# Book Series you can reread over and over **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [September 22, 2024, 6:24am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580 "2024-09-22T06:24:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 8:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/61 "2024-09-23T20:01:11Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > William Poundstone’s books about “big secrets”. Those three are fun, but a bit dated now, sadly. Unless there is a new one, he said hopefully? > [@dorvann](#): > > Also this author Cecil Adams had a series of books he wrote that were entertaining to read as well but the name of them eludes me at the moment. Yes, those are entertaining and re-readable. > [@ZonexandScout](#): > > Has anyone mentioned the Dresden Files books yet? Nice, and I have re-read them, but hardly on a yearly basis. When he sells out to the dark side, Butcher lost me. > [@Kron](#): > > For light, fast reading I like to revisit the Belgariad/Mallorean and Elenium/Tamuli series from David and Leigh Eddings. I use to save those for extended details, along with Shogun, and “All Creatures”. I could always find them in used bookstores, and would buy, read, and then gift or donate. You can only carry so many books with you. And yeah, that was mostly before e-readers. > [@digs](#): > > His Dark Materials (Golden Compass series). The first book was fun, but the next two were- to me- boring and too preachy. Way more preachy than Narnia, IMHO. ---
**Author:** ![Lucas\_Jackson](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lucas_jackson/32/303_2.png) [@Lucas\_Jackson](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lucas_Jackson)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/62 "2024-09-23T20:04:14Z")
I’ve read Zen and The Art of Motorcycle Maintenance quite a few time. I’ve also read Fight Club at least 5 times. ---
**Author:** ![kayT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/kayt/32/3633_2.png) [@kayT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kayT)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/63 "2024-09-23T20:32:31Z")
> [@salinqmind1](#): > > Ed McBain series about the cops of the 187th precinct, dozens and dozens of them, getting longer, darker, and more violent as time went on. Thanks for the reminder! I haven’t re-read these for a while and it’s time. ---
**Author:** ![madmonk28](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/madmonk28/32/20811_2.png) [@madmonk28](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/madmonk28)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 8:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/64 "2024-09-23T20:46:09Z")
> [@Marvin\_the\_Martian](#): > > And I keep finding some new detail nearly every time. Often it’s some subtle joke I had missed. ---
**Author:** ![Dung\_Beetle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/dung_beetle/32/7945_2.png) [@Dung\_Beetle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dung_Beetle)\ **Post date:** [September 23, 2024, 8:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/65 "2024-09-23T20:48:56Z")
I want to go back and read Jonathan Stroud’s Lockwood & Company books again. I’m thinking of asking someone to get me the set for Christmas. [Lockwood & Co. (5 book series) Hardcover Edition (amazon.com)](https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07FK8V5GZ?binding=hardcover&ref=dbs_m_mng_rwt_sft_thcv_tpbk) ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 12:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/66 "2024-09-24T00:08:52Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > I’ve tried to get into this series – I’ve read the first three novels – but they have no appeal for me. Whereas I can easily drop right into Forester’s Hornblower series. Same here, although I think I only was able to read the first two of the Aubrey/Maturin books. The Hornblower books, however, I find eminently re-readable. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 12:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/67 "2024-09-24T00:19:16Z")
> [@LurkMeister](#): > > Same here, although I think I only was able to read the first two of the Aubrey/Maturin books. The Hornblower books, however, I find eminently re-readable. Hornblower is more heroic- and his faults more relatable, and O’Brien gets too deep or just deep enough (depending on your viewpoint) on sailing trivia. If tiny details of what sail is what, etc bore you, Aubrey/Maturin is not the series for you. But I did enjoy them the first three times I read them- but the 4th time was just too much. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 12:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/68 "2024-09-24T12:25:00Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > If tiny details of what sail is what, etc bore you, Aubrey/Maturin is not the series for you. It wasn’t the details of sailing and nautical engineering that bored me – Og knows, Hornblower has plenty of that, too – it was the vague indications of what was going on. O’Brian expects you to figure out from too few indications in many cases, whereas Forester will gladly explain things (especially Hornblower’s internal ruminations) at great length. ---
**Author:** ![Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/slow_moving_vehicle/32/291_2.png) [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Slow_Moving_Vehicle)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 3:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/69 "2024-09-24T15:52:47Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > > [@LurkMeister](#): > > > > Same here, although I think I only was able to read the first two of the Aubrey/Maturin books. The Hornblower books, however, I find eminently re-readable. > > Hornblower is more heroic- and his faults more relatable, and O’Brien gets too deep or just deep enough (depending on your viewpoint) on sailing trivia. If tiny details of what sail is what, etc bore you, Aubrey/Maturin is not the series for you. But I did enjoy them the first three times I read them- but the 4th time was just too much. The best advice I’ve heard about the sailing minutiae in O’Brian was that, once he gets in the weeds with scandalizing the foresheets and coming around three points off the wind and such, is to simply substitute “nautical stuff happens” and move on. If it’s truly necessary to the story - like when the _Surprise_ is caught off a lee shore - O’Brian will explain it to the reader, usually by way of Aubrey or Bonden explaining it to Stephen. ---
**Author:** ![ftg](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ftg/32/2801_2.png) [@ftg](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ftg)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 5:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/70 "2024-09-24T17:23:22Z")
Another vote for _HHGttG_. I actually like _Mostly Harmless_. As for _Discworld_, only a subset, mostly the “tech” ones (but not any near the end). ---
