I'm a pretty big rereader. It's my go to stress mechanism. Freaking out? Go read these books! Almost all of them I reread literally every year, although some of them are a little too intense for that.
I generally get in at least half of her total Tortall books every year. Tamora Pierce is a serious staple of my reading - last year I read ALL of her Emelan books for the first time...which is like...15 books? I also read her Trickster and Wild Magic books last year. So far this year I've already reread her Alanna books, but I'm definitely looking forward to a Protector of the Small reread sometime soon!
His Dark Materials - Philip Pulman
This is one of those series I probably hit once every 3-5 years. I freaking love it...but it's also a little too intense for me to handle as a stress reread. I'm about due to get to this series again soon as well...
This is another one I read yearly! I don't know if I'll get to it this year though - I reread Persuasion instead (which totally deserves more rereads than I've given it - this was my second time through), and am getting through the rest of her books I haven't read yet (finished Mansfield Park, still haven't finished wading through Emma, and have Northanger Abbey to try out)
Harry Potter - J.K. Rowling
This series has the phenomenal ability to immediately make me want to reread it once I put it down. It basically means my need for this series is never sated.
A Ring of Endless Light - Madeline L'Engle
Madeline L'Engle's Time Quartet definitely deserves a shout out here too - I can't tell you how many times I've read it. But I can tell you it's not as many times as I've read A Ring of Endless Light!
Ella Enchanted - Gail Carson Levine
In fourth grade I broke the AR record for our school. My prize? An autographed copy of this book. It is by far one of my most treasured things. I've read it so many times I probably have it memorized, the cover is falling off, and the pages are all bent. And no matter how many times I read it, I love it just as much as I did the very first time.
Once again, this is an author who deserves so many shout outs. Robin McKinley is in my top 5 favourite authors of all time (right up there with Tamora Pierce, J.K. Rowling, Sarah J. Maas, and Madeline L'Engle). Out of all her books, this is the one I have perhaps read the most, but it would be impossible to list a favourite. The Hero and the Crown, Sunshine, Spindle's End, and Deerskin rank among my favourites, and at that point that's half of her books!
God, I can't remember a time before this series. (Really, I can't remember a time before any of the books on this list.) I reread this trilogy every year or two, and of all Garth Nix's other works, this is hands down my favourite and OHMYGOD GUYS I NEED CLARIEL. My library still hasn't got it in. I'm tempted to just go buy it...but...moneys :-/ (the new covers for this series look freaking awesome). Of all the books in this trilogy though, Lirael is definitely my favourite (although Sabriel sometimes is too. So maybe never mind).
The Year of Secret Assignments - Jaclyn Moriarty
I know this as Finding Cassie Crazy, but in America it's known as The Year of Secret Assignments. This book is probably the first truly contemporary book I loved - Madeline L'Engle's books always have at least a hint of fringe science to them and Anne of Green Gables and Pride & Prejudice are more classics/historical fiction. (You'll notice this is the only truly contemporary book on this list)
Cat Street/Kyatto Sutorito - Yoko Kamio
This manga has the distinction of being the only manga I've completely reread (although I've come close with Ouran and Fruits Basket). It's almost mind boggling to see that this manga came from the same mangaka as her much more insanely popular work, Boys Over Flowers/Hana Yori Dango (a work I have a very complicated relationship with, mostly against my own will). This manga is completely different than Boys Over Flowers in all the best ways, and is hands down one of my favourites. It's beautifully drawn, the character growth is amazing, and all the tropes that make you groan start to happen - but then unexpectedly go an entirely different route, which I love. For anyone who has seen/watched Princess Jellyfish, I'd definitely recommend this!
Honourable Mentions (Books I haven't reread the most, but have been craving to reread recently):
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (despite my all consuming love for this series - hence my blog name - I've actually only read the first couple books twice!)
Heir Apparent (which I really just need to own so I can reread it a billion times)
This Is All: The Pillowbook of Cordelia Chase (which, incidentally, is an incredibly difficult book to get ahold of, and I left my copy with a friend in SC)
The Faerie Chronicles - I remember really enjoying these when I read them, but for the life of me I can't remember a single detail about the series otherwise.
The Faerie Chronicles - I remember really enjoying these when I read them, but for the life of me I can't remember a single detail about the series otherwise.
