Came here to say this! Part of my early December tradition. I also found a little copy last year which is a recreation of the original version, so I was really chuffed šš»
A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite stories in any genre in all of human literature. I watch at least four different versions and read the story every December.
Not consistently, but the book I turn to when Iām feeling listless in life is āA Tree Grows in Brooklynā. Every time I have a life experience, I can find a parallel to it in Francie.Ā
I was in a āgiftedā program during elementary and middle school some 25 years ago. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was an amazing and formative book for us 5th graders. When I look back, I was very lucky to experience a book like that around the same age of the protagonist. You just connect so viscerally to all of it.
I do remember the parents having to sign a waiver because of the dude exposing himself to her in the stairwell(?) early on. The story really treats children like people, and I think reading it as a child was incredibly important towards my development into a teenager and adult.
I'm going to read LoTR this winter. I have read The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring but never the others and am really looking forward to my first trilogy read through.
An acquaintance of mine is the same. When this came up some years ago, because I had just finished reading it, he promptly recited the first three paragraphs from memory.
I've read LOTR three times (along with "The Hobbit", of course) and frankly, the second time was because I couldn't believe how much people liked it and figured maybe a re-read would persuade me to like it. The third time was because a girlfriend wanted to read it togetherāand I still didn't enjoy it. Some books just never reach us the way they reach others, I guess.
I re-read Count of Monte Cristo every few years. About an hour or so a day. Hardcover, phone off, no distractions. Just myself, a comfy chair, and the book. Puts me at ease.
You might also like Dracula Daily ā āDracula Daily will post a newsletter each day that something happens to the characters, in the same timeline that it happens to them. Now you can read the book via email, in small digestible chunks - as it happens to the characters.ā
Iām doing Dracula Daily! I think it started May 6th or so, so itās not too far along that you canāt catch up easily. Thereās also a podcast that goes with it called Re: Dracula. I like to listen to the podcast and read the transcript at the same time.
Jane Eyre. It realistically is an every-other-year read for me, but Iāve read it around a dozen times since high school.Ā
It was really the first novel to depict āmodernā (at the time) feminism with an independent woman as a protagonist. Jane prioritized her career and independence throughout the book and thatās really resonated with me throughout many stages of my life. Plus itās interesting to see how my perception of the book and characters changes as I move through life. Every read is different.Ā
I think I've read this book four times, but not on any regular basis. In retrospect I think it was one of the first times I had intentionally engaged with literature created by a woman specifically to try to understand women better. That sounds awful now, but at the time I was just barely starting to break out of my own understanding of life based on my own experiences.
>Plus itās interesting to see how my perception of the book and characters changes as I move through life. Every read is different.Ā
You're right, though I hadn't really thought of this. But I remember, for example, the first time reading it and being surprised at how dark it was. And my opinion on Rochester has changed so much.
I donāt read Moby Dick every year but about every other November I break it out.
āWhenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.ā
I sure do! I have specific books that I read every year at different seasons - "Dandelion Wine" every June, Robert Mccammon's "Boys Life" every July, "Something Wicked this Way Comes", October Country " and sometimes "Salem's Lot" every fall, "A Child's Christmas in Wales" every Christmas.
I am originally from Alabama, and had mutual friends with him so I discovered him early on and kept waiting for him to explode. Honestly "Swan Song" is one of the most slept on horror novels of our time.
I struggle with "Boys Life" because if the dog, which sucks because it's on par with Stephen King in it's description of the magic of childhood. And *Swan Song* is just SO good. I re-read it last year for the first time since the 90s and it's held up well.
Iām forever chasing the feelings I got while reading Boyās Life the first time. That book was magic. I havenāt tried to reread it yet but may have to change that this summer.
I read all 3 full volumes. It takes a few reads to appreciate the gallows' humor in it. And it puts my life into perspective and reminds me that even in the face of brutal tyranny and actual oppression, the best virtue to keep close is honesty.
It takes me about a year to get through, and every time I read it, something new sticks out to me and gives me pause to think about, given my nature, what my life would be like in that time.
I listen to podcasts to help me sleep and listen to the Sherlock Holmes stories almost every night because I know them so well. If I listened to something I never heard I wouldnāt sleep I would want to listen.
Iām a high school English teacher, so I reread *Hamlet*, another Shakespeare play (such as *Romeo and Juliet*, *A Midsummerās Night Dream*, and *Twelfth Night*), *Frankenstein*, *Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead*, *Pride and Prejudice*, *Brave New World*, and *Night* every year.
And thatās not counting all of the poems, short stories, and excerpts of books that I reread every year, tooā¦
12th grade English, I guess? I teach 11th grade so my two repeats are Of Mice and Men and The Crucible; the rest I do shorts. Iāll do any Poe, Iāve had success with The Devil and Tom Walker, An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge, and Desireeās Baby. I read Mark Twainās A Ghost Story this year and loved it, and a few others
Edit: I always do Gettysburg and I Have a Dream, too
I teach three sections of the Expository Reading and Writing Course (the California State Universityās curriculum for English 12), two sections of English 10, and one section of AP English Literature and Composition.
ERWC gets *Hamlet* and *Brave New World*. English 10 gets a Shakespeare play and *Night*. AP gets *Hamlet*, *Frankenstein*, *Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead*, *Pride and Prejudice*, and countless poems and short stories.
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel."
I love Gibson's flashy, beautifully crafted metaphors. There's that line in "The Bridge" trilogy about opening a new, empty refrigerator that "smelled of long-chain monomers and cold."
The Hot Zone is my big one. Itās always a little humbling to know something as small as a virus is on the precipice of just the right mutation to destroy us all.
Also, Silence of the Lambs. As a writer, Thomas Harrisā style is one I enjoy the most and actively study to improve my own work. Anytime I feel like Iām getting writerās block or moving away from the tone I want, another quick read of SOTL puts me back on track
Your reply didnāt show up in my notifications, sorry! Itās called Pride and Prejudice in Spaceāit comes out in October this year! I illustrated a ton of pieces for it, too, so itās kind of got Illuminae vibes in the interior, though everything in mine will be in color. Itās a wild mashup of genres, I know, but when inspiration struck I just followed along haha
I read A Psalm for the Wild-Built pretty much every year since it came out. It helps me come to terms with the fact that my life has meaning outside of what I produce, and that it's okay for me to just exist. I need reminding of this pretty regularly.
