Which books do you read again, and again, and again...

[Wyn A'rienh]

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley. Never get sick of it.

 

[Saba Taru]

Most everything by Heinlein, especially his Stranger in a Strange Land

Most everything by Robert Holdstock (I love the way he blends myth within his stories. I can read his books over and over and still find references and things I missed the previous read. He's the first author since Heinlein that I can say this about).

The Classics (Greek tragedies, Homer's works, and Theogeny) and medieval literature (particularly The Volsunga Saga and Chaucer)

Tolkien (although this is a recent development, having discovered his books only 3 or so years ago, I enjoy seeing just what myths and legends he used to base his stories on).

Jack L. Chalker's Well of Souls books (don't know why, but I love these books)

Alan Dean Foster's EARLY Flinx books (the last several haven't been worth the read IMO).

There's probably others, but those are the main ones I return to time and time again.

 

[Desdichado]

Now that's an interesting topic. I don't have as much time to read as I used to, but in many ways, that means I find myself turning to tried and true books that I enjoy but haven't read in a few years. Here's some that go through the cycle fairly regularly.

• Lord of the Rings -- nothing compares; I've read it tons of times and enjoyed it every time.
• Nevermind...
• In Search of the Indo-Europeans by J.P. Mallory -- one of my favorite non-fiction books ever. He co-authored, with Victor Mair, another really interesting book on the Tarim Basin mummies too, although not owning a copy means I don't reread it very often.
• Some Edgar Rice Burroughs makes for good popcorn re-reading, particularly the first books of his series, or his standalones. I think A Princess of Mars and Tarzan of the Apes are truly classics in many ways, although as the series progress, they tend to lose their sparkle.
• The original Riftwar books by Raymond Feist are also kinda "popcorn" reading -- they're easy to pick up and go through, and there's some interesting stuff going on in them as well.
• The original Dragonlance Chronicles -- one of the very few actually good game fiction series. No other game fiction aspires to be rereadable. Especially the Avatar Trilogy.
• Robert Asprin's "Myth" books -- another series that starts to sputter near the end, but dang, they were fun while they lasted!
• Some Rafael Sabatini -- I think Scaramouche is my favorite, but The Black Swan and Captain Blood are close behind.
• Some Lovecraft -- I think some of his writing is truly abysmal, but The DreamQuest of Unknown Kadath is one of my favorite stories.

 

[TracerBullet42]

I go through my Calvin and Hobbes collection at least once a year.

Nice...very nice.

 

[Meowzebub]

I can agree with a lot of what I see in these lists, but the two standouts from my repeat list

Dan Simmons - Hyperion (well, nearly all his books I have reread on numerous occasions, but Hyperion really transported me beyond my senses)

Jeff Steakly - Armor - One would think this a some cheap knockoff of Starship Troopers, but actually a surprisingly deep, emotional book, truely capturing some of the futility that so filled Starship Troopers, the book, and Hollywood butchered out of the script in the movie.

 

[Melkor Lord Of ALL!]

I love rereading Wheel Of Time books! You notice new things each time!

 

[milotha]

I can agree with a lot of what I see in these lists, but the two standouts from my repeat list

Dan Simmons - Hyperion (well, nearly all his books I have reread on numerous occasions, but Hyperion really transported me beyond my senses)

Jeff Steakly - Armor - One would think this a some cheap knockoff of Starship Troopers, but actually a surprisingly deep, emotional book, truely capturing some of the futility that so filled Starship Troopers, the book, and Hollywood butchered out of the script in the movie.

Wow, and here I thought I was the only person who read Armor. I loved that book. I gave it to someone and I haven't seen it since. Hyperion was great too, though I didn't like the second book as much.

 

[Meowzebub]

Wow, and here I thought I was the only person who read Armor. I loved that book. I gave it to someone and I haven't seen it since. Hyperion was great too, though I didn't like the second book as much.

I have 'given' away two copies and have since learned to keep an extra on hand for emergencies

 

[CCamfield]

Well, I don't think I've read ANYTHING a dozen times, but a few things that come to mind that I've re-read quite a few times:

- The Hobbit
- some of the Garrett PI novels by Glen Cook
- The Hero and The Crown by Robin McKinley
- Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
- The Saint in New York, by Leslie Charteris
- Captain Blood, by Raphael Sabatini
- A Gentleman of France, by Stanley Weyman

 

[Nighthawk]

Wow, and here I thought I was the only person who read Armor. I loved that book. I gave it to someone and I haven't seen it since. Hyperion was great too, though I didn't like the second book as much.

I have read and reread that book as well. It's one my favorites - I think it transcends the normal view on sci-fi books. It's very much a "hit or miss" kind of book though.

Agatha Christie books are the novels that I read over and over again. It helps that there are enough of them to do that with. I also have enjoyed the RiftWar Saga books by Raymond Feist (the original books). Weird but true.