Reader Mailbag: Books & Book Series You Like To Re-Read
In the January 2022 newsletter, I asked readers what books and book series they like to re-read.
Here are the responses:
Kenica: When I re-read books now, I usually listen to them on audio. I read the actual books the first time around (if I think I’m really going to enjoy them). I am listening to the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters right now. It’s probably been 25 years since I first read them. I have listened to Pride and Prejudice, Persuasion, and Wuthering Heights again, although they are not series titles.
I have so many books I’ve never read that I prefer listening to ones that I have already completed. It’s impossible to find the time for them all. It seems like a wiser use of my time.
seahawksfan: I always fall back and read the Tarzan series by Edgar rice Burroughs. It just takes me away from everything that’s happening in life. What a great imagination Burroughs had. Also the Conan the Barbarian series by Robert E. Howard is good too. When I was young though, the Black Stallion by Walter Farley was my favorite. I would reread The Black Stallion over and over, also the first 12 books in the series including the Island Stallion! My all time favorites. Thanks.
Villa: I don’t especially like to re read books But when I do I enjoy doing so.
I recently was mentally recalling a couple of books that I had enjoyed in high school(I graduated in 1954). I was curious to know if they were actually good books.
When I tried to find them at the library they didn’t have them so I tried on-line. I discovered that they were available but were very costly and that the authors were famous. I had not even remembered who wrote them–just the titles. So I concluded that my taste in books was probably pretty good back then! On telling my son about this, my next birthday gift was copies of the two books I had been curious about. It was not only a super great present, but I also loved both of the books. The two books were: ” Dollar Cotton” by John Faulkner & “Tap Roots” by James Street.
Barbara: I just cannot re-read a book. I start off trying but I quickly start remembering what happened and it just takes away the thrill of discovery and there is no anticipation of what happens next, because I already know. I can usually tell within 10 or 12 pages for sure whether I have read it or not. Since I stick with one author until I finish all of his/her books, I occasionally get mixed up at first since some of the same characters are sometimes in all the books. But it doesn’t take too long. I have a sort of didactic memory of books I have read, so it just isn’t enjoyable anymore to try to repeat a book. The only reason I keep a book I have read is if it is autographed. Otherwise, I pass it on to a friend.
If I am reading reviews of a new author, I don’t take their word for it. On Amazon you can usually read the first chapter or so to see if you like the author’s style and so if I order the book I have to start at Chapter 2 to start getting into the book.
I worked at a school library for several years and my friend at work checked out a book to read. When I asked her how it was going she said that she had finished it and had started re-reading it. I kept asking her to return the book but she said she was reading it again. She finally returned it at the end of the year after reading it 4 or 5 times. I just can’t understand how people can do that. But I guess they can’t understand how can know immediately if I have read it or not.
Martina: I do have a few series that I love to reread!
Even though they are for younger readers, The Black Stallion series by Walter Farley still has me wishing I could tame a wild stallion and have adventures with him! I still get a thrill every time I read of Alec’s first ride on the Black!
Whenever I need to feel a need for magic, I reach for Harry Potter. It has friendship and I feel as if I can do magical things!
My all time favorite series to reread is the Dragonriders of Pern by Anne McCaffrey. The ability to bond with a dragon and fly never gets old!
I also have reread the JoeGrey cat mystery series by Shirley Rousseau Murphy!!! I love that Joe Grey is an awesome, smart cat that can talk and loves to solve mysteries in his hometown of Molena Point. I love this series so much I named my cat Nick Grey!!!
Thanks for the great monthly question !!
Stephanie: I’m in the process of re-reading Crombie and I am on the last in the series, “A Bitter Feast”. Next, I’m going to re-read George’s
books – I know there is so much out there that I haven’t read, but I really like both of these authors and their characters. I just love reading!
Natalie: I have a lot of book series’ that I like to re-read. It is hard to narrow it down! I especially like the Thomas Pitt series by Anne Perry. An old series that I like is the Nero Wolfe series by Rex Stout. That one is great for listening because the narrator, Michael Pritchard is excellent. I am an audio book reader most of the time, and as you know the narrator can make or break a book. A couple other series’ I like are Kate Burkholder series by Linda Castillo, and The Oregon Files by Clive Cussler. There are so many good books and never enough time! Thank you for your newsletter. I look forward to it all the time!
