What Book(s) Do You Re-read?

[Semi-Retired Gamer]

In a similar vein as the What Are You Reading Now? thread but this one is asking what books do you tend to pick up, dust off, and read for one more time?

I have heard many people on similar forums claim to read The Lord of the Rings every year or whenever the mood may hit them again. I have not read LOTR several times but I have read The Hobbit 3 or more times. Other books I have read more than once include:

The first 3 or 4 Myth Adventures books by Robert Asprin
Are You Morbid? (the Celtic Frost story) by Tom G. Warrior
The Book of Three by Lloyd Alexander

Oh, there might be more but that's a good start.

[Havard]

Great thread idea!

There aren't that many books I read multiple times, but I will have to include Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit and The Silmarillion as well as Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth.

-Havard

[finarvyn]

I'm a big re-reader of certain books and series.

I re-read the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings every couple of years. I also re-read the Amber series (at least books 1-5, sometimes 6-10) every couple of years.

When the new Dresden Files book comes out each year or so, I tend to back up a book or two in the series and re-read. I used to go back and start from book #1 each time, but now he's up to book #15 and I don't have that kind of time.

I like to re-read Robert E Howard, particularly Conan and Solomon Kane. Also Michael Moorcock, particularly Elric, Corum, and Hawkmoon. And the Timothy Zahn Star Wars books. And the original Dune by Frank Herbert.

[Semi-Retired Gamer]

Great thread idea!

There aren't that many books I read multiple times, but I will have to include Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit and The Silmarillion as well as Ken Follet's Pillars of the Earth.

-Havard

I just looked up Pillars of the Earth and it sounds like an interesting read.

[Semi-Retired Gamer]

I'm a big re-reader of certain books and series.

I re-read the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings every couple of years. I also re-read the Amber series (at least books 1-5, sometimes 6-10) every couple of years.

When the new Dresden Files book comes out each year or so, I tend to back up a book or two in the series and re-read. I used to go back and start from book #1 each time, but now he's up to book #15 and I don't have that kind of time.

I like to re-read Robert E Howard, particularly Conan and Solomon Kane. Also Michael Moorcock, particularly Elric, Corum, and Hawkmoon. And the Timothy Zahn Star Wars books. And the original Dune by Frank Herbert.

Oh Hell yeah! I forgot to mention Conan and the Zahn Star Wars . Those are great!

[Havard]

The Zahn novels are great, I agree. I may have to reread those one of these days.

I am also a big fan of the Dune novels, especially Dune and God Emperor.

-Havard

[finarvyn]

Apologies for the huge OT here. This would probably make a great thread of its own. :lol:

I am also a big fan of the Dune novels, especially Dune and God Emperor.

Dune frustrates me. I really love the first book and have read it many times, but the second book seemed only around half as good as the first and the third only half as good as the second. I never got around to 4-6.

Then Brian Herbert started doing books in the Dune universe. I like the "House" trilogy but not so much the "Machine" trilogy and have gotten to the point where I quit buying the books.

Wikipedia lists the following novels as being in the "Dune Franchise" (note that I didn't include any short stories in my list)
01. The Butlerian Jihad
02. The Machine Crusade
03. The Battle of Corrin
04. Sisterhood of Dune
05. Mentats of Dune
06. House Atreides
07. House Harkonnen
08. House Corrino
09a. Paul of Dune (Parts II, IV & VI)
10a. The Winds of Dune (Part II)
11. Dune
09b. Paul of Dune (Parts I, III, V & VII)
10b. The Winds of Dune (Part IV)
12. Dune Messiah
10c. The Winds of Dune (Parts I, III, & V)
13. Children of Dune
14. Leto of Dune
15. God Emperor of Dune
16. Heretics of Dune
17. Chapterhouse: Dune
18. Hunters of Dune

That's just too darned many books. My brain hits overload so I've been trying to decide what constitutes for me "core Dune" and have a couple of options.

Option 1:
1. Dune 8)

Option 2:
1. House Atreides
2. House Harkonnen
3. House Corinno
4. Dune
5. Paul of Dune
6. Dune Messiah
(7. Children of Dune)

What Option 2 does for me is to contain "my" Dune to the main characters of the original book, and the events immediatly before and after the original. It would have Paul in the last three books and Paul's father Leto in the first three.

I'm torn about Children of Dune but I think I'd include it in "my" Dune because (1) it was part of the original trilogy, and (2) I also have the SciFi miniseries on DVD.

As you drift farther in either direction from the original I have this sense that it's "not Dune" anymore because the characters are all different. I have the same feeling for Star Wars prequels that go back 1000 years to look at the early Jedi. Yawn. Give me Luke and the events right around where he was significant.

Just my two coppers.

[Rafael]

Reread, as in, in a cultish, regular way? None.

Reread, as in, done so in the past, probably going to do so, again? - A couple.

Namely, anything by Camus, Poe, and a German poet called Heym. Genre books, well, the Osten Ard novels by Tad Williams about every few years.
Up there, "The First King of Shannara", which is probably my favorite fantasy novel of all time. Also, the ENTIRETY of the Foster Prince Valiant run, whenever I have a flu that doesn't go away after a day, or so.

[RobJN]

Every now and then, I get a hankering for the old Endless Quest books, and I make a few runs through Return to Brookmere, Dungeon of Dread, or, from the later series, The Fireseed. Great X1/X8 atmosphere in that one.

[Havard]

I just looked up Pillars of the Earth and it sounds like an interesting read.

Oh I would definitely recommend it. In many ways it deals with themes you might also find in a fantasy novel, but there are no supernatural elements, except what could be explained by superstition of the characters. Some great characters to get to love or hate and quite well researched.

Then Brian Herbert started doing books in the Dune universe. I like the "House" trilogy but not so much the "Machine" trilogy and have gotten to the point where I quit buying the books.

Wikipedia lists the following novels as being in the "Dune Franchise" (note that I didn't include any short stories in my list)


That's just too darned many books. My brain hits overload so I've been trying to decide what constitutes for me "core Dune" and have a couple of options.

Thanks for the list! I have tried to read a couple of the Brian Herbert/Kevin J Anderson novels, but I find that whenever KJA is involved there are great ideas, but his writing doesn't really pull me into the story.

This is why I am generally sticking to the Frank Herbert ones.

I have seen alot of people refer to them as two trilogies:

Trilogy 1:
Dune
Dune Messiah
Children of Dune

Trilogy 2:
God Emperor of Dune
Heretics of Dune
Chapterhouse Dune

In addition to Dune, I really like the second trilogy. I wish they had made movies out of those three books, though I could see how it would be hard to pull off.

I might go back and give the Brian Herbert novels a second chance. I have a few of them lying around that I havent read yet.

-Havard