When we talked about DNFing books and why, a few of y’all asked if we could talk about re-reading, which is a popular antidote to Too Many DNFs in a Row.
PamG wrote in the comments:
I think it would be an interesting counterpoint to the DNF question to also discuss the practice of rereading. Some people never reread a book or so they claim. Others, myself included, have whole stables of books they gleefully reread.
Nothing is more comforting to me than dipping into a favorite author’s work and hunkering down with a juicy reread. It probably goes back to the good old days when a healthy keeper shelf kept you sane till you could get your library fines paid off or your holds came in.
Personally, I would love to see a post devoted to what the Bitchery rereads and why.
Then Kareni and Melanie were all like, I second this tremendously awesome idea!
Obviously means we are SO in.
What are your top 3 re-reads, and why?
Sarah: I wish there were a way to see which ebook files I’ve re-read most on my phone or ereader, because I wonder if my estimations are off.
However I do know for absolute certain that All Systems Red is in my most-frequently re-read list. When I’m stressed, I re-read a chapter. If I have insomnia, I re-read a chapter, or I might re-read some of the ART and Murderbot interactions in Artificial Condition.
The narration, the story, and the pov of Murderbot all combine to somehow magically relax my brain. Maybe it’s because the world is so fraught and Murderbot is so terrified of losing autonomy over itself and its capabilities. Everyone expects Murderbot to be the worst sum of its parts and over and over Murderbot tries so hard to be the opposite of expectations. It’s a big dose of “It’s going to be okay in the end, for the most part, even if everyone and everything is annoying.”
I’m so familiar with the Murderbot series that sometimes I will hunt down a particular scene to re-read. Do you do that?
I’ve also re-read Act Like It by Lucy Parker an uncountable number of times. The first time I finished that book, I immediately turned back to page 1 to start over. I think it’s my brain’s ideal of a near-perfect contemporary romance, and when I re-read it, I spot something new that I hadn’t noticed before.
I’m really going to have to think about what my third book is.
Lara: I have reread the first three Poison Study novels by Maria V Snyder countless times.
I’m a sucker for a story in which the main character taps into her power and finds herself to be terrifyingly powerful. I reread it when I need comfort amidst uncertainty or worry. There’s something about a character with endless power when I myself feel powerless that hits the spot.
I’ve also reread the All Souls trilogy by Deborah Harkness multiple times for very similar reasons.
My third book would have to be Murderbot which Sarah very astutely explained. When I need a reminder of humanity, that’s the series I reach for.
Tara: Okay, this is hilarious timing. I was talking about this topic in a group text with a couple of book friends literally within the last hour.
The Carlisle Series by Roslyn Sinclair
First of all, it has some of my fave tropes (ice queen, age gap). Secondly, the chemistry and passion are just correct. I probably reread this one every year or so because I just get an itch and have to dive in all over again.
I try to schedule it for when I’m off, because I will disappear into both books for a few days and I can’t do that if I’m working.
Course of Action by Gun Brooke
This is one I reach for when everything feels hard and bad, and I just want to hide from the world and I don’t have the capacity to read something new. It has some first-book problems going on, but I adore the characters and watching them fall in love. It’s also among the first 5 sapphic romances I ever read (probably the first sapphic celebrity romance, which is another fave trope), so it holds a special place in my heart.
All That Matters by Susan X Meagher is my third
This is another good comfort read for me. It’s a friends-to-lovers romance where we see them meet, become truly good friends, and then enter a romantic relationship. It also ends with the leads as a very established couple. My only gripe is that it’s a gay-for-you story and I wish the character acknowledged some kind of queer or bi label, but the rest makes me so happy that I keep returning to it..
Shana: I want to read all three of those now, Tara.
So I actually started tracking rereads this year for the first time, and I’m excited for all the data future me will have.
I feel pretty confident that A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole is one of my most reread books. The pining is top tier and I adore both Johann and Nya. I tend to read this when I need a reminder that people can be kind and loving to one another. It’s a book where every chapter puts me in a good mood.
I’ve mentioned before that the Sugar Baby series by Rebekah Weatherspoon is my go-to when I need a comfort read. It’s one of those low stress billionaire romances where nothing much happens except for a very rich person falling in love with a normal person and then buying them anything they want. It’s also quite short, which is perfect for relaxing my brain.
And last, I reread an Octavia Butler book at least once a year. The one I come back to most often is Dawn, the first book I read by her as a child. It’s an unsettling novel, about a woman who wakes up on an alien ship, and is put in an arranged marriage of sorts by manipulative aliens. While it’s probably the root of my love for alien romance, this is definitely not a romance.
Every time I read it I notice something new and think about the book for days afterward. I tend to read it when I need distraction, or when I’m feeling stifled by social constraints and want to read about an alien culture with 3 genders.