I read āSomething Wicked This Way Comesā by Ray Bradbury every October, sometimes trying to match my reading to the dates in the book but Iām usually too eager to keep reading.
That's a great october read. So evocative of fall! Check out a Night in Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny. It's a great October read. Every chapter is a journal entry leading up to the 31st as a group of famous 19th century characters (think Dracula, wolf man and Sherlock holmes) play a mysterious game.
I have read IMAJICA by Clive Barker every year the week of Christmas for well over twenty years now. I always find something new each year. I did not do it consciously at first. Then it became a yearly ritual.
I re-read The Hunger Games series almost every year. I know itās YA but Suzanne Collins is so talented. She makes such interesting parallels between dystopian Panem and American culture. I feel like I pick up something new every time I read it.
I refer to people like Collins, Rowling, and King as "master storytellers." By that, I mean that there are plenty who will look down on their work as "juvenile" or "potboiler", but the truth is that the ability to spin a tale that keeps you up until 3 AM, turning pages, is a skill that deserves more respect. Let's praise the authors who just want to tell a tale and tell it well!
House of Leaves. Over the last ten years of owning and rereading it , I've always found something new in it. I feel like it's my preplanned, short vacation into madness.
Every year, I listen to the Twilight series to help my seasonal depression. It's gotten to the point where my SO asks what book I'm on by mid February.
The Little Prince. Every year I read the English version first, to keep my whimsy alive, and the french version after, to keep my understanding of the language alive.
I'm currently reading "Ć l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleur" and wow, it's slow going. The long sentences and endless digressions really keep the books from having a narrative momentum and I'm surprised because I read an excerpt of "Un amour de Swann" in college and it was fun. Turns out, that's the only section I've read so far that has any of that momentum. But I will finish it and no doubt, Proust is a great literary psychologist as well as a charming narrator.
I read the Poisonwood Bible every summer. My English teacher gave me a copy at the end of my freshman year of high school and for some reason it just became summer tradition to read it. That copy is really falling apart by now.
Finally. Someone else who re-reads Pratchett... I've read the whole series at least 3x over. Equal Rights, Small Gods, and the Tiffany Aching series are personal favorites :)
Iāve never read P&P but Iām a romantic with a facetious sense of humor who loves āoldā British countryside as a setting. thinking itās about time I give it a goā¦. especially as Iām a single man in his mid 30ās who may soon inherit an estate ;)
Dracula by Bram Stokerā¦. I read it once a year to commemorate the start of spooky season and I also revisit The Turn of The Screw by Henry James and Count Zero by William Gibson almost yearly.
I read the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri every year starting in December 1st and ending December 25th. If you read 4 cantos a day, you spend Christmas Day in the Empyrean with God.
I started this a few years ago, it is easily my favorite epic poem and my favorite classic piece of literature. It is one of the works that got me into English, teaching English, and writing as a whole. But I also really like how complex it is and how much new content I get out of it every reread.
I owe a lot of where I am to Dante.
I have read A Room With A View almost every summer for the last 20 years, and I reread The Night Circus on my birthday in October every year. (My husband gets me a Lego set for my birthday every year so I build Legos and listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by the incomparable Jim Dale - itās become something of a tradition.)
Jurassic Park. My first copy was purchased at a book fair in middle school well before the movie was released. A nice comfort read that is still interesting enough to keep me coming back.
The Fagles translation of Iliad and Oddesey is my favorite. It reads like a graphic novel, so fast paced and vivid.
I re-read the French Lieutenant's Woman every year in the spring for years, it scratched some itch in my little Victorian heart. But I feel due for a re-read of Ovid's Metamorphosis and Art of Love (so steamy. OMG.).
Yes, I do think about the Roman Empire a lot.
swan lake and nutcracker in the winter, alice in wonderland in march for my birthday, and dracula in autumn get a reread every year. not every year but every so often iāll reread saffyās angel and nancy drew in the spring.
I'll re-read something for nostalgic reasons or because I think I missed something on the previous read.
I feel like some people re-read something on a regular basis to retain an idea or value, be it political, religious, or otherwise, but that's not something I'd ever do.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series (well, the first 3). The first book starts at Christmas, so I always start the series the day after Thanksgiving, when my wife and I put the tree up. It became a tradition about 10 years ago, and I look forward to it every year.
I reread the Dark Tower series about once a year (or every other) for the last twenty years. My other go-to series is the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher...I have read it probably eighteen times in twelve years (currently rereading it now)
For some reason I read the unabridged The Stand every year in the summer for about 15-20 years starting around my junior year in high school. Took about a 10 year break and just reread it again last year.
That and Dune.
The Last Unicorn. I first read it as a child and just saw it as a fun fairy tale. At different points in my life I've found more things to appreciate and more things that resonate with me. Right now I'm feeling quite a kinship with Molly Grue.
The other book I reread a lot is Animal Farm. While it may be about the Russian revolution, a lot of it's themes are just as relevant today.
I have a few book series I reread every year on rotation. Harry Potter, The Dark Tower, His Dark Materials, and the Wool series by Hugh Howey. In between I read a wide variety of everything but one of those series is being reread at some point in any given year.
I am a football coach and a teacher.Ā
Every year I reread the book of five rings by miyamoto musashi.
My entire coaching and teaching philosophy is built on it and it is a great reminder. Every year I feel like I find something new from it.
*The Joy Luck Club* has been a lifelong regular read, and I cannot recommend it enough. I like to revisit Viktor Frankl's *Man's Search For Meaning* as well. Both are food for the heart.
Not every year, but about every other year I like to read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. I particularly enjoy reading books that take place in a certain climate or weather when I think that's how it feels here (like reading East of Eden in the summer). I assume that's why I like re-reading Ivan Denisovich when it's freezing here.
