While I don’t have the time these days with my reviewing obligations, I’ve always loved to re-read my favourite novels. They are like comfort food to me 🙂
I’m a bit of “fussy librarian” when it comes to looking after my books – most often you can’t tell I have read them but then there are those that you can see have been loved on a little bit more than others. Here’s some books I’ve read multiple times:
- Angela Hunt’s Heirs of Cahira O’Conner series
- Francine River’s Mark of the Lion series
- Bodie Thoene’s Zion Covenant and Zion Chronicles
- Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series
- Ronie Kendig’s Discarded Heroes series and Dead Reckoning
- Kristen Heitzmann’s Freefall
- Susan May Warren’s Deep Haven series
- L. M. Montgomery’s The Blue Castle
- Tamara Leigh’s Stealing Adda, Splitting Harriet, and Age of Faith series
- Tosca Lee’s Havah
- Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird
- John Grisham’s The Firm and A Time to Kill
- Linda Windsor’s The Fires of Gleannmara series
- Lisa T. Bergren’s Full Circle series
I could go on! I know not everyone is like me 🙂 In fact, I have a dear friend who gives away the books she buys once she has read them as she knows she won’t read them again, no matter how good she thought they were! So, today’s question is:
Are you a re-reader?
Why, or why not?
And if you are, what are some of the books you have read over and over?
January 19, 2015 at 10:37 am
I love rereading! Before I began blogging I didn’t get new books all that often so there were several series that I would reread at least once (sometimes twice) a year! As I’ve started blogging and discovered so many great authors, the chances to reread have become few and far between but there are dozens of books I’d love to have the opportunity to experience again! Some of the series I’ve reread and would read again in a heartbeat are:
The O’Conner Family Saga by Julie Lessman
The O’Malley Series & Uncommon Heroes Series by Dee Henderson
The Californians Series, The Yellow Rose Trilogy, and The Princess by Lori Wick
Men of the Saddle Series by Lori Copeland
The River of Time Series by Lisa T. Bergren
Love Comes Softly Series by Janette Oke
Team Hope Series by Susan May Warren
A Bride for a Bit by JoAnn A. Grote, Cathy Marie Hake, Pamela Kaye Tracy, and Janelle Burnham Schneider
Cowboy Christmas by Catherine Palmer, Linda Goodnight, and Lisa Harris
January 19, 2015 at 12:36 pm
I’ll reread (or relisten) to the Harry Potter series and the Narnia series once a year. The audiobooks are fantastic for my commute to work and I feel like I discover something new every time.
Other than that I haven’t actually reread a book in a looooong time, mainly because there are so many new ones that I want to read plus my TBR backlist is insanely huge as well. I was thinking the other day though how one day I’d like to go back and reread some classic Janette Oke and Gilbert Morris books for comfort reading. One day.
January 19, 2015 at 1:17 pm
Deborah, I left Harry Potter audio books off the list, but I should have added those. Great reader, Jim Dale.
January 19, 2015 at 1:15 pm
I’m more likely to re-read audio books, those I own and those I request repeatedly from the library. Some old “comfort” listens are:
Any of The Brother Cadfael mysteries by Ellis Peters, read by Patrick Tull or Stephen Thorne
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis, read by Steven Crossley
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, read by multiple readers
Christy by Catherine Marshall
The Mitford series by Jan Karon, read by John McDonnough
I reread some of my bigger historical novels (like those by James Thom) in print because they are so densely packed you catch something new each time.
January 19, 2015 at 6:12 pm
There are some books I’ve read multiple times. Little House on the Prairie series, The Betsy-Tacy Series, by Maud Hart Lovelace, Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers, The Colonel’s Lady, by Laura Frantz, The Refiner’s Fire Series, by Lynn Austin, and Love Comes Softly, by Janette Oke, just to name a few. 🙂
January 19, 2015 at 7:33 pm
I used to re-read. Like you I have too many books and not enough hours to read them all in a timely manner which might allow re-visiting some of my favourite friends.
As a child I re-red my Famous Five books and Elzabeth Gail series. I have also spent extra time with many Janette Oke characters in my younger years.
And then I met you, Rel!!!!
January 19, 2015 at 11:46 pm
I do not generally re-read books, though I have made a few exceptions — Jane Austen’s Pride And Prejudice, Emma, and my all-time favorite, Persuasion. I intend to re-read The Count of Monte Cristo, my favorite book of all time. Just wish I could work my way through the stuffed shelves and overflowing Kindle.
I volunteer at a women’s transitional center where we have a rather informal book club. My church book club’s books often find their way there and that is one time I am glad to re-read a book. We read aloud a few chapters a week. It is the most fun I have had with any of my book clubs.
