'Go To' Books you return to time and time again

bkendall

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I have read The Winds of War by Herman Wouk, The Count of Monte Cristo, and the original Jason Bourne trilogy several times. Of course, there are others that I wish I could get back to but I never do. Even though I have an eidetic memory, that doesn't keep me from reading these over and over again. If I can read this book several times, it means the story is so great, I don't mind knowing what's about to happen. It's all about the journey of reading for me.
 

fredXgeorge

I heart sexy elves and wizards.
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All the Harry Potter books, though DH most of all probably
The Hobbit
Helen of Troy by Margaret George
 

Bookewyrme

Imagined half of it.
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It used to be the Belgariad and the Mallorean for me as well, but I got so I didn't always have time to re-read the entire series in a go, and that's about the only way I'm capable of reading David Eddings. So now I'd say it's Bujold's A Civil Campaign, Shards of Honor and Paladin of Souls. I think I've re-read those three twice this year alone.
 

synger

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The Riddlemaster series
The Deed of Paksennarian series
Dune
Secret Garden
Pride and Prejudice
Eight Cousins (Alcott)
the Alice books

And I have a bunch of what I call "candy" books -- old friends that I have read so many times but are very easy reads... by McCaffery, Norton, Heinlein, Piers Anthony, Lackey, etc.
 

Rhoda Nightingale

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I don't reread as often as I once did, because my TBR pile is so huge, but I have read the entire Harry Potter series about three times--not including individual rereads of particular books.

Also, Robin McKinley's Sunshine
Anne Rice's The Vampire Lestat (strangely the only one of the Vampire Chronicles I just can't get enough of--I love that bratty, narcissistic vampire)
Anything by Neil Gaiman
Anything in Koji Suzuki's Ring saga
 

MackenziLee

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I am constantly going back to Jane Eyre and 1984. But I just read the same parts over and over again. There are sections of 1984 I have probably only read once, and other pieces I have read so many times I could probably recite. That's the best part of rereading; skipping over the boring bits :)
 

Jess Haines

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These are a few of the books I reread:

THE LEGEND OF HUMA
BLACK SUN RISING
THE SECRET
THE TRUE CONFESSIONS OF CHARLOTTE DOYLE

I know there are others, but I'm blanking on the titles right at the moment.
 

Jake Barnes

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The Sun Also Rises. It's the book that made me want to be a writer.
 

Marumae

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I have waaaaay tooo many of these,

The Hobbit, I reread this so often.
Dragon Jouster Series, Last Herald Mage Series by Mercedes Lackey
Treasure Island
Jane Eyre
The Elenium and Tamuli by David Eddings
Prospero's Children by Jan Siegel.
 

Andain

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Brave New World.

Something about it... I dunno what it is. Probably the reason I started writing sci fi as well as fantasy instead of just fantasy.
 

alaskamatt17

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Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. I've read this book 7 or 8 times between third grade and senior year of high school, not since, though. For a long time, this was my favorite book, and I still love it.

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I've read the series 3 times and will probably read it at least once more. At one point I wanted to try to memorize this (fat chance).

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. I've read this one twice, probably will read it again at some point.

Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn Trilogy by Tad Williams. I've read this twice, but will probably not do so again. It was my first exposure to epic fantasy back in grade school, and I read it again last year. Though I was able to appreciate the great characterization, nothing else stands out from the rest of the genre.
 

French Maiden

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Blackdagger Brotherhood seried By JR Ward. My favourite series of all time. When I don't want to start something new or just want to re-connect with old friends, I'm all too willing to pick them up nad delve right on in.

The Wicca/Sweep series by Cate Teirnan. A highschool series i used to read with my friends, but still enjoy from time to time.

Cross My heart by Maureen McArthy.
A highschool project turned into leasure reading.

Sookie Stackhouse series by Charliane Harris.
Each time a new book is brought out I can't help myself but to read the whole series over again.

Most of my books I read over. How can i not? They're hold my of dearest friends.
 

Nualláin

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The Longest Journey by E.M. Forster is a dear old friend. I don't re-read very much as a rule, but I always come back to that one. It's a perfect example of why I started writing, a flawed book that almost bursts apart with the author's sheer ambition and joy in writing it.

