The Hobbit, or There and Back Again The Hobbit, or There and Back Again discussion


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What's your all time best novel that you can repeatedly read ?

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message 101: by [deleted user] (new)

I've got one! Every single book from the Horseclans series, except #7 (The Patrimony). Other than that, I can read those silly books again and again and again.

Geros Lahvoheetos RULES!


Jeffery Moulton The Magic Kingdom series by Terry Brooks, especially the first three.


Mochaspresso I'm shocked to find that "Wuthering Heights" and "The Great Gatsby" are mine because I originally hated these books. But I find myself always watching movie adaptations and loving them. I also always find myself talking to people on goodreads about them and rereading from different perspectives. I think they've grown on me.


Stephen Seager Joan Didion's "The White ALbum", Vonnegut's "Breakfast of Champions" and Salinger's "Catcher in the Rye" I'm afraid to admit how many times I've read each one. But it's more than twenty...And there's a reason for that...


message 105: by Joyce (last edited Aug 15, 2014 04:14PM) (new) - rated it 3 stars

Joyce I 've said it before - all 3 Lord of the Rings books. but particularly The Return of the King. Also, Gone With the Wind is a masterpiece.


message 106: by Parker (new) - rated it 5 stars

Parker Definitely The Princess and the Goblin. It's been an obsession since childhood. Same with The Last of the Really Great Whangdoodles. Not the most sophisticated choices, but they hold a lot of memories.


message 107: by J (last edited Nov 01, 2014 06:30PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

J I like Harry Potter because I find something new every time I read it. For instance, (view spoiler)


message 108: by Bruce (new) - rated it 5 stars

Bruce The Dragon and the George


message 109: by Geoffrey (last edited Aug 20, 2014 01:38PM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

Geoffrey The STRANGER
AS I LIE DYING

I've read both thrice.

And twice, THE SHORT HAPPY LIFE OF GEORGE MCCOMBER


message 110: by Chaya (new) - rated it 2 stars

Chaya HP


message 111: by George (new) - rated it 5 stars

George Renee wrote: "Probably The Forgotten Beasts of Eld followed closely by the Kingkiller books and then The Keltiad."
Had never heard of this book but your recommendation led me to look it up. Just ordered it.


message 112: by Lesley (new) - rated it 5 stars

Lesley Mapp and Lucia. Comedy for grownups


message 113: by George (new) - rated it 5 stars

George Keith wrote: "@Chappy -

Is that the one that had Viggo Mortensen (Aragorn) as the lead? I saw the movie, and suspected it was probably based on a book. I think I might have to give it a read- I enjoyed the hell..."


Chappy, Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest adventures your reading will ever take you on. I envy you getting to read it for the first time. Read The Hobbit first though. It's a quick, fun read and will make LOTR much richer and meaningful for you.


John (Taloni) Taloni George wrote: "Lord of the Rings is one of the greatest adventures your reading will ever take you on. "

Seconded...although I still think Chappy was just messing with us.


message 115: by Claire (new) - rated it 5 stars

Claire There are a lot of books that are like that for me (it would take me all day to name every single one of them), but a couple that I can immediately think of off the top of my head are The Last Unicorn and Frankenstein.


message 116: by Gordon (new) - rated it 5 stars

Gordon As the saying goes "so many books so little time" I find it difficult to justify rereading too many books. I did reread all the LOTR and The Hobbit before the movies premiered. Life is too short to do rereads in my opinion. Though I could list many if my "to read list" didn't keep swelling.


message 117: by Rosanna (last edited Aug 25, 2014 09:12PM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

Rosanna The Hobbit (the whole series)
Gone with the Wind
Shadow Castles
The Outsiders
and for fun
The Miss Julia series by Ann Ross


message 118: by [deleted user] (new)

To Kill A Mockingbird

I am staggered at the amount of people who tell me they love Shantaram.........biggest load of tish I have ever read!


message 119: by [deleted user] (new)

Harry Potter


message 120: by Ahmed (new) - added it

Ahmed Nadeem thanks everyone,i'll check the books you've read and add it to my shelf,i'm a newbie in novels so i learned much from you,and guys what about Watchmen by alan moore i just finished it and it's very very good.


message 121: by Claire (new) - rated it 5 stars

Claire Ahmed wrote: "thanks everyone,i'll check the books you've read and add it to my shelf,i'm a newbie in novels so i learned much from you,and guys what about Watchmen by alan moore i just finished it and it's very..."

