I’ve done at least three complete passes, not to mention the times I’ve read favorite sections of some of the books. The only reason I haven’t done a fourth is that my copies have been packed up along with most of my previously read books since my move from Chicago back in 2006.
Charles Todd’s* Inspector Rutledge series – 27 books, UK, first quarter of the 20th century. Scotland Yard detective, shell-shocked veteran of WWI, solving murders, driving all over the British Isles in his motorcar. Trains trigger his memories and claustrophobia. I adore this character. I’m currently rereading the series for the third time.
* “Charles Todd” is a mother-son writing team. The mother died recently, and the son should be coming out with another book soon.
My wife is rereading those. There are a LOT of books in that series!
I reread those several times, even owned a complete set. Two small things started to annoy me so much, that i couldn’t reread them again- The joke where Aubrey shows the Doctor a new sail, whereupon the Doctor is confused, and vice versa- where the Doctor shows the Captain a small dot of a bird- and the Captain is confused. That joke falls flat about the 16th time. And worse is the “lucy and the football” O’brien keep pulling with their finances- Aubray is RICH- no he is poor, now he is rich- no poor, etc etc . But only on the like 4th redeading did those start to grate on me.
Same here.
Also the Dark is Rising Sequence.
I enjoy those also.
Nero Wolfe for sure.
Robert Parker’s Spencer books
Archer Mayor’s Gunther series
Yes awesome and their grouchy cook!
Flashman, the archetypical problematic fave, is fun enough and rich enough in historical interest to withstand several rereads.
Also Cryptonomicon and the Baroque Cycle, for similar reasons although later Stevenson has been a disappointment.
Wolf Hall definitely repays a reread, as much for the writing and psychology as for the history.
Dorothy Dunnet’s Lymond books I have reread constantly, sworn off for about a decade, but may be due another go soon.
Le Carre’s Smiley books, and in a similar vein, Len Deighton’s Bernard Sampson series. The Arkady Renko novels also scratch a cold war (and latterly a post cold war) itch.
For sheer fun, Wodehouse and Heyer.
Having read India Conquered recently, I’m keen to reread a bunch of Kipling’s short stories which I think do chime very closely with IC’s thesis, namely that the British in India were supremely detached from the business of ruling, and hence driven by fear above all.
Good choice, but maybe not many times. I love the series but to reread it every year would be a bit too much.
I do enjoy those.
The Dark Tower stuff here, too. Including the books that tie in, like Talisman and Black House.
I know most of King’s works fall under that umbrella, but some more than others.
And at the risk of sounding terribly wanky, the Iliad and Odyssey are always worth a revisit.
I’ve read all of Nero Wolfe and Discworld at least twice through, and most of them many more times. There are a handful in each series I just don’t like as much: for Nero Wolfe, it’s the ones that are set well outside the metro NYC area, The Black Mountain and the couple that are set out west.
I’ve taken to inserting notes on the title pages of each indicating the dates I’ve read them. I didn’t start this until I’d been through each series two or three times, so the first note usually says something like “Third or fourth reading on [date].”
I’m a big fan of the Nordhoff and Hall trilogy: Mutiny on the Bounty, Men Against the Sea and Pitcairn’s Island. I’ve read them numerous times. They wrote some other good stuff too.
(Aside: I’ve always wondered how two people can collaborate on writing a book.)
Definitely the Vorkosigan saga and really anything by Lois McMaster Bujold (5 Gods, Penric, Sharing Knife)
Deed of Paksenarrion and all the subsequent novels, by Elizabeth Moon.
The Lord Peter Wimsey books by Dorothy L Sayers.
Anne of Green Gables by LM Montgomery. Yeah, kids books, but comfort-reading.
Some of the Dragonriders of Pern books. Ann McCaffrey
That’s all I can think of off the top of my head, but I know there’s more.
StG
I don’t get that either! Of course, I haven’t written any books, alone or otherwise.
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn for sure, but I also love rereading Tad William’s Otherland series.
And just about all of Bernard Cornwell, especially the Saxon Chronicles and the Sharpe series.
All good. Especially Men Against the Sea.
Also i want to add the Lord Darcy Fantasy Alt-hist mysteries by Randall Garrett.
I started when the first one came out, so it was easy to keep up that way. I was bummed not only that she died, but that she never did Z. So, I have all the books on one shelf with a bookend made out of an old Reader’s Digest Condensed Books book carved in the shape of a Z.
But there are always so many new (and new to me) books out there, that I always want to read something new before re-reading something I’ve read before. And I’m getting old! I’m running out of time!
Nice!
Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes stories
Nero Wolfe
C.S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower
Robert Heinlein’s juveniles
Lord of the Rings
Ian Fleming’s James Bond novels, believe it or not
Dave Barry’s books
Robert E. Howard’s “Conan the Barbarian” stories
I recently reread the Hunger Games series.
And I’ve reread the James Herriot (Alf Wight) series multiple times. They are lovely.
Oh my goodness, yes!