OT: Books you have read twice..no phonebooks

[j66kicker]

The Hunt For Red October (I have an autographed copy)
The Excorcist

I was never much of a book reader except when making patrols on a SSBN and there were just a few things to do while cruising underwater. I read these 2 twice because I read each before the movie was out and then again after watching the movie version.

There are exceptions, but usually I don't enjoy the movie as much if I've already read the book. In the case of The Hunt for Red October I found it difficult to even follow the movie. Even moreso - borderline impossible - for Rising Sun (Micheal Chrichton), even though I'm a huge Sean Connery fan.

 

[CL82]

In The Hunt for Red October Clancy effectively paints a portrait of how Ryan is pushed along by the events that happen around him. It is a great reluctant hero narrative. That remains the narrative all throughout the Clancy books. Circumstances push Ryan and he reacts to them. I really enjoy them.

 

[j66kicker]

In The Hunt for Red October Clancy effectively paints a portrait of how Ryan is pushed along by the events that happen around him. It is a great reluctant hero narrative. That remains the narrative all throughout the Clancy books. Circumstances push Ryan and he reacts to them. I really enjoy them.

I like Clancy a lot too, although I think Bin Laden got the idea for 9/11 from Debt of Honor.

 

[Dokey]

As that most despised of all people, an expert in a field most people look to solely for entertainment—mysteries—I am having fun connecting favorite mysteries of Boneyarders with basketball philosophy. Fans of The Nine Tailors and Daughter of Time offer up especially interesting profiles in that regard. I really don’t have to explain.

For the fan of the novel The Bishop’s Crime, the author is better known, justifiably so, for his many short stories, though I reprinted two of his novels.

 

[ClifSpliffy]

boy, i must be missing something. or you all are the biggest bunch of BS'ers in the universe!!

why in heck would you be re-reading all these books, multiple books, long books, whole lengthy series of books rather than using your limited time to experience all the thousands and thousands of potentially fantastic books that you have not experienced at all.

please, clue me in.

excuse me if you are just listing some of your favorites. cool. ... but if you are actually re-reading all of them, well, ... i'm sorry you don't have better things to do.

btw, i do see why someone would re-read a book or two, but not a library. myself, i am blown away by the prose of 'the great gatsby' -- plus it's short and an easy read.

this is a joke, right? cuz iffn it ain't, then it's just pathetic.

 

[EdSaid]

Bloody Treason by Noel Twyman

 

[Duncan Idaho]

Heart of Darkness
A Rose for Emily
Don Quixote
Animal Farm
Democracy in America

 

[Golden Husky]

boy, i must be missing something. or you all are the biggest bunch of BS'ers in the universe!!

why in heck would you be re-reading all these books, multiple books, long books, whole lengthy series of books rather than using your limited time to experience all the thousands and thousands of potentially fantastic books that you have not experienced at all.

please, clue me in.

excuse me if you are just listing some of your favorites. cool. ... but if you are actually re-reading all of them, well, ... i'm sorry you don't have better things to do.

btw, i do see why someone would re-read a book or two, but not a library. myself, i am blown away by the prose of 'the great gatsby' -- plus it's short and an easy read.

To answer your question regarding re-reading, Paco, a decade or so ago, I uncovered a list of the top 100 novels of the 20th century. I'd read many but not all of the books on the list and, since I enjoy projects, decided to read the complete list, working my way from No. 100 to No. 1. So I did. Reading contemporary novels as well, the project took about five years.

 

[trb123]

My list of 40 books was heavily skewed in favor of British writers. Even then I could not include all the titles I wanted. I now try to make up that deficit.

1. Parnassus on wheels, and The haunted bookshop - Christopher Morley, the author, also wrote the wonderful introduction to the Doubleday volume of Complete Sherlock Holmes.

2. Clues of the Caribbees - 5 superb Dr. Poggioli long stories by T.S. Stribling

3. My glorious brothers, and Spartacus

4. The Zimmerman telegram, Guns of August, and The Proud Tower - All Barabara Tuchman books are worth reading more than once. They are included here although they are not novels.

5. The crisis of the old order, The coming of the new deal, and The politics of upheaval. These are personal favorites. I am not asking everybody to read these books twice.

