re-read recommendations
- paigenherbooks
- Jan 9, 2022
- 5 min read
I'm an avid re-reader. My sixteen year old brother and i often get into heated debates on the subject of re-reading. He says once you finish a world you should leave it be. You've lived that life and should be content with it. He also says that theres no point you "already know whats going to happen."
Um, exactly!
I think there is something so profound and powerful in re-reading a book. I love re-cracking the spine in the same spots that captivated me the first time. I love re meeting characters and falling in love with them all over again. I especially love picking up details I didn't see the first time going around. For me, re-reading is revisiting my favorite places and favorite people. It's diving back into worlds that where so special the first time. It's in a sense coming home. Everyone has comfort characters and books, and I know I sure do. Those worlds I don't think I'll ever be able to shake, because they keep calling to me.
I have re-read a lot of books in my time as a reader, but these are the one's I have read two or more times (haha I like them okay!) Maybe you've read them too or maybe want to try something new! These are hands down good ones, I promise.
Twilight by Stephanie Meyer
Don't be surprised. Yall knew it was coming. I literally have re-read Twilight every year at least once since I first read it when I was around 11 or 12. It's what I consider my ultimate comfort read. If I'm depressed or going through it, I pick up Twilight. I also always tell myself I'm just going to re-read the first one...but then I have Breaking Dawn in my hands and I haven't showered in two days. Forks is just such a calming place. With La Push beach and the eeriness of the werewolf and vampire aesthetic, I love it. I love Edward telling me how much he wants to kill Bella (out of love, how romantic!) I love Jacob fighting so hard to fit in and also trying to win Bella over. I love Charlie. Enough said. This book takes me back to simpler times. Before bills, and hard college school work. When I could stay up until four a.m. reading about how horrible Bella dresses and about how Edward sparkles in the meadow. Simpler times.
Percy Jackson by Rick Riordian
I read this series in eighth grade and have never looked back. The world of Percy and the Greek Gods is something I am still obsessed about today. I can go on and on and on about how these books have changed my life and the life of others. Every spin off series is fantastic as well but the OG books are my favorite. Camp Half-Blood (which I proudly have a shirt of) is a place I also consider home. These stories remind me what true friendship looks like. What doing the right thing is. Percy's fatal flaw is loyalty. As a kid who really struggled to make friends or feel comfortable in friendships Percy was someone I could relate to.
I always felt as if I was given way more than anyone in a relationship (mostly friend based). I was always feeling as if something was wrong with me. Then I read these books. I saw that Percy, regardless was always loyal to the end. Sometimes it really backfired and hurt, but he always learned something from it. After that, I wore my undying loyalty as a badge of honor. If Percy Jackson could be proud of being loyal, then so could I. I found so much of myself within these pages. From Annabeth being a "wise girl", to Nico struggling with depression at a young age, to just falling in love with the Greek God's all over again, this series is one I return to often.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown
These books are phenomenal. If you liked the Hunger Games and love science fiction PLEASE go read these. With a cast society unlike one I have ever read and hints of the Roman Empire, these books are one's that I re-visit often. Whenever I have an itch for adventure and sometimes some bloodshed (hey we all get in that mood) I turn to these books. Darrow is so black and white that it's refreshing to read from his point of view. The society that is built is one that is also so interesting and one I haven't seen done before. These books always convince me that I'm a badass and can definitely win any kind of ruthless competition. I can't but they convince me I can.
The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
This book is my favorite book of all time. I first read this book when I moved form the Outer Banks of North Carolina to a small town in Iowa. This book single handedly saved my life. It distracted me from a lot of the issues and big emotions I was feeling at the time. It was my escape to friends who I know where going to accept me. Even if talked a little funny. It's a children's book. But one I think has profound lessons. On not taking anything for granted, for accepting people who are different, and about taking life by the reigns! I read this book when life becomes a little too much. When I want to see Milo and his talking clock dog try to save Rhyme and Reason. This book has a permeant spot on my shelf. It's spine is so creased and I'm pretty sure their are tear and coffee stains throughout the pages, but it is loved.
The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald
One thing about me is I'm a big F. Scott Fitzgerald fan and I'm sorry but no one can convince me otherwise. The Beautiful and the Damned is also one of my favorites but I always find myself slinking my way back to re-read the Great Gatsby. I've read this book at least a hundred times. It's easy, it's interesting, and I like it. The book holds such a nostalgia for me that it's just one I find myself picking up from time to time. To meet Gatsby in his grand ballroom or to sneak loving glances at Daisy, or to be just confused as Nick always is.
Harry Potter by J.K Rowling
You also knew this had to be one the list. Ron Wesley is one of my spirit animals and I'll never turn down a chance to hear Malfoy take the deepest breath to scream "POTTER". This world is one I always love returning back to. The magic is so beautiful and calming for me. It's something all of my family loves so when I go back to read it, it feels as if my brothers are right there as I read aloud about the boy who lived. My mom is sitting next to me on the couch as we watch the Prisoner of Azkaban. It's a world with people I grew up with. My copies are literally falling apart, passed down from when my mom first got them. They have been taped and re-taped but I can't part with them. They are the books that taught me so much, so they always have a place on my shelf.
I've re-read a lot of other books as well, but these are the one's that hold substantial ground in my book. The one's I could most likely recite in my sleep word for word. The books that feel like home. The power of reading and re-reading is something I think we all take for granted. The capability we have to literally conjure up fake stories and see them play like a movie in our heads. And re-visit anytime that we want!!
That's the real magic!
happy reading and re-reading :,)
xoxo,
paige :)
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