I’ve much enjoyed Frederick Forsyth’s novels – “thrillers with some intellectual worthwhileness” – IMO varying somewhat in quality, but I’ve been moved to read more than one more than once, and never come upon one which I reckoned a total dud. For me, though, his The Fist of God (about the 1990 – 91 Gulf War) is special: I’ve read it at least four times, and will likely do so again in the future. I find it totally on-the-edge-of-one’s-seat gripping and suspenseful – even if one is re-reading and knows how things will turn out – and fascinatingly complex: this, so far as I’m concerned, irrespective of one’s sympathies or otherwise, with the countries involved.
(My respect for Forsyth has increased, on hearing that he – in his late seventies – has lately told of his retiring from further writing, fiction or otherwise; informing, with admirable candour, that “I ran out of things to say”. One could wish for similar conduct on the part of other authors, “well-stricken in years”, who nonetheless – relying on their reputation established in earlier times – go on and on into their dotage writing and having published, stuff which becomes quite embarrassingly awful.)
I take delight in the Vorkosigan Saga, especially the books in the latter half / two-thirds thereof – can read those time and again. Less happy outcome for me with other works by Bujold. Her “World of the Five Gods” failed to do it for me. Read The Curse of Chalion and was favourably impressed, without being totally bowled over. Went on to Paladin of Souls, and had to give up something like halfway through – struck me as just trite, and wearisome. To be honest, what really killed POS for me – people will probably think this absurdly trivial – was that dratted “Pony Express messenger-girl” Liss. Bloody smug twerp, she irritated the heck out of me: I was pushed over the already-nearly-reached edge, by the great desire to hear no more about her.
A king of elves
There was of old
Saranwrap by name
Who slew the narcs at Mellowmarsh
And Sorhed’s host did tame
And with him marched the stubby dwarves
Drafted from their mines
And when the fearsome battle raged
They hid behind the lines
I have reread the entire (21 books) Patrick O’Brien Aubrey-Maturin series at least 8 times. Each time is a good 5-6 month commitment. So I’ve spent, give or take, 4 years of my life in the Napoleonic War.
Back in the 70s, I read the whole “Silistra” series by Janet Morris. The sexy Boris Vallejo covers helped make the sale.
I never really enjoyed the books. They were weak and “puffy.” Pseudo feminist (you know, feminist but with prostitutes) and no appreciable plot at all. I’m frankly damned if I know WHY I kept reading them; I think I was just waiting for them to get good. They never did.
For single books, The Martian by Andy Wier si one I read every 8-10 months, and still can’t put it down until I’m finished.
For series it’s Eric Flint’s (and many co-authors) Ring of Fire books, I can pick almost anyone off the shelf and enjoy re-reading it (re-reading the short story collection “Ring of Fire II” right now).
And every December I re-read all 11 (to date) volumes of the collected “Schlock Mercenary” web comic…and then read the follow-on 3-4 volumes not in book form on the web.
I keep the Tolkien books in regular rotation, and also periodically re-read childhood fav, Norman Juster’s “The Phantom Tollbooth”. I read TH White’s Arthurian saga, “The Once and Future King” on the regular, too.
Every 5 years or so, I read Andrew Lang’s books of Fairy Tales.
I don’t do much re-reading, though. There are simply too many new titles on my “to be read” list that I am eager to get to.
I first read “Into Thin Air” one July while sitting on a beach in the Outer Banks. I had get up every now and then and walk around - I was literally getting chills despite the fact it was 90+ degrees and a heat wave…
I first read “Devil in the White City” (Erik Larson) on an overseas flight - got to the end, read all the footnotes, and flipped right back to the first page.
During my junior year in college, I read “Salem’s Lot” and “The Shining” in single sittings…in both cases, I tried to go to sleep - I was tired! - but in both cases, my mind raced and I just had to get up and keep reading…
Bujold’s Vorkosigan series - and her lesser-known Wide Green World (Sharing Knife) series. I have them all on my Kindle. They are my escape when there’s anything stressful going on.
The Chalion / Five Gods books are good but not as rereadable to me (though I have read them all twice).
BTW, there’s a new Penric novella (Mira’s Dance) that I’ve got queued up for vacation in a couple weeks.
And… Harry Potter, of course. I’m finally getting back to the French version that I made it 2/3 of the way through before forgetting about it.
Baen periodically releases CDs of bunches of their older stuff. That site has the CD files zipped up. Many of the Ring of Fire books are included.
The CDs themselves all say “may distribute but do not charge money” or something like that, and Baen knows about the site. They used to actually have the CD contents up there as clickable stuff where you could download individual books, but Baen asked them to stop doing that. Bujold’s Vorkosigan CD (that came with Cryoburn) used to be there but I gather she asked that they take it down.
Nive and Pournelle did that to me twice – first Lucifer’s Hammer, and then Footfall. Kept me up both times until about two hours before I was due to get up to go to work.
Thanks for all the replies. I have always meant to look into Krakauer’s other books but just never have. I read ‘The Hobbit’ as a teen and enjoyed it. My folks bought me the other three books for christmas. I have never read them. They are old and yellow now, I am not sure they would stand up to a physical reading at this point. I am pleased that I even know of the authors mentioned here and more pleased that I have read some of them.
I don’t re-read books though, I am always looking for new (to me) authors. Thank you all for the input.