Lisa: I have gone back and started over on the Prey series by John Sandford. I love Lucas Davenport!
Julia: I have the entire Spencer series by Robert parker, the Dallas series by JD Robb, the Bonaparte series by Arthur upfield and Dana Stabenow’s Kate shugak series. They are my keepers!
TK: Way too many books out there and I’ll never get to them all! However, there is only one book I have ever cared to read more than once, a childrens book. And since grade school I have read it many times – The Horse Without a Head by Paul Berna. I own a 1958 edition that a friend found for me at a used bookstore. It’s the year I was born!
James: James Lee Burke is the one I go back to, especially the Dave Robicheaux ones!
Steve: Starting on Amazon Prime on Feb 4 is a Jack Reacher 8 episode series of Killing Floor. It stars someone who greatly resembles Reacher much unlike that pipsqueak Tom Cruise. So I reread the book and was pleasantly surprised that I had no idea what was coming next. It was as though I was reading it for the very first time. Really looking forward to the series.
Sharon: I will always pick up a J A Jance novel. When I start rereading one I will pick up something about the characters or the locations they are set in that I didn’t remember or notice.
Scott: I’ve read the entire Spenser Series by Robert B. Parker three times, and each visit is like coming home to an old friend. Quick-witted dialogue peppered with humor and a centered sense of moral justice make this series noteworthy. Highly recommended.
Ruth: I’m currently rereading the Eve Duncan series by Iris Johansen. There are currently 28 novels in the series. Eve’s daughter was kidnapped and murdered, leading Eve to become a forensic sculptor. Her life’s goal is to restore the faces of found skulls of children so they can be returned to their families. There are some paranormal touches to the stories. The characters are strong. I highly recommend.
Rich: I have read Ludlum’s Bourne Trilogy several times, it never gets old!
Another favorite reread is Arthur C. Clarke’s fantastic sci fi series “Rama,” starting with “Rendezvous with Rama.”
Raley: William Kent Kruger’s anythings.
Phil: Graeme, Hi. A series that I like to go back and read over are the tie-in novels to the TV show MONK. If you like the show, you’ll like the books. Mystery and comedy go well together.
Penny: I personally don’t re-read any books! There are so many books I want to read I don’t have time to re-read any!!!
I am currently following nine different authors who have series going! So I have a lot to read this year!
Mark: The fantastic Spenser series by Robert B Parker is a collection I have enjoyed re reading
Margot: the books i would go back and read again is The Pavilion of Women by Pearl S. Buck. her female characters seem weak because of the times she wrote them in, but if anyone reads The Good Earth, which i read probably every two or three years, her female characters are as strong as oak as i imagine Ms. Buck would be. and she is a woman i would love to have spent time with learning, literally, by her knee, and just listening, maybe peppering her with questions.
i also bought a used copy of the autobiography of Golda Meir. there have been many books written about her, but i wanted to hear her words about her. a school teacher from ohio ships herself off to israel, not even a recognized country that was in total chaos and conflict, and goes on to become the first prime minister AND a woman prime minister at that.
Jenny: The books I have reread the most are ‘The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings’. They were first read to me when I was a kid and the I just kept rereading. I stopped when I realized I could recite the first chapter by heart. I started again when my kids were the right age for me to read them out loud at the breakfast table. I also read them to my Mom one summer while she did the gardening.
Other books I have read multiple times are ‘The Endless Steppe’ by Esther Hautzig and ‘The Phantom Tollbooth’ by Norton Juster. (“The Phantom Tollbooth’ I read as a kid. Then I read it out loud to my best friend. Then she read it out loud to me. Then I read it to her and maybe you get the picture, ha ha.) Also I’ve reread many times ‘Homecoming’ by Cynthia Voigt and “The Family Nobody Wanted’ by Helen Doss. Oh, and ‘The Velveteen Rabbit’ by Margery Williams. Wow, now I want to reread them all right now! Maybe I’ll need some grandchildren soon. Think of all the new books that I don’t know are my favorites yet.
