and again

10 November 2007


    The Top 20 Revisited Reads:

  1. The Harry Potter Series by J.K Rowling
    – yup. I’ve read and reread. Not all of them, but they are books I think I’ll continue to read.
  2. The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
    – Of course. I read this every year for a whoile
  3. Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
    – I’ve read it. And will reread it at some stage.
  4. The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
    – See LOTR. Although I’d be less likely to reread this as it is more kiddy than LOTR
  5. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
    – studied at college. And one I actually did read there. And I think I even reread it then. Not my fav. but well worth a read
  6. 1984 by George Orwell
    – I’ve only read this the once.
  7. The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
    – Never read. I did start it but couldn’t get very far. Probably good for a train journey or the like though
  8. The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by C. S. Lewis
    – Read this, and the other Narnia books, as a child, and have reread them in the past. Didn’t like them as much on my last reading so probably won’t be rereading any time soon, although I wouldn’t be totally averse to them.
  9. Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
    – studied this for my Leaving and reread it then. And I would again, and again.
  10. Catch 22 by Joseph Heller
    – I’ve only read this one the once. But it was v good and I would have no problems with rereading it
  11. Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
    Read it. And enjoyed it. Don’t know if I’d give it another go though
  12. To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
    – studied this for the Jnr. Cert, and reread it then. Must do so again at at some stage.
  13. Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews
    – read this as a teenager, and a few of the sequels, but I have no desire to reread it.
  14. Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
    – awww. The first book I ever bought. Aged 8. And I reread and reread and reread it as a child. And I’ve just bought a copy recently, so this is definitely on the reread pile
  15. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
    – Another that easily makes my personal rereading pile. I love this book
  16. The Bible
    – Does going to mass and listening to bits count as having read it?
  17. Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
    – read it once and didn’t really get all the fuss. I do keep meaning to give it another go though, so we’ll have to wait and see.
  18. Bridget Jones’s Diary by Helen Fielding
    – I have this one in Sligo but haven’t opened it up yet.
  19. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
    – I’ve never owned it, but I have borrowed it from the library and reread it at least twice.
  20. Great Expectations by Charles Dickens
    – this is one I’ve only read once. And I wasn’t blown away by it. Don’t think I’ll be rereading it any time soon

So, which have you reread? And are there any other books you love to reread?

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7 Responses

  1. Harlequin says:

    I haven't read all of them but the ones I have read, I usually have read more than once.

    I'm a regular re-reader of almost any book I like. Because I'm a poverty-stricken debt-ridden semi-unemployed person :-) I don't buy a lot of books but when I do, it's usually because I know I'll re-read it. I hate spending fifteen quid on a book and only getting one read out of it! Recently, because I am in need of comfort and reassurance, almost anything I read is either a re-read or an unread book by a much-loved author. My summer re-reading madness mainly centred around Georgette Heyer and Terry Pratchett and for some reason I found myself rereading Picoult which I wouldn't have thought of as rereadable at all. I've been holding off on re-reading the Wheel of Time (something I usually do before a new book comes out) until there's a publication date for A Memory of Light, even though all the stuff about the Robert Jordan's death made me nostalgic for Randland. And my beloved Mat. :-)

    It's soothing and comforting to re-read – no alarms and no surprises. But sometimes a reread can surprise you – every time I revisit Brideshead or Earthsea, I get something new out of it. And when I read Rebecca again after ten years, I discovered to my shock that it wasn't the great love story I'd seen it as when I was a teenager. It was horrible to see the narrator destroy herself for twisted, unhealthy relationship. *Shudder*

    I rewatch films and tv shows all the time as well. And listen to the same songs over and over. It must be something in my character.

  2. I've only read about 4 or 5 of them! I have read Great Expectations 5 o 6 times though (only because I did it for both my JC and LC – I was all Dickensed out after that I can tell you) I almost never reread books (there are too many books I haven't read yet at all, to be wasting time rereading! Life is sadly too shory :(). I really wish I could, because there are so many books I really love, but then I just think of all the ones I'm dying to read too and get all confused and angry (It happens with remarkable ease).

  3. Kelly says:

    Fency, I've read all the books on your list except Notes From a Small Island, and Good Omens (which I'll now look for). I would reread almost any of them, and I DO reread Jane Eyre nearly every year. I wouldn't reread the Da Vinci Code, which was interesting ONLY because of its premise, or Flowers in the Attic, which is titillating when you're young but yawn when you ain't, or Hitchhikers, which I ALSO couldn't find the attraction in.

    1984 was okay, ditto Catch 22. But I LOVE the rest you mentioned. I would also add The Sea Wolf, by Jack London, and Seabiscuit, by Laura Hillenbrand, and the Sherlock Holmes Collection. There are several fantastic childrens' books, too. Harriet the Spy! for one….

    Oh, books! I love books. I could go on and on forever about them.

  4. weenie says:

    Of the books mentioned, I've only ever reread Lord Of The Rings and the Hobbit. Have read many of the others but only the once, although at some point, I do plan on rereading the whole HP series.

    Currently rereading George RR Martin's first three books from his A Song Of Ice And Fire series for the third time and still finding that I can't put them down!

    I know, you've yet to give Martin a go but try and I'm sure you will like! :-)

  5. Fence says:

    Ah Randland when stuff happened *nostalgia*, and poor old RJ.

    The only one of Dickens that I've really enjoyed was A Tale of Two Cities TGWAOF, that is one of his I just may reread at some point. A lot of the others though feel like a reread even if I've never read them before simply because we all know the story of Oliver Twist or A Christmas Carol etc.

    Kells you must read Good Omens. Tis fabtastic. Well, if you like Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett it is :) The Sea Wolf isn't one I've read, at least I don't think I have, but I do like Jack London's stuff. Was a big fan of The Call of the Wild and White Fang when I was younger.

    Weenie I do have the first Martin book. It is waiting patiently for me :)

  6. jean pierre says:

    buggeration – you've read them all! (except for "da vinci code")

    i think there are only 3 books that i've reread in my whole life – and only one on that list, "the lord of the rings". i'd probably reread that again one day, 'cause its so dense…

    i can see myself giving "great expectations" another read, 'cause i liked it…

  7. Fence says:

    Jean Pierre, I reread a lot, and always have, although less now that I have money and a constantly growing tbr pile :)