Watchmen is fantastic. Definitely a book that I have reread many times and still enjoy.


message 122: by Terry (new) - rated it 4 stars

Terry Pride and Prejudice, Jane Austen.


message 123: by Jody (new) - rated it 5 stars

Jody Moller There are a few, but the one that tops the list has to be The Hobbit. I'm reading it at the moment, aloud, to my kids (it's their first time hearing the story - they are 5 and 7). There is no better feeling in the whole world than sharing something that holds such an important place in your heart with the ones you love.


Catherine My favourite is the Elemental Series by Brigid Kemmerer


message 125: by Gav451 (new) - rated it 5 stars

Gav451 The Belagariad series by David Eddings is my comfort reading. I got it first when I was 15 and every now and again go through them. The characters are well formed and the writing just flows.

Its not high art but it is wonderful to be in there.


message 126: by Carlin (last edited Aug 30, 2014 09:02AM) (new) - rated it 2 stars

Carlin Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoyevsky, 1821-1881.
The Brothers Karamazov ©1880, orig. Russian.
trans David Magarshack, 1899-1977. ©1956, English trans. Since DM is British, it was more welcome, accurate, original, authentic {cf., «echt», operative word in German} in my opinion.

The Magarshack translation pub. Penguin Classic paperback edition outranks others, merely because I came at this readon from a German Literature scholar POV.

It is a richly endowed Russian novel, steeped in realism which may prove overly-specific with its tediously detailed explication, no surprise if one has read through any similar Russian literary works of the time.

It's an investment well worth every jot and tittle and moment and rereading the parts because it's so very packed, a blessing for the effort.

Most novels have one or maybe two climaxes and dénouements. This novel has from 5 to 7, depending upon your definitions.


message 127: by Kathy (new) - rated it 5 stars

Kathy Blackburn Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, and all the other books she has written.


message 128: by Wendy (last edited Aug 31, 2014 11:23AM) (new) - rated it 4 stars

Wendy T H White's "The Once and Future King". It was one of my college comfort reads, along with "The Hobbit", the Lord of the Rings trilogy and John Steinbeck's "Travels with Charley". Also Christmas Carol" which I read on Christmas Eve every year.


message 129: by Lynne (new) - rated it 5 stars

Lynne Thirteenth Tale by Dianne Setterfield is my absolute favourite and A Year by the Sea by Joan Anderson is one that I always re-read every year.

I also read Twelve Days of Christmas by Trisha Ashley in the run up to Chritmas every year too.


message 130: by [deleted user] (new)

Frankenstein. I've read it more times than any other book I have read.


Ross Willard I'd have to go with:

Jim Butcher's Dresden Files
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
and Mating Rituals of Migratory Humans by Jason Richter


message 132: by Cindy (new) - rated it 4 stars

Cindy When I was a teen it was The Talisman by Stephen King and Peter Straub; now, I'd say As I Lay Dying by Faulkner.


message 133: by John (new) - rated it 5 stars

John I have read several books and book series multiple times, including Frankenstein, The Lord of the Rings, Harry Potter, Moby Dick, and To Kill a Mockingbird. However, the book I return to more than any other since I first read it in eighth grade is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.


message 134: by Laura (new) - rated it 5 stars

Laura Nimisha's Ship is the one I all ways go back to.


message 135: by Lynne (new) - rated it 4 stars

Lynne Pride and Prejudice, Jane Eyre, The Day of the Triffids


Deeptanshu I love the LOTR series and have them all several times.