Now you know we want to know yours!
What are your top three re-reads, and why?
I don’t reread whole books, unless it’s after a gap of 20 years or so. And that’s only mysteries or spy thrillers, not romance which I know I’m unlikely to enjoy again because what I want in a romance is always changing. But if I just want to dip into a previous read for a few minutes before bedtime it’s often something by Rachel Reid, because Ilya Rozanov is the coolest and snarkiest romance hero ever.
I don’t reread as much as I used to twenty years ago, but probably:
1. The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery
2. Attachments by Rainbow Rowell (specifically on audio)
3. Song of Achilles by Madeleine Miller
I’ve been having loads of fun rereading books that I loved as a child/teen. Most of the books have held up pretty well. Some are books we read in school (there’s one called “Follow My Leader” which is about a boy who — wait for it — plays with fireworks and becomes blind, focusing on how he builds a relationship with his service dog, that one had some weird moments) and some are ones I read on my own (Witch of Blackbird Pond, Johnny Tremaine, Frances H. Burnett, etc.). I’m going to reread “A Wrinkle in Time” next.
I couldn’t possibly limit myself to a top 3 of re-reads, because I have so many different authors and books I turn to when my brain needs a vacation. A lot of times now, I “re-read” in audio, because it’s extra cozy to have books I know and love read to me.
What I re-read also depends on my mood and feelings at the time, but authors whose books I revisit again and again: Courtney Milan, Tessa Dare, Loretta Chase, Julie Anne Long, Ilona Andrews, Rainbow Rowell, Jane Austen
Unlike a lot of people, while I love Murderbot, it’s just not books that I reread (possibly because science fiction isn’t one of my favourite genres). I always look forward to a new book in the series, but while I’ve reread some of the novellas, I’ve never reread the whole series (which I oherwise do with the aforementioned authors).
I don’t tend to reread romances, I tend to reread childhood favorites – none of which are children’s books per se, anymore than they are considered romances. All of which I have been told off for recommending as comforting, because the magic is at least partially in the repetition at formative ages. In case anyone is curious if I had to pick three it’s The Illiad and The Odyssey (that’s one, shhhh), and Stendhal’s Red and Black, and Tolstoy’s Anna Karenina. Before I knew the word for it I shipped Hector and Andromache, Odysseus and everyone, and I had crushes on Anna, and on Stendhal/the narrator. Had, she says, like she’s moved on.
On to potentially useful recs tho: KJ Charles, of course. I have read The Magpie Lord the most, just because it’s the first one I tried, but I have reread all of them I would say minimum three times, and some of them dozens. They could have been written for me if I had been able to articulate what I need. Like, with The Magpie Lord, I have read books about magic all my life, but I had no idea that what I wanted was for magic to break the curse that makes you think you want to die. I mean, as long as we’re dreaming, right? This is extreme comfort.
I used to reread Heyer but much more rarely now that Charles has essentially fixed them. Still, I have probably read Cotillion most years. It’s my favorite in much the same way Anne is the best Brontë – so much of what is considered romantic is actively off-putting to me.
Also I have reread a lot of Suzanne Brockmann. I pretty obviously like when extremely flawed characters are perfect for one another, and found family, but the thing that really blows me away with her books is the weaving of different plot strands, and the background slow burn of what would be just sequel bait characters in less skilled hands. I don’t mean to be pretentious but the books I initially had access to and imprinted upon are considered high status and genre fiction still isn’t, so when I compare The Troubleshooters series with Zola’s Rougon-Macquart Balzac’s La Comedie Humaine I get a lot of side eye. It’s the layering and the easter eggs and the reoccurring characters that give the sense of a real, wider world that is still somehow potentially almost comprehensible. If you just studied it closely enough. Which is comforting, and keeps you coming back for more.
In the unlikely event that someone is taking recs from me, and wasn’t aware: Zola and Balzac (and just about every other book I read as a child) do not provide happily ever after, or happy for now, or any kind of happiness endings. No hope or happiness, at all, ever, is allowed to exist without being thoroughly trampled, eviscerated, and eradicated. Which most people don’t find comforting. Trollope (who I did not read as a child because we as a family disdained the Victorians) is probably a better match for Brockmann in terms of interconnected series romance, if for some mysterious reason someone wanted to explore the so called classics for comfort purposes.
1. Innkeeper Chronicles by Ilona Andrews – this book combines cozy, curl up in a blanket and be cared for by Dina vibes with hugely detailed world building that crossed multiple planets, species and cultures. Definite competence porn with Dina’s ability to educate on far-reaching factoids or switch languages without missing a beat. What’s best is the pacing – never huge info dumps – everything comes at the right moment. These are big comfort reads for me, probably (at least) 2x per year.