January 20, 2015 at 12:29 am
Rel, we have a large bookcase in our family room, and it fills up rapidly. That means I have to go through and weed out the books that are “one and done” so far as reading. So what’s left?–books I’ve read and re-read and will re-read yet again. I’m not sure my own books will ever achieve this status, but if they do, it means more than any award possibly can.
January 20, 2015 at 2:45 am
I am a re-reader. I find it is like a good visit with old friends. Familiar and comforting. There are many books I re-read over and over, usually by my favorite authors.
Susan May Warren’s Heir of Anton series
Denise Hunter -any and all of her books
Laura Frantz -The Colonel’s Lady
Catherine Palmer -Miss Pickworth series
Frank Peretti -This Present Darkness
Kristen Heitzmann -Diamond of the Rockies
Ted Dekker -The Circle Series
plus some of the ones you listed for yourself, along with many others.
January 20, 2015 at 4:07 am
I am definitely a re-reader. Last year I only re-read 32 books. Not as many as I would have expected. Like you, Rel, it’s like visiting old friends. My favorite re-read books are a mix of contemporary and historical. When I re-read a series I always read it in order. My sisters will choose random books from a series and re-read their favorite parts. I never re-read out of order and read the whole thing. Sometimes I do skip villain viewpoints on a re-read. I don’t even like them on a first read.
Robin Jones Gunn- anything by her; I re-read all her books.
Lynn Morris – Cheney Duvall, M.D. series
Lori Wick- The Californians, The Kensington Chronicles, The Camerons; The English Garden series; stand-alone titles
Janice Thompson- Bella series; Backstage Pass series
Denise Hildreth Jones- Savannah series
Julie Klassen- all her books
Jan Karon- Mitford series
Mindy Starns Clark- Million Dollar Mysteries
Jane Austen- all her books
Charlotte Brontë – Jane Eyre
Donna VanLiere- The Christmas Hope series
Florence Barclay- anything by her
Elizabeth Gaskell- North and South
Gwen Bristow- Celia Garth
Agatha Christie- Poirot and Marple books
Dorothy Simpson- Inspector Luke Thanet books
Harper Lee- To Kill a Mockingbird
I haven’t re-read the books by newer authors,(from the last five or six years), but I’m sure they will be re-reads in the near future. There are so many new authors to keep up with. It’s hard to have time for re-reads too.
Laura Frantz
Sarah Sundin
Jody Hedlund
Sibella Giorello
Karen Witemeyer
January 20, 2015 at 5:10 am
I definitely read – shelve – re-read. Some of my favorites are:
◦ Dee Henderson’s O’Malley series
◦ Ronie Kendig’s Discarded Heroes
* MaryLu Tyndall all her books
* Julie Lessman’s The Daughters of Boston series
* Laura Frantz’s – The Colonial’s Lady
* Jane Austen – all her books
* Kristen Heitzmann’s The Still of Night
I know as soon as I click ‘Submit’ I’ll think of many more, but this is as many as my Monday morning brain can think of right now.
January 20, 2015 at 5:17 am
I only buy books I intend to reread over and over (otherwise I use the library). In terms of Christian fiction, that means books by Laura Frantz, Lori Benton, Cathy Marie Hake, Jen Turano, Dani Pettrey, and [many] others. But I have long enjoyed other genres, including classics (such as The Scarlet Pimpernel) and fantasy (especially fairy tale retellings by Robin McKinley).
January 21, 2015 at 2:11 pm
I’ve never been much of a rereader, which is funny as much as I love to read. But, I have made two exceptions so far: The Colonel’s Lady by Laura Frantz and Lovelier Than Daylight by Rosslyn Elliott. There are others I could reread like Maid of Fairbourne Hall by Julie Klassen or Maid to Match by Deeanne Gist.
January 23, 2015 at 12:01 am
I love rereading though I don’t do it often. I think the sign of a great book is that I want to reread it. I’ve probably reread the most Becky Wade’s My Stubborn Heart, Laura Frantz’s Courting Morrow Little, Tessa Afshar’s Harvest of Rubies, Tamara Leigh’s Stealing Adda, Siri Mitchell’s Chateau of Echoes, Francine Rivers’ Mark of the Lion and The Scarlet Thread…and I find that when I’m reading a series I often go back and reread the previous novels to get into the spirit of things.
February 11, 2015 at 9:15 am
The question for me isn’t are you a reader but why aren’t you! I can’t imagine life without it… the adventures and the escape; a total place to loose yourself.
I’m not a huge on for re-reads as there is so much that is good out there, but I will make some exceptions.
John Marsden’s tomorrow when the war began series – at least 3 times!
Harry Potter series
You take the high road by Mary K Pershall
& my all time fave… The Great Gatsby. It’s just such a rich text that you could read it over and over and still make new discoveries.
Happy reading
February 17, 2015 at 6:12 am
Laura @ canido52 » Good to see you enjoying an Australian author, Laura 🙂