Do you read books more than once?

[Mumwhensdinnerready]

With maybe one or two exceptions I never re-read books.Not sure why though as I have many in the bookcases that have survived my regular weeding sessions to make space. Some have been there 30 years ( I am VERY old).
So, this year as well as keeping my list,
I am going to read some old favourites again.

A random selection
The Magus by John Fowles .. read this on a Greek Island hloiday in the 1980s.

The Mosquito Coast by Paul Theroux.... manic American in fear of armagedon takes his family to live in jungle.

Empire of the Sun by JG Ballard.

George Orwell... read all his books in my teens.

The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCulloch. An Australian saga I read in the 1970s and wept buckets. Probably a load of tosh but I hear they're just making a film of it

[CrushaGrape]

There are a few books I re-read, when I want something comfortable and familiar, and don't want to be taxed with something new. Examples of multiple re-reads are:

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons
Lucky Jim by Kingsley Amis
Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier
Brideshead Revisited by Evelyn Waugh
and pretty much all of Mary Wesley's books

I intend to do some re-reading of books I've completely forgotten. For some reason, although I enjoyed her books, I can't remember what happens in any Penelope Lively novels; I find myself reading the backs and having no recollection of them, so they'll get a revisit. I'm blaming that I read them whilst commuting, as opposed to early onset memory loss.

[Mumwhensdinnerready]

I'd forgotten Mary Wesley. I read all her books and enjoyed them. Vaguely remember WWII setting but not much else. Will read Camomile Lawn again.

[TheDevilWearsPrimark]

Very rarely, but I keep them all unless they are utter tripe.

Some I have are

The unbearable lightness of being by Milan Kundera
Generation x by douglas coupland (loved it as a teen, not at all on a second read)

[Molesworth]

Don't often re-read novels but, like crushagrape, there are some that get regular outings from the shelf:

Diary of a Nobody
Lucky Jim
The Remains of the Day
If this is a man/The Truce (Primo Levi)
George Orwell's essays

and Geoffrey Willans/Ronald Searle, obviously

[Bucharest]

Comfort food ones sometimes get reread:
Wimbledon Poisoner
Bridget Jones
Marian Keyes

and then Testament of Youth, Lady Chatterley, Great Gatsby.....

[francagoestohollywood]

I've been re reading books since I was a child (Little women, the diary of Anne Frank, I must have read them at least 20 times!)

Lots of Italian books I enjoy re reading Primo levi, Natalia Ginzburg, Elsa Morante, for instance).

And: Katherine Mansfield's Short Stories, PG Wodehouse. I often re read Gary Larson Comic Books!

Mumwhensmydinnerready: I read the Thron birds when I was in my early teen and re read it 2 or 3 times (yes, deffo a load of tosh, but Father Ralph....)

[Bucharest]

ahhhhh, "one superlative song, existence the price".
Yup, reread the Thorn Birds a couple of times as well! x

[francagoestohollywood]

pmsl Bucharest. You know that the tv serial was very popular here in Italy in the early 80s? It starred Richard Chamberlain...

[blackrock]

I read old favorites over and over, depending on the season...so last October I picked up one of my very old ghost story collections (, just because it felt right in front of the fire, whilst the wind howled outside.

Best Ghost Stories Anne Ridler 1945.

I pick it up every year, it has stories by Walter de La Mare and Henry James.

Its like eating chocolate for me.

[roisin]

I often re-read books.

Our house is groaning with 'stuff', mostly books. So I am pretty ruthless now. If I read a book then immediately if I think I won't want to re-read it, and dh or dss won't appreciate it, then I send it to Oxfam straight away.

I still keep loads though!

[YohoAhoy]

ooh yes

My comfort reads include:
Georgette Heyer
Jane Austen
Forever Amber
Agatha Christie
Similarly aged detective fiction - Carter Dickson/John Dickson Carr
The 'Little House' books
Sarum/London - Edward Rutherfurd
Oscar Wilde
John Wyndham
Stephen King

There are others I go back and read every few years (1984 being the one that springs to mind) but these are my stalwarts

[janeite]

I re-read books quite a lot, as I am the most horrible person to be around if I have not got something/anything to read. So, rather than make others suffer the vileness that is a bookless Janeite, I will re-read anything that I enjoyed previously.

Some books I re-read at least every 18 months or so: these are old favourites/comfort reads and I find something new in them each time:

Jane Austen - I probably read all of them every year and have done since aged 16.

Ballet Shoes - because it is just so, so lovely and feel-good.

Charlotte Sometimes

Paula - Isabel Allende

At least one Bill Bryson book is re-read per year - because they make such excellent bath reading

[Bucharest]

Oh yes, and Bill Bryson...I obviously read more again than I thought!

Franca- that's the one, mid 80s very bad acting from the woman! I saw RC being Baron Von Trap in the Sound of Music in London at around the same time! I bet the Italians didn't like the priest in the nud on the beach did they?????

[wheesht]

Very rarely and not intentionally. Hate if when I get half way through a bit and it starts sounding horribly familiar...

[roisin]

Janeite, I'm currently reading (among other things) the children's Bill Bryson book because I kept falling asleep trying to read the other one!

I like his travel books though, but only in small doses. I made the mistake once of reading 4 or 5 back-to-back and his style became extremely irritating.

[curlygal]

I love rereading my old favourites.

I tend to only keep books I like and give the rest to charity so at the moment DS (3) has far more books than me.....

I love Jane Green's first book - straight talk (think she went down hill and got a bit too smug but that is just bitter old single woman talking) and Marian Keyes for chick lit

I also love reading Ballet Shoes and the Sadlers wells books.

Plus Judy Blume (just a chance to drop in that I just got an email from Judy herself thanking me for my comments on books)

[curlygal]

roisin - I accidently bought that Bill Bryson Children's version for my Dad for christmas (it wasn;t v clear on amazon that it was the children's version) My Dad is Head of Dept at a University so was amusing

I still found a lot of the stuff a bit beyond me so I am waiting for the preschool version.....

[WhatSheSaid]

I re-read lots of books. Some just once or twice and some lots more. I have probably read a few of my comfort reads upwards of fifty times. I'm just re-reading "Busman's Honeymoon" by Dorothy L Sayers for about the twentieth time.

[mackerel]

some classics - Jane Austen, Bronte sisters. Captain Corellis Mandolin I read a few times and Love in the time of Cholera. some 'comfort' books like Bridget Jones, Rebecca.

[TsarChasm]

I usually don't. Funny actually because no.1 on your list - the Magus - is/was probably my favourite book and the reason why I don't do this.

I worry that I won't like it as much if I read it again. It was a book that I read when I was quite young and it made a v big impression on me.

But I have read about people who have been disappointed revisiting it because it appeared to be aimed at a younger reader than I am now and seems (to some) to be lacking in a later re-read.

I couldn't bear to come away feeling deflated because I've raved about it for years . I even gave it to my niece for her 18th

I think also sometimes the impact of a good book is enhanced by the time of your life in which you happened to read it and the circumstances in which you were in mentally etc at the time.

Trying to re-create it could possibly be like trying to re-create a wonderful holiday.

[troutpout]

yes
I also 'comfort read Austin...most of them again each year.
The time travellers wife... I have read that a few times
Also...The red tent and To kill a mockingbird

[CoteDAzur]

OP - Read "Miracles of Life", JG Ballard's autobiography.

[FfreckleFface]

I do, over and over again in some cases. I think I have to sometimes - I have always read things really quickly, so occasionally miss things on the first read.