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Books you wish you could read for the 1st time again

209 replies

BusyTraybake · 05/03/2025 18:54

I am currently in bed recovering from surgery. I can expect to be immobile for 6 weeks and I am already bored out of my mind. I actually had a little cry earlier as I am so claustrophobic already.

I have found reading helps. Please recommend any books you wish you could read again for the first time.

Thanks in advance. In desperate in need of mental stimulation as I have turned to food which is not something I usually obsess over. Probably would be best for my overall recovery if I don’t pile on a pad of weight.

My answer to the question: never let me go, love in a time of cholera and persuasion

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arsetambourine · 07/03/2025 11:29

All the Kate Atkinsons already recommended, plus the Jackson Brodie series.

Light Perpetual by Francis Spufford.

OhamIreally · 06/03/2025 23:25

Haven't rtft but:
Catch 22

Bluenotgreen · 06/03/2025 17:27

Crime and Punishment. Dostoyevsky
Catch 22. Heller
Bleak House. Dickens
All of Jane Austen
All Agatha Christie
Siddharta. Hesse
Jonathan Livingstone Seagull. Bach

humpty74 · 06/03/2025 17:23

Ones that are amazing if you haven't seen the films (all of which were good films, but semi spoiled my enjoyment of rereading the books, not quiet sure why but the films ate some of the fun)
Ready Player One
The Martian
Hunger Games

ones that haven't been ruined by film adaptations
Robin Hobb Assassin's Apprentice (and the rest of the 10 or so books that follow)
Stephen King 112263

Hillarious · 06/03/2025 14:33

I came on here to say Never Let Me Go, but you've got that already! Bigly great book.

So, I offer The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt and Demon Copperhead by Barbara Kingsolver. Just finished The Satsuma Complex, by Bob Mortimer - a nice, gently funny quick read.

MarkWithaC · 06/03/2025 14:19

AFairDistance · 06/03/2025 10:33

For the Fingersmith fans, I recommend Sarah Waters’ later novel Affinity, if you haven’t read it. Another Victorian setting, another intense female-centric world, twisty plot.

That's a good one too.
I've read all her novels and eagerly/desperately await a new one...

Elsvieta · 06/03/2025 13:36

AFairDistance · 05/03/2025 21:28

Henry — rude, pale, wears tiny glasses, is brilliant at Greek
Bunny — rude, honking boor, leeches off everyone,
Francis — hypochondriac rich boy with a country house
Charles — blonde boy twin, slightly less rude
Camilla — blonde girl twin, compellingly beautiful
Richard — suburban Californian pretending not to be, in love with the rest of them, cosplaying as old money via a few purchases in the thrift shop.

Show quote history

And Julian the professor who rather implausibly fails no notice that Bunny's an idiot (literally my only criticism of this otherwise perfect book).

Elsvieta · 06/03/2025 13:26

The Secret History. It was like I was in a trance.

Don't read anything about it first (or read any of the blurb on the back of in the front) - let everything be a surprise.

Middlefadiddle · 06/03/2025 12:46

@Carriemac I think I might reread Larry now. It’s been a while.

Tortielady · 06/03/2025 11:34

CheesecakeOnTheLanai · 05/03/2025 19:22

The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. I was actually annoyed at having to go to work because I didn't want to put it down. I fell in love with the characters and it truly transports you to a different world, I re-read it at least once a year.
I hope you get well soon, that sounds so awful bless you.

Ah, The Shadow of the Wind. The ultimate riposte to the idea that reading makes you a better person. It didn't work that way for me - every time something came between me and Zafon's beautiful writing, whether it was a phone call from a family member or DH wanting my attention for some perfectly good reason, I turned into a cranky wolverine. I'm not one for mourning celebrity deaths, but I was genuinely sad about his. He was only 55 and should have had decades left and many more books to give us.

