Abbott family answers: Catcher in the Rye, The Great Gatsby, Sentimental Journey, The Sound and the Fury, Daughter of Time, Pride and Prejudice, The Big Sleep.
What book have you read most often? (Not for a classroom).
Come to think of it, I've probably read THE MAN OF BRONZE, the first Doc Savage novel, as many times as I've read THE SUN ALSO RISES. Also some of those Rick Brant books from the YA adventure series.
I'm bad about reading books twice except for Hemingway, Chandler, and THE GREAT GATSBY. GATSBY is my favorite novel and when are they going to make a decent movie of it?
Reading a book three times would get it on the list, because I don't think I've read anything four times. There aren't that many, and most have already been mentioned. "The Catcher in the Rye" and at least two of Salinger's collections, "The Sun Also Rises" and, as of this year, Yates' "Revolutionary Road" joined the list. I also like Patti's "tried and failed" category. Mine would be "Gravity's Rainbow", despite the fact that I've read and liked three of Pynchon's other books.
I used to re-read books a lot, but haven't in a long time. CATCHER IN THE RYE and A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE were the titles that came to mind first, although when I was a kid I wore the covers off of the OUTSIDERS.
Lots of good books have too much interior monolog to make a good movie, I think. Plot wins out in movies. I've read Revolutionary Road three times too. Tried and failed-Barth, Barthelme, Pynchon. I reread kids books immediately. I must read Red Harvest. Shame on me.
As an adult, probably THE BIG SLEEP, FAREWELL MY LOVELY, THE LONG GOODBYE, THE MALTESE FALCON, and GET SHORTY. They all have a ways to go to catch either THE CALL OF THE WILD or THE JUNGLE BOOK. As a kid, when I found a book I liked, i read the ink right off the page.
Mystic River Ender's Game A Christmas Carol The Lord of the Rings Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy (Timothy Zahn) The Hobbit The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe The Hound of the Baskervilles
I wonder if we reread the books of our youth in our youth more often. Most of these were written some time ago. I've reread Vonnegut and Tolkien but not lately. I've reread On Writing by Stephen King recently. But that's rereading a textbook rather than a novel.
Black Beauty The Black Stallion series The Hobbit The Lord of the Rings The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe The Narnia series Drums of Autumn The Hole in the Universe Miss Garnet's Angel The Cabinet of Curiosities
I try not to re-read anything, so it only happens accidentally. Mind you, I have set myself the challenge of reading all the Agatha Christie's from start to finish, so that involves re-reading a number that I have already read.
Alice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, The Green Ripper, In Cold Blood, The Last Good Kiss, The New York Trilogy (City of Glass, The Locked Room, Ghosts) and the Nick Adams Stories.
I probably read all of those books at least once every two or three years.
For novels, nothing I've read as an adult can come close to the frequency with which I read Ester Weir's THE LONER, Gordon Dickson's SECRET UNDER THE SEA, E. L. Konigsburg's FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER, Keith Robertson's HENRY REED'S JOURNEY and a few others, while contenting myself with one or two runs through the likes of Armstrong Sperry's CALL IT COURAGE or Scott O'Dell's novels or Louise Fitzhugh's. What I have found myself returning to repeatedly are short stories...Theodore Sturgeon's, Fritz Leiber's, Robert Bloch's, Jorge Luis Borges's, Shirley Jackson's, Avram Davidson's, John Cheever's, E. F. Benson's, Joanna Russ's, Kate Wilhelm's, Damon Knight's, Bill Pronzini's...just to cite some recent examples... both as a youth and since. And I read my JUNGLE BOOKS to tatters as well, and Jack London, and Hal Cantor's once ubiquitous GHOSTS AND THINGS with several of the above and Henry James, Algernon Blackwood and others...including Ambrose Bierce, who with Twain might've been the most re-read writer in my life so far. Youthful exuberance and summers off are hard to beat.
Yes, short stories. Especially those of John Updike, John Cheever, Andre Dubus 11, Alice Munro, Joy Williams, Antonya Nelson, William Trevor, Eudora Welty, Richard Yates and on. I can commit to reading those again and again.