When I have creative inertia, wrestling with revisions or just putting off picking up a pen, all I need to do is open the darn thing to the first page and read those marvellous opening lines to be reminded why I keep on scribbling.
 

virtue_summer

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Anything by Ray Bradbury. I've read Fahrenheit 451 multiple times. I also regularly reread short stories from his collections. Some favorite stories: "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl," "The Small Assassin," "Invisible Boy," and "A Sound of Thunder."

Joe Hill's short story collection 20th Century Ghosts, especially "Pop Art."

Stephen King's Bag of Bones. I was just dipping back into it last night.

Honestly, I don't reread novels a lot, although I definitely have some lying around I intend to go back to. I plan to reread Tananarive Due's stuff and Joe Hill's novels, for example. I used to reread a lot into my teen years, but for some reason that's slowed down as an adult.
 

Tanglewood

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For me it's 'It' by Stephen King. I tend to skip over the last 20 pages or so (and anyone who's read it could probably guess why) but up until that point it is, to my mind, the most inventive and chilling horror novel ever written.
 

Flicka

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I don't keep books I don't intend to read several times, so I think I've read all books I own at least three times...

Gaudy Night
by Dorothy Sayers. I'm sure I've read it ten times. I generally tend to read the same golden era mysteries over and over again, but this is one of my favorite books in any genre.
Shining Through by Susan Isaacs. I've read that way more than ten times.
Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. I love DWJ!
Game of Kings by Dorothy Dunnett. It's the only one of her books I really, truly enjoy without wanting to strangle and dismember someone (usually Lymond, but the Niccolò-series can drive me round the bend too).
 

Hip-Hop-a-potamus

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* Anything Considered- Peter Mayle (it's like reading champagne. Light, funny, wonderful details about the Luberon as most of his do)

* Loving Frank- Nancy Horan (sheer perfection. I aspire to her greatness. It's what got me doing fictionalized bios)

* The Memory of Eva Ryker- Donald Stanwood (first read this when I was 12, and it inspired me to become a writer. Also inspired the twisteroo in the plot of my first novel, which is now basically trunked)

* Alamo House, or Women Without Men, Men Without Brains- Sarah Bird (hilarious, and if you want to know what Austin, TX was like in the 80s, you'll laugh your ass off)

* The Boyfriend School- Sarah Bird (ditto about the hilarious and Austin in the late 80s. Was made into the movie "Don't Tell Her It's Me" with Shelley Long and Steve Guttenberg, but they destroyed it, and transplanted it from Austin to South Carolina. Don't ask me why).
 

trickywoo

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I reread most of L.M. Montgomery's novels annually.

Jane Austen's work (but not Northanger Abbey - ugh)

The Lord of the Rings trilogy

And, when a new George RR Martin book comes out, I'm forced to reread the whole series to keep it straight - haha!

The Count of Monte Cristo

Calvin and Hobbes - probably not annually but every so often it's just the right thing. ;)

Love books like these that feel like visiting with old friends.
 

The Second Moon

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Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones. I love DWJ!
Yes! I loved Sophie and Howl. And just a couple of weeks ago I bought a tiny statue of Howl's fire spirit. I must have re-read it four or five times.
I also loved The Children of the Red King series by Jenny Nimmo. I've re-read it twice now.
 

screenscope

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I don't know how many times I've re-read these books, but they pretty much encapsulate everything I hope to achieve as a writer:

The Stand by Stephen King
The Flashman novels by George MacDonald Fraser
Bernard Cornwell's King Arthur trilogy, The Warlord Chronicles
 

B.D. Skunkworks

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Franny and Zooey by J.D. Salinger (read 21 times)
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins (read 16 times)
 

PostHuman

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There is something about the promise of not knowing what's on the next page that drives my reading experience. If I've already read a book, I can only stomach reading it again if it's been so long that I've forgotten most of the story.

Usually can't stand to read any book after watching a film/TV adaptation either. Although there are a few exceptions like The Shining, where the book was different enough that it felt like a completely new experience.
 

Jason

Ideas bounce around in my head
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LOTR
The Shannara series (Terry Brooks)
The Chronicles of Narnia series (C. S. Lewis)
Last of the Breed (Louis L’Amour)
The Brethren (John Grisham)
Le Petit Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
Calvin and Hobbes (Bill Watterson)