I still remember the day my friend told me she doesn’t reread books. It’s been over a decade since that conversation, but I still can’t get over it. I’m a serial rereader. If there is a book that I think is worth reading, I’ll read it again and again and again. The idea that this friend would only read a book once–even if she liked a lot–still doesn’t sit right with me. Now, I don’t want to shame anyone who is in the same camp as her. There’s nothing wrong with only reading a book once. As she explained to me, there just isn’t enough time to read everything, and you have to make sacrifices somewhere. But, I could never get behind that philosophy myself.
I work at a library, so I don’t buy most of the books that I read. If I am going to buy a book, I’ll do it because:
- It looks interesting
- It’s cheap
- It’s out of print
- It’s one of my all-time favorites– and I intend to reread it
And that’s where we are right now. The titles listed below are just a few of those books that I will read again and again and again. I’ve read these books several times each, and I like to keep a copy handy on my shelves because I know I’ll want them again at a moment’s notice. For the ease of finding them, I’m including two sections to this post. The first will be books that you can get from our library. The second section will be ones that you can get through SearchOhio or some other form of InterLibrary Loan.
Anne of Green Gables (L.M. Montgomery)
I don’t know how anyone can hate this sweet, emotional, and all-over lovely story of a young girl growing up in Canada. Aging siblings Matthew and Marilla Cuthbert decide to adopt a boy to help around their estate. But, imagine their shock when the child arrives and it’s not the promised boy, but a young girl! Initially determined to send her back, the Cuthberts soon find themselves drawn into Anne’s sweetness and shenanigans, and it quickly becomes clear that they couldn’t possibly imagine their lives without her. This book is such a comfort read, full of charming characters and hilarious situations. What’s more, it’s a book that I feel like readers can grow up with, as you go from seeing things from the perspective of a child to viewing the story through the eyes of the adults.
The Devil and Daniel Webster (Stephen Vincent Benet)
This is perhaps a strange title to follow after Anne of Green Gables, but hear me out. This is a book that I can easily find myself reaching for again and again and again. A down-on-his-luck farmer named Jabez Stone makes a deal with the devil in order to get prosperity. And it works–for seven years, life is good, but it’s all ashes in his mouth as he realizes what’s to come next. So, he hires himself the greatest lawyer around, Daniel Webster, to get him out of the diabolical contract. The story is a really easy read (on a really dark topic), and I can effortlessly fall into it again and again and again. Plus, at the risk of giving spoilers, it has a happy ending, so there’s that.
The Hobbit (JRR Tolkien)
A friend of mine kept pestering me until I checked out this book. And now its easily one of my all-time favorites. I’ve read it so many times, but I keep finding more and more to love about it, more details that I had missed the last ten times I delved into its pages. The story is about Bilbo Baggins, a Hobbit who just wants to live a quiet respectable life. But, when a wizard shows up at his door, talking of a grand adventure and prompting Bilbo to join in a quest to help some dwarves reclaim their lost treasure from a horrifying dragon. While Bilbo does not consider himself adventurous (nasty things, adventures, make one late for dinner) he finds himself going along with the scheme, and along the way, realizes that he’s capable of more than he had believed possible. From the characters to the story to the rich writing, this is such a lovely book and I can’t say enough wonderful things about it.
The Skull (Jon Klassen)
Ottilla is on the run (although we as the readers are not sure from what). Just as she reaches her limits, she discovers a castle in the woods. The only inhabitant of the castle is a talking skull who agrees to let her inside. The skull is actually surprisingly nice, giving her a tour of his home, including a room full of masks, a ballroom, and a bottomless pit. As the two prepare for bed, the skull reveals a shocking secret that he has been hiding, and Ottilla decides it’s time to repay her newfound friend’s kindness. Jon Klassen writes with a mute, subdued style, both in the colors he uses and the characters expressions (or lack thereof). This is a quiet, beautiful book, and one that I’ve read six times since it came out in 2023 (in fact, I just reread it the other day!). I intend to read it many more times than that.
The BFG (Roald Dahl)
Little Sophie is desperately unhappy at the orphanage where she has lived for years. One night, as she struggles to sleep, she spies something out the window, and sees a giant reaching into windows with some sort of device. It turns around and sees her, snatches her right out of her bed, and takes her back to his home. But, instead of eating her as she fears, the giant reveals himself to be friendly. And even though he can’t return Sophie to her orphanage (for fear that she might blab the existance of giants), the two quickly become fast friends. But, there’s only one problem. Sophie’s new friend, the BFG (Big Friendly Giant) is not the only giant in Giant Country. In fact, there are more, and each one is bigger and scarier than the last. And all of them love nothing more than to eat humans. When Sophie and BFG learn that the giants intend to attack England, they need to engineer a plan to stop them.