Lou: I have just finished the Stone Barrington series (including # 60). Next time I read these I plan to keep track of the women Stone sleeps with. Should be fun.
Rereading Alan Lewrie now and really enjoying it.
And as always, Horacio Hornblower. I have read this series so many times I have lost count. It was my first series other than the Hardy Boys and still my favorite.
Linda: Seldom do I go back and re-read books but have recently going back to Jeffrey Archer’s books. I read them in order written and will soon be reading The Clifton Chronicles again. Have read all of his books and he has never disappointed me…surprised me a number of times though.
For some who likes books set in different countries, am glad I have this author to walk me thru the British political system
Leslie: “Ben Kincaid” series by William Bernhardt
“Alex Delaware” series by Jonathan Kellerman
“Dr. Temperance Brennan” series by Kathy Reichs
“J.P. Beaumont” series by J.A. Jance
“Dr. Kay Scarpetta” series by Patricia Cornwell
“Stone Barrington” series by Stuart Woods
“Lucy Kincaid” series by Allison Brennan
“Lieutenant Eve Dallas” series by Nora Roberts, writing as J.D. Robb
all law firm fiction by Lisa Scottoline, as they feature a law firm headed by Bennie Rosato, employing Mary DiNunizio and others
Investigator “Lucas Davenport” (Prey) series by John Sandford
Juan: Regarding a series of books I like to reread. There is no better series in my opinion than the Daniel Silva Grabriel Allon series.
Joy: I have gone back and re read the C J Box books. Love that series
Gaile: Couple of things: First, I am not a fan of the cover art for Moth to a Flame. Has no one seen the media for Silence of the Lambs? And if so, did they think it was ok to take such a masterful piece of art and adopt it — pretty much wholesale — for a novel by another author? I love SotL, and maybe that makes me a little protective, but come on, create your own art, people! 😄
Secondly, as far as re-reading series: I’m old school and I midway through the entire oeuvre of Agatha Christie. Well, perhaps I shan’t include all her books, since I found Tommy and Tuppence pretty dreadful. But Poirot? Marple? The other works? Yep, I’m in. (Side note: I can’t define why, but I love “Destination Unknown” a great deal, and yet it’s a huge departure for Christie.)
I likely will start at the beginning of Martha Grimes and read through her works, too. I look forward to her new releases, and those of Louise Penny, with eager anticipation.
Elizabeth: I can’t think of any books or series that I reread. There are usually so many books that I want to read that I don’t want to reread a book. I did reread some when I was in a book club if it had been a while since I had read it. Since I get almost all of the books I read from the library, maybe it’s harder for me to consider rereading them.
Clareene: I’m thinking with the passing of Anne Rice I want to reread her Vampire series. She will be missed greatly…Right now I’m enjoying reading the Myron Bolitar series by Harlan Coben. I am in book two of the off -shoot series on Mickey Bolitar, his nephew. Great reading…
Deb: A series I have read 5 times already and am about to read again is The Cat Who… by Lilian Jackson Braun. (28 mystery books in all) I love Koko and Yum Yum, Siamese cats extraordinaire!
David: I am going to go back and reread the Outlander series as I believe book 9 which just came out may be the last of the series. It is very enjoyable and relaxing reading.
Bonnie: Hi, I’ve just begun rereading Robert Tanenbaum’s Butch Karp series. I read his books at a time when there was no easy way to read a series in order. Many books had all the titles listed alphabetically, I was never smart enough to make a list of what I had read and I only bought used books at local bookstores. There was no internet and I missed quite a few.
One of the reasons I’m enjoying the series again is that he writes about the law from the point of view as a prosecutor and of all the politics involved in DA offices. His second book taught me about the history of Yugoslavia in the same way that Daniel Silva taught me about the Arab-Israeli conflict.
Laurieb: What would I go back and read? Wow. I can’t say I re-read books very often. There are way too many books/authors out there to re-read.
If I had to pick, I would choose the Leine Basso series by D.V. Berkom. So hard to put down and Jim sure I missed something the first time.
