I’ve heard all the reasons before for why people don’t re-read books– and I’ll allow each his own– but I really can’t understand it. Refusing to re-read favorite books is, to me, the equivalent of saying, “Why would I want to hang out with my best friend? I’ve done that before, and there are so many new people to meet.”
Can. Not. Fathom.
Did you know that I listen to The Chronicles of Narnia nearly every single night as I fall asleep? They are my faithful bedtime story, and I never get sick of them. I’ve been known to listen to The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe multiple times in a row: I listen, it ends, I start it over, it’s all good. One time I listened to The Horse and His Boy something like five or six times in one month. Every year I plan to keep track of how often I read these books in the course of a year, but sometime halfway through, I lose track.
The Book Thief is always, always a fantastic re-read. The snowman in the basement and the hair like lemons and the sun painted on the wall. This book is one of the novels that changed my life, and returning to it is like returning home, like finding myself in the space where the light flipped on in my writer heart.
I could never tire of re-reading The Last Unicorn. There are lines in this novel that are like friends to me. I could never tire of them. Every single time I re-read them, I feel astonished, as if I just found a diamond resting under a leaf. I would surrender wheelbarrows of unread manuscripts just to make sure that I could keep this one in my possession forever.
Then, of course, there’s scripture– which is the only living and active book I know. I will re-read this one for life. (And, yes, I meant that two ways.)
How about you? Which books can you read over and over and over again? Or– if you don’t re-read– try to convince me you’re sane. 🙂
Image credit: HK.Colin
JACKIE LEA SOMMERS 
The bible
An Old Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott. Overlooked because of the popularity of Little Women the story follows country Polly as she visits her city friends. Has Alcott’s trademark strong, intelligent women and good common sense paired with little gold nuggets of wisdom.
Sherlock Holmes: The Hound of the Baskervilles. My favorite of the novels but love all of the stories.
The King of Attolia by Megan Whalen Turner. The third book in the series but my favorite because by this point in the series you know what Gen is like but since its from someone else’s perspective you wait in anticipation for him to find out.
The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare. Contains my literary boyfriend.
Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Grew up on these books and read the entire series 7 times before high school and I am sharing them now with my little siblings.
The Door in the Wall by Margurite De Angeli. Beautiful story about growing up, over coming obstacles, and bravery.
By responding to this post, I have discovered that although the books I re-read are on my recommendation list, not all the books I recommend do I re-read regularly. Thank you. College may have impacted that but now I am graduated. Let the reading for fun commence in full force!
“I would surrender wheelbarrows of unread manuscripts just to make sure that I could keep this one in my possession forever.” LOVE THAT.
I’ve reread/relistened to The Scorpio Races three times this year, and it still doesn’t feel like enough. I was crying when it ended the other night because it’s so beautiful and poignant and I so desperately want to write something that powerful. Candle in the Darkness by Lynn Austin is the other one that I can read repeatedly and still find new truths. The Bible, because it pierces and comforts and saves.
I have so many books I love like this! To name a few: Inkheart, Eragon and East. 🙂
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close…by Jonathon Foer–adore the writing and delight in the characters each time
Agree with you on the Book Thief…beautiful novel
What Katie Did? by Susan Coolidge an old Y.A novel that I loved as a child and so enjoy as an adult as it first brought to my attention the right type of attitude to have when facing challenges in life
Love this post..made me think
Honestly, I tend not to re-read favorites. At least not completely. I re-read my favorite parts. My to-read list is just too long, and I am hungry for different voices. Mostly the stuff I re-read is poetry or short fiction. But yes, I do have a list of novels I keep coming back to:
The Two Towers; Angus, Thongs, and Full-Frontal Snogging; Beautiful Ruins; The Things They Carried; The Giver; Number the Stars.
There are a lot of Middle Grade books that I will re-read many times when my sons (and eventual daughters) get old enough to sit still for chapter books. The Chronicles of Narnia, Peter Pan, Percy Jackson, The Goose Girl, Ella Enchanted, Tuck Everlasting, the Winnie the Pooh books.
I have so many classics on my list that I’ve never read. I’m sure I’ll re-read Anne of Green Gables and Jane Eyre once I finally get to them. I’ve been on a contemporary YA and historical MG kick lately.
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