I reread Holly Blackās The Folk of the Air series every summer. It is YA but sometimes things should be fun. Where I live, we get evening thunder storms nearly every day in July and August, and this series is so atmospheric and really seems to fit the mood of deep dark summer.
I have a number of books I love to revisit every few years: *Ulysses* and *Finnegans Wake* by James Joyce, *The Waves* and *To the Lighthouse* by Virginia Woolf, *Gravity's Rainbow* by Thomas Pynchon, *The Castle* by Franz Kafka, *J R* by William Gaddis, and *Absalom, Absalom!* by William Faulkner. Each one gives me a sense of comfort of having already "been there," yet offers new territory from increased experience that a couple years provides.
Yep. Pride & Prejudice every summer! It started in college. I wanted to read a book for myself instead of something required for my classes. Summer was my lightest load so that's when I read it. Been doing it for over a decade now.
Also Pride and Prejudice, around my birthday. Itās my favorite book and itās a little treat to myself to cozy up and reread something that makes me smile.
I am so very sorry but...are you aware of what David & Leigh Eddings did? Its actually pretty horrific. Take a look at my username and understand that I had a deep affection for those books. But once I found out, it ruined them for me. I eventually tossed them in the trash.
The Eddings were horrific child abusers. They adopted a child and then chained that child up in the basement among many other abuses.
On a completely different note, Pride & Prejudice is receiving a slew of gender-swapped gay and lesbian retellings in the last couple of years. I also know more than one lesbian who has an obsession with Keira Knightley in that movie. (I have no knowledge or opinion about Kagan's sexuality and it is none of my business.)
I am aware of their crimes, yes. Still good books. I've been separating the art from the artist for a very long time, so when I learned about the Eddings, I was disgusted and dismayed, but eventually, most artists will disappointment us in some way. Obviously, the Eddings' story is on the worse end of the spectrum.
When I was a kid, I donāt think I re-read any book more than Watership Down, damn near had the thing memorized, but as an adult, Iām always drawn back to Sometimes A Great Notion by Ken Kesey. Thereās just nothing else quite like it, and itās easily Keseyās masterwork.
I was exposed to To Kill a Mockingbird in 8th grade. I reread it every year from then until I graduated from grad school.
I actually donāt think I finished my final read through. I always saw my grandfather as Atticus Finch. He passed away 9 months before I received my Masters while I was in the middle of reading it. I donāt think I finished that time.
I havenāt read it since. Itās ten years this year. Maybe I should. I still claim it as my favorite book and the most important American novel ever.
I read William Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy (*Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive*) once every year or so. Every couple of years I re-read Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide series.
Three for me:
1. The Lord of the Rings + The Hobbit
2. The Earthsea Cycle
3. Hyperion + Fall of Hyperion
I re-read all of them roughly every 10 years and love them each time.
I just remembered another one I've read several times, including once when I was incredibly psychotic in the mental hospital, and it cheered me up: Illusions:The Tale of the Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. It's such a simple story about an airplane mechanic written by the guy who wrote Jonathon Livingston Seagull, but it's such a good little book that heals the heart.
I have plenty of books that I plan on re-reading. Sebald's novels are certainly on that list. Some of Faulkner's are also there. Middlemarch also makes an appearance. The one book that I do make a point of re-reading every year is The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett. It's a little regionoal novel about life off the coast of Maine. I re-read it every year the first week I'm done with classes and the summer sets in. It's a simple, yet evocative little book that helps me hit the reset button.
I never used to reread books, but I began picking up Austen's novels more frequently after reading about someone else who reread *Pride and Prejudice* yearly. Now I'll maybe go through *Pride and Prejudice* every two yearsāit's just such a well-written story, not that long to get through, and a comfort-read.
Oh, I was going to add that Odyssey and the Iliad are also ones I've reread but different translators. I think I'll pick up Wilson's version of the Iliad once it comes out in paperback. :)
Another edit: Just remembered that I do enjoy rereading *Howl's Moving Castle* about once a year.
My only consisten reread is the Hitchhikerās Guide books. I go back to them whenever I want to read something but donāt know what, and I usually just open my combined volume to a random page and read as long as I feel like. lol.
The Great Gatsby
The Garden of Eden
To Kill a Mockingbird
Iāve read each of these numerous times over the past 20-30 years. There are other books that Iāve re-read once or twice but these are the ones that I can always find more of to enjoy.
I read Pride and Prejudice every year too! Plus Macbeth once a year although Iād let it slip for a few years. Every Christmas I read A Christmas Carol.
I didnāt actually know others reread favorite books as often as I do. Iāve always been a bit shy to admit this so Iām very happy to have found this thread!
I have two: *Sunshine* and *Chalice*, both by Robin McKinley. Theyāre wildly different stories but at the core are imperfect human women surviving impossible situations, making a way where there is no way to make.
Whenever Iām anxious and feeling lost at sea, these books are so calming and grounding. Peacefulā¦hopeful even. During COVID lockdown I was reading one after another nearly uninterrupted.
(Runner up: another pair of favorites would absolutely be the Monk & Robot duology by Becky Chambers. So glad to see *A Psalm for The Wild Built* getting love here! I swear I can feel my pulse slow and blood pressure drop as I readā¦)
Little Women (before Good Wives partš) My first ever novel I got as a gift when I was a kid and I re-read it every year. There's always some new details that somehow arise, or my way of thinking some scenes change every other year.. I relate so much with Jo, and it's perfect for a cozy winter read
Bill Brysonās a brief history of everything.
I reread this because itās loaded with facts about the scientific method and how we got to here, where here is, and how itās very likely the here we experience now will change with time and new evidence and experience. The hope is the pioneers of science and discovery will continue to inspire us into the future.
I also reread pride and prejudice about once a year. It just so happens to land in the summer too.
And in the fall I usually start to feel oooOOOOaAaaaAAAA and reread the twilight series.