6. The collapse of the Third Republic - extremely readable prequel to The rise and fall of the Third Reich

7. English History 1914-1945 - AJP Taylor. This is a masterpiece of narrative history.

8. Tom Brown's Schooldays - a must read

9. Hardy's novels. Start with Far from the madding crowd and follow up with The Mayor of Casterbridge, Tess and others

10. E.V. Rieu's translation of The Odyssey. I believe that this was the first Penguin Classic.

Penguin Classics, Everyman's Library, Sentry books and Modern Library are my favorite sources of books that I can read multiple times.

 

[Bigboote]

I read at least one Jane Austen book every year, so I've done the entire canon at least five times. I'll need to dig up the volume that has Sanditon in it, having just seen that on Masterpiece. I've only read it once, as it was unfinished.

I'm on my second round through all of Sinclair Lewis's books. I've probably read Free Air and Our Mr Wren 4-5 times apiece.

I've read a lot of Heinlein's books multiple times. A few that come to mind are The Past Through Tomorrow, Double Star, the Door into Summer, Glory Road, and the Moon is a Harsh Mistress.

I'm sure I've read all of HP Lovecraft at least a couple of times, and I'm now slowly going through all his works in chronological order.

 

[Steelerone]

the "Prey" series by John Sanford, The American Way of Death by Jessica Mitford, The Jungle by Upton Sinclair, Early, Late and High Middle Ages by Philip Dialater, history prof. at William & Mary.

 

[Steelerone]

None! I love to read, but am a relatively slow reader. So there are just too many books I want to read once, to read any twice

VA Huskie, did you ever try audiobooks? They are great when you are working outside or exercising. When your library opens just go down and try a few of them.

 

[bluedevil]

Everytime I re read a great book I often find details I missed the first time or knowing the plot can appreciate nuances missed...By Pacos logic why stay loyal to your significant other when there are others out there...kidding about that last part...mine is extraordinary...

 

[CaliHuskyFan]

I know This Much is True, by UConn's own Wally Lamb. UConn women's basketball gets a mention in there, if I recall correctly.

Yes, superb novel of loss and redemption, grief, mental illness, and working through childhood ghosts, in addition to being a primer on the immigrant experience and chronicle of the last 50 years of the 20th century. And yea, there are references to the Women's program and Geno in the very last chapter. Lamb has the central character comment, referring to Geno, " Who's the coach - Frankie Avalon?"

 

[Steelerone]

I forgot - The American Experience In China by Barbara Tuchman, It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis, any play by Eugene O'Neill.

 

[VA Huskie]

VA Huskie, did you ever try audiobooks? They are great when you are working outside or exercising. When your library opens just go down and try a few of them.

Yup, I love audio books. Mostly listen on long car rides.

 

[triaddukefan]

Edge City by Joel Garreau

 

[UcMiami]

FYI - For those who love Dorothy Sayers and Lord Peter Wimsey, Jill Paton Walsh has written two really good continuations and two that are OK. The first one is a completion of an unfinished novel by DS, the second uses some of Sayers' war time Wimsey letters as a jumping off point, and the others are all original.

Usually follow on authors are pretty dreadful but Walsh does really well at getting the tone of the original works, and the characters right. I stumbled upon her a few years ago and really enjoyed them.

 

[hoopster]

match book

 

[TWG236]

Red Storm Rising & Red Rabbit by Tom Clancy and all of Federick Forsyth novels. Forsyth is my favorite author of all time.

 

[Littlemin]

boy, i must be missing something. or you all are the biggest bunch of BS'ers in the universe!!

why in heck would you be re-reading all these books, multiple books, long books, whole lengthy series of books rather than using your limited time to experience all the thousands and thousands of potentially fantastic books that you have not experienced at all.

please, clue me in.

excuse me if you are just listing some of your favorites. cool. ... but if you are actually re-reading all of them, well, ... i'm sorry you don't have better things to do.

btw, i do see why someone would re-read a book or two, but not a library. myself, i am blown away by the prose of 'the great gatsby' -- plus it's short and an easy read.

Different strokes for different folks I guess. To me, it is like visiting an old friend and hearing the same stories over; I may know the ending but the real pleasure is in the telling.

