# What is your favorite book to read again, and again, and again... **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 30, 2004, 4:39am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803 "2004-04-30T04:39:45Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 4
**Author:** ![Nvme77](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/c89c15/32.png) [@Nvme77](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nvme77)\ **Post date:** [May 2, 2004, 11:52pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/61 "2004-05-02T23:52:45Z")
I started re reading that book 17 years ago. I also love the Firebrand by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Love most of Douglas Couplands novels, but especially _Microserfs_ Also Fannie Flagg, or Fried Green Tomatoes and Daisy Fay fame is a pretty good re read. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 12:11am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/62 "2004-05-03T00:11:49Z")
**Watership Down** **East of Eden** **Huck Finn** Graves’ **I, Claudius** I will also add my voice to those who tout Douglas Adams’ **Hitchihker** books. They’re always worth a reread. ---
**Author:** ![MercyStreet](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/a9adbd/32.png) [@MercyStreet](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MercyStreet)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/63 "2004-05-03T00:34:14Z")
Precious Bane Merry Hall Favorite Stories for the Children’s Hour Watership Down Dune To Kill a Mockingbird The Monday Horses Jane Eyre Stuart Little ---
**Author:** ![screech-owl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/82dd89/32.png) [@screech-owl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/screech-owl)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 1:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/64 "2004-05-03T01:31:27Z")
Umberto Eco - **The Name of the Rose** (on my third copy in 12 years; first 2 fell apart) Isaac Asimov - **The Foundation Triology** J.R.R. Tolkien - **The Lord of the Rings** Douglas Adams - **The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy** All of the **Harry Potter** books As far as complete works/collections: Edgar Allen Poe Oscar Wilde H.P. Lovecraft Sherlock Holmes Cecil Adams (No, I am not sucking up. All of the Straight Dope books, as well as the above, are on the bookshelf behind the bed, within easy reach.) ---
**Author:** ![Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/9dc877/32.png) [@Nightwatch\_Trailer](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Nightwatch_Trailer)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 1:53am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/65 "2004-05-03T01:53:38Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > **East of Eden** Favorite. Book. Ever. The only reason I haven’t re-read Steinbeck’s masterpiece time and time again is because there’s just too much to absorb, and I discovered the book only a couple years ago…so I’ve only had time to read it twice. ---
**Author:** ![well\_he\_s\_back](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/w/3ab097/32.png) [@well\_he\_s\_back](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/well_he_s_back)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/66 "2004-05-03T03:29:34Z")
Only a few pop into my mind right now - The Lord of the Rings To Kill a Mockingbird Breakfast at Tiffanys All the King’s Men Watership Down Whenever I really like a book, I tend to read it over and over. I’m now in a phase where I’m forcing myself to read new books, not just reread. It’s gread to get ideas for “new” books from these threads. ---
**Author:** ![Mama\_Tiger](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/6de8d8/32.png) [@Mama\_Tiger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mama_Tiger)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 3:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/67 "2004-05-03T03:40:16Z")
Lots of good rereads. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings – have reread that about yearly for 30 years now Anne McCaffrey – any of her dragon books Orson Scott Card – Ender’s Game David Eddings – Belgariad, Malloreon, etc. Then there are some favorite whodunit authors: Dorothy Sayers – Gaudy Night and The Nine Taylors are the two that seem to get reread the most Charlotte MacLeod – anything she’s written, always light and entertaining Emma Lathen – the older John Putnam Thatcher books are always classics I’m sure I could add to the list, but those are just off the top of my head. Which might account for the multiple boxes of books I move everywhere with me… ---
**Author:** ![Chanteuse](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9de053/32.png) [@Chanteuse](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chanteuse)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 12:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/68 "2004-05-03T12:39:46Z")
> [@PunditLisa](#): > > I’m currently re-reading the **All Creatures Great and Small** series. I _still_ crack up about Trickie Woo and _still_ cry when that old heifer comes trotting home after being put on the knacker’s truck. This series of books is one that I was going to mention! I just _love_ James Herriot! I own all five books and have read them so many times I can quote large passages from them! One of my faves is the time he was in the RAF and they were giving an exercise demonstration for the Grand Marshall and that one fellow screwed it up at the end so badly. I laughed till I hurt! I also reread Piers Anthony’s _ **Apprentice Adept** _ series a lot, and also _ **Killobyte** _. And there is one romance novel that I fell in love with–_ **Morning Glory** _ by LaVyrle Spencer. This story has moments that make me cry every time I read it. ---
