Do you ever reread books? Nowadays, I only reread books for two reasons: 1) my book club has picked a book that I’ve previously read, or 2) my daughter is reading it for school and I thought it would be fun to discuss it with her. Before I had an e reader though, it was quite common practice for me to pick a book off my shelf and look at it with fresh eyes.

Today, I am going to give you a snap shot into some of the books I’ve read over again. Some of them you may know, others you will probably be a little surprised.

  1. “Rich Man, Poor Man” by Irwin Shaw. Odd choice- I know. You’ve heard about my Mother, right? When I was younger I was above my grade in reading. When I was in sixth grade my Mother repeatedly reminded me that the elementary school had been bringing in High School books for me since 3rd grade. When you gave me money for the 6th grade book fair, the stipulation was that I buy a book from the “adult” shelf. My delusional Mother must have assumed that this section would be filled with classics. Alas, it was filled with best seller types.  When I was in 6th grade, that sort of became the year of the mini series: Rich, Man Poor, Man was the show to watch. Needless to say, the book it was based on was immensely popular. This was the first, let’s say tawdry novel that I had ever read. And re read. And read again.
  2. “The Outsiders” SE Hinton. This book stole my young heart. When my daughter had to read it in sixth grade I was thrilled to go along for the ride with her. Stay Gold Pony Boy.
  3. “Are You There God, It’s me Margeret” by Judy Blume. Puberty. Angst. So beautifully portrayed for me…..loved this book.
  4. “Lace” by Shirley Conran. I got an advance readers copy of this book when I was around a senior in high school, maybe college Freshman. This was the first book I read that had somewhat explicit sexuality…..good times…
  5. “Gone with the Wind” Margaret Mitchell. Scarlet O’Hara was the toughest woman I had ever encountered in fiction. She might still be. Long live tough women.
  6. “Pride and Prejudice” Jane Austen.  Come on. I want to be Elizabeth Bennett
  7. “Yurtle the Turtle” by Dr. Suess. This was the first book that I truly loved. I still have my copy from the 1960’s, the only book I have kept from my youth. That’s how much it means to me. Love of the written word starts here.
  8. “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” Betty Smith. Just a special coming of age story. Love love love.
  9. “And then There Were None” Agatha Christie. I thought this was so clever- my favorite Christie.
  10. “Catcher in the Rye” JD Salinger. Ohhhh this book kind of crushes me when I read it. Sad and funny and everything.

So here’s the question: Do you reread books? If so, which are the standouts?

70 thoughts on “Re: Read”

  1. I re-read A LOT of my favorites… I usually turn back to them if I am in a reading rut or I miss that particular story. I have worn out copies of my Judith McNaught books and had to have them replaced…We would be here a long time if I had to list all the books I have re-read! LOL

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  2. At this point I’m a “one and done” person. I do remember reading some childhood favorites more than once: Heidi, Little Women as examples… and of course as you noted Austen, and the Bronte’s.
    Interestingly, at least when I really think about it, I have read the Bible more than once as well. Not studied it, but just read it as one would a novel. Honestly I am an atheist, but I do enjoy reading about varied religious beliefs, not just Christianity. I think I went through a phase when I went back to college as an adult, trying to discover as much as I could about the world. Religious texts were big on my list then.

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  3. I generally don’t re-read books. The only exceptions have been as you mentioned, book club or school. I have so many books on my to be read list I don’t want to take the time to re-read. I have inadvertently re-read books before by not remembering I had already read it when I picked it up at the library.

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  5. It’s such a pleasure to reread books. The magical thing is that with the passage of time they are very different. Of course, it’s me that changes, not the book. And I see elements that I may have missed in earlier readings. The books I’ve reread the most are probably Persuasion (Austen), The Deptford Trilogy (Robertson Davies), Cancer Ward (Solzhenitsyn), Kitchen Table Wisdom (Rachel Remen), The Master and Margarita (Bulgakov). Oh, I could go on and on . . . a good book begs to be reread! Great discussion to start a Monday!

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  6. I’ve read Gone with the Wind 7 times. I’ve also reread many of my favorite serial-killer-murder-mysteries more than twice. And I sometimes have reread a book not remembering I’d already read it …. like the book I’m reading now. Thank goodness for GoodReads, though.

