Books that were SO good you started re-reading them the same day you finished...

JustJess · Mar 9, 2008

Or am I the only one who's done this? -Ok, doesn't have be the same day-how about the same year, does that work?

So which books? What do you feel made them so great? (and if there's a ton, how about the first 3 that come to mind....)

For me, the first 3 would be:

Autumn Castle by Kim Wilkins
As much as I found the Protagonist "different" (albeit a bit wimpy) her backstory, physical pain, etc...the antagonists were fantastic! The faerie-killing, color blind, creepy Mandy Z and the evil, eccentric witch were truly unforgettable.

Maledicte by Lane Robbins
A very recent read-an original spin on a vengence-based plot. The protagonist was so complex (nothing innocent about him/her) as was the story itself, the tension never dwindled-just a really, really well written and engrossing story.

The Other Boleyn Girl by Philippa Gregory (read years ago)
I've always been a fan of Gregory's as I love historical fiction-the unromanticized gritty details of both common and court life and I found this book to be her best.

Calla Lily · Mar 10, 2008

The Brother's Keeper by Tracy Groot. Read it twice in 4 days.

Patrick L · Mar 10, 2008

Summer of Night by Dan Simmons.

I don't read horror, but Simmons nails small-town nostalgia and the fears of young teenagers perfectly. I read it every few years.

LloydBrown · Mar 10, 2008

Dan Simmons rocks on toast, but his work doesn't quality for this thread (at least not for me).

The Black Company, by Glen Cook.
probably Big Mutt, back in 1979-80 (I read it 11 times that school year. Don't ask why, because it's a very atypical read for me).

Others, maybe: Stephen King's It, Almost Adam by (sp?) Petru Popescu, and Dune. I read Dune in a single 10-hour sitting and couldn't wait to get back into it again.

Jenifer · Mar 10, 2008

Back Roads by Tawnie O'Dell. Homgz.

A very special English teacher handed it off to me during my sophomore year of high school. I finished the book in four hours and refused to return it for two days after while I read it through two more times. Twisted, twisted, twisted.

Exir · Mar 11, 2008

Lily's Crossing by Patricia Reilly Giff.

I was so moved by the book, that once I finished it, I couldn't stand putting it down! I tormented myself until I finally couldn't take it and grabbed it for a second read.

Kudra · Mar 11, 2008

Am I the only one who's never done that?

Sure, I feel a sense of loss when I finish a really good book, and wish it would have gone on for a few more pages, but I have to say, I've never re-read a book in such a short span.

In fact, I try not to re-read books at all. So many good books I haven't read yet, so little time!

Patrick L · Mar 11, 2008

LloydBrown said:
Dan Simmons rocks on toast, but his work doesn't quality for this thread (at least not for me).

I wasn't naming the best book ever. It's a book that I re-read after finishing it way back when I was nineteen. Thought that's what the OP asked for.

johnnysannie · Mar 11, 2008

Patrick L said:
Summer of Night by Dan Simmons.

I don't read horror, but Simmons nails small-town nostalgia and the fears of young teenagers perfectly. I read it every few years.

Summer of Night is one of the best, most gripping novels I have ever read for the same reason, the nostalgia. Stephen King's IT[ affected me the same way. I did not care for the "monsters" stalking the main characters but I was carried away on the nostalgic details that were very familiar from my own childhood.

Patrick L · Mar 11, 2008

johnnysannie said:
Summer of Night is one of the best, most gripping novels I have ever read for the same reason, the nostalgia. Stephen King's IT[ affected me the same way. I did not care for the "monsters" stalking the main characters but I was carried away on the nostalgic details that were very familiar from my own childhood.

I agree Johnny. He painted a perfect picture. I did like the buildup to the monsters, because Simmons characterized the fears every kid feels. The end was a bit fantastic, but all in all a crackling read.

LloydBrown · Mar 11, 2008

Patrick L said:
I wasn't naming the best book ever. It's a book that I re-read after finishing it way back when I was nineteen. Thought that's what the OP asked for.

Sorry, Patrick, typo. I meant to write "qualify", not "quality" as in, "although I loved reading Dan Simmons, I didn't go back and re-read any of his books the day I finished them."

TrishD · Mar 11, 2008

I'm a very fast reader, so I often finish books in one day, or very soon thereafter. However, the ones that stick out in my mind lately as worthy of being finished in a single day:

The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks by E. Lockhart
Trigger by Susan Vaught
A Little Friendly Advice by Siobhan Vivian

(These are all YA... I write it, I read it.

)

childeroland · Mar 11, 2008

The first four The Dark Tower books.

The Doll That Ate His Mother.

The Annotated Lolita.

The Alice books.

JBI · Mar 11, 2008

Lolita by Nabokov
The Bridge by Hart Crane (poetry, I read it 3 times in one day)
Ulysses (I read at least 1 episode a week)

A few others.

Priene · Mar 12, 2008

JBI said:
Ulysses (I read at least 1 episode a week)

Not a bad idea, that. I might do the same if I ever finish Finnegans Wake.

nerds · Mar 12, 2008

I've done this with a few -

Cold Mountain
Red Badge of Courage
Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix
Watership Down
an obscure old biography of Dylan Thomas written by a friend of his

as a child,
Little Women
Little Men
The Black Cauldron
The Hobbit
Old Yeller
Misty of Chincoteague

KTC · Mar 12, 2008

I did this with

Wonder Boys by Michael Chabon
Feast of All Saints by Anne Rice
Too Loud A Solitude by Bohumil Hrabal

probably a few others, but those are the 3 that stand out.

As a child:
The Chrysalids
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
A Separate Peace
Tom Sawyer
Little Women

nerds · Mar 12, 2008

Loved Wonder Boys. Loved the movie, too.

I also did the immediate re-read with the James Herriot books, I knew I'd forgotten someone.

EriRae · Mar 12, 2008

I did this with two books: Mysteries of Pittsburgh, another Chabon great, and The Great Gatsby.

KTC · Mar 12, 2008

Erinmiller77 said:
I did this with two books: Mysteries of Pittsburgh, another Chabon great, and The Great Gatsby.

HA! I did it with both of those books too. I'm actually reading Gatsby right now for about the 100th time. (-;

Jcomp · Mar 12, 2008

The Green Mile.

childeroland · Mar 12, 2008

What is your favorite episode of Ulysses? What did you think of the Oxen of the Sun episode?

JBI said:
Lolita by Nabokov
The Bridge by Hart Crane (poetry, I read it 3 times in one day)
Ulysses (I read at least 1 episode a week)

A few others.

Appalachian Writer · Mar 12, 2008

To Kill a Mockingbird, The Dollmaker, The Unquiet Earth, For Whom the Bell Tolls, and a few more. I did reread House by Frank Peretti.

James81 · Mar 12, 2008

"A Separate Peace" by John Knowles

One of my favorite books ever.

"I Know this Much is True" by Wally Lamb was so good it hurt and I may have started re-reading it immediately if it wasn't 900 pages long. lol

KTC · Mar 12, 2008

Separate Peace -- me too, James...one of my all time favourite books. Just re-read it while sitting in jury duty.

Green Mile...yes and no. I loved it that much, but I got it in the series...so had to read each little book as I got them.

I reread Mockingbird right away too.

Books that were SO good you started re-reading them the same day you finished...

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