**Author:** ![SkipMagic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/skipmagic/32/20706_2.png) [@SkipMagic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SkipMagic)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 1:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/69 "2004-05-03T13:32:53Z")
Another vote for _Still Life with Woodpecker_ by Tom Robbins. Also, I have several very well-worn copies of _The Princess Bride_ floating around. Lately, though, I’ve been hit by a nostalgia kick and have been diving into books I read a lot as a kid: _The Westing Game_ - Ellen Raskin _The Dark is Rising_ series - Susan Cooper _The Phantom Tollbooth_ - Norton Juster _The Great Brain_ - John D. Fitzgerald _Alvin Fernald, TV Anchorman_ - Clifford B. Hicks _the return of the TWELVES_ - Pauline Clark etc… ---
**Author:** ![Mal\_Adroit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/df788c/32.png) [@Mal\_Adroit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mal_Adroit)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2004, 1:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/70 "2004-05-03T13:55:29Z")
_Help I Am Being Held Prisoner, Adios Sheherzade_- Donald Westlake _Adventures in the Screen Trade_- William Goldman _Churchill_- Martin Gilbert _Night Shift, Danse Macabre_- Stephen King ---
**Author:** ![PookahMacPhellimey](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pookahmacphellimey/32/3175_2.png) [@PookahMacPhellimey](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/PookahMacPhellimey)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/71 "2004-05-04T10:14:16Z")
Funnily enough the re-re-re-reads aren’t necessarily the best books I’ve read. More like comfort reads, really. My selection: The War for the Oaks-Emma Bull. Charmed Life-Diana Wynne Jones (and most of her other books too) A White Merc with Fins-James Hawes I’ll second **Diogenes** ’ I,Claudius, though it has been a while since I read it. On the sceming Romans theme, I’ve been getting sucked into Steven Saylor’s Gordianus novels in a seriously big way. I’m sure to re-read them, once I’ve finished the series. This even though they are who-dunnits and I would already know who-dunnit. Anything by China Mieville also has as yet unrealised re-reading potential. ---
**Author:** ![LVBoPeep](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/858c86/32.png) [@LVBoPeep](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/LVBoPeep)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 4:10pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/72 "2004-05-04T16:10:37Z")
Hi, Of course I had a long post written and POOFED! it (my own fault). Ditto on the great Jane Austen (I even named my last dog Jane- she’s a great dog and deserves the namesake 🙂 . I re-read \*Pride & Prejudice & Persuasion \* the most, and will use the BBC film versions of both, plus the recent Mansfield Park film to fall asleep too (tv sleep timers rule!) or listen too while I’m on the computer. My absolute favorite re-read is \*Lonesome Dove \* by Larry McMurtry. Just a perfect, perfect read. It doesn’t have a single flaw except for maybe being too short 😃 . I also like the pre-quel of \*Dead Man’s Walk \* the best out of that series. I am also in the very bad habit of not buying new reads often enough and only sticking to what I’ve read in the past. I have tons of books around so there is always something I haven’t read for a few years. ---
**Author:** ![BrandyNicole](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/779978/32.png) [@BrandyNicole](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrandyNicole)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 5:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/73 "2004-05-04T17:06:03Z")
I have several…_Anne if Green Gabeles_ , _Wuthering Heights_ ,_The Canterbury Tales_ ,and the _Harry Potter_ series, to name a few. ---
**Author:** ![FriendRob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/ecc23a/32.png) [@FriendRob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/FriendRob)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 5:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/74 "2004-05-04T17:31:55Z")
I’m an inveterate rereader - I love this thread! My favorites have been mentioned already: C.S. Lewis, J.R.R.Tolkein, LeGuin, Sayers, Heinlein, Vonnegut. I read most of these as a teenager, and I haven’t often reread books that I read first as an adult. I have sometimes wondered if I’m not as good a reader as I was then - don’t have the same kind of emotional investment in a story. It can’t possibly be that none of the authors I’ve read more recently aren’t as good. Two exceptions, one minor and one major, to the above. Minor exception: **Wicked** , by Gregory Maguire. I’ve read it twice and probably will read it again - I’m still trying to figure out what it all means. Major exception: **Terry Pratchett** I’m going to be rereading these for years to come! And he just keeps getting better… ---
