As a tangent to the re-read thread: if you do re-read, which books do you re-read?

[michaeltoye]

Herbert's God Emperor Dune
Scalzi, Old Man's War
Greg Bear Eon
Stephon Donaldson's Gap Cycle series

[Chaiwala]

Originally Posted by michaeltoye

Herbert's God Emperor Dune
Scalzi, Old Man's War
Greg Bear Eon
Stephon Donaldson's Gap Cycle series

You are pretty much my soulmate.

[Sweetpea]

Shogun,
Clan of the Cave Bear,
Count of Monte Christo,
Harry Potter,
Asimov's Robot and Foundation series,
McCaffrey's Pern series,
Thea Beckman's books, especially Crusade in Jeans, Hasse Simonsdochter, the Thule trilogy and the 100 Years War Trilogy

These come to mind immediately.

[Katsunami]

Lord of the Rings, including the appendices. I've read LotR at least 10 times since 1999.
The Silmarillion, read this at least 10 times as well (mostly read it after LotR, with one or two other books in between)
Shogun, 5+ times
Musashi, 3 times,
Taiko, Twice
Memoires of a Geisha, Twice
Mutiny on the Bounty (all three parts), at least three times
Everything else by Tolkien (except Beowulf and Fall of Arthur), don't know exactly

In the last three years, I've also re-read everything by David Eddings, Terry Brooks, and the first six books of the Drizzt series. It'll be a long time before I return to Eddings and Brooks now, with regard to rereading. I've read everything by them thrice now; once in Dutch (where available, 15 years ago), twice in English.

[GeoffR]

I think the authors I've re-read the most would be:

C. J. Cherryh, esp. the Company Wars books, the Morgaine cycle, and Celtic fantasy books (Ealdwood stories, Faery in Shadow.)

Jack Vance, esp. the Dying Earth books and the Lyonesse trilogy.

[Tarana]

Harry Potter series
Pern series
Dresden Files

These are the only series that I have read more than twice. There are a smattering of individual novels by Raymond Chandler, Louis L'amour, Lyndsay Sands that I have reread and probably will reread in the future, but it's mostly a book here and a book there. I do know the Australians will definitely be a reread in the future!

[MickiTee]

LOTR - every 18-24 months
David Eddings
David Weber - Honorverse
Katharine Kerr
Anne McCaffrey

J D Robb
Donna Andrews
Kerry Greenwood
Dorothy L Sayers

[Manabi]

Originally Posted by booklover6

Though I used to re-read a lot as a child, the above is it. The Stand I will read or listen to again, and The Host. Possibly LOTR. Can't think of anything else worth the time.

I remember doing read-a-thons to raise money in elementary school. I read pretty fast anyway, but I read extremely fast if I'm re-reading a book I enjoy. So I'd re-read a ton of books during the read-a-thon, in addition to reading new ones. Quite a few neighbors got a nasty shock at how many books I read when it came time to pay up their pledges.

Originally Posted by michaeltoye

Scalzi, Old Man's War
Greg Bear Eon

I forgot all about Scalzi, I've re-read the entire Old Man's War series multiple times. It's really good. And his Redshirts is great, and so funny.

I've been thinking about re-reading Eon lately too, but haven't gotten around to it yet.

[badgoodDeb]

Interesting -- I read more SLOWLY if I am re-reading a good book. I already know how it ends, so this time I need to catch all the tiny details and fore-telling bits that I chewed too quickly the first time!

I just re-read the Lois McMaster Bujold Vorkosiverse, LOTR, Sayers Wimseys, Gabaldon, all just last year. Oh, and the Robin Hobb's Assassin's Apprentice trilogy, and then the next two Fritz and ____ trilogies for the first time (the last is only 2 books so far; I'm hoping it'll be finished, maybe this year??)

edit: I guess the Robin Hobbs re-reads were this year, not last. So, 1.25 years worth above. Plus LOTR spanned the previous Christmas. So maybe 1.3 years.

[basschick]

i re-read a lot of books, but some i've re-read the most include -

the dresden files
the oz books
several mercedes lackey series
the harry potter series
most georgette heyer books
the narnia books
party of the year
little women (and sometimes little men, jo's boys a bit less)
the pern series
the secret garden
neverwhere
groucho and me, also the groucho letters
glen cook's garret series
gone with the wind
modesty blaise (the novels, comics and short stories)

i just realized my list keeps growing, so i guess i'd better stop! but oh, yeah -

a novel called california generation is probably the most re-read of all. the books takes place where i grew up and just before the time i grew up. oddly it's had 3 endings, but the original is the one i love.

three series i used to re-read but have put aside include the spenser books, the belgariad and the first 10 anita blakes (didn't care for the later ones). michelle west's sun sword series used to be a frequent re-read for me, but i really didn't care for the last books and sort of gave up on all of them.

[michaeltoye]

Thanks for reminding me of Memoirs of a Geisha. Suprisingly good reread. 3 times already for me.

