What books have you re-read cover to cover the most times? I estimate I’ve read Tolkien’s Ring trilogy maybe 30-35 times in my life.
I recently told a friend this and she argued why read a book yet again you’ve already read multiple times before when there are so many thousands of books out there you haven’t read yet?
Fair question. My response was - for the same reason I grill burgers repeatedly in the back yard without ever having so much as sampled Mung Bean Kale Stew once; the outcome is already known in advance, it will be pleasurable.
Robert Heinlein’s juvenile novels, particularly Have Space Suit—Will Travel.
Clifford Simak’s “Cemetery World,” “Goblin Reservation,” “Mastodonia” and “The Werewolf Principle.”
Gone With the Wind, Jane Eyre, The Shining, The Haunting of Hill House, Misery, Watership Down…well, actually there are a lot of them. GWTW probably over a hundred times.
This always struck me as a weird argument. Who listens to a song they like only once? Or looks only once at a person they find attractive? Or never recites a poem? Frankly, though, someday, give the burgers a rest once: mung beans and kale could make a very nice stew.
I will say this: when I was young I re-read books a lot because I read fast and didn’t have access to enough books. I didn’t have the same access to music or movies or paintings in my home so reconsuming other art forms never became a habit.
There are still times I would rather reread something than start something new. I usually want to put myself to sleep, and the familiarity works to soothe a chaotic mind. Usually poetry or murder mysteries or something else that is limited and patterned.
Every time I open up G.K. Chesterton’s The Man Who Was Thursday to look up a quotation or remind myself of a scene, I end up reading the whole damn thing again. And I never regret it. Probably read it over a dozen times.
Well, three minutes out of your life is a bit less on an investment than three (at least) hours. But, as Dung Beetle said, there’s nothing like rereading an old favorite with a little more life under your belt.
Lord of the Rings far and away the most, with The Hobbit a distant second. Watership Down, Dream Park, several books in Lackey’s Valdemar serieses.
The first few Harry Potter books four or five times in English and once each in French and German. Also the first book in Latin. I like to read the translations to improve my reading comprehension of foreign languages that I’ve studied, and I always have a convenient cheat in case I get stuck.
Certain books of the Bible (Genesis, Exodus, Ecclesiastes, all four gospels, Acts, and Revelation) probably five or ten times each, mostly in English, but some in other languages.
The Hobbit, about five or six times and The Lord of the Rings about six or seven times.
Well, I’ve read The Mitten about six times this week (“again?!”) but I doubt that counts towards the OP’s intent
Most read is probably a toss-up between The Hitchhikers Guide or one of the Dirk Gentley books. Low double digits for each. Watership Down is scratching ten reads, The Stand at 5-7 reads. Probably five reads of the original Dragonlance trilogy.
One benefit to re-reading a book is that I don’t feel any sense of obligation towards it. I can put it down for three weeks or pick up another book in the middle without feeling like I “should” be reading that new book I started.
I’ve kind of mellowed on the re-reads in my late 30s, but books that are still in frequent (once every few years) circulation for me:
Lord of the Rings
Earthsea Trilogy
All of Douglas Adams’ novels
Neil Gaiman’s Sandman
To Kill a Mockingbird
Island of the Blue Dolphins
The Great Gatsby
A Canticle for Leibowitz