The Little Prince (Antoine de Saint-Exupéry)
This is a book that I didn’t understand or appreciate as a child. But, I read it many times, plumbing its depths. As I got older, I picked it up again, and suddenly everything fell into place. I adore this book so much. Our narrator talks about how when he was young, he did not understand adults and they did not understand him. As he grew up, nothing changed. He still felt like he didn’t understand them, but he goes about doing all the things that are expected of him, including getting a job as a pilot. When his plane crashes in the middle of the desert, he’s shocked to find a little prince wandering around in the sand dunes, requesting that he draw him a sheep. As the man attempts to fix his plane, he learns about the history of the little prince and shares his tragic, but beautiful story.
The Sheriff of Yrnameer (Michael Rubens)
There are very few books that I’ve started reading again immediately after finishing them (although a couple of them are on this list, including The Skull and Mujirushi). And of course, this title is one of those as well. Things are not going well for Cole. His spaceship has just disintegrated, his girlfriend is running off with his best friend, and Kenneth, the world’s most fearsome bounty-hunter is planning on laying 50,000 eggs in his brain as punishment for his lapsed debt. Kenneth gives Cole a few hours of reprieve to find the money on the condition that he doesn’t run, so Cole does the only sensible thing and steals a spaceship full of freeze-dried orphans and gets the heck out of dodge. Only Kenneth isn’t done with him, and it appears neither is the universe, as Cole has to contend with two intergalactic do-gooders, a loathsome stowaway, a satellite full of corporate zombies, and some terrifying “bad men” threatening the peace of the last bit of paradise in the entire universe.
Mujirushi: The Sign of Dreams (Noaki Urasawa)
In an effort to make life a little easier for himself and his family, Kamoda, a factory owner in Japan decides to skip out on paying his taxes, reasoning that the chances of being caught are exceptionally low. Regardless if that’s true or not, he gets caught and loses everything. And his attempts to save himself from bankruptcy only make things worse. Abandoned by his wife, drowning in debt, and contemplating suicide, Kamoda and his daughter stumble upon the France Research Institute and its singular Director, a mysterious man who promises that he can make all their dreams come true. All they have to do is join him in his quest to steal a painting from the Louvre–without actually stealing anything.
James and the Giant Peach (Roald Dahl)
I couldn’t resist including a second Roald Dahl book on this list, especially as I just adore this book! James lives with his two wicked aunts, Sponge and Spiker, after the death of his parents (they were eaten by a rhinoceros). One night, James is approached by a mysterious man who offers him special magic that will turn his life around. But, when the magic gets loose, it travels into a peach tree in the yard, causing it to grow the biggest peach any anyone has ever seen. And inside the pit of the giant peach, James finds not only the friends he’s so desperately wanted his entire life, but also an adventure unlike any other. As the young boy teams up with a gaggle of giant bugs, the giant peach rolls out to sea, and the group set sail for parts unknown. This book is extremely charming and terribly funny. I love it so much!
I Kill Giants (Joe Kelly)
Barbara is definitely considered the weird kid at school. It could be because of the backtalk, or because she doesn’t try to fit in with her classmates. Or it could be because she insists that she kills giants, using a special weapon she keeps in a tiny pouch and that no one has ever seen. All the talk about giants starts to wear on those around her and her teachers and friends begin to worry about her. Barbara doesn’t care though. All she cares about is avoiding the monster in her house, the one in the room she refuses to enter, and being always vigilient in case a gargantuan terror that could threaten her coastal town. This beautiful book makes me cry. Every. Single. Time. I can’t get enough of it, though.
Honorable Mentions:
The following titles are ones that I adore, but that we don’t have in our collection…
- Spider-Man: Blue (Jeph Loeb) A tender and achingly beautiful story of Peter Parker and his first love
- Donegal Fairy Stories (Seumas MacManus) An excellent collection of Irish folktales
- The Man in the Ceiling (Jules Feiffer) When I was young, I wanted to be a cartoonist and this was the first book I had found that spoke to that in me.
- Flapdoodle: Pure Nonsense from American Folklore (Alvin Schwartz) I loved folklore (still do). This book is so odd and so fun.
- Grandpa’s Ghost Stories (James Flora) Just the right amount of chills, this book was my favorite scary read. If I close my eyes, I can see each page in my mind.
- A Book of Spooks and Spectres (Ruth Manning-Sanders) More scary stories from folklore. I’ve read these stories more times than I could count.
