Thursday, my Friday, Book Chat day! As always, you can link up on Sweet Green Tangerine.
Today’s Question: Do you like to re-read books? Which are your favorite to read?
I do. I love to re-read books. In fact, I think it’s completely underrated and really, if you truly love to read, you will re-read, too. I don’t mean to judge if you’re not a re-reader, I just think you’re missing out SO much.
When I was a child, I constantly re-read the same books. I have one shelf of my old elementary school & pre-teen novels, and I could practically recite any of them back to you, even after so many years have passed since I last picked one up. California Diaries, Amazing Days of Abby Hayes, various titles by R.L Stine, Kit Pearson, and a ton of other awesome 90′s books that I would pick up at Garage sales.
As a teenager, I did a lot of re-reading as well. Obviously, Harry Potter. I loved reading those, but I must admit I didn’t re-read the later ones nearly as much because they were so big. I read the Shopaholic series by Sophie Kinsella several times in high school as well as a few of her other books that had been out back then.
I was also weirdly in love with a particular French series of books by V.C Andrews that my grandmother lent me when I was in high school. The English translation of the book series is ‘The Landry Family‘ and it’s twisted, classic V.C Andrews, and I have no idea why but I just ADORE those books. In fact, I made my grandmother promise not to ever get rid of them when I gave them back to her (after reading them several times) because I wanted them so badly. And in fact, when she passed away, it was the first thing my mother let me take out of her apartment. The books not only have their own space on my bookshelf, but they make me think SO much of her every time I look at them. I’ve been waiting for a good moment to finally read them again, for the first time since I was a teenager and able to avidly discuss them with my grandmother, who had loved them very much too.
Now that I’m older and have a more in-depth knowledge of books (thank you, job in book industry!) I’ve definitely re-read books much less, because I’m constantly buying NEW books. In the last two years I’ve made a point of re-reading favorites, and the more I do it the more I am reminded of just how much I love them. In the last 3-4 years I have re-read The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants series (a long-time favorite), The Hunger Games series, and the entire collection of Harry Potter. I’ve begun to remember, slowly, just how important it is to keep these stories in my life, and plan on re-reading some of them every year from now on. I have a fairly vast book collection, and I don’t think there is any point to it at all if I don’t take full advantage, and crack open some books I’ve loved so much, time and time again!
Some novels I’d like to re-read in the near future:
- The Book Thief by Markus Zusak
- The entire Mortal Instruments series
- The Jessica Darling series
- The Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffeneger
- 13 Little Blue Envelopes by Maureen Johnson
To be honest, I could have probably gone on longer, but I think that dozen is a good enough start!
Do you re-read favorites? If not, why and if so, what are some of your favorite re-reads?
I don’t reread as much as I should, mostly because there are so many new books I want to read! My “TBR” list on Goodreads has, like, over 300 books on it and then I have books to read to review and for book club and I rarely have time to get around to rereading favorites. I am in the process of rereading a series by one of my favorite authors and it reminds me just how much I love rereading favorites and being in the stories once again. I know it’s something I should make more time for but it’s not always possible!
I know, I feel the same way about having too many books TO read, and sometimes it feels like a chore to pick up an old book. But I never ever regret it. I always love re-reading!
I read the Landry series! After I read them I read a few of the other series that she wrote. I loved the orphans series too. I can’t believe I forgot about them. Now I want to go do a re-read! lol That was so long ago…
OMG you read the Landry series?!?!I feel like they’re extremely different in French (the language I read them in) but who knows. I’ve never met anyone other than my family who has picked them up, lol! They’ve long been out of print, so I cherish my collection… It’s so silly because they’re so unlike any book I’d ever read know. I can’t help it, I’m attached!
I have a hard time rereading books usually because I have such an obsessive passion to TRY ALL THE THINGS READ ALL THE THINGS that sometimes repeat time feels like I’m wasting time. Though they are a few books before I was bitten by this weird bug that I’ve read a dozen times at least. Little Women is one.
I feel the exact same way!!! I love reading MORE MORE MORE new books, but I never regret taking the time to re-read a favorite. I often get so nostalgic for that time in my life and I just fall in love with it all over again. I think we all have those *books* that we go back to (like you and little women), but I think it’s important to make the time for all the books that we’ve loved over the years, too!
I miss the days of going book hunting at garage sales! I haven’t done that since I was a kid going with my parents….Back in the good ol’ days, I used to buy any book that sounded cool from reading the back cover, but now I tend to look up ratings on Amazon and Goodreads first, which is a habit that I really must learn to break.
I started reading Flowers In The Attic in high school and enjoyed it, but I only read the first few chapters, as it was a school library book that I had checked out at the very end of senior year, so I hadn’t had the time to finish it. Love the movie, though – totally twisted! I must get back to that series sometime…
You’ve listed a great selection of books in this post!
Thank you! And garage sale books were totally the best. To be fair, we didn’t have Goodreads and Amazon back in the day, but I do the same thing now. I think now that we’re older, we just have sooooo many more choices, it’s hard to just go in a store or in a sale and browse for something that seems good. Ratings are the best way to sort out what we’ll enjoy from what we might not!
I love how everyone at the book chat today is mentioning Harry Potter. I haven’t read many of the books that you’ve mentioned but I think I’ll check them out.
After reading everyone’s posts today, I plan on picking up a re-read soon. I really do want to reread THG and TFiOS. Some of those, I sped through so fast, that I didn’t get to really enjoy them. Oh and I want to re-read Delirium and Pandemonium before Requiem comes out.
I do not re-read books much, mostly because I feel like there are so many books I want/need to read, I don’t make time to re-read books (unless it’s for a book club, then I will re-read it if it’s a book I really liked the first time around). I do re-read Tuesdays with Morrie on an almost yearly basis as it always gives me a good perspective on things in life!
I know exactly what you mean about having so many other books to read before going back to those you’ve already absorbed. It often feels like there’s just no *point* to re-reading, but then when I finally do, I realize just how much I’ve forgotten, and I manage to fall back in love with my favorites all over again! It’s so worth it. Tuesdays with Morrie was a great book wasn’t it?! I had to read it for school, and I became a huge Mitch Albom fan after that. I’ve read all but two of his books which are on my bookshelf waiting for their turn!
I love to see you mentioned the California Diaries again! Baby-Sitters’ Club for grown-ups haha. (Or at least young adults.)
I love re-reading books. I like seeing if books still have the same impact on me in different phases of my life.
I would really like to re-read the Jessica Darling series, too!
I tend not to re-read because I feel like it’s time that could be spent reading something new. I do love The Book Thief though and I’ve had a hankering to read it again recently. I really couldn’t get into The Time Traveller’s Wife. At the time everyone around me was going crazy over it and it just didn’t do it for me!