What Books Do You Read Repeatedly?

[+ Vegas_Millennial]

The TV Guide.

I used to read that thing every day

[Jim_n_NYC]

I don't think I've ever reread a book.  There's so many to read, that rereading one would take away too much time from new stuff.

[Rod Hagen]

On 4/21/2023 at 7:42 AM, Jim_n_NYC said:

I don't think I've ever reread a book.  There's so many to read, that rereading one would take away too much time from new stuff.

rereading is reserved for those books integral to ourselves.  And a lot of the time rereading just means picking them up and reading well-worn and/or less-familiar passages, then putting it back down.  You keep them in a very convenient place.

Edited April 30, 2023 by Rod Hagen

[Jim_n_NYC]

15 minutes ago, Rod Hagen said:

rereading is reserved for those books integral to ourselves.  And a lot of the time rereading just means picking them up and reading well-worn and/or less-familiar passages, then putting it back down.  You keep them in a very convenient place.

I wasn't judging, just making a comment.

[dutchal]

The one book I can remember reading and re-reading was a volume that combined the two Lewis Carroll masterpieces, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass".  I first read it in grade school and probably last re-read it in college.

[samhexum]

On 7/2/2021 at 7:24 AM, EastCoastGuy said:

Money by Martin Amis. 

The late Martin Amis, RIP

[+ Lucky]

I have never read Martin Amis novels, but after his death I picked up Money and tried to read it. Pure gibberish if you ask me. A waste of paper.

[+ WilliamM]

Death in Venice by Thomas Mann

Surprise that Mann was married with six children

He had an understanding wife 

[Jaggg]

On 5/3/2023 at 12:49 PM, dutchal said:

The one book I can remember reading and re-reading was a volume that combined the two Lewis Carroll masterpieces, "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and "Through the Looking Glass".  I first read it in grade school and probably last re-read it in college.

I read them every year

[Guest]

The phone book, but unfortunately it’s out of print.

I’m jealous; I haven’t read for pleasure in some time. Too much reading on the job…. But I do reread a collection of Robert Frost’s poetry on my bedside table. I’ve reread all of Hemingway’s works. And I’m very fond of Ken Follett spy novels (and his historical fiction, too). I’ve also reread Margaret George’s historical fiction.

I was just in a boutique in a small town on the Turquoise Trail. I noticed a shelf of used books for sale in a corner. As I read through the titles, I realized they were all my favorites, even a few obscure titles. It was my book shelf at home. I had to ask if it was a random collection. Turns out they belonged to the shopkeeper’s father, who recently died.  Books are so personal; would have like to meet that man.

[+ WilliamM]

Proust 

[ReynST]

I've "listened to" not read multiple times these three titles from Naomi Novik:

Uprooted

Spinning Silver

The Scholomance Trilogy

Uprooted is probably the most remarkable, the tempo and steadily increasing. But I'd highly recommend all three. They are also very well performed. 

I've read, more  times than can be counted, The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan and The Three Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas

[Boruggue]

I’ve read and re-read several books by Haruki Murakami. Many of his works are an odd mixture of magical realism with absurd touches sprinkled randomly throughout.  Sometimes a reread is necessary to fully appreciate it all.

[Rod Hagen]

On 7/22/2024 at 3:52 PM, Boruggue said:

I’ve read and re-read several books by Haruki Murakami. Many of his works are an odd mixture of magical realism with absurd touches sprinkled randomly throughout.  Sometimes a reread is necessary to fully appreciate it all.

I should like him.  I love Marquez.  But I forced myself through whatever Murakami book has all the holes that multiple characters spend days in.  Windup Bird Chronicle?  Really hated it, but finished it because he's so revered AND I really wanted to like it.  I will not read anything else by him.  

Although Utopia Avenue was a mess, and disappointing, I do like David Mitchell quite a bit, and he's obviously influenced heavily by Murakami.  So, I'm probably wrong, glad you like him a lot.  A lot of good smart people do.

[+ ApexNomad]

On 6/2/2021 at 10:08 AM, Lucky said:

Why would one read a book repeatedly? For one, there are many fish in the sea. Two, what do you gain when you ignore a book so that you can read another one repeatedly?

Granted, a second reading often shows you new insights that you missed upon the first reading, but, I submit, it is a diminishing return.