I've read Irwin Shaw's short story "Main Currents of American Thought" at least a dozen times. It's the best story I've ever read about being a writer.
I don't read a lot of books more than once. The few that come to mind are: The Hobbit Lord of The Rings 1984 Tunnel In The Sky As for the amount of times, I really couldn't tell you. For those listed, maybe half a dozen times each.
In hacking out my Friday Forgotten Book, I realize my eyes gained permanent tracks from rereading Damon Knight's IN SEARCH OF WONDER, James Blish's similar volumes collecting criticism, and Algis Budrys's similar yet BENCHMARKS. Among the nonfiction. Again, in my yout'.
Am I crazy to admit that the books I've re-read the most often in the last few years are the Harry Potter books?? I've read them, listened to them, seen the moview, etc., etc. I confess that I am a true Harry Potter maniac!
I'm new to your blog, Patti. Found it through Lesa Holstine's. I love the forgotten books feature!
Possibly THE SUN ALSO RISES, but I don't really know.
ReplyDeleteGreat answers. Four of those would be on my list, and so would James's.
ReplyDeleteI'll tell you what books I've tried to read the most times-Magic Mountain.
ReplyDeleteCome to think of it, I've probably read THE MAN OF BRONZE, the first Doc Savage novel, as many times as I've read THE SUN ALSO RISES. Also some of those Rick Brant books from the YA adventure series.
ReplyDeleteI'm bad about reading books twice except for Hemingway, Chandler, and THE GREAT GATSBY. GATSBY is my favorite novel and when are they going to make a decent movie of it?
ReplyDeleteDavid, I believe that if a book is really good it can't be made into a good movie.
ReplyDeleteA really good short story or a mediocre book, though, can make for a terrific movie.
Reading a book three times would get it on the list, because I don't think I've read anything four times. There aren't that many, and most have already been mentioned. "The Catcher in the Rye" and at least two of Salinger's collections, "The Sun Also Rises" and, as of this year, Yates' "Revolutionary Road" joined the list. I also like Patti's "tried and failed" category. Mine would be "Gravity's Rainbow", despite the fact that I've read and liked three of Pynchon's other books.
ReplyDeleteDashiell Hammett's "Five Completed Novels," in specific, "Red Harvest."
ReplyDeleteI used to re-read books a lot, but haven't in a long time. CATCHER IN THE RYE and A FINE AND PRIVATE PLACE were the titles that came to mind first, although when I was a kid I wore the covers off of the OUTSIDERS.
ReplyDeleteLots of good books have too much interior monolog to make a good movie, I think. Plot wins out in movies. I've read Revolutionary Road three times too. Tried and failed-Barth, Barthelme, Pynchon.
ReplyDeleteI reread kids books immediately.
I must read Red Harvest. Shame on me.
As an adult, probably THE BIG SLEEP, FAREWELL MY LOVELY, THE LONG GOODBYE, THE MALTESE FALCON, and GET SHORTY. They all have a ways to go to catch either THE CALL OF THE WILD or THE JUNGLE BOOK. As a kid, when I found a book I liked, i read the ink right off the page.
ReplyDeleteLove that image, Dana and I do remember replacing books I'd read to death.
ReplyDeleteMystic River
ReplyDeleteEnder's Game
A Christmas Carol
The Lord of the Rings
Star Wars: The Thrawn Trilogy (Timothy Zahn)
The Hobbit
The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe
The Hound of the Baskervilles
The Watchmen
ReplyDeleteLord of the Rings trilogy
Killer Inside Me
Stolen Away (Max Allan Collins)
Slaughterhouse five
I wonder if we reread the books of our youth in our youth more often. Most of these were written some time ago.
ReplyDeleteI've reread Vonnegut and Tolkien but not lately. I've reread On Writing by Stephen King recently. But that's rereading a textbook rather than a novel.