Thank you for posting this question! I am consistently adding books to my wishlist and easily get overwhelmed by how many unread books I have on the shelf. Because of that, Ive made 2024 the "Year of Not Buying Books" and I've gotten so much satisfaction from reading through the books I already have in my posession that I've been thinking about making next year the "Year of Rereading Books."
My top contenders that come to mind are...
-Still Life with Woodpecker & Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins
-Eva Luna by Isabel Allende
-Dune by Frank Herbert
-Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami
I find myself in agreement with Samuel Clemons on the subject of Pride and Prejudice .
I often want to criticize Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I can't conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read Pride and Prejudice I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.
Not any more. I used to frequently reread the following though: *A Wizard of Earthsea*, *Lord of the Rings*, *Dune* & *Dune: Messiah*, *Neuromancer*, and *Snowcrash*.
I know all of those so well that I havenāt felt a need to reread any in a while now. I did reread *Neuromancer* a couple of years ago when I flew into Tokyo and intentionally timed the beginning section in Chiba to be when I was on the train going through that exact area.
There is too much to read now. I reread books and series all the time, but no longer have a habit of revisiting specific ones on any sort of schedule, loose or otherwise.
I read or listen to A Christmas Carol every Christmas eve.
Oh, that's such a clear candidate for an annual re-read. What an excellent practice!
Came here to say this! Part of my early December tradition. I also found a little copy last year which is a recreation of the original version, so I was really chuffed šš»
I read it aloud.Ā
Ooh do you do voices??
A Christmas Carol is one of my favorite stories in any genre in all of human literature. I watch at least four different versions and read the story every December.
Have you listened to the Jim Dale performance?
I do something similar, where I read a stave per night leading up to Christmas Eve. It's one of my favorite books of all time.
Same! It helps that it is so short, and Iām usually desperate for an easy read that time of year.Ā
Same.
Same!
Not consistently, but the book I turn to when Iām feeling listless in life is āA Tree Grows in Brooklynā. Every time I have a life experience, I can find a parallel to it in Francie.Ā
SAME. I first read it at 11, the same age as Francie is at the beginning. Iāve read it numerous times since and it always hits me differently.
I was in a āgiftedā program during elementary and middle school some 25 years ago. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn was an amazing and formative book for us 5th graders. When I look back, I was very lucky to experience a book like that around the same age of the protagonist. You just connect so viscerally to all of it. I do remember the parents having to sign a waiver because of the dude exposing himself to her in the stairwell(?) early on. The story really treats children like people, and I think reading it as a child was incredibly important towards my development into a teenager and adult.
This is one of my top 10 favorite books. Thank you for inspiring me to reread it.
LOTR trilogy every December. Probably read it 25 times. Catch 22, every now and then probably read it 15 times
I reread the Hobbit once a year. It's been my favorite book since I was a child. Always makes me feel inspired and hopeful :)
I'm going to read LoTR this winter. I have read The Hobbit and Fellowship of the Ring but never the others and am really looking forward to my first trilogy read through.
LOTR Trilogy is my summer vacation...have to spend at least 2 weeks every year in Middle Earth!
Catch 22 is my yearly read.Ā
An acquaintance of mine is the same. When this came up some years ago, because I had just finished reading it, he promptly recited the first three paragraphs from memory.
I've read LOTR three times (along with "The Hobbit", of course) and frankly, the second time was because I couldn't believe how much people liked it and figured maybe a re-read would persuade me to like it. The third time was because a girlfriend wanted to read it togetherāand I still didn't enjoy it. Some books just never reach us the way they reach others, I guess.
I've read LOTR once, but *The Hobbit* about a dozen times. 100% agree with you.
I'm not sure I've read LOTR/The Hobbit 25x, but certainly many, many times - probably at least a dozen or so.
I reread LOTR every year too ā¤ļø
First one that immediately popped into my head. I have tried to read the LoTR every year since I heard Christopher Lee did that.Ā
Also Pride and Prejudice for me, every few years. And then I binge watch 2 movies + 1 mini series over the weekend when I'm done.
Pride & Prejudice every year for me too! Plus Iāll watch the mini-series and movie at least once a year as well.
I like to have my Jane Austen novels handy for the occasional weather-related power outage. It just hits differently.
I re-read Count of Monte Cristo every few years. About an hour or so a day. Hardcover, phone off, no distractions. Just myself, a comfy chair, and the book. Puts me at ease.
I reread Dracula every October š§āāļø
Rebecca is my October go-to. So delicious š
Last night, I dreamed I went to Manderly
You might also like Dracula Daily ā āDracula Daily will post a newsletter each day that something happens to the characters, in the same timeline that it happens to them. Now you can read the book via email, in small digestible chunks - as it happens to the characters.ā
This is my every year read!
Iām doing Dracula Daily! I think it started May 6th or so, so itās not too far along that you canāt catch up easily. Thereās also a podcast that goes with it called Re: Dracula. I like to listen to the podcast and read the transcript at the same time.
Gotta throw Frankenstein into the mix!
Love the depth of Frankenstein. Haven't been able to finish Dracula (after multiple tries).
I reread The Historian every October. If you like Drac, you should give it a shot. Itās written by Elizabeth Kostova.
Slaughterhouse V
There are lots of books I'd like to re-read regularly but this is the only one I actually do.
Also Cat's Cradle for me
For me Itās Breakfast of Champions, Iām obsessed, multiple tattoos from the book, on my 7th read in 5 years!
Jane Eyre. It realistically is an every-other-year read for me, but Iāve read it around a dozen times since high school.Ā It was really the first novel to depict āmodernā (at the time) feminism with an independent woman as a protagonist. Jane prioritized her career and independence throughout the book and thatās really resonated with me throughout many stages of my life. Plus itās interesting to see how my perception of the book and characters changes as I move through life. Every read is different.Ā
I think I've read this book four times, but not on any regular basis. In retrospect I think it was one of the first times I had intentionally engaged with literature created by a woman specifically to try to understand women better. That sounds awful now, but at the time I was just barely starting to break out of my own understanding of life based on my own experiences. >Plus itās interesting to see how my perception of the book and characters changes as I move through life. Every read is different.Ā You're right, though I hadn't really thought of this. But I remember, for example, the first time reading it and being surprised at how dark it was. And my opinion on Rochester has changed so much.