Beryl: When I want to escape from today’s hectic and sometimes cruel world I escape to the world of Georgette Heyer’s Regency Romances. I must have started reading them in my teens, I am now 81. They transport me back to the days of manners and decorum unknown today. Added bonus. , they always have a happy ending. Sheer escapism!
Tracey: “What book series do you like to go back and reread?” Right away my first thought was the Dollanganger series by V. C. Andrews. I was first introduced to the series when I read the first book “Flowers in the Attic” when I was 10 years old, by my best friend who is still my best friend all these years later. I loved the book so much that as soon as I finished, I turned back to page 1 and started again. I’ve read these books so many times, that I don’t even need the actual books, I can just think the story in my head, and I’m back in the attic.
Thanks for your great newsletters every month, I always look forward to them!
Bruce: I have read Ken Follett’s trilogies three times each, and whenever I feel like a great weekend of reading I will pick one of them off my bookshelf and settle in for an engrossed weekend of relaxation, with nothing else on my mind, this usually happens when my wife is visiting her family and the weather is lousy.
Regina: I used to think that rereading a book was something I’d never do because I had such a good memory. Now that I’m older I realize that rereading things can be a good thing.
The only series I’m sure I’ve reread is Chronicles of Narnia by C.S.Lewis and the Wrinkle in Time series. I couldn’t remember much about the stories after Voyage of the Dawn Treader so I reread all of those. Then after the movie of Wrinkle in Time came out I reread those.
I have reread a few stand alones. But generally I feel like there are always so many books that I haven’t read I don’t feel good about spending the time to go back and reread something.
Max: A book series I always think about going back and reading again is the Aubrey/Maturin British naval seafaring series by Patrick O’brien. It is set back around the early 1800’s, and it definitely is an “acquired taste” but once you are hooked you are really hooked! I’ve read the series twice so far.
And let’s have a big round of applause for Steven Hunter and Dirty White Boys! That book stands as Number One on my list of favorite crime thrillers of all time!
And also, when you consider the flow of characters in Hunter’s fictional universe, I think the original Bob Lee Swagger trilogy should actually be a “tetralogy,” with Dirty White Boys fitting in right after the first book, Point of Impact. What do you think of that idea?
Louise: Series to reread…..There are so many! My very favorite series is The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay. The first book, The Summer Tree, was published in 1984. I bought it and could not wait for the sequels. I guess since then I have probably reread the series at least ten times. It never gets old, and I never tire of it even though it makes me cry. My next favorite is The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher.
You’d think that with so many books and so little time we’d just keep reading new ones, wouldn’t you? I think reading a favorite series is like eating comfort food when you are sad. It’s like coming home when you’ve been away for a long time. Also, if you’re getting older (as I am), when a new book in a series comes out, you can’t remember what happened in the others and have to go back and reread so you’ll know what the heck is going on!
Gigjoa: I am having the best time re-reading Stuart Woods series with Stone Barrington. What is really great is the fact that he keeps publishing more books every year. I am also re-reading Randy Wayne Whites series of books with Doc Ford, who lives in Florida, my home state. And dear, dear Joe Grey series by Shirley Rousseau Murphy.
Fran: Richard Sharpe series, King Arthur series, The Last Kingdom series, The Archer series, all by Bernard Cornwell; All Creatures Great and Small series, by James Harriott, and Pillars of The Earth series, by Ken Follett… just to name a few! Oh, and Septimus Heap series, by Angie Sage. And, of course, Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling. I do ocasionally read new books, but there’s nothing like sitting in a big comfy spot with hot tea or cocoa, and a good reread of an old friend!
Pat: Louise Penny’s “Gamache” series is so good that when a new book comes out, I can’t help myself, I race through it. Every year, I tell myself to leisurely reread the series BEFORE the next book because they are so rich in characterization and I want to immerse myself in the families, the culture and the histories of the relationships. Sadly, I haven’t got that far yet, but I did make a start in 2020, rereading Still Life. I was astonished at just how good it was, how well-rounded the characters were in that first book. Maybe this should be my resolution for 2021, reread the series in anticipation of the next one, presumably later this year.