I am with you on so many of your choices. I considered adding a Madeleine L'Engle to my list, too. HP, C of N, P and P are on my list, too. I do want to reread the Golden Compass, too.
ReplyDeleteI definitely need to find time to reread! There's so many good books out there that I really want to revisit. I've reread Harry Potter a lot, but would still love to read it again!
ReplyDeleteI had no idea what a biggie Tamora Pierce is until I snapped a shot of her at ALA a summer ago. Wow. A cazillon likes!
ReplyDeleteHere's my list!
Ahhhh they're all such good books!
ReplyDeleteYou are a crazy reading monster - I don't know how you get in as many books as you do! I'm all about the rereading, it's easily 20% of the books I read each year :)
ReplyDeleteOH MY GOD YOU SAW TAMORA PIERCE!!!!
ReplyDeleteYeah, I'm definitely not alone in having her as a huge influence in my life as a reader and as a person. She's probably one of the most well-loved authors I know of in the blogger community, but I rarely hear of her outside of the blog which makes me rather sad.
Ooooo I didn't even think about manga, but then again I never end up finishing manga series unless they're in the library. AND I NEED TO REREAD SABRIEL TOO, and get a hold of Clariel :D
ReplyDeleteThis is such a great list of re-reads! I wish I had though the include The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword as well as the His Dark Materials series! You think of everything. And guess what guess what guess what?? I just finished Alanna and it was SO great. I wish I had the second book immediately! You were the one that kind of put the series on my radar screen so THANK YOU! Of those you list that I haven't read I am most intrigues by the Manga which I don't have a ton of experience with.
ReplyDeleteI'm big into manga, but I tend to read finished or almost finished series. It takes forever for the translations to get published here, and when TokyoPop fell...ugh. So many dropped mangas!
ReplyDeleteHere's hoping we both get a copy of Clariel soon!
YES!!! Mission accomplished mwahahaha! The series gets even better as it progresses - you'll see what I mean when I say that although they are definitely four distinct books, they also feel like one book divided up into four. In a good way! Ahhhhh I'm so excited/happy/YES LIFE IS GREAT that you liked it! I think you might like the Daine series (chronologically it's the next one) even more :)
ReplyDeleteI don't think the manga has been translated and published here, but there are scanlations online (where people scan and translate the manga online. It's great when the series aren't published here, but sad because the mangaka doesn't get any revenue for it. If I found a copy here I would buy it in a heart beat!). I actually think this might be a good starter manga because it's not too unusual and it's pretty short as far as mangas go. Mangas have...quirks? It's really hard to describe if you haven't read one, but this one doesn't get too over the top. Anyway, if you wanted to give it a shot, the whole thing is up on <a href="http://www.mangahere.co/manga/cat_street/>MangaHere</a>, which is my favourite site (they often pull down things that are being serialized in magazines which is good for the mangakas).
So awesome and lucky you reread so much. I SHOULD. But I don't. I have grand intentions but...nada. I just end up wandering away to do other things and read new shiny books. But ohhh, I want to read Philip Pullman so bad. My sister hates his books and my friends LOVES them, so I'm always torn whether i should try or not?! Wah. I will try eventually just to find out for myself.
ReplyDelete(I feel like your header has changed since last time I was here? Or I'm just really inattentive?! But either way: I love it! SO CUTE.)
Thanks for stopping by @ Notebook Sisters!
YES TO TAMORA PIERCE!!! I love rereading her books too, and they're definitely a staple in my life. I'm a huge fan of her Emelan books and her Tortall books and basically anything she writes is like pure gold to me, haha. And I remember Ella Enchanted! I was actually more a fan of Levine's other books though, like The Princess Tales series. :)
ReplyDeleteThanks for the tip on the manga!
ReplyDeleteI can't believe I didn't read her Emelan books until last year! I really wish I'd read them earlier since they start out reading like MG books, and I totally would have ADORED them. (Not that I didn't this go around, but they don't pack the same punch for me that the Tortall books do, and I'm 100% positive it's because I grew up reading the Tortall ones)
ReplyDeleteI'm the opposite! I've enjoyed all her other books, but Ella Enchanted is definitely my favourite (although The Two Princesses of Bamarre comes close)