# Books you reread over and over **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Tags:** books-writing-myths\ **Created:** [December 8, 2024, 2:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325 "2024-12-08T02:18:54Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 18\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![rowrrbazzle](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/rowrrbazzle/32/414_2.png) [@rowrrbazzle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/rowrrbazzle)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 6:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/81 "2024-12-15T06:39:10Z")
Several already mentioned here, such as LOTR. Also: _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance_. _A Voyage to Arcturus_ by David Lindsay. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 11:51am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/82 "2024-12-15T11:51:04Z")
Another set of novels I used to reread over and over were the original six Dragonlance novels. It was two trilogies and I actually read them out of order. The first book of the second trilogy, Time of the Twins was the first fantasy novel I ever read. Up till then I mostly just read science books and comics. It was like a drug deal, someone I knew from school slapped it into my hand and said, “you’ll love this” and they were right. I stayed up all night reading it and finished it in two days (which is big for me; I’m a slow reader). I was hooked. I bought the rest of the trilogy and then the original one that had been published before. That led me to Forgotten Realms novels and also Star Trek books (I had been watching Trek for years but until then the only Trek books I had read were novelizations of episodes which were a thing before VCRs). After that I branched into more non tie in Genre fiction (joining the Science Fiction Book club helped with that). Hmm this turned into me sketching how my love of reading came to be but to keep on topic, I reread those Dragonlance books more times than I can count. ---
**Author:** ![LurkMeister](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/3da27b/32.png) [@LurkMeister](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LurkMeister)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 6:09pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/83 "2024-12-15T18:09:27Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > It was like a drug deal, someone I knew from school slapped it into my hand and said, “you’ll love this” and they were right. I stayed up all night reading it and finished it in two days (which is big for me; I’m a slow reader). I was hooked. I bought the rest of the trilogy and then the original one that had been published before. This is what happened to me with the _Lensmen_ series by Doc Smith. My first job, while I was in high school, was washing pots at a restaurant. One day one of the other employees found out I was into science fiction and lent me a copy of one of them (after all these years I can’t remember which one) and I was hooked. Started borrowing the rest from the library, and later when I could afford it bought them so I could reead them again. ---
**Author:** ![TreacherousCretin](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/treacherouscretin/32/476_2.png) [@TreacherousCretin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/TreacherousCretin)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 8:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/84 "2024-12-15T20:45:39Z")
> [@dorvann](#): > > Also an obscure series of books written by Cecil Adams–the name of it eludes me at the moment. Just a month or two ago I re-read the entire series. Third time for a couple of them. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 8:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/85 "2024-12-15T20:52:03Z")
> [@TreacherousCretin](#): > > Just a month or two ago I re-read the entire series. Third time for a couple of them. Yep, the Straight Dope is very rereadable. ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/86 "2024-12-15T21:26:13Z")
I re-read books constantly and always have, so there are really too many to list. Lots of series, but also stand-alones. Here are a few. _Bellwether_, _Crosstalk_ and _To Say Nothing of the Dog_ by Connie Willis. I like her Christmas stories, too, and usually reread them each year. _Cryptonomicon_ by Neal Stephenson. We have carried this all over the world, pre-Kindle and post. Great geekery and storytelling. Pretty much all of Scalzi. One of his newest, _Starter Villain_, is going to be a long-term favorite. Also just re-read _Kaiju Preservation Society_. Fun stuff. _A Dirty Job_ by Christopher Moore, and _Lamb_. _Good Omens_ by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Lord Peter Wimsey and all of P.G. Wodehouse. I have the latter in a lovely hardback set. _The Widow Nash_ by Jamie Harrison. Brutal but terrific. I’ve given this one as a gift a few times. Tie in _The Center of Everything_ is also a favorite. Lots more, most of which belong in the series thread. I tend to re-read the less serious, more fun stories and only dip into heavier topics for a single read through, like _Heaven and Earth Grocery Store_ and _James_ lately. When I was young, I read Vonnegut over and over but I think I overdid him. ---