Other series that I have actually reread many times are the Lord of the Rings and Harry Potter. They provided great comfort during some difficult times.
Christine: As far as series: My favorite to reread is the Melendy Family trilogy (The Saturdays, The Four-Story Mistake, Then There Were Five). I don’t know how many times I’ve reread them. I also love the Swallows & Amazons, but my copies aren’t accessible at present.
Louis: I find the John Sandford Prey series to be my favorite when doing re/reads. I’m including the Virgil Flowers books there, too. Used to be that Sandford would have a release in April, then one in October. These days, seems he has cut this down to one a year and his daughter is, I believe, co/authoring the book this coming April.
Lonnie: Books I have reread, besides Jack Reacher, and Mitch Rapp, I have read all John Sandford books then went back and read them in order. I also did the with the Bosh series. I have also read The Lord of the Rings multiple times. One other that I reread multiple times years ago were the John D. MacDonald books. I love your site, my go to site to read authors in order.
Laurie: I find there are too many books to get to, that re-reading will take time away from new books. Yes there are plenty of wonderful books, but I like to try new authors.
Judy: Books or series to re-read:
Jan Karon – Mitford Series
Jodi Piccoult – Sing your way home and many of her other books
James Michener – ALL
Sharyn McCrumb – ballad books
Brock and Brodie Thorne – all series
Leon Uris – Exodus, Mila18
Denise: I have re-read the Odd Thomas series by Dean Koontz – not once but twice. There was so much I missed in the first reading that reading it again gave so much more depth to the story. The third reading I even picked up more hints and things that I missed previously.
Chris: I’m with you, Graeme, on sometimes rereading John Grisham. There’s always a lot of substance in his books that I enjoy reading again and maybe noticing something I’d missed. But, in general, the book series I have reread often over the years is, no surprise to those who know me, The Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. All her books are enormous and contain so much detail that I always get something new out of a fresh read. I may not look at the nine plus Outlander books for awhile but when the mood strikes and I pick one up again, it’s guaranteed that I’ll get a lot of pleasure out of reading them once more.
Jennifer: I re-read Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next series on a regular basis. I love to escape into the book world!
CH: I would like to re-read the Amelia Peabody novels by Elizabeth Peters. I enjoy historical mysteries and am fascinated by ancient Egypt; the author had a PhD in Egyptology from the University of Chicago (under her real name). Also, I like strong female characters who are non-traditional. It’s a delightful series.
Vince: Along with those you mentioned in the newsletter, there are a number of series I periodically reread.
The most notable are:
John Sanford’s Prey and Virgil Flowers series
Raymond E, Feist’s RiftWar Saga, Empire Trilogy, Serpentwar Saga, and all the other series related to the Rift
Let me add that I enjoy your newsletters immensely, please keep them coming!
Terry: This is the first time I’ve replied to one of your newsletters! I’ve enjoyed your newsletters so much and your Order of Books page is really great, I use it often.
John Le Carré. On a whim, trying to get sleepy enough to go to bed, I picked his first, Call for the Dead, off the shelf in the wee hours of Dec. 30th, what a mistake – I was up until 9 a.m. yesterday finishing it! So I decided in 2022 I will re-read all of his books. I found to my surprise that there were several I didn’t have, though I thought I had them all. So I’ve ordered the ones I could find online. I love, love, love the writing in Le Carrés books. Even in the ones that aren’t of the stupendous quality of Smiley’s People and that series, the writing is just a feast.
Sven: Rereads; Connolly, Grisham, James Lee Burke, Deverell, and Martin Cruz Smith along with Rich Hobson.
Phoenix: What series do I like to go back a reread? Well, this is a no-brainer for me. It has to be the Sister Frivesse medieval mysteries by Margaret Frazer. Beginning with The Novice’s Tale and continuing for 16 more books, I immerse myself in medieval history every year or two. Tall, thin, related to Chaucer, Sister Frivesse is sharp as a paper cut and yet a fully obedient nun at the same time. She is also related, by marriage to the duke of Suffolk, so there is a certain amount of political intrigue in some of the books. I learn a lot about the time period of the 15th century, as the author has certainly done her homework as regards the life and times of the Tudor period.