**Author:** ![SuntanLotion](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/suntanlotion/32/16165_2.png) [@SuntanLotion](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SuntanLotion)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/71 "2024-09-24T17:28:28Z")
Miss Manners books Dave Barry books Bathroom Reader books John Hagee books Eat This Not That books ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 6:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/72 "2024-09-24T18:28:28Z")
I’ve reread the 2001 series (2001 and sequels) a few times. I reread the Lensmen books 50 years after first reading them once (but not the Skylark books.) I’ve reread a few Discworld books, and would reread more if I had the time. But mostly I have way too many books and magazines on my shelves crying “read me” to reread as many as I’d like. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/73 "2024-09-24T20:23:47Z")
> [@CalMeacham](#): > > O’Brian expects you to figure out from too few indications in many cases, whereas Forester will gladly explain things (especially Hornblower’s internal ruminations) at great length. Good points. > [@Slow\_Moving\_Vehicle](#): > > is to simply substitute “nautical stuff happens” and move on. LOL 🤪 ---
**Author:** ![Buck\_Godot](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/buck_godot/32/6573_2.png) [@Buck\_Godot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Buck_Godot)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 9:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/74 "2024-09-24T21:24:13Z")
> [@Kron](#): > > I’ve also read and re-read The Wheel of Time (books 1-11) many, many times. Good lord, where do you find the time, I’d consider it an accomplishment to get through it once. My entries are series from back in the days when books weren’t 500+ pages. (also from back when I had more time and less distractions) The Amber series by Roger Zelazny (at least the first series I didn’t like the second one as much.) The True Game series by Sheri. S. Tepper I’ve also read Alice and Wonderland and through the looking glass innumerable times. ---
**Author:** ![Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/qadgop_the_mercotan/32/83_2.png) [@Qadgop\_the\_Mercotan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qadgop_the_Mercotan)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 9:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/75 "2024-09-24T21:46:21Z")
> [@Voyager](#): > > I reread the Lensmen books 50 years after first reading them once Hey, me too! Plus a few times in between. I had sort of a crush on Pilinixi the Dexitroboper. Don’t tell Cynthia! ---
**Author:** ![Hari\_Seldon](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hari_seldon/32/5173_2.png) [@Hari\_Seldon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Hari_Seldon)\ **Post date:** [September 24, 2024, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/76 "2024-09-24T22:41:06Z")
Asimov’s Foundation series LOTR The Potterverse and I am in the middle of rereading Patricia Briggs’s Werewolf series. They are better that way since as I originally read them a year apart I never twigged to how each one refers to something from the preceding one. And I just (today) bought the latest of Martin Walker’s Bruno series. I think I will enjoy rereading them. ---
**Author:** ![digs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/digs/32/14889_2.png) [@digs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/digs)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 12:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/77 "2024-09-25T00:53:18Z")
> [@dirtball](#): > > I might, in an alternate reality, reread Sue Grafton’s alphabet series, but every time I’ve thought about it, I was daunted by the number of books. > [@DrDeth](#): > > My wife is rereading those [Dragon Riders of Pern series]. There are a LOT of books in that series! Hey, every series began as one book, then a trilogy… I discovered the first three Pern books, then a second trilogy appeared! Some call it Young Adult, and it’s delightful. I tried a couple more, but they felt repetitive, so I quit. So go ahead and try a “first book” and see… or A, B, and C of the Alphabet books. You CAN stop then… though you’ll find yourself missing Kinsey, and Henry’s bakery. . Do I need to repeat my rule for this crowd? (It popped out as I listened to a friend lament having to finish a series that he had grown disdainful of, but he “HAD” to finish them all): _“Life is too short to finish a book (or series) that you’re not wild about!”_ ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 1:19am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/78 "2024-09-25T01:19:30Z")
> [@Hari\_Seldon](#): > > Asimov’s Foundation series Good one, I have re-read the first three many times. I do not care for any of the laters books- I mean some are okay, but none are great. ---
**Author:** ![Jack\_Burden](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/958977/32.png) [@Jack\_Burden](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jack_Burden)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 2:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/79 "2024-09-25T02:45:11Z")
> [@DrDeth](#): > > Good one, I have re-read the first three many times. I do not care for any of the laters books- I mean some are okay, but none are great. Your user name should be The Mule and please stop reading my mind. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [September 25, 2024, 3:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580/80 "2024-09-25T03:11:32Z")
> [@Jack\_Burden](#): > > Your user name should be The Mule and please stop reading my mind. Chuckle. I read them, but no re-read for any but the first three. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/book-series-you-can-reread-over-and-over/1007580.md?page=5)