MarkWithaC · 06/03/2025 11:23

Alias Grace, Margaret Atwood
The Essex Serpent, Sarah Perry
Mort, Terry Pratchett
Fingersmith, Sarah Waters
The Line of Beauty, Alan Hollinghurst
Signs for Lost Children, Sarah Moss

(funny how many Sarahs I've listed!)

Arraminta · 06/03/2025 11:18

I've just finished Someone Like Me by M. R. Carey (he wrote The Girl With All The Gifts) and the plot is just incredibly good. Unlike anything I've really read before? You can only read the book once but I genuinely couldn't put it down.

Also Fellside by the same author is incredibly gripping too with a very clever twist.

DonnaGiovanna · 06/03/2025 11:01

Middlemarch
All the Trollopes
A wonderful non fiction book called The Unfinished Palazzo. Magical reading experience.
Alice's Adventures

Oneearringlost · 06/03/2025 10:55

RhubarbCrumbs · 05/03/2025 19:24

A Little Life by Hanya Yanagihara.

An utterly beautiful, heartbreaking, incredible book.

Edited

It is, isn't it? But an unalloyed, harrowing read.

GingerLiberalFeminist · 06/03/2025 10:38

In keeping with your liked books;

Shogun
A Room with a View
The Lady's Maid
War and Peace (trust me it's an amazing cacophony of love stories and battles)
The Count of Monte Cristo
Don Quixote
The Color Purple
The Great Gatsby

Less like your liked books but still brilliant
The Stand by Stephen King
American God's by Neil Gaiman
Never where by Neil Gaiman
Run, Baby Run by Nicky Cruz
Herodotus The Histories
Anything by JG Ballard is amazing

Iamblossom · 06/03/2025 10:35

Another vote for The Secret History and A Little Life

The Push was excellent
All John Boyne

AFairDistance · 06/03/2025 10:33

For the Fingersmith fans, I recommend Sarah Waters’ later novel Affinity, if you haven’t read it. Another Victorian setting, another intense female-centric world, twisty plot.

fourelementary · 06/03/2025 10:32

We need to talk about Kevin

Watership Down

The Harry Potter series

orangesandlemonssaythebellsofstclements · 06/03/2025 10:30

All the LOTR and all of Narnia.

Reading Narnia again as an adult came close

SerenityNowSerenityNow · 06/03/2025 10:28

WittySnake · 06/03/2025 10:23

An Instance of the Fingerpoat by Iain Pears was truly spectacular

This is sitting in my TBR pile. I bought it as it was recommended on The Rest is History podcast.
I keep meaning to start it.

WittySnake · 06/03/2025 10:23

An Instance of the Fingerpoat by Iain Pears was truly spectacular

AddictedtoCrunchies · 06/03/2025 10:18

The Seven Sisters series by Lucinda Reilly. I love them and have already re-read several times.

Zae134 · 06/03/2025 10:05

Another vote for the Discworld books. I read my first one (Mort) at 14 and fell in love with them, I'd love to find them funny for the first time all over again.

Zae134 · 06/03/2025 10:04

WhatsTheMatterDavid · 05/03/2025 19:15

I absolutely loved:

End of the world running club - Adrian J Walker
The end of men - Christina Sweeney-Baird
The girl with all the gifts - M R Carey.

The end of men has to be my top book of the last few years, it had me crying but it was amazing. They're all fairly easy reads, gripping wise, but obviously darker in nature than a "city career woman moves to countryside and ends up married to rough around the edges farmer".

They're all dystopian end of the world stories which is my go to genre. Oh how I really miss the newborn nap days of hours of reading!

Wishing you a speedy recovery (unless you come across a great series which mandates additional bedrest!)

Edited

Oh my gosh I loved all of these!
I laughed and cried at The End of Men. Have you read Last One at the Party? Really good.

WateryBottle · 06/03/2025 09:55

I echo American Dirt - beautifully written and gripping.

The Orphan X series are complete page turners of you’re into that sort of thing, but my recommendation for something a little more high brow is The Cellist of Sarajevo.