Next in the re-read category is Jan Karon’s Mitford series. Soft, gentle, and yet full of charm and wit, Mitford is a place I would like to live. Following an Episcopal priest, as he finds unexpected love later in life, they are lovely books in which one can simply put one’s feet up with a nice cup of tea and wander away to a place where life may not be perfect, but it is certainly rewarding and full of love.
I’ve not re-read the Anne of Green Gables series for some years, but I’ve read them a time or two, as well as Lord of the Rings, the Narnia books, and the books by Jan de Hartog detailing the history of the Quakers in fiction.
Linda: If I were to go back and read any series , it would probably be the Mitch Rapp series and there is an old one called “The Ladies of Covington Send their Love”. Both would be good second time reads. However, I am so invested in new books, I don’t know how I would have the time to do any read series. I read 107 books this past year and that is my all time high.
Linda: Hello. I have reread the Hamish Macbeth series, by M.C. Beaton at least four times. The books are fast reads. I have watched the TV series inspired by the books more than that. On a trip to Scotland I visited the village of Plocton, where the series was filmed. The cozy mystery feeling of the series makes me feel warm and happy every time.
Doris: I would love to go back and re-read all of the C J Box books, unfortunately not yet, as I have so many new authors to read and others that I am trying to catch-up with.
Karen: Hi, Happy New Year! This is a great question. I’m sure we all have our favourite series that we would read again and again, just like TV reruns.
The series I would most like to reread is Sue Grafton’s Kinsey Milhone series beginning with “A is for Alibi”. I loved everything about it – the characters are great, and the fact that it takes place before modern technology makes it that much more interesting – including trips to the library and the use of pay phones. So much fun!
Thank you for continuing to write these newsletters. So many of the books I read come from recommendations from you and other subscribers.
Judy: I like to re-read a lot of different books that I own or borrow from local library. I also listen to cd’s in my car. The two series I like the best are: Laurie King’s Mary Russel series (Sherlock Holmes) (audio reader Jenny Sterlin), and Dana Stabenow’s series about Kate Shugak.(audio reader Marguerite Gavin)
Judi: Books I like to reread: William Tapply’s Brady Coyne series, about a lawyer in Boston who always seems to get involved in a murder.
Another great series would be Philip R. Craig’s Martha’s Vineyard series, about J.W. Jackson and his family. He’s a former cop who still manages to get involved in murders, when he’s not fishing.
Interestingly, both authors got together and wrote 3 books, with their characters being good friends and solving cases together. However, I do prefer when each character continues in his own story.
There are other books I like to reread too. A big favorite is C.J. Bo’s Back of Beyond. Not a Joe Pickett book.
The books of Louise Penny, Deborah Crombie, and Julia Spencer-Fleming are my other favorites for rereading.
Irene: I like to reread the Eve Dallas series by JD Robb aka Nora Roberts. I enjoy her take on policing in the future…no guns, instant identity of victims and the ways she goes about solving the crimes and her marriage to a former criminal!! It’s just very interesting.
My other favorite series is HARRY BOSCH. No one better. Michael Connelly rocks.
Hollins: Authors I have reread over the last 5 years include:
Lee Child (started keeping track of how many people Reacher has killed)
Agatha Christie
Michael Connely
Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe)
John Sandford (Lucas Davenport and Virgil Flowers series)
P. D. James
Ian Rankin
Louise Penny
Books in the non-mystery/thriller genre
The Lord of the Rings Trilogy – about every 10 years
Eliece There are 2 series that I enjoy rereading: “Inspector Lynley” by Elizabeth George and “Duncan Kinkaid/Gemma James” by Deborah Crombie. As I’ve gotten older, (just turned 79), I couldn’t tell you the plot of a book I just finished last week, so if I wait a few years, these books are just like new to me. I’m glad that I still like these books, because I’ve tried to reread a few others that I once adored and just found them very boring. For example, The Winds of War by Herman Wouk and I, Claudius by Robert Graves. I know my tastes have changed over the years, and I first read those last 2 books decades ago.
