanff and Frank Dole never met, also in real life Bancroft and Hopkins never met while making the movie. Their conversations via letters where recorded and played to each other using a hidden ear-piece during filming to make the 'flow' seem natural.
Also in the book Hanff asks Dole if his unusual surname is Welsh to which he replies along the lines of "Good Heavens no! My family were originally from Cornwall"
Hopkins (who is Welsh) refused to say this.
For an English person to be mistaken as Welsh (and vice versa) is a terrible insult.
cindydavid4
19 years ago
Bringing this back up by request
mary_md7
19 years ago
My re-reads have included the Harry Potter books (it's interesting how all the signs were there in earlier books), the Chronicle of Narnia, Shogun, several Dorothy Sayers and Agatha Christie books, the Bible. Others, I'm sure, that aren't coming immediately to mind.

Worthy re-reads?

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