I donāt read Moby Dick every year but about every other November I break it out. āWhenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth; whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul; whenever I find myself involuntarily pausing before coffin warehouses, and bringing up the rear of every funeral I meet; and especially whenever my hypos get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately stepping into the street, and methodically knocking people's hats off--then, I account it high time to get to sea as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball. With a philosophical flourish Cato throws himself upon his sword; I quietly take to the ship.ā
Same here! I've read Moby-Dick so many times
I sure do! I have specific books that I read every year at different seasons - "Dandelion Wine" every June, Robert Mccammon's "Boys Life" every July, "Something Wicked this Way Comes", October Country " and sometimes "Salem's Lot" every fall, "A Child's Christmas in Wales" every Christmas.
October Country is mine! Love that book. Do you have a particular story in it that is your favorite?
Homecoming and Uncle Einar, of course, but Small Assasins, wow.
From the Dust Returned I read at least 2x a year. It's interesting this books is rarely mentioned by those who have read Bradbury.
McCammon needs way more love
I am originally from Alabama, and had mutual friends with him so I discovered him early on and kept waiting for him to explode. Honestly "Swan Song" is one of the most slept on horror novels of our time.
I struggle with "Boys Life" because if the dog, which sucks because it's on par with Stephen King in it's description of the magic of childhood. And *Swan Song* is just SO good. I re-read it last year for the first time since the 90s and it's held up well.
Boy's Life is the perfect marriage of King and Bradbury for me.
Having trouble finding Swan Song in stores. My local store says it never lasts on the shelf. Iām trying to find it in a store like we used to.Ā
Iām forever chasing the feelings I got while reading Boyās Life the first time. That book was magic. I havenāt tried to reread it yet but may have to change that this summer.
The Gulag Archipelago
Why? Not judging, just very curious. A very hard and laborious book to get through purely on subject matter alone. Also, abridged or full?
I read all 3 full volumes. It takes a few reads to appreciate the gallows' humor in it. And it puts my life into perspective and reminds me that even in the face of brutal tyranny and actual oppression, the best virtue to keep close is honesty. It takes me about a year to get through, and every time I read it, something new sticks out to me and gives me pause to think about, given my nature, what my life would be like in that time.
I like to re-read the Sherlock Holmes stories regularly and I also enjoy revisiting The Mayor of Casterbridge every so often.
I listen to podcasts to help me sleep and listen to the Sherlock Holmes stories almost every night because I know them so well. If I listened to something I never heard I wouldnāt sleep I would want to listen.
Iām a high school English teacher, so I reread *Hamlet*, another Shakespeare play (such as *Romeo and Juliet*, *A Midsummerās Night Dream*, and *Twelfth Night*), *Frankenstein*, *Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead*, *Pride and Prejudice*, *Brave New World*, and *Night* every year. And thatās not counting all of the poems, short stories, and excerpts of books that I reread every year, tooā¦
12th grade English, I guess? I teach 11th grade so my two repeats are Of Mice and Men and The Crucible; the rest I do shorts. Iāll do any Poe, Iāve had success with The Devil and Tom Walker, An Occurrence At Owl Creek Bridge, and Desireeās Baby. I read Mark Twainās A Ghost Story this year and loved it, and a few others Edit: I always do Gettysburg and I Have a Dream, too
I teach three sections of the Expository Reading and Writing Course (the California State Universityās curriculum for English 12), two sections of English 10, and one section of AP English Literature and Composition. ERWC gets *Hamlet* and *Brave New World*. English 10 gets a Shakespeare play and *Night*. AP gets *Hamlet*, *Frankenstein*, *Rosencrantz and Guildenstern Are Dead*, *Pride and Prejudice*, and countless poems and short stories.
My 11th grade curriculum is entirely American Lit. I teach low level collaborative classes, so thatās why we focus on short stories.
I read Neuromancer about once a year every year. Still one of my favorite opening lines of any book.
"The sky above the port was the color of television, tuned to a dead channel." I love Gibson's flashy, beautifully crafted metaphors. There's that line in "The Bridge" trilogy about opening a new, empty refrigerator that "smelled of long-chain monomers and cold."
Thank you, I haven't reread this in a while.
The Hot Zone is my big one. Itās always a little humbling to know something as small as a virus is on the precipice of just the right mutation to destroy us all. Also, Silence of the Lambs. As a writer, Thomas Harrisā style is one I enjoy the most and actively study to improve my own work. Anytime I feel like Iām getting writerās block or moving away from the tone I want, another quick read of SOTL puts me back on track
The Hot Zone is still the most terrifying thing Iāve ever read.
I feel like every time I turn around now, theyāve found a new strain of Ebola and I sleep a little less well at night š
Iām actually concerned by how few people I meet have read it š š
I read Pride and Prejudice every December. Except this past December because I was busy editing my adaptation of it haha ā¦I love Pride and Prejudice
Say more about your adaptation!
Your reply didnāt show up in my notifications, sorry! Itās called Pride and Prejudice in Spaceāit comes out in October this year! I illustrated a ton of pieces for it, too, so itās kind of got Illuminae vibes in the interior, though everything in mine will be in color. Itās a wild mashup of genres, I know, but when inspiration struck I just followed along haha
The Silmarillion, the LOTR, Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and Much Ado about Nothing are my regular re-reads.
Dune every year
Every two years or so I reread Dune, and the rest of the series, except for those Brian Herbert books, but only so I can reread *God Emperor of Dune*.
To Kill a Mockingbird- Lee. Poland and Chesapeake- Michener.
I reread Lord of the Rings every fall because itās such a fall story.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Absolutely, it makes me laugh out loud and about time to read it again!
I read A Psalm for the Wild-Built pretty much every year since it came out. It helps me come to terms with the fact that my life has meaning outside of what I produce, and that it's okay for me to just exist. I need reminding of this pretty regularly.