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  8. I love your list LA! I’ve read them all except Rich Man and Lace. I’ll have to read those now. 🙂 GWTW has been a long time favorite which I’ve reread. My grandma used to read the Bible from cover to cover every year. I can’t say I’ve even finished reading the Bible myself, but I liked her spiritual tradition. I’ve reread some self-help books like You Can Heal Your Life by Louise Hay. But normally, I read it once and move onward.

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  10. There are so many books out there to read that I don’t usually re-read. Little Women is one of my all time faves and I have read that a couple of times. I have many of the books you listed on my TBR list and I may have read them in high school but I can’t remember.

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  11. I, too, re-read a lot until I got an e reader. I have enjoyed rereading many of the books in your list. I’ll add Of human bondage by Maugham, Battle of the wild turkey and any Wodehouse.

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  13. Oh I absolutely re-read books…they are a form of comfort-food at times.
    “A Tree Grows in Brooklyn” is one I gravitate to, too and then “The Shell Seekers” by Rosamunde Pilcher and then an oddball one called, “Bachelor Brothers’ Bed & Breakfast”.
    But I’m always on the search for new good reads…I go through so many disappointing newer novels that the classics really demonstrate why they are classics!
    😉
    ps-too funny about your stint with “Rich Man, Poor Man”!

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    1. 😀😀shell seekers!! So good!! I almost have fomo for books….I’m constantly searching for the perfect book….but yeah…something about the older novels

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  14. I have a couple of books that I have had on my bookshelves since the 80s that I keep because they are comfort books. They are looking tatty now because I reread them every few years. They include Gone Woth The Wind, A Town Like Alice (Neville Shute), The Captains and theKings and Too Many Passings (Cathy Cash-Spellman).

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  15. The World According To Garp, read in German (excellent translation) and many times over in English. This is the book that made me want to be a writer.

    Buddenbrooks…in German. ❤

    The Outsiders, same as you. 💞 Loved the movie too. The house in the film is now a museum… I’ll blog about it and send the link …

    Catcher in the Rye, same as you. 🙂

    There are others…

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  17. Wow, there is one I haven’t thought about in a long time: “Rich Man, Poor Man.” I remember watching the movie with I believe Nick Nolte, and another actor I had a big crush on: the brother of Julia Roberts. I must of watched every role he played in the movies and on tv! I love to reread good poetry and Edna Buchanan’s crime stories. Reality is stranger than fiction.

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  19. I always say I am going to re-read Dragon Seed by Pearl Buck, but so far I haven’t. Can’t think of any books other than children’s books that I have read more than once. I just started a book, Beartown by Fredrik Backman. I am dying to read it right now but I keep doing other stuff!

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  21. I love to reread books. Especially Anne McCaffrey books. Its like catching up with a friend you haven’t seen in a while. I usually will reread a book when I’m struggling mentally and just need something comfortable. After an old book or two, I’m ready to start a new to-be-read list.
    I’m also reading the Book of Mormon again. A chapter a day.

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      1. Thanks! I’ve learned so much about Tolkien and LotR thanks to that project.

        I get caught up in new book hype sometimes, but I’m often disappointed when a popular book turns out to be mediocre. It’s nice to know that there are books I know I’ll love waiting for me if I run across a string of lousy new releases.

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      1. I like it so much, I wrote a 5000 word blog on it last December, quoting large swaths of it, as it is still so timeless today….although I can’t say I’ve ever attending an office Christmas party as much fun as old Fezziwig’s!

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  26. Often I’ll go back to old favourites, like old friends they give you comfort and a warm sense of familiarity. My go to re-reads are Mary Poppins – PL Travers, Darling Buds of May – HE Bates, Lion Witch & Wardrobe – CS Lewis and anything by Janet Evanovich. All guaranteed to lift my mood and give me that warm, fuzzy feeling.

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  27. I love to reread childhood favorites such as The Chronicles of Narnia, A Wrinkle in Time, Island of the Blue Dolphins, etc. I also have a soft spot for time-travel fiction: The Mirror, Time After Time, Replay, etc. Otherwise I rarely reread books.

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