**Author:** ![Avarie537](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/48db29/32.png) [@Avarie537](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Avarie537)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 6:06pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/75 "2004-05-04T18:06:37Z")
> [@PookahMacPhellimey](#): > > \ > > On the sceming Romans theme, I’ve been getting sucked into Steven Saylor’s Gordianus novels in a seriously big way. I’m sure to re-read them, once I’ve finished the series. This even though they are who-dunnits and I would already know who-dunnit. > > \ Thank you so much for mentioning this author!! My high school Latin teacher gave me one of his books to read, and I have never been able to remember his name! ---
**Author:** ![Kizarvexius](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/da6949/32.png) [@Kizarvexius](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kizarvexius)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 6:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/76 "2004-05-04T18:56:16Z")
I’m heavily into historical fiction, especially related to two particular eras: the ancient Mediterranean, and World War II. And these are my repeat reads. Colleen McCollough’s _Masters of Rome_ series. The standard by which all historical novels are to be judged. I’ve read all but the final book at least twice, and I’m working my way through that one now. Nicholas Guild’s _The Assyrian_ and _The Blood Star_. Excellent in every way. Anyone have a copy of _The Blood Star_ they’re willing to part with? Robert Graves’ _I, Claudius_ and _Claudius the God_. They redefined the historical novel and made it a legitimate art form. Steven Saylor’s _Roma Sub Rosa_ series. The early ones are so-so, but they get better and better with each new one. Stephen Thayer’s _Pursuit_. A brilliantly clever story of a Nazi assassin out to kill FDR. Lothar Gunther Buchheim’s _Das Boot_. Beyond harrowing. William Diehl’s _The Hunt_. More WWII espionage. Beyond those two categories: Ken Follett’s _Pillars of the Earth_. I think I’ve read it 6 times by now. Ellen Raskin’s _The Westing Game_. My absolute favorite book from childhood. Brilliant at every turn. Frederick Forsythe’s _The Day of The Jackal_ and _The Devil’s Alternative_. ---
**Author:** ![Kallessa](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/7993a0/32.png) [@Kallessa](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kallessa)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 11:17pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/77 "2004-05-04T23:17:55Z")
Many of the books I re-read have been mentioned, but to give added weight to a few of them: Sharon Kay Penland–excellent historical fiction. I start one, then re-read them all. Tom Robbins–_Jitterbug Perfume_\* is a fantastic book, and _Still Life with Woodpecker_ is as well. Add _Fierce Invalids Home From Hot Climates_ and you have a really good read. Susan Cooper–I read her each Midwinter. Guy Gavriel Kay–I prefer _Tigana_, but everything he writes is magical. Joseph Heller–_Catch-22_, I usually start somewhere in the middle, read to the end, then read the beginning. I don’t know why, but it works for me, and because the story is not sequential, it doesn’t change the book. And to add: Patricia McKillip–everything she’s written is excellent and well worth re-reading, but _The Forgotten Beast of Eld_ is my favorite. I read it when I need to escape, want romance, and a good cry. Cecilia Holland–another excellent historical fiction writer. My favorite is _Rakossey_, but again, she does not disappoint me. ---
**Author:** ![Quint](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/76d3ee/32.png) [@Quint](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Quint)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2004, 11:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/78 "2004-05-04T23:57:24Z")
> [@Diogenes the Cynic](#): > > **Huck Finn** At least once a year, usually twice for me. Hands down the winner on my bookshelf. The last few years I’ve also re-read **All the Pretty Horses** regularly. ---
**Author:** ![mailman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/8491ac/32.png) [@mailman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mailman)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 12:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/79 "2004-05-05T00:07:20Z")
From the sublime to the ridiculuous– Tom Sawyer–I read it five times every year with classes and I never mind the repetition. Huck Finn. What else is there to say? [Have you spotted the wooden leg joke Twain sneaks in there?] Cannery Row–Never get tired of it somehow. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress–I know, Heinlein was a nutcase, but I love that book. ---
**Author:** ![Helena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/c68b51/32.png) [@Helena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Helena)\ **Post date:** [May 5, 2004, 1:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803/80 "2004-05-05T01:16:46Z")
I find Bujold’s Vorkosigan series wonderfully re-readable. I’m currently on _Mirror Dance_ for the nth time. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803.md?page=3) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/what-is-your-favorite-book-to-read-again-and-again-and-again/242803.md?page=5)