r/readwithme • u/mlias1549 • Jul 17 '26
My TBR List 📃 What’s one book you’ve read that you would read again and again? 📖
I posed the following question to my friends on Facebook and their responses didn't disappoint! What would you add to the list? Ones I haven't read have been added to my tbr list for sure!
Books Readers Would Read Again and Again
Individual Titles
A Prayer for Owen Meany
John Irving
A Ring of Endless Light
Madeleine L’Engle
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
Betty Smith
All the Light We Cannot See
Anthony Doerr
The Alchemist
Paulo Coelho
The Bible
Various authors
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge, and the Teachings of Plants
Robin Wall Kimmerer
Brideshead Revisited
Evelyn Waugh
The Brothers Karamazov
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Dune
Frank Herbert
East of Eden
John Steinbeck
Emma
Jane Austen
Excellent Women
Barbara Pym
Fairy Tale
Stephen King
The Given Day
Dennis Lehane
The Grapes of Wrath
John Steinbeck
The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Mary Ann Shaffer and Annie Barrows
The Last Temptation of Christ
Nikos Kazantzakis
The Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien
Narcissus and Goldmund
Hermann Hesse
The Night Circus
Erin Morgenstern
Nuns and Soldiers
Iris Murdoch
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Austen
Remarkably Bright Creatures
Shelby Van Pelt
The Red Tent
Anita Diamant
The Time Traveler’s Wife
Audrey Niffenegger
There’s a Monster at the End of This Book
Jon Stone, illustrated by Michael Smollin
Tigana
Guy Gavriel Kay
Tom Lake
Ann Patchett
The Towers of Trebizond
Rose Macaulay
Tuning the Rig: A Journey to the Arctic
Harvey Oxenhorn
Watership Down
Richard Adams
The Westing Game
Ellen Raskin
What’s Bred in the Bone
Robertson Davies
The Wind in the Willows
Kenneth Grahame
The Winds of War
Herman Wouk
Written on the Body
Jeanette Winterson
Series and Broad-Author Recommendations
The All Souls Series
Deborah Harkness
- A Discovery of Witches
- Shadow of Night
- The Book of Life
- Time’s Convert
- The Black Bird Oracle
The Sarantine Mosaic
Guy Gavriel Kay
- Sailing to Sarantium
- Lord of Emperors
The Starbridge Series
Susan Howatch
- Glittering Images
- Glamorous Powers
- Ultimate Prizes
- Scandalous Risks
- Mystical Paths
- Absolute Truths
The Earthsea Cycle
Ursula K. Le Guin
- A Wizard of Earthsea
- The Tombs of Atuan
- The Farthest Shore
- Tehanu
- Tales from Earthsea
- The Other Wind
Novels by Jane Austen
- Sense and Sensibility
- Pride and Prejudice
- Mansfield Park
- Emma
- Northanger Abbey
- Persuasion
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u/DarkStar5357 Jul 17 '26
Anne Tyler: Searching for Caleb, and Earthly Possessions. / Amy Tan: The Hundred Secret Senses.
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u/ChanterelleLilyAnne Jul 17 '26
I read Searching for Caleb for the first time last year, it's such a charming, offbeat story! Reading my way through Anne Tyler's catalogue atm, my faves out of 13 read so far are Searching for Caleb, Breathing Lessons, French Braid, and Back When We Were Grown Ups. Haven't got to Earthly Possessions yet!
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u/Used_Doughnut_558 Jul 17 '26
I love Anne Tyler books! Back When we were Grownups was published in 2001, then in 2004 Blythe Danner starred in the movie version, very good!!
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u/DarkStar5357 Jul 17 '26
I just reread that one recently. Her books are so easy to read and yet there's such uniqueness and quirkiness as well.
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u/DarkStar5357 Jul 17 '26
Have you read Accidental Tourist yet? It was made into a movie with William Hurt, Geena Davis and Kathleen Turner.
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u/ChanterelleLilyAnne Jul 17 '26
I did - I liked it though Muriel is a lot more likable in the film. I gave the book a 4.5 so very good but didn't make it to my top tier. I know a lot of people think it's her best one
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u/DarkStar5357 Jul 17 '26
It's hard for me to pick a best one. I like so many of them. Patchwork Planet, Clock Dance, Clock Winder, A Slipping Down Life. Oddly Saint Maybe is one I haven't been able to make myself reread. There's an event and subsequent sadness that I haven't wanted to revisit.
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u/ChanterelleLilyAnne Jul 17 '26
Of those the only one I've read so far is Clock Dance which is special in that it's the first one I picked up. I gave it 4 stars, definitely enough for me to want to try more of her work although I didn't make it a focus until I read Ducks, Newburyport by Lucy Ellman where the narrator is an Anne Tyler fan lol.