message 137: by Neree (new) - rated it 5 stars

Neree Aron-sando I reread 'The Lord of the Rings' every few years and "The Once and Future King" by T.H. White. Dickens and Austen also stand up to frequent rereadings. Oh! and "The Dark Is Rising" series by Susan Cooper.


message 138: by MaryG2E (last edited Sep 03, 2014 05:07AM) (new) - rated it 5 stars

MaryG2E Lord of the Rings trilogy. Have kept reading it lately to remind myself that Middle Earth is NOTHING like the hideous place portrayed on film by the horrid Peter Jackson - worst thing to come out of NZ in a long time! LOTR is full of honour, courage, poetry, light, colour and humour, and is the greatest 'quest' tale ever told IMHO.

I've also re-read a number of times the William Gibson trilogy - Neuromancer/Mona Lisa Overdrive/Count Zero. It always amazes me to read how prescient he is.


MaryG2E Dramapuppy wrote: "I don't usually reread my very favorite books but one I've read a ton is The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Nighttime."

Me too, I've re-read it lately for the third time to help with understanding of the autism spectrum in my uni course. It is a wonderful story.


message 140: by Neree (new) - rated it 5 stars

Neree Aron-sando Mary wrote: "Lord of the Rings trilogy. Have kept reading it lately to remind myself that Middle Earth is NOTHING like the hideous place portrayed on film by the horrid Peter Jackson - worst thing to come out o..."


MaryG2E Duane wrote: "Probably "A Canticle for Leibowitz"... it keeps sneaking up on me here and there and I keep browsing through it"

Oh, thanks for reminding me of that title. I haven't read it since I was a young adult, and I'm way past that description now. It is a really fascinating book. Now that you've prompted my memory, I must put it on my TBR list. Thanks Duane.


Renee E Add everything Jack Cady has ever written.


MaryG2E Mary wrote: "Duane wrote: "Probably "A Canticle for Leibowitz"... it keeps sneaking up on me here and there and I keep browsing through it"

Oh, thanks for reminding me of that title. I haven't read it since ..."


I was so pleased for the reminder about this book I looked it up on wikipedia. It was first published in 1960 and has never gone out of print. As the chief cook and bottle washer in my household, I am sometimes reminded of 'Canticle' when I write out a shopping list.


message 144: by Hannah (new) - rated it 5 stars

Hannah I can always always ALWAYS read "The Catcher in the Rye" by J. D. Salinger. It has to be my favorite novel.


message 145: by [deleted user] (new)

My favourite book counts for this! The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, partially because it's a good story and partially because it was the story my Dad would read to me before I went to bed, voices and all.

Aside from that I've always found Northern Lights (Philip Pullman) and Sabriel (Garth Nix) good to read again. Jane Austen's Pride and Prejudice is slowly growing on me so it would probably be unfair to exclude it from this list!

With Sabriel I found the setting incredibly fascinating for some reason and I'm looking forward to the new one that's out sometime in the next month or two... perfect excuse to go back and read it again!


message 146: by Salsal (new) - rated it 3 stars

Salsal Lord of the Flies or A Painted House


message 147: by Terri (new) - rated it 3 stars

Terri Stuhltrager Not sure if it would be considered a novel but my all time favorite story is A Christmas Carol by Charles Dickens.
I read it every Christmas and I collect different editions of the book and I have 5 DVDs of the story.


message 148: by Ezra (new) - rated it 3 stars

Ezra Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett
and Harry Potter.


message 149: by Karla (new) - rated it 1 star

Karla Winters For me it is Widow for a year by John Irving!


message 150: by Paola (new) - rated it 5 stars

Paola I usually don't re-read books, but for these two I've made exceptions:
The Secret Garden (Great Illustrated Classics) by Frances Hodgson Burnett The secret garden
and The Lord of the Rings (The Lord of the Rings, #1-3) by J.R.R. Tolkien The Lord of the Rings (complete trilogy) ^_^


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