Skip to main content

Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

This week's Top Ten Tuesday at the Broke and the Bookish is Top Ten Books I Wish I Could Read Again For The First Time. Usually, books that I love, I just want to read again, period, and I often find I get more out of a second reading. Still, there is a certain pleasure in reading for the first time.

1. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien

The first time I read LOTR, I savored it and loved it and just enjoyed spending time in every place and with every character and I got INCREDIBLY emotionally invested, and it's never quite the same, even though I pick up on more in subsequent readings.

2. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

I just loved being pulled along by the wit and sparkle, and yes, I knew they were getting married in the end, but I had no idea how that was going to happen. I also kept waiting for what I considered enough vindication for Darcy, never really got there...

3. Harry Potter 1-7 by J.K. Rowling

An experience like no other, because of all the hype and the fact that everybody I knew was reading it too, it really was magic.

4. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

Also a magical reading experience, especially because I didn't get all the Christian allegory stuff back then, so I could just relate to the characters and laugh at the narrator and marvel at the strange creatures.

5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain

It's funny because the first time I read Huck Finn, I just enjoyed it so much, I was totally riveted by the adventurous nature of the story and admiring of Huck and Jim and had no idea about the implications of anything. I've also loved analyzing it later, but it's a very different experience.

6. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

I remember hanging on every word, wondering what feat of imagery and language would occur next. I just remember thinking it was sheer beauty.

7. Dune by Frank Herbert

Much like with LOTR, I had an incredibly mesmerizing experience where I got very attached to the characters and very interested in the inner workings of the universe.

8. His Dark Materials by Philip Pullman

I'd never read anything quite like it before, nor have I since. It was a fantasy world that really made me think in delightfully philosophical ways.

9. Wicked by Gregory Maguire

I was entranced and couldn't wait to see what twisted thing would happen next.

10. Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

I know, I also put this on my list of books I want to re-read, but reading it again for the first time would be better because then it could be new again...I just wanted this book to go on and on forever. I'm really hoping she'll write a sequel.


Comments

Trish said…
P&P should have been on my list this week, too! Such a fun story.
Harry Potter - definitely. One of the things I missed most after the series ended was that I would never again have a new Harry Potter book to look forward to, would never have the childish swell of excitement as I cracked open the hardcover. Rereading it again for the first time would, I think, recapture some of that joy. So much magic and excitement. Even though I still reread the books constantly, there was certainly something special about the first time with each of the books...

Popular posts from this blog

Books with Single-Word Titles

Happy Top Ten Tuesday over at That Artsy Reader Girl! Books with Single-Word Titles These are all my favorite books that I could think of with one-word titles. A lot of fantasy, a few nonfiction (minus subtitles) and Kindred , whether you consider it scifi or historical fiction. Also two portmanteaus using the word "bitter." I suppose it's a word that lends itself to amelioration. 1. Sweetbitter by Stephanie Danler 2. Bitterblue by Kristin Cashore 3. Fire by Kristin Cashore 4. Heartless by Marissa Meyer 5. Inheritance by Christopher Paolini 6. Meditations by Marcus Aurelius 7. Stoned by Aja Raden (has a subtitle) 8. Educated by Tara Westover 9. Fledgling by Octavia Butler 10. Kindred by Octavia Butler

Book Review: The Speed of Clouds by Miriam Seidel

Book Review: The Speed of Clouds by Miriam Seidel *To Be Released from New Door Books on April 10, 2018* Mindy Vogel is haunted by the future. In frequent daydreams, she toggles between her real, wheelchair-bound life and the adventurous life of her fanfic alter ego, SkyLog officer Kat Wanderer. She's haunted by all that Kat can do which she cannot---belong to an organization of comrades, walk, and fall in love---yet. Because at twenty-four, Mindy's future is very much ahead of her, wheelchair notwithstanding. Through Mindy's "SkyLog" fanzine and related emails, Seidel evokes Star Trek fandom around the turn of the millenium, but also creates a new and compelling science fictional universe, similar to what Rainbow Rowell's Fangirl  does for the Harry Potter fandom with "Simon Snow." Mindy is among the pioneers transitioning fandom from print to digital, boldly encountering like-minded individuals from the comfort of her chair behind the monito

Books On My Summer 2024 TBR

 I've been fairly successful with my reading goals so far this year (40 out of 42 read!), but I still have some goals to catch up on or exceed (books by authors of color and women in translation). I've also got my book club books, and I'll throw a few new and/or summery titles into the mix for inspiration. Hoping to read many of these outside, basking in beautiful weather! Happy Top Ten Tuesday! Books On My Summer 2024 TBR She's Up to No Good by Sara Goodman Confino--This is technically for a book club, although I probably won't be able to attend the meeting.  I've heard so many good things about this one, and it looks like a good summer read, so I'm planning to read it anyway. Midnight in Siberia: A Train Journey into the Heart of Russia by David Greene (Book club read)--I already have it out of the library, but have to get on this one! It sounds very interesting but nonfiction usually takes me a little longer. The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris (Book cl