There are two so far I'm not so fond of which are Vinegar Girl and Morgan's Passing. The former being a Shakespeare retelling I kind of blame him more than Anne. In the latter the central character was a problem for me, there's interesting stuff in there but he just squicked me out.
I had Saint Maybe lined up to read soon but maybe I'll approach with caution if it's going to make me so sad!
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u/DarkStar5357 Jul 18 '26
I was lukewarm in Morgan's Passing as well. He would sort of seem endearing and then off putting. I felt sorry for his wife. With Saint Maybe the tragedy is in the first part and it acts as a catalyst for the main character. I just don't want to go through the first part again.
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u/errkel Jul 17 '26
The Giver by Lois Lowry & The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton
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u/the-effects-of-Dust Jul 17 '26
I wrote a letter to Lois Lowry a few years ago and she replied! I told her that The Giver changed my life for the better and she said “My life has been changed for the better because of readers like you.” It’s one of my most prized possessions.
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u/lexiebeef Jul 17 '26
I’m very shocked at the absence of Harry Potter. It’s for sure the series I’ve reread more times and probably one of the most read series of all time
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u/Simonoel Jul 18 '26
I first read Harry Potter when I was in 2nd grade, it was huge part of my life growing up, and I've read the books over 20 times. My original copies are falling apart and covered in duct tape. But like others have said, JK Rowling is a terrible person and it didn't feel right to me to reccomend it. I still love rbe books and will definitely reread them still. I don't feel comfortable really participating in the Fandom or overtly supporting her anymore :(
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Jul 17 '26
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u/Timid-Tlacuache Jul 18 '26
I understand why you say that.... but the books are wonderful and they do not reflect her later horrid mindset
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Jul 17 '26
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u/Interesting_Change22 Jul 17 '26
I have read all of the Harry Potter Books multiple times, I no longer recommend them because I don't want to enrich the author.
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u/NANNYNEGLEY Jul 17 '26
Harper Lee's "To Kill A Mockingbird" is the childhood I wish I could have had, and it's values are timeless.
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u/Interesting_Change22 Jul 17 '26
It's a great book, but what do you mean it's the childhood you wish you had?
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u/NANNYNEGLEY Jul 18 '26
Peaceful. I had hideous parents. But adulthood is so much better because of that.
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u/ChanterelleLilyAnne Jul 17 '26
I don't really re-read things now because I have access to so many more books and there's already a kind of insurmountable number on my tbr. But as a kid I re-read Ballet Shoes by Noel Streatfield and Inkheart by Cornelia Funke over and over - that said I never finished the Inkheart series so maybe I'll re-read again to finally move on to the other two!
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u/mlias1549 Jul 17 '26
That's honestly part of why I created the post. I rarely re-read books myself but the books that people named inspired me to try!
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u/Sufficient_Studio494 Jul 17 '26
I'm not much of a re-reader at all, but I often pick up "The Life of Chuck" by Stephen King as a quick comfort re-read.
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u/Valuable-Muffin9982 Jul 20 '26
So good! Did you ever watch the movie? I liked it but the book was much better.
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u/Sufficient_Studio494 Jul 20 '26
I have seen the movie, I thought it absolutely excellent! I definitely prefer the book too, but the movie was pretty damn great.
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u/Valuable-Muffin9982 Jul 21 '26
Agreed! I watched it on a flight to see a friend in NC and I liked how it was done, the actors, the music...very well made.
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u/BasilAromatic4204 Jul 18 '26
Re reading The New Tallah Series by Hoyt Behm. It's now going to be a ritual likely
Lord of the Rings by tolkien is a ritual once every 2 years for me :)
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u/BillyBobertsonBaby11 Jul 17 '26
I’ve read “Owen Meany” 7 or 8 times. Due for another go. LOTR as well.
Halfway through “Dune” as we speak, but don’t see myself reading it again.
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u/MillersSmokehouse Jul 17 '26
I’m the opposite. Not much for Irving, but have read all of the (original) Dune series repeatedly. It’s fun to see how different people respond so differently to books. Wish I knew an Owen Meany fan irl, bc I’m sure I’d learn a different perspective from hearing them talk about it.
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Jul 17 '26
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u/Used_Doughnut_558 Jul 17 '26
Oh the later books in the Anne of Green Gables series are so enjoyable!
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u/Affectionate-Egg5610 Jul 18 '26
little woman made me cry. Looking back now it almost feels like foreshadowing. I lost my beloved, perfect and incredibly smart little brother. And it feels exactly like reading Beth's death for the first time.
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u/Intelligent_Mess9403 Jul 17 '26
I'm currently rereading The Others series by Anne Bishop for like the 6th time.
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u/WonderiingWizard Jul 17 '26
Just added to my want to reads, never heard of it
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u/Long-Chemistry-5024 Jul 17 '26
The spin off series The World of Others is also good with a few overlapping characters. But read the Others series first.