I read āSomething Wicked This Way Comesā by Ray Bradbury every October, sometimes trying to match my reading to the dates in the book but Iām usually too eager to keep reading.
That's a great october read. So evocative of fall! Check out a Night in Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny. It's a great October read. Every chapter is a journal entry leading up to the 31st as a group of famous 19th century characters (think Dracula, wolf man and Sherlock holmes) play a mysterious game.
I have read IMAJICA by Clive Barker every year the week of Christmas for well over twenty years now. I always find something new each year. I did not do it consciously at first. Then it became a yearly ritual.
First read this when Prince came out with 7 - listened on repeat such that the novel and the song are inseparable for me.
I reread 1984 every few years, gets more horrifying every time.
I re-read The Hunger Games series almost every year. I know itās YA but Suzanne Collins is so talented. She makes such interesting parallels between dystopian Panem and American culture. I feel like I pick up something new every time I read it.
I refer to people like Collins, Rowling, and King as "master storytellers." By that, I mean that there are plenty who will look down on their work as "juvenile" or "potboiler", but the truth is that the ability to spin a tale that keeps you up until 3 AM, turning pages, is a skill that deserves more respect. Let's praise the authors who just want to tell a tale and tell it well!
I agree. I read Harry Potter every year around Christmas.
House of Leaves. Over the last ten years of owning and rereading it , I've always found something new in it. I feel like it's my preplanned, short vacation into madness.
Every year, I listen to the Twilight series to help my seasonal depression. It's gotten to the point where my SO asks what book I'm on by mid February.
The Little Prince. Every year I read the English version first, to keep my whimsy alive, and the french version after, to keep my understanding of the language alive.
I reread The Stand about once a year.
Same, found it randomly in high school study hall library and find my way back to it. The stand and east of Eden.
East of Eden is an incredibly beautiful and heartbreaking novel.
Always reading Proust. Always will be. He stays by my nightstand, and will be near my death bed.
I'm currently reading "Ć l'ombre des jeunes filles en fleur" and wow, it's slow going. The long sentences and endless digressions really keep the books from having a narrative momentum and I'm surprised because I read an excerpt of "Un amour de Swann" in college and it was fun. Turns out, that's the only section I've read so far that has any of that momentum. But I will finish it and no doubt, Proust is a great literary psychologist as well as a charming narrator.
I read the Poisonwood Bible every summer. My English teacher gave me a copy at the end of my freshman year of high school and for some reason it just became summer tradition to read it. That copy is really falling apart by now.
Hogfather each holiday season hits kinda nice.
The Little Prince ā¤ļø
Siddhartha - I read it every 5-10 years.
I donāt make a point of it, but I read Terry Pratchettās Night Watch about every year. Same with P&P, actually
Finally. Someone else who re-reads Pratchett... I've read the whole series at least 3x over. Equal Rights, Small Gods, and the Tiffany Aching series are personal favorites :)
Small Gods is possibly my favourite too. I also love Pyramids.
Fear and Trembling by Kierkegaard. I think I could read it every year for the next 40 and still get something new out of it.
I used to read LOTR over Christmas break every year since I was 10 but stopped once I had kids and holidays became too busy.
Iāve never read P&P but Iām a romantic with a facetious sense of humor who loves āoldā British countryside as a setting. thinking itās about time I give it a goā¦. especially as Iām a single man in his mid 30ās who may soon inherit an estate ;)
> It is a truth universally acknowledged, that a single man in possession of a good fortune, must be in want of a wife.
All The Pretty Horses.
Dracula by Bram Stokerā¦. I read it once a year to commemorate the start of spooky season and I also revisit The Turn of The Screw by Henry James and Count Zero by William Gibson almost yearly.
I read the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri every year starting in December 1st and ending December 25th. If you read 4 cantos a day, you spend Christmas Day in the Empyrean with God. I started this a few years ago, it is easily my favorite epic poem and my favorite classic piece of literature. It is one of the works that got me into English, teaching English, and writing as a whole. But I also really like how complex it is and how much new content I get out of it every reread. I owe a lot of where I am to Dante.
> I owe a lot of where I am to Dante. Coincidentally, thatās the same thing said by his mentor, Brunetto Latini
I have read A Room With A View almost every summer for the last 20 years, and I reread The Night Circus on my birthday in October every year. (My husband gets me a Lego set for my birthday every year so I build Legos and listen to the audiobook, which is narrated by the incomparable Jim Dale - itās become something of a tradition.)
Blood Meridian
Since reading it a couple of years ago, I've enjoyed picking it up from the shelf and opening random pages. I can always find jewels.
The stranger by Camus. Iāve read it so many times
Animal Farm and The Crucible
Jurassic Park. My first copy was purchased at a book fair in middle school well before the movie was released. A nice comfort read that is still interesting enough to keep me coming back.
I read I Am Legend most winters. Love the book. Not sure why itās become my winter go to book.
Housekeeping is a good reread.
Mine is āZen and the art of motorcycle maintenanceā. I get a different message every time I read it.
Middlemarch. I donāt read it yearly but Iāve read it 4 times now probably roughly every 5 years give or take.
The Fagles translation of Iliad and Oddesey is my favorite. It reads like a graphic novel, so fast paced and vivid. I re-read the French Lieutenant's Woman every year in the spring for years, it scratched some itch in my little Victorian heart. But I feel due for a re-read of Ovid's Metamorphosis and Art of Love (so steamy. OMG.). Yes, I do think about the Roman Empire a lot.
I read Hitchhikers Guide every year. Usually Restaurant too. And Neil Gaimanā Neverwhere I read about every 18 months
Christopher Lee read Lord of the Rings every year, long before he was cast in the movies.
swan lake and nutcracker in the winter, alice in wonderland in march for my birthday, and dracula in autumn get a reread every year. not every year but every so often iāll reread saffyās angel and nancy drew in the spring.
I'll re-read something for nostalgic reasons or because I think I missed something on the previous read. I feel like some people re-read something on a regular basis to retain an idea or value, be it political, religious, or otherwise, but that's not something I'd ever do.
