Thursday, April 7, 2011

Reading and rereading (and rereading)

Some books you read and enjoy and never pick up again. And some books you read over and over again. This top six list is about the books that I have read many, many times. There are a ton of books that I've read twice, but not a ton that I have read a bunch of times. I enjoy rereading, but also really like new materials, so I like to balance it all. This list is not books that I've read more than once, as that last would be ridiculously long. There is no specific order, nor is there much rhyme or reason to the list.

1) The Phantom Tollbooth--It is a kid's book, but if you have never read it, you should get on that pronto. I have read this one so many times I cannot even count. It was my favorite book when I was a kid and it continues to be one of my favorite books. It is a nerdily entertaining book and is funny while also being weighty.

2) Size 12 is Not Fat--I know that it is sort of weird to reread mysteries because you already know who the killer is and why, but I enjoy it. First, if it has been a while, you can forget the who and why, so you can discover it again. And if you know, it is fun to notice the subtleties that point to the killer long before it is revealed. Also, Meg Cabot books are always good for rereadings.

3) Harry Potter Series--This one could almost be left off the list due to the "no duh!" nature of it. I would probably reread the series more if it weren't for my obsession with having to read the entire series and not just certain books. I would probably enjoy reading the Goblet of Fire more often, but I can't read it without reading the first three first. But still...I've read them a lot.

4) Princess Bride--I've seen the movie enough to be able to quote the whole damn thing. And I've read the book enough times to be able to read a bit of it, set it down for months, pick it up to read a bit more and know exactly what is going on. And you know, it holds up every time. I will never get enough Princess Bride goodness!

5) The View from Saturday--I'm a huge E.L. Konigsburg fan and I think that View from Saturday is her best work. It is about a quiz team (much like Academic Superbowl which I did all four years of high school! Made it to state twice, what up!) and their lives and how they all connect. Every time I read it, I notice something that I didn't before. Some subtle connection that I had missed.

6) The Castle in the Attic (and to a small extent the Battle for the Castle)--I'm not sure why I was so obsessed with Castle in the Attic when I was younger. This is the only book on the list that I haven't read in the past few years. But I remember reading it so many times. It is kind of a scary book what with all the evil characters, battles, giant effing rats, and threat of death. I really enjoyed the whole idea of transforming and being stuck in a magical place and having to fight your way out. All sorts of fun adventure!

Mostly kids books and series, strangely enough. I've read quite a few series twice through, like Southern Vampire Mysteries and The Cat Who books, but never read an entire series more than twice except for Harry Potter. I am planning on rereading SVM before I read the new book, but I haven't done so yet.

Are you a rereader? What books have you read the most times?

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