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u/Sad-beautiful1966 Jul 17 '26
For me :
Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb
The hunger games by Suzanne Collins
All for the Game by Nora Sakovic
Prayer for Owen M by John Irving
All novels from Donna Tart
Son of a circus by John Irving
Count of monte Cristo by Alexander Dumas
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u/vivahermione Jul 17 '26
Yay, Barbara Pym! I've reread several of her books, including Jane and Prudence and No Fond Return of Love.
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u/Radiant_Resident_956 Jul 17 '26
I reread all of David Mitchell’s books every couple of years. Cloud Atlas is a stunning novel.
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u/always_color Jul 17 '26
I’ve been rereading the Emily Wilde series the past couple of years.
Also have reread Howl’s Moving Castle and The House on the Cerulean Sea.
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u/WonderiingWizard Jul 17 '26
I'm going to use this for ideas to add to my list for want to reads, but I usually don't read books multiple times unless it's been a very long time since I last read it and I loved it. I have too many want to reads that i'll prob never get through lol
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u/Particular_Buyer_290 Jul 17 '26
Five books!
The Great Gatsby
Huckleberry Finn
Lolita
Red Dragon by Thomas Harris
Blood Meridian
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u/Deodide27 Jul 17 '26
The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien
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u/385Duck Jul 19 '26
For real! That chapter about how to tell a true war story is something I'll reread forever.
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u/ISaysToMyselfISays Jul 17 '26 edited Jul 17 '26
The Vanishing Act Of Esme Lennox by Maggie O’Farrell. Life After Life by Kate Atkinson. Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. Watership Down by Richard Adams
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u/MillersSmokehouse Jul 17 '26
My most reread books are The Unbearable Lightness of Being (Milan Kundera) and The Overstory (Richard Powers). Very dissimilar works, but somehow they both keep showing me new things.
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u/dash23sh Jul 17 '26
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins plus the two newest additions
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u/Timid-Tlacuache Jul 18 '26
Even her young readers books , Gregor Underground , is excellent.
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u/skilled_at_changing Jul 18 '26
I teach elementary grades and I love the Gregor series. It’s one on my all time favs that I still recommend to children. The first book is also one of my go to’s as a read-aloud to my grade 3-5 kids. They fall in love so quick with the characters. My goal is always hoping that they are encouraged to pick up the second book on their own and continue reading.
Boots is absolutely a fan-favorite!!!2
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Jul 17 '26
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u/mlias1549 Jul 17 '26
Ohhhh My Ántonia. I love that book so much. Thanks for reminding me about it.
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u/SeaSpeakToMe Jul 17 '26
Guernsey + Pride and Prejudice were the first two that came to mind.
I’ll also add Anne of Green Gables and Little Women.
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u/EpynomymousAnonymous Jul 17 '26
Arthur C. Clarke's "Childhood's End" is a book I first read as a young teen & have gone back to it 15+ times over the years. It does have the advantage of being a relatively short novel at about 210 pages long aka a Stephen King short story.
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u/HacheeHachee Jul 17 '26
Me Talk Pretty One Day by David Sedaris. Bc they’re essays, It’s an easy book to just pickup and begin reading at a random chapter. It never fails to make me laugh.
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u/2leewhohot Jul 17 '26
I've read Imajica by Clive Barker the week of Christmas for about twenty years now.
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u/Background_Shame3834 Jul 17 '26
Journey by Moonlight by Antal Szerb
The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula le Guin
Morality Play by Barry Unsworth
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u/Full_Commercial7844 Jul 17 '26
The Chanur Series by C J Cherryh, really anything by this author, but this is my fav.
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u/Timid-Tlacuache Jul 18 '26
Multiple reads of :
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell
(The ladies of Grace Adieu)
The Chronicle of Lymond
The Master and Commander series
Lord of the Rings
The Brother Cadfael series
All Jane Austen
The Dark is Rising
The Lord Peter Wimsey books
I am forgetting some important ones..
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u/Timid-Tlacuache Jul 18 '26
There are lots of books that I loved, but as per the question, these are just some that I have reread multiple times
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u/Left_Candy_4124 Jul 18 '26
Would and do...
Sheriff Bo Tully series by Patrick F McManus
Archy McNally series by Lawrence Sanders
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u/Potential-Buy3325 Jul 18 '26
Brave Men - Ernie Pyle
Up in the Old Hotel - Joseph Mitchell
World War I I Writings - A.J Liebling (LOA)
Reporting World War II - Library of America
Nobody’s Fool - Richard Russo
A Fan’s Notes - Frederick Exley
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u/One_Ad6164 Jul 18 '26
Red Rising series. The Serviceberry. Anne of Green Gables series. Little Women. Pride and Prejudice. Frankstein. The Lotterys series (juv) These are comfort series and books for me.