To read a book repeatedly is not to ignore the abundance of stories in the world—it is to honor the ones that grow with us, the ones that offer not just new insights but a deeper understanding of who we are as we evolve.

For me, that book is To Kill a Mockingbird. It’s the reason I became a lawyer, and every time I return to it, I see something new—not just in the story, but in myself. What once inspired a young idealist now resonates with the perspective of someone who’s spent decades navigating the complexities of justice and fairness.

Reading it again feels like reconnecting with an old mentor—one who grounds me in the ideals that shaped my path while reminding me why I still believe in the fight for equity.

So yes, there are many fish in the sea, but some stories are oceans—vast, timeless, and worth revisiting for a lifetime.

[mtaabq]

I’m continually re-reading Dominick Dunne, except for his last novel, “Too Much Money”, which was a huge disappointment. “The Two Mrs Grenvilles”, “People Like Us”, “An Inconvenient Woman”, “A Season In Purgatory”. Re-reading Jackie Collins brings me immense pleasure, particularly “Hollywood Wives”. (Best line? “Jeez! Give ‘em nine inches and they friggin’ move in!”) “California Screaming” by Doug Guinan. And some others. Right I’m concentrating on new reads; currently reading “Ball Four”, Jim Bounton’s 1974 expose of professional baseball. 

[Rod Hagen]

I'm rereading Lolita.  FUCK that guy could write. (I know what I said earlier, Lolita is NOT integral to what makes me me, it's just an impressively well-written book).

Edited March 19 by Rod Hagen

[mike carey]

I haven't read Lolita, but several years ago I bought and promptly forgot about Reading Lolita in Tehran. I really should read both.

Reading Lolita in Tehran - Wikipedia

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

 

[+ poolboy48220]

11 hours ago, mike carey said:

I haven't read Lolita, but several years ago I bought and promptly forgot about Reading Lolita in Tehran. I really should read both.

Reading Lolita in Tehran - Wikipedia

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

 

I read that years ago in book club. I was excited about the topic but (if I remember correctly) I found it confusing and ultimately disappointing because of the constant shifts in WHEN the story was taking place. 

[Nightowl]

On 5/15/2021 at 2:47 PM, Becket said:

Enjoy spy novels with a common thread/character book after book. Daniel Silva writes of an art restorer who is also a spy who saves much of the world in every story. Robert Ludlam and his many novels with Jason Borne "The Borne Identity", etc was fun as well.

Also, I like the characters developed by John Irving, like TS Garp in "The World according to Garp, or Owen Meaney in "A prayer for Owen Meaney". His characters are all very human: they get knocked down but get up, they fail but try again, occasionally they succeed and there is a great joy.

Reading about familiar characters book after book is comforting in a small way. One knows what to expect, more or less. That's unusual these days.

I’m an Irving fan too, and for most of the same reasons. Another reason for me is the setting.  He sets a lot of his books in southern Vermont and I’ve been going there for years so I’m familiar with a lot of the things he describes.  He used to live in the area and I saw him in restaurants several times.  I’m not sure if I’m remembering correctly but I think his son is gay and I read that he moved to Canada because of the way a recent administration was treating the LGBTQ+ community.  I’m currently reading “The Last Chairlift.” Not his best but the themes will be familiar to Irving fans.

[Rod Hagen]

On 3/19/2025 at 6:21 PM, mike carey said:

I haven't read Lolita, but several years ago I bought and promptly forgot about Reading Lolita in Tehran. I really should read both.

Reading Lolita in Tehran - Wikipedia

EN.WIKIPEDIA.ORG

 

Just read Lolita :-)

[TonyDown]

When I was a young and fetching lad 😉, an older gentleman handed me The Last of the Wine, by Mary Renault.  😉😉

Many years later I re-read it.  Someday I'll read it again. 

I read Call Me by Your Name, by Andre Aciman, twice.  After many years I might read it again.  Roll your eyes if you must, but it's a winner.  

I like Aciman's writing.  I might re-read Enigma Variations before the Netflix limited series comes out.  Hope Netflix can do Aciman justice.  

 

Edited June 5 by TonyDown

[AtticusBK]

CALL ME BY YOUR NAME is still the last book to make me cry. Soooooo much better than the movie.

Speaking of books that make ppl cry, Everyone seems to have sobbed reading Hanya Yanagihara’s A LITTLE LIFE. I loved reading and highly recommend it but found it too implausible to actually buy into it emotionally.