**Author:** ![Yogeekgirl](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yogeekgirl/32/4129_2.png) [@Yogeekgirl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Yogeekgirl)\ **Post date:** [December 15, 2024, 11:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/87 "2024-12-15T23:34:27Z")
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn, of course. : ) I think I have also reread more than twice Hardcore Zen, by Bradley Warner, Please Kill Me by Legs McNeil and Gillian McCain, We got the Neutron Bomb by Marc Spitz and Brendan Mullen(RIP). I have a Swami Satchidananda version of Patanjali’s Yoga Sutras that I often return to. I know I’ve read Douglas Adams’ full Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy many more times than I’ve seen the shows or movie. Oh, and Just Kids and M Train by Patti Smith. Those have photos too. ---
**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:** [December 16, 2024, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/88 "2024-12-16T00:37:46Z")
Actually, when I was younger, I read everything I liked over and over again. For instance, the James Herriot books, the John Bellairs books, Watership Down, Stephen King’s early work, etc. I thought of one other that was particularly formative: Good Morning, Miss Dove, by Frances Gray Patton. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/89 "2024-12-16T00:40:35Z")
The one I read every year and never tire of is _The Martian_ by Andy Weir. Also a big fan of the movie version, but enjoy the read just as much, if not more. ---
**Author:** ![sunacres](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/4491bb/32.png) [@sunacres](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/sunacres)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 1:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/90 "2024-12-16T01:05:05Z")
The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 1:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/91 "2024-12-16T01:30:38Z")
> [@Alpine](#): > > _Good Omens_ by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Great choice! > [@sunacres](#): > > The Complete Calvin and Hobbes. Another great choice. ---
**Author:** ![Alpine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/alpine/32/17813_2.png) [@Alpine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Alpine)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/92 "2024-12-16T01:43:06Z")
Did you read/like his _Hail Mary_? I thought it was pretty good and plan to re-read it. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/the_stainless_steel_rat/32/5727_2.png) [@The\_Stainless\_Steel\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Stainless_Steel_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 16, 2024, 1:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/93 "2024-12-16T01:45:53Z")
I enjoyed it and have it on my bookshelf, but don’t feel a compelling need to read it again. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/94 "2024-12-19T20:00:08Z")
Yes, I also have read and reread my copies of the Straight Dope books. Also Imponderables, Book of Lists and myriad of similar stuff you would find in the Trivia section of the book store. ---
**Author:** ![DrDeth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/b487fb/32.png) [@DrDeth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DrDeth)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 8:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/95 "2024-12-19T20:00:41Z")
> [@Quimby](#): > > Yes, I also have read and reread my copies of the Straight Dope books. Also Imponderables, Imponderables is good and Why Things Are. ---
**Author:** ![Quimby](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/22d042/32.png) [@Quimby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quimby)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 8:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/96 "2024-12-19T20:04:30Z")
Yes! Why Things Are and Big Secrets! ---
**Author:** ![MonkeysBrother](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/3ab097/32.png) [@MonkeysBrother](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MonkeysBrother)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 8:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/97 "2024-12-19T20:42:00Z")
_The Princess Bride_ by William Goldman. _Illusions_ by Richard Bach (and another thumbs up for Calvin and Hobbes) ---
**Author:** ![veryfrank](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/87869e/32.png) [@veryfrank](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/veryfrank)\ **Post date:** [December 19, 2024, 8:43pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325/98 "2024-12-19T20:43:17Z")
Every few years I’ll read the _Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy_ series front to back. Been a while, maybe I should do that over the winter. _Fargo Rock City_ by Chuck Klosterman is another I’ve burned through a few times. Speaking of music, the last couple of print editions of _The Trouser Press Record Guide_ are my regular bathroom reading, to the point where I can nearly recite the reviews of albums I’ve never once listened to. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/books-you-reread-over-and-over/1011325.md?page=4)