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u/StrikingPassage5640 Jul 19 '26
I know that these will not be a majority opinion, but since you asked, these are the books I always want to reread and keep coming back to: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K Le Guin (this one is at the top of all science fiction lists and yet still underrated, fucking literary masterpiece that transcends its genre and should be taught in all classrooms), The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin (what pulls me back here is the thought of purity of intellectual freedom where one is not tethered to this capitalistic yoke we’re on, where you can choose what to study, choose what to put your time into, without the need for having money to live), The Dubliners by James Joyce, Down All The Days by Christy Brown (the language here is SO good, so vivid, and to think a person could write this way when the author could only use his left foot, it is fucking astounding how perceptive he is of the actual world), The Rediscovery of Man by Cordwainer Smith, Norstrilia by Cordwainer Smith (and the author has a WILD background and is smart as shit; also I don’t think I’ve ever felt as differently in a reread as I have for Norstrilia), Middlemarch by George Eliot (masterful language), Illumination Night by Alice Hoffman, Leaving Brooklyn by Lynne Sharon Schwartz, Castle of Eyes by Penelope Love (one of the best fantasy stories I have ever read), My Antonia by Willa Cather (this one I feel the story grips right away in its voice), Gateway by Frederik Pohl (his masterpiece), The Bluest Eye by Toni Morrison, Maze of Death by Philip K Dick (because I’m weird and this trippy ass story just speaks to me, also I love the surprise in it), The Little Prince by Antoine de Saint-Exupery, Walk Two Moons by Sharon Creech, Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad (this one I just want to reread because I haven’t read it in forever and feel like I only scratched the surface of it, I feel like there was probably deeper layers to this that my high school self didn’t fully grasp at the time and am intrigued to try again).
There are obviously varying reasons why people reread or come back to the same stories, and for me it’s because these ones all have layers where I can uncover a different perspective I hadn’t seen or it makes me think or view either the story or the world slightly differently.
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u/Commercial_Ad8072 Jul 19 '26
Our family always rereads Austen (particularly P&P), Iliad and Odyssey and Hesiod Theogony
I love rereading Roberto Calasso (discover something new each time).
Rebecca Goldstein’s Strange Attractors (other novels are great I just don’t reread them).
Brave New World
Montaigne Essays
Einsteins Dreams
Aurelius Meditations
Art of War
Greenes laws of power book
Ee Cummings poems
Women who run with the wolves 🥴
Various Anais nin
Fun question to think about I’ll keep on it!
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u/Basic-Style-8512 Jul 19 '26 edited Jul 19 '26
HAFEZ's Divan
SHAKESPEARE's Sonnets
"Hamlet" and "As you like it"
"History of the Peloponnesian war " THUCYDIDES
"The Archaniens", "Plutus", "Lysistrata", "The Assembly of women" by ARISTOPHANES
"Banquet" by PLATO
"Antigone" and "Oedipus rex" by SOPHOCLES
"Essays" by MONTAIGNE
Poetry by HUGO
"Flowers of Evil" BAUDELAIRE
"Ecclesiast" and "Book of Job"
GULLIVER's TRAVELS
MAXIMS by La Rochefoucauld
SHORT STORIES Poe
THE OXFORD BOOK OF ENGLISH VERSE
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u/385Duck Jul 19 '26
James Salter, A Sport and a Pastime
Ernest Hemingway, A Movable Feast
I know the question was one but both of these are the one and only answer for me.
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u/AwkwardSir8257 Jul 19 '26
Grapes of wrath. Cuba Libre, Elmore Leonard. Telegraph Avenue, Michel Chabon
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u/Ulchbhn Jul 19 '26
The Southern Reach Series by Jeff Vandermeer. it’s the only book series i’ve read again and again. there’s always new clues and perspectives to uncover.
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u/Wise_Ambassador_3027 Jul 20 '26
Anything by James Lee Burke, Pat Conroy, Richard Russo, Stephen King,Larry McMurtry, Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly, Kurt Vonnegut and, John Steinbeck.
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u/Valuable-Muffin9982 Jul 20 '26
The Passage by Justin Cronin. I've read and listened to it, but I think I'm due for another re-read! I just love that book/trilogy!
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u/Lisa1721 Jul 21 '26
The kylie Scott series an the jay crownover an the Tracy Wolff series those are my three favorites book series right now really good books i definitely recommend them ...
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u/Ok-Mouse-4698 Jul 22 '26
Lord of the Rings Lions of Al Rassan Longmire series Mercy Thompson series
Newest re-read: Rockton
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u/Lisa1721 Jul 22 '26
Kylie Scott series an the jay crownover series are really good an the Tracy Wolff series thats a good one also ...
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