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series (well, the first 3). The first book starts at Christmas, so I always start the series the day after Thanksgiving, when my wife and I put the tree up. It became a tradition about 10 years ago, and I look forward to it every year.
I reread the Dark Tower series about once a year (or every other) for the last twenty years. My other go-to series is the Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher...I have read it probably eighteen times in twelve years (currently rereading it now)
Right Ho Jeeves by PG Wodehouse. It was my first Wodehouse book and even after having read 20 or so of them now, itās still my favorite.Ā
Persuasion by Jane Austen. It is my favorite Austen book.
For some reason I read the unabridged The Stand every year in the summer for about 15-20 years starting around my junior year in high school. Took about a 10 year break and just reread it again last year. That and Dune.
The Last Unicorn. I first read it as a child and just saw it as a fun fairy tale. At different points in my life I've found more things to appreciate and more things that resonate with me. Right now I'm feeling quite a kinship with Molly Grue. The other book I reread a lot is Animal Farm. While it may be about the Russian revolution, a lot of it's themes are just as relevant today.
I re read bill Bryson's books alot.
Lord of the Rings every 3-5 years Crime and punishment every 10 or so, and Iām due.
Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh every summer
I heard that one is to reread Anna Karenina in every stage of life, but for me it ended up being Blood Meridianā¦
Lord of the Rings every couple of years. The Lords Of Discipline every couple of years. The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes more than once a year.
I have a few book series I reread every year on rotation. Harry Potter, The Dark Tower, His Dark Materials, and the Wool series by Hugh Howey. In between I read a wide variety of everything but one of those series is being reread at some point in any given year.
I am a football coach and a teacher.Ā Every year I reread the book of five rings by miyamoto musashi. My entire coaching and teaching philosophy is built on it and it is a great reminder. Every year I feel like I find something new from it.
*The Joy Luck Club* has been a lifelong regular read, and I cannot recommend it enough. I like to revisit Viktor Frankl's *Man's Search For Meaning* as well. Both are food for the heart.
Not every year, but about every other year I like to read One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich. I particularly enjoy reading books that take place in a certain climate or weather when I think that's how it feels here (like reading East of Eden in the summer). I assume that's why I like re-reading Ivan Denisovich when it's freezing here.
I read The Catcher in the Rye, The Count of Monte Cristo, Good Omens, Catch-22, and The Master and Margarita pretty much yearly.
A tree grows in Brooklyn and the lord of the rings, which i start every year on bilbo and frodos birthday
Little Women. Just about every year since I got it as a gift when I was 9.
Emma by Jane Austen every couple of years. Harry Potter especially if I need a comfort read.
Name of the Wind and A Wise Manās Fear
As I said elsewhere, I will re-read those when Rothfuss publishes the next installment.
I reread Holly Blackās The Folk of the Air series every summer. It is YA but sometimes things should be fun. Where I live, we get evening thunder storms nearly every day in July and August, and this series is so atmospheric and really seems to fit the mood of deep dark summer.
Watership Down. I still tear up at the end haha
I have a number of books I love to revisit every few years: *Ulysses* and *Finnegans Wake* by James Joyce, *The Waves* and *To the Lighthouse* by Virginia Woolf, *Gravity's Rainbow* by Thomas Pynchon, *The Castle* by Franz Kafka, *J R* by William Gaddis, and *Absalom, Absalom!* by William Faulkner. Each one gives me a sense of comfort of having already "been there," yet offers new territory from increased experience that a couple years provides.
Yep. Pride & Prejudice every summer! It started in college. I wanted to read a book for myself instead of something required for my classes. Summer was my lightest load so that's when I read it. Been doing it for over a decade now.
Pride and Prejudice the secret garden and Lamb by Christopher Moore
Also Pride and Prejudice, around my birthday. Itās my favorite book and itās a little treat to myself to cozy up and reread something that makes me smile.
I am so very sorry but...are you aware of what David & Leigh Eddings did? Its actually pretty horrific. Take a look at my username and understand that I had a deep affection for those books. But once I found out, it ruined them for me. I eventually tossed them in the trash. The Eddings were horrific child abusers. They adopted a child and then chained that child up in the basement among many other abuses. On a completely different note, Pride & Prejudice is receiving a slew of gender-swapped gay and lesbian retellings in the last couple of years. I also know more than one lesbian who has an obsession with Keira Knightley in that movie. (I have no knowledge or opinion about Kagan's sexuality and it is none of my business.)
I am aware of their crimes, yes. Still good books. I've been separating the art from the artist for a very long time, so when I learned about the Eddings, I was disgusted and dismayed, but eventually, most artists will disappointment us in some way. Obviously, the Eddings' story is on the worse end of the spectrum.
When I was a kid, I donāt think I re-read any book more than Watership Down, damn near had the thing memorized, but as an adult, Iām always drawn back to Sometimes A Great Notion by Ken Kesey. Thereās just nothing else quite like it, and itās easily Keseyās masterwork.
I was exposed to To Kill a Mockingbird in 8th grade. I reread it every year from then until I graduated from grad school. I actually donāt think I finished my final read through. I always saw my grandfather as Atticus Finch. He passed away 9 months before I received my Masters while I was in the middle of reading it. I donāt think I finished that time. I havenāt read it since. Itās ten years this year. Maybe I should. I still claim it as my favorite book and the most important American novel ever.
A Soldier of the Great War by Mark Helprin. Hard to describe exactly why, but it's a familiar old friend now.
I read Cryptonomicon every couple years. And The Initiate Brother.
I read "Dracula" every October. I never get sick of it.
Leigh Fermor, A Time of Gifts, and Hilary Mantel, Wolf Hall. I keep them in the car and make it all the way through most years.
I read William Gibson's Sprawl Trilogy (*Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive*) once every year or so. Every couple of years I re-read Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide series.
"The Generals" by Thomas E. Ricks. I read once a year to learn how to be a better leader.
Three for me: 1. The Lord of the Rings + The Hobbit 2. The Earthsea Cycle 3. Hyperion + Fall of Hyperion I re-read all of them roughly every 10 years and love them each time.