[PurpleStar]

I'm reading the first two books in Brandon Sanderson's reckoners trilogy before I read the last one. Glad I am too cause I forgot a bunch of stuff.

[leebase]

So many on this thread have my taste in books. Basically any of my favorite books.

Any Orson Scott Card: Ender's Game series, Alvin Maker Series
Dune series (yes, even the ones written by others)
Foundation series
Ring world series
Harry Potter series

It's usually been a LONG time before I reread. New books in an old series and I'll reread the series.

Not normally a rereader...but these are some of the exceptions to the rule

[barryem]

This is the kind of question that usually turns into a list question but sometimes into a discussion question and when it's actually discussed it's a really good question. I'm going to make a list or two but add a bit of discussion in hopes that others will jump in and do the same. Nothing wrong with lists, just like there's nothing wrong with taking medicine, but there's not that much to say about either.

My ereading falls into two classes: books I've reread over and over and will continue to do so, is the first category. This includes but isn't limited to the following:

Mika Waltari's "The Egyptian" (probably the book I've reread most often)
Steinbeck's "East of Eden"
Steinbeck's "Of Mice and Men"
Steinbeck's "Grapes of Wrath"
Peal S Buck's "The Good Earth"
Peal S Buck's "Peony"
Grace Metalous's "Peyton Place"
James Clavell's "Shogun"
James Clavell's "Tai Pan"
Ken Follett's "Pillars of the Earth"
Jean Aeul's "Clan of the Cave Bear" (but not it's silly sequels)
Arthur C Clarke's "The City and the Stars"
Alfred Bester's "The Demolished Man"
Alfred Bester's "The Stars My Destination"

There are others that I can't recall off the top of my head.

I've been reading novels since I was 4 and I'm 75 now so I've had lots of time for re-reading. I've read most of those books every 5 or so years so I've read them a bunch although any guess about how many times wouldn't be very close.

One more book, Mackinlay Kantor's "Spirit Lake" would be on that list except that I've never found a digital copy.

Some newer books that I've only read once will probably go on that list if I live long enough, and I intend to live forever or die trying.

Richard Russo's "Empire Falls"
Geraldine Brooks "People of the Book"
Sandra Dallas's "Tallgrass"
and others I'll probably think of right after I finish this post.

The other group are books I never planned to re-read but encounter years later and do, sometimes happily. Sometimes not!

Herman Wouk's "Marjorie Morningstar"
Ed McBain's 87th Precinct Mysteries
Harry Kemelman Rabbi Small mysteries
Leon Uris's "Exodus"
John D MacDonald's Travis McGee books
John D Maconald's other books
Sloan Wilson's "A Summer Place"
Thomas Hardy's "Jude the Obscure"
Bernard Malamud's "The Assistant"
Barnard Malamud's "The Fixer" (wow)

I may read these again but I've read all of them at least twice and some more than that.
When I was young I read a lot of SF although I lost interest in that about 1980 or 85. In recent years I've been re-reading some of the favorites from that time and some have been fun while most have been disappointing. I don't think I still have the sense of adventure I had when I was younger.

Barry

[barryem]

I want to add one more comment. It's about Mika Waltari's "The Egyptian", which, if I have a favorite book is probably it.

It can be seen in a lot of different ways. Viewed as an adventure story it's probably only exceeded by Clavell's "Shogun" and Bester's "The Stars My Destination", although not by much. It's a rip-roaring adventure that takes place about 3500 years ago involving the doctor of Amenthotep IV, better known as King Tut's Daddy.

Everybody knows who King Tut is because the idea of a kid as ruler of the superpower of that day is pretty interesting, but in historical significance his farther was probably the single most important human being in history, at least in terms of how our culture got where it is today.

When Joseph brought the Jews into Egypt during their famine, about 250 years before Amentohep, the bible tells us that God was the strongest, meanest, toughest and most important God but it never ever says or even hints that he's the only God. That idea was first thought of by Amentohep. Of course his one god was the sun, which is obviously singular. And from that he derived the idea that since the sun warms all of us equally, we're all equal. And yes, he was the first human being we know of to have ever said such a thing.

He overthrew the old religions in Egypt and established his new church and a couple decades later the followers of the old way killed him and enslaved all his followers.

Then, 150 years later Moses brought a lot of people who believed in one God out of Egypt and into Israel, merged with the Jews who had been left behind and formed what we know as Judaism today.

Of course there's not one single bit of evidence that that's what happened but it answers so many questions that it has become fairly generally accepted as at least likely.

Anyway, "The Egyptian" isn't about Amentohep directly, it's about his physician, who leads a rather extraordinary life. And that's probably the least exaggerated statement I've ever made.

This is a very thoughtful and thought provoking book and a very dramatic very personal story about fascinating characters living in a culture so different than ours that it could almost be on another planet, and the author puts us right in the middle of it more than almost anyone I've ever read.

It's a truly amazing book in so many ways and on so many levels that I'm sorry but you just have to read it. No excuses accepted.

Barry