Donald: I love the magic of recluse series by Modesitt. Have read many times over and always look forward to any new titles being added.
Craig: Happy New Year! It’s funny that your question today is what series you like to re-read as I just started again to re-read The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. This is hands-down my favorite series. I have read it multiple times, and I have listened to the audiobooks as well. I keep waiting for one of my sons to finish the series so I can talk about the ending (which I happen to love) with him. I also then like re-reading earlier King books and seeing ties to The Dark Tower that I hadn’t realized existed when I first read those books.
Janet: Happy New Year, Graeme. I have a number of series I will go back to and reread.
The Lincoln Rhyme series by Jeffery Deaver, I have only read the first eight in the compete series but each book keeps you hooked.
Catherine Coulter’s FBI series with Savich and Sherlock, this one has 25 books so far. I haven’t read the two newest, sometimes I will go back are reread a few books before I read the new one as they pick up where the prior book left off.
The Sisterhood series by Fern Michaels is a fantastic way to relax, be entertained, and not have to put a lot of brain power into. I call if fluff for the brain, akin to binging an old tv series like I Love Lucy, the Golden Girls, or WKRP in Cincinnati. Entertaining and fun to do without no effort.
Stuart Woods’ Stone Barrington is another one of my favorites. That series has over fifty books now, I probably reread this series the most.
There are others, but I will stop there. Philip Margolin has the Robin Lockwood and the Amanda Jaffe series, both are excellent.
Carole: The two series I find myself rereading fairly frequently are on opposite ends of the spectrum. The first is the Dark Tower series by Stephen King; the whole series is rather dark, but I seem to be drawn to it. The second series usually calls to me around the holidays; it is Charlotte Macleod’s Professor Peter Shandy series and is light to the point of silliness occasionally. This series was written before cozy mysteries were called cozy mysteries, but it definitely falls in that category. When I need something to smile about, the much put upon Professor Shandy does it.
Judith: I am in the midst of alternating books I first read about 50 years ago (Georgette Heyer’s hysterical social comedies set mostly in Recency England) with adventure novels. Of the latter I have read three of Colin Falconer’s Historical adventures – When We Were Gods, Collossus, and Lord of the Atlas, and last night I finished the new Sharpe (Sharpe’s Assassin) from Bernard Cornwell.
All were great, and a new Sharpe is always a call for celebration.
There are books that scream out to be reread someday, and I often plan how many years I will need to wait to fully enjoy them again.
Some I reread are series from my chikdhood. (I have a favorite Enid Blyton series, too!)
I also love binge reading, where I save up an author I really like so I can read several at a time.
Thanks to Christmas I now have the last five #1 Ladies Detective Agency books read to devour.
Claire: Never thought about this until you posed the question. Recently, I read Scythe from the Arc of the Scythe series by Neal Shusterman. It just blew me away. I haven’t completed the series yet, but I just know that it is one series that I will definitely re-read. Only because I’m sure I missed some of the finer details in my first go at it. There are three books in the series and from what I’ve read thus far, they are real page turners. Unputdownable.
Kat: sue grafton series
The Kinsey Millhone Alphabet Series
im sorry she never made it to the ‘z’ book
i like they were set near where i live and that it was in a time before technology.
thanks for asking, kat
How did I miss answering this question?
I have to reread to catch things I missed the first time, or just because I love them so much.
I reread the Narnia series, the Hobbit, and the Lord of the Rings multiple times.
There’s the Eve Dallas In Death series, Harry Potter, Anne McCaffrey’s Crystal Singer series, the Dresden series by Jim Butcher, and more. I especially like to listen to them the second time. Right now I’m slowly going through Nalini Singh’s Psy Changling series again. I’d say about 10% of my annual reading is to reread something.
Like I said at the beginning I see more. I see foreshadowing of things I missed, or references to something earlier in the series.
(I do this with TV shows and movies, too.)
I started reading seriously when I was 13 with Thunderbird, son of Flicka and Beltane the Smith, about six thousand books later, I just ordered Greg Hurwitz, the Dark Horse. A lifetime of reading that I would do over.