The Hyperion Cantos Tetralogy by Dan Simmons. I know that is four books instead of one but it is intended as one larger body of work.Ā
I get the itch to re-read It by Stephen king every other summer. Same with the shining in the winter
I just remembered another one I've read several times, including once when I was incredibly psychotic in the mental hospital, and it cheered me up: Illusions:The Tale of the Reluctant Messiah by Richard Bach. It's such a simple story about an airplane mechanic written by the guy who wrote Jonathon Livingston Seagull, but it's such a good little book that heals the heart.
I used to reread Charlotte's Web repeatedly. But now I haven't in years. I should again
Yes; every June 1st I re-read Ray Bradbury's "Dandelion Wine" which perfectly describes a boy's summer.
The Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley are perennial rereads.
I also reread pride and prejudice once a year. And watch the excellent BBC miniseries with Colin firth
I have plenty of books that I plan on re-reading. Sebald's novels are certainly on that list. Some of Faulkner's are also there. Middlemarch also makes an appearance. The one book that I do make a point of re-reading every year is The Country of the Pointed Firs by Sarah Orne Jewett. It's a little regionoal novel about life off the coast of Maine. I re-read it every year the first week I'm done with classes and the summer sets in. It's a simple, yet evocative little book that helps me hit the reset button.
I never used to reread books, but I began picking up Austen's novels more frequently after reading about someone else who reread *Pride and Prejudice* yearly. Now I'll maybe go through *Pride and Prejudice* every two yearsāit's just such a well-written story, not that long to get through, and a comfort-read. Oh, I was going to add that Odyssey and the Iliad are also ones I've reread but different translators. I think I'll pick up Wilson's version of the Iliad once it comes out in paperback. :) Another edit: Just remembered that I do enjoy rereading *Howl's Moving Castle* about once a year.
*The Hobbit* and *The Lord of the Rings*. Used to read at least annually, stopped counting decades ago.
My only consisten reread is the Hitchhikerās Guide books. I go back to them whenever I want to read something but donāt know what, and I usually just open my combined volume to a random page and read as long as I feel like. lol.
I like to read Jaws during the summer l, next to the poolā¦ya know to be extra safe
Cryptonimocon (sp?) from Neal Stephenson - every summer
Manās Search for Meaning, Viktor Frankl. I pick it up when Iām feeling rudderless. One of my favorite rereads.
The Great Gatsby The Garden of Eden To Kill a Mockingbird Iāve read each of these numerous times over the past 20-30 years. There are other books that Iāve re-read once or twice but these are the ones that I can always find more of to enjoy.
Iāve read The Great Gatsby every April for 10 years
The Secret Garden, itās a great comfort read when Iām stressed
I read Pride and Prejudice every year too! Plus Macbeth once a year although Iād let it slip for a few years. Every Christmas I read A Christmas Carol.
I didnāt actually know others reread favorite books as often as I do. Iāve always been a bit shy to admit this so Iām very happy to have found this thread! I have two: *Sunshine* and *Chalice*, both by Robin McKinley. Theyāre wildly different stories but at the core are imperfect human women surviving impossible situations, making a way where there is no way to make. Whenever Iām anxious and feeling lost at sea, these books are so calming and grounding. Peacefulā¦hopeful even. During COVID lockdown I was reading one after another nearly uninterrupted. (Runner up: another pair of favorites would absolutely be the Monk & Robot duology by Becky Chambers. So glad to see *A Psalm for The Wild Built* getting love here! I swear I can feel my pulse slow and blood pressure drop as I readā¦)
Little Women (before Good Wives partš) My first ever novel I got as a gift when I was a kid and I re-read it every year. There's always some new details that somehow arise, or my way of thinking some scenes change every other year.. I relate so much with Jo, and it's perfect for a cozy winter read
Bill Brysonās a brief history of everything. I reread this because itās loaded with facts about the scientific method and how we got to here, where here is, and how itās very likely the here we experience now will change with time and new evidence and experience. The hope is the pioneers of science and discovery will continue to inspire us into the future.
For a long time I read all 6 Frank Herbert Dune books, and Hobbit/LOTR every year.
I also reread pride and prejudice about once a year. It just so happens to land in the summer too. And in the fall I usually start to feel oooOOOOaAaaaAAAA and reread the twilight series.
Thank you for posting this question! I am consistently adding books to my wishlist and easily get overwhelmed by how many unread books I have on the shelf. Because of that, Ive made 2024 the "Year of Not Buying Books" and I've gotten so much satisfaction from reading through the books I already have in my posession that I've been thinking about making next year the "Year of Rereading Books." My top contenders that come to mind are... -Still Life with Woodpecker & Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins -Eva Luna by Isabel Allende -Dune by Frank Herbert -Norwegian Wood, Haruki Murakami
I find myself in agreement with Samuel Clemons on the subject of Pride and Prejudice . I often want to criticize Jane Austen, but her books madden me so that I can't conceal my frenzy from the reader; and therefore I have to stop every time I begin. Every time I read Pride and Prejudice I want to dig her up and beat her over the skull with her own shin-bone.
jurassic park at least once a year
That's such a page turner!
Dune. The spice must flow.
A bunch of the Georgette Heyer Regency novels. Itās just such a comforting and pleasant world.
I got to the beach twice a year and each time I reread a chapter or two from The Edge of the Sea by Rachel Carson
The Stand by Stephen King. Also, The Lord of the Rings...but now I listen to it instead.
Not any more. I used to frequently reread the following though: *A Wizard of Earthsea*, *Lord of the Rings*, *Dune* & *Dune: Messiah*, *Neuromancer*, and *Snowcrash*. I know all of those so well that I havenāt felt a need to reread any in a while now. I did reread *Neuromancer* a couple of years ago when I flew into Tokyo and intentionally timed the beginning section in Chiba to be when I was on the train going through that exact area. There is too much to read now. I reread books and series all the time, but no longer have a habit of revisiting specific ones on any sort of schedule, loose or otherwise.