books to re-read

Via Philobiblon, Jody found The Guardian's report of 20 twenty books re-read by Britons. I've italicised those books I've read (which isn't many!) and bold-faced the books I've read more than once. But as I once wrote here, I tend not to re-read at all, so the bolds are few in number. And yes it's true I've never read Pride and Prejudice - but I have seen the tv series and the movies! (I don't do very well at all on this list.)

The Harry Potter Series by JK Rowling
The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
Pride & Prejudice by Jane Austen
The Hobbit by JRR Tolkien
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte
1984 by George Orwell
The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown
The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe by CS Lewis
Wuthering Heights by Emily Bronte
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Notes from a Small Island by Bill Bryson
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee
Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews
Black Beauty by Anna Sewell
Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
The Bible
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Bridget Jones's Diary by Helen Fielding
Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell
Great Expectations by Charles Dickens

Comments

[Jody]

Presumably you might read Potter and LOTR/Hobbit via Ollie someday? Or over his shoulder, in a manner of speaking?

Did you like the story of Pride & Prejudice? Or is it too hopelessly straight? Because if you enjoyed the mini-series/movies, I do think you'd enjoy the book more.

[Lori]

I am surprised to see Gone with the Wind on this list because it doesn't strike me as being commonly read these days. I heard much about it as a child but I lived near Atlanta and very near to the real Tara which probably created something of a local bias.

[suzoz]

I read it when I was 12! It was, to that point, the longest book I've ever read - it is very long. I thought it was hundreds of pages too long, even then! It reaches a rolling series of climaxes, very melodramatic.

[suzoz]

I loved P+P, Jody - it's the essence which counts! I've never been a big fan of 19th century literature, which is why I haven't read many of those classics - only those I've studied in school or university. But I do aim to read P+P one of these days.

[Lori]

I've never read it although we had a hardback of it in the house when I was growing up. I was put off precisely due to it's length. They certainly captured much of the melodrama in the movie. I can only imagine how the book must have been. I am tempted to read it but can imagine that if you found it too long at 12, I would find it far more so at 42...

My really long book at a young age was David Copperfield, which I must have read when I was eleven as I was in grade six at the time. I have to admit I don't recall much of the story which should be motivation to get the ebook and reread it on my pda some time.

[Jacinta]

When I read P&P a few years ago I was so surprised how modern the writing style was! I was expecting turgid Dickens but found lightness and wit. Austen had true talent.

[suszoz]

Lori, would you really read a novel on your pda? I haven't got one so am fascinated by the idea.

Jacinta, I only read Jane Eyre for the first time this year and was amazed by how alive the writing was, not at all the archaic style I'd been expecting. I have read other books by Jane Austen and enjoyed them so I should make an effort to read P+P soon.

[Lori]

I love reading on my pda. The screen on mine is a decent size and I can adjust fonts and screen in one of the two programs I use. I didn't think I would like it at first but I find I do most of my night time reading on it rather than turn on a light (which might disturb R from sleep). You can also make notes, bookmark any number of places, look up words, etc. It's really very convenient and I am reading a wider variety of authors than ever. Most of the classics are available free online in various formats so I just download them and read. I discovered Edith Wharton this way and I am currently reading Henry James for the first time. Oh and it's a lot easier to have my pda for reading when I am in waiting rooms than the gossip mags that usually are available.