# What books have you re-read the most? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [June 2, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946 "2017-06-02T17:38:43Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Cardigan](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardigan/32/187_2.png) [@Cardigan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardigan)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 5:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/1 "2017-06-02T17:38:43Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![RikWriter](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/49beb7/32.png) [@RikWriter](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RikWriter)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 5:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/2 "2017-06-02T17:41:24Z")
Robert Heinlein’s juvenile novels, particularly Have Space Suit—Will Travel. Clifford Simak’s “Cemetery World,” “Goblin Reservation,” “Mastodonia” and “The Werewolf Principle.” ---
**Author:** ![bikerdruid](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/bcef8e/32.png) [@bikerdruid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bikerdruid)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/3 "2017-06-02T17:48:26Z")
The Hobbit … probably 30 times. And at least 20 of those have been aloud, to my students. ---
**Author:** ![AncientHumanoid](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ancienthumanoid/32/278_2.png) [@AncientHumanoid](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AncientHumanoid)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 5:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/4 "2017-06-02T17:51:41Z")
Lots of Asimov, Heinlein, Herbert. The Bible. Photoshop for Dummies. ---
**Author:** ![E-DUB](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/e-dub/32/403_2.png) [@E-DUB](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/E-DUB)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 6:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/5 "2017-06-02T18:27:46Z")
The original “Foundation” trilogy. ---
**Author:** ![Shoeless](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/shoeless/32/7099_2.png) [@Shoeless](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Shoeless)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 6:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/6 "2017-06-02T18:38:08Z")
I have read these at least 10 times each: Catch-22 Still Life With Woodpecker Lord of the Rings I have probably read John Varley’s “Titan” trilogy about half a dozen times. ---
**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:** [June 2, 2017, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/7 "2017-06-02T18:39:30Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > 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?_ The book is the same; I am different! 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. ---
**Author:** ![The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a87d85/32.png) [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_King_of_Soup)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 6:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/8 "2017-06-02T18:42:30Z")
> [@Cardigan](#): > > 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. 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. ---
**Author:** ![Ukulele\_Ike](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/df788c/32.png) [@Ukulele\_Ike](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ukulele_Ike)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/9 "2017-06-02T18:56:46Z")
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. Poetry also too, but poetry doesn’t count. ---
**Author:** ![divemaster](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/divemaster/32/78_2.png) [@divemaster](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/divemaster)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/10 "2017-06-02T19:04:12Z")
**The Stand**. 11-12 times. ---
**Author:** ![DesertDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/desertdog/32/11503_2.png) [@DesertDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DesertDog)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/11 "2017-06-02T19:04:33Z")
> [@The\_King\_of\_Soup](#): > > This always struck me as a weird argument. Who listens to a song they like only once? 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. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 7:04pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/12 "2017-06-02T19:04:44Z")
Most of Carl Hiaasen’s novels set in Florida. Wyn Craig Wade’s _ **The Titanic: End of a Dream** _. Stephen Whitfield’s _ **The Making of Star Trek** _. Ian Kershaw’s two-volume biography of Adolf Hitler. Robert Graves’ _ **I, Claudius** _ and _ **Claudius the God** _. Robert McCammon’s _ **Gone South** _. Hal Borland’s _ **When the Legends Die** _. John Keegan’s _ **Fields of Battle: The Wars for North America** _. Garry Wills’ _ **Lincoln at Gettysburg: The Words That Remade America** _. Frederick Forsythe’s _ **The Deceiver** _, my favorite of his novels. I’m about to read all twelve of Winston Graham’s \*\*\*Poldark \*\*\*novels, five of which I’ve never read before. ---
**Author:** ![Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malleus_incus_stapes/32/3293_2.png) [@Malleus\_Incus\_Stapes](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malleus_Incus_Stapes)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 7:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/13 "2017-06-02T19:06:37Z")
My Discworld collection. ---
**Author:** ![bibliophage](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bibliophage/32/7615_2.png) [@bibliophage](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/bibliophage)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 7:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/14 "2017-06-02T19:40:41Z")
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. ---
**Author:** ![terentii](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/terentii/32/212_2.png) [@terentii](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/terentii)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 7:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/15 "2017-06-02T19:47:24Z")
> [@bibliophage](#): > > 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. I feel the same way about _ **Asterix** _. 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![Mahaloth](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mahaloth/32/1079_2.png) [@Mahaloth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mahaloth)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 7:51pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/16 "2017-06-02T19:51:40Z")
I’m a teacher and some books end up being read by me a lot. I’ve read: **The House With A Clock In Its Walls** - 35+ times. Almost all out loud, too. The best “out loud read” book ever. Should be a Newberry winner, really. **The Figure in the Shadows** - Sequel to above. 20 times or so. \*\* The Westing Game\*\* - 7-8 times. Probably my top young adult novel of all time. **Harry Potter and the Philosopher/Sorcerer’s Stone** - 10-12 times. **Narnia set** - 4 times each or more. **Lord of the Rings** - 3 times, I think. ---
**Author:** ![Jophiel](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jophiel/32/66_2.png) [@Jophiel](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Jophiel)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 8:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/17 "2017-06-02T20:06:05Z")
Well, I’ve read [_The Mitten_](http://www.janbrett.com/bookstores/mitten_book.htm) 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. ---
**Author:** ![Eonwe](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/eonwe/32/240_2.png) [@Eonwe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Eonwe)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/18 "2017-06-02T20:15:38Z")
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 ---
**Author:** ![Gatopescado](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/gatopescado/32/5711_2.png) [@Gatopescado](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gatopescado)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 8:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/19 "2017-06-02T20:23:33Z")
_101 uses for a Dachshund_ [https://www.amazon.com/Uses-Dachshund-Willow-Creek-Press/dp/1623430313](https://www.amazon.com/Uses-Dachshund-Willow-Creek-Press/dp/1623430313) It’s cute. Got it for Christmas last year. I’m not a big reader. ---
**Author:** ![Ike\_Witt](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/ike_witt/32/283_2.png) [@Ike\_Witt](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ike_Witt)\ **Post date:** [June 2, 2017, 10:01pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946/20 "2017-06-02T22:01:46Z")
I’ve read Dune ~25 times. I’ve read the other books, Frank’s not the recent stuff, at least a dozen times each. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-books-have-you-re-read-the-most/787946.md?page=2)