 

[UcMiami]

Different strokes for different folks I guess. To me, it is like visiting an old friend and hearing the same stories over; I may know the ending but the real pleasure is in the telling.

Or with the average age here on the BY, I am reminded of my mother's comment when in her nineties - It's so nice now I can watch all the good movies I've seen over the years and still be surprised by the ending!

 

[Rich]

Tuchman-The Guns of August
King-The Shining
Stevenson-Cryptonomicon
Exley-A Fan’s Notes

 

[choochoo]

At dawn we slept
The hobbit
Lord of the rings
Man from saint petersburg
lord of the flies
Rebbeca
Doctor Zhivago

 

[Millenial23]

boy, i must be missing something. or you all are the biggest bunch of BS'ers in the universe!!

why in heck would you be re-reading all these books, multiple books, long books, whole lengthy series of books rather than using your limited time to experience all the thousands and thousands of potentially fantastic books that you have not experienced at all.

please, clue me in.

excuse me if you are just listing some of your favorites. cool. ... but if you are actually re-reading all of them, well, ... i'm sorry you don't have better things to do.

btw, i do see why someone would re-read a book or two, but not a library. myself, i am blown away by the prose of 'the great gatsby' -- plus it's short and an easy read.

Because you really enjoyed a book or series and want to get lost in it again! Maybe you want something light hearted, or just enjoyable. Maybe you want an escape from reality. I personally did most of my re-reading as a kid - so maybe before the 4th Harry Potter came out, I wanted to re-read the first 3. So there's that too - as a refresher to new books or movies in the series. (So I have definitely read HP 1-3 way more times than the later ones.) Just my 2 cents

 

[garddog]

I almost always reread when the authors are slow with sequels. But Perspective is the biggest thing. What you "see" as a child, changes in youth, then changes again as an adult and changes again later in life.

 

[chrissaran]

Black Heart - Eric Van Lustbader
Ashley Bell - Dean Koontz

 

[UcMiami]

Kingsley Amis pair very different but great -
Lucky Jim
The Green Man

Love this thread as it is getting me thinking about books I haven't read in years, but have read multiple times.

 

[connie]

boy, i must be missing something. or you all are the biggest bunch of BS'ers in the universe!!

why in heck would you be re-reading all these books, multiple books, long books, whole lengthy series of books rather than using your limited time to experience all the thousands and thousands of potentially fantastic books that you have not experienced at all.

please, clue me in.

excuse me if you are just listing some of your favorites. cool. ... but if you are actually re-reading all of them, well, ... i'm sorry you don't have better things to do.

btw, i do see why someone would re-read a book or two, but not a library. myself, i am blown away by the prose of 'the great gatsby' -- plus it's short and an easy read.

Even granting that there may happen to be "thousands and thousands of potentially fantastic books", that hardly requires one to refrain from re-reading a book (or many books) on grounds that something new is available. Reading -- or more broadly, aesthetic experience -- is not a race to consume the most in the limited time available. A work of art -- painting, poem, concerto, novel, you name it -- succeeds to the degree it rewards repeated contemplation with new discovery, pleasure and insight. This is particularly the case when one brings new experience to the object of art.

To make this more immediately understandable, consider that many participants here (myself included) have re-watched numerous UConn WCBB games over the years. I am sure that, notwithstanding, there are "thousands and thousands" of potentially fantastic games and competitions available to experience (not only basketball, but also chess, tennis, grand prix showjumping, lacrosse, volleyball, motor cross, boxing, gymnastics, etc.). Would it be an argument to say that I should not be re-watching a game because there are other competitions I have yet to experience at all?

 

[Sargassoc]

I'm an English teacher, so I'll likely not include everything I teach -- except for the ones I would otherwise choose to reread. Here are just a few of them:

• Beloved by Toni Morrison (you could read this a hundred times and still find something new)
• The Things They Carried by Tim O'Brien
• To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ("Hey, Boo" gets me every single time)
• Working by Studs Terkel
• Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons
• The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
• Final Payments by Mary Gordon
• Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton
• Antigone by Sophocles
• Dombey and Son by Charles Dickens
• And the Band Played On by Randy Shilts (I've just started to re-read this because a plague is a plague)