Black Beauty
ReplyDeleteThe Black Stallion series
The Hobbit
The Lord of the Rings
The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe
The Narnia series
Drums of Autumn
The Hole in the Universe
Miss Garnet's Angel
The Cabinet of Curiosities
The Tolkien/C.S. Lewis books have it hands down. But did we read them as kids or adults?
ReplyDeleteI try not to re-read anything, so it only happens accidentally. Mind you, I have set myself the challenge of reading all the Agatha Christie's from start to finish, so that involves re-reading a number that I have already read.
ReplyDeleteLet me know your favorite when you've finished. I read most of them in my twenties and nothing since she's died.
ReplyDeleteAlice in Wonderland, Through the Looking Glass, The Green Ripper, In Cold Blood, The Last Good Kiss, The New York Trilogy (City of Glass, The Locked Room, Ghosts) and the Nick Adams Stories.
ReplyDeleteI probably read all of those books at least once every two or three years.
R2-Alice is such a great pick. What makes you reread so often-pure enjoyment, inspiration, lessons on writing....?
ReplyDeleteAll three. Of course, I've read Alice since I was a kid. I always get a charge form the wordplay.
ReplyDeletere: Tolkien and Lewis and reading them as youths or as adults. My answer: both. It's amazing how much doesn't change with the extra years tagged on.
ReplyDeleteFor novels, nothing I've read as an adult can come close to the frequency with which I read Ester Weir's THE LONER, Gordon Dickson's SECRET UNDER THE SEA, E. L. Konigsburg's FROM THE MIXED UP FILES OF MRS. BASIL E. FRANKWEILER, Keith Robertson's HENRY REED'S JOURNEY and a few others, while contenting myself with one or two runs through the likes of Armstrong Sperry's CALL IT COURAGE or Scott O'Dell's novels or Louise Fitzhugh's. What I have found myself returning to repeatedly are short stories...Theodore Sturgeon's, Fritz Leiber's, Robert Bloch's, Jorge Luis Borges's, Shirley Jackson's, Avram Davidson's, John Cheever's, E. F. Benson's, Joanna Russ's, Kate Wilhelm's, Damon Knight's, Bill Pronzini's...just to cite some recent examples... both as a youth and since. And I read my JUNGLE BOOKS to tatters as well, and Jack London, and Hal Cantor's once ubiquitous GHOSTS AND THINGS with several of the above and Henry James, Algernon Blackwood and others...including Ambrose Bierce, who with Twain might've been the most re-read writer in my life so far. Youthful exuberance and summers off are hard to beat.
ReplyDeleteYes, short stories. Especially those of John Updike, John Cheever, Andre Dubus 11, Alice Munro, Joy Williams, Antonya Nelson, William Trevor, Eudora Welty, Richard Yates and on. I can commit to reading those again and again.
ReplyDeleteI've read Irwin Shaw's short story "Main Currents of American Thought" at least a dozen times. It's the best story I've ever read about being a writer.
ReplyDeleteWithout a doubt, "To Tame a Land" by Louis L'Amour.
ReplyDeleteI don't read a lot of books more than once. The few that come to mind are:
ReplyDeleteThe Hobbit
Lord of The Rings
1984
Tunnel In The Sky
As for the amount of times, I really couldn't tell you. For those listed, maybe half a dozen times each.
The books I've read the most: A PRAYER FOR OWEN MEANY, LONESOME DOVE, BREAKFAST OF CHAMPIONS
ReplyDeleteIn hacking out my Friday Forgotten Book, I realize my eyes gained permanent tracks from rereading Damon Knight's IN SEARCH OF WONDER, James Blish's similar volumes collecting criticism, and Algis Budrys's similar yet BENCHMARKS. Among the nonfiction. Again, in my yout'.
ReplyDeleteAm I crazy to admit that the books I've re-read the most often in the last few years are the Harry Potter books?? I've read them, listened to them, seen the moview, etc., etc. I confess that I am a true Harry Potter maniac!
ReplyDeleteI'm new to your blog, Patti. Found it through Lesa Holstine's. I love the forgotten books feature!