2. The Wall of Winnipeg and Me by Mariana Zapata. I had not been a big sports romance lady – I think the cover drew me in initially. I have probably read this 3x in 9-12 months. I adore the relationship tension between the main characters, the everyday life the book portrays – it’s not the big moments, it’s the little ones that build the relationship between Vanessa and Aiden. Which is impressive because he’s a pro American football player. I love that Vanessa is snarky as hell, and he secretly is totally down with it. This is slow burn and deeply emotional – hits me in the gut every time watching them slowly grow close. Every time I scroll past the book in my Hoopla or KU, it makes me smile and want to start it all over again.
3. Call of Crows series by Shelly Laurenston. I adore the snarky, kick ass women and the sexy sometimes reluctant pairings with their Viking men. TW for lots of violence on page. These are funny, smart and thrilling reads. I recommend reading in order because the storyline runs through the trilogy. The first book is still my fave, but not cause the others are bad. I just love the MMC in the 1st book so much. Strong and quiet cinnamon roll but only for the FMC. I really wish there were more books coming in this world.
My holy triumvirate of Bujold to re-read is: Paladin of Souls, Shards of Honor and Penric’s Demon. Considering Bujold as one entry, then I’ve got two more:
Celia Lake’s Eclipse — her heroine is just so full of common sense; I adore Thesan.
AJ Lancaster’s Lord of Stariel — Hetta and Wyn are so delightfully sparky together
And by Innkeeper Chronicles – I mean the whole series. Not just the first book.
I don’t reread a lot, mostly because I have such a long tbr list to get through! But every once in a while I will reread Pride & Prejudice, or Jane Eyre. And every few years I pick up Tell the Wolves I’m Home by Carol Rifka Brunt- a beautiful book that just really speaks to me. And for the past few years I’ve been in a continuous cycle of MXTX books, where I read the 3 novels, get to the end of one and then pick up another. I’m really pleased they’ve been translated and printed in official versions.
I also reread KJ Charles a lot- that seems to be a commonality amongst the bitchery!
Fifteen years or so ago, I used to reread Lynn Flewelling’s fantasies to death- to the point of buying multiple copies. I’m afraid to pick them up again if I find I’ve moved on and the magic is gone.
I reread a lot. At the start of the pandemic in 2020 I basically stopped reading at all, which was another source of grief in a terrible time. My brain only got kickstarted again by rereading. Generally I go for rereading series, and my top three would be Anne Bishop’s Others series, Ilona Andrews’s Innkeeper and Hidden Legacies series, and Kerry Greenwood’s Corinna Chapman series, which I’m in the middle of right now.
The Kobo link on the media page for “Act Like It” is broken. Here’s a working one: https://www.kobo.com/us/en/ebook/act-like-it-3
I don’t reread much anymore because I want to take in more new stuff in my ever-shrinking time on Earth. My top reread from my youth is “The Lord of the Rings”. I started reading romance later in life so haven’t reread any. If I ever do, candidates might include “The Boss” series by Abigail Barnette (AKA Jenny Trout), which was my first, “The Brothers Sinister” series by Courtney Milan (another landmark), or one of the random OK to-ridiculous ones I read early on (especially “Prince of Time” by Rebecca York, which tho not on the same level as the other candidates has sentimental value because I read it with a partner in bed).
@Vesta – Oh! I re-read Penric’s Demon a lot, too! That story is wonderful.
So many of you have mentioned the Innkeeper Chronicles that I think those might be next for me.
@Koforin – thank you! Link fixed!
Got another vote for rereading childhood/nostalgic books more than recent ones, though I’ve gotten to the point where a lot of them are showing their age.
I wasn’t going to chime in at all but then I remembered Celia Rees’ Pirates! which, while YA to the max and more romance-subplot, definitely wrote my taste in romance. Dressing as a man to sail the high seas to win back the man you love who’s in the navy hunting the pirates he thinks kidnapped you while you’re living as one of those pirate?! How am I supposed to finish my algebra homework when I don’t know how it ends?! I read it at least 6 times as a teenager and I don’t even know how many times since, and if I can find it in my book-moving-box I’ll probably reread it again. The descriptions of the Jamaican jungle and the Brazilian’s black-sailed ship are engraved in my mind at this point. Pure bookworm nostalgia.
Ilona Andrews has a rodonkilous re-read factor in almost all their series: Kate Daniels, Hidden Legacy, Innkeeper etc. The main reason I like to re-read their stuff is because they create:
1) rootable characters
2) interesting worlds
3) great set action pieces
4) total badassery
5) Great family dynamics both blood and found
6) Fantastic ‘Hells yeah’ moments
7) Decisive victories and satisfying endings
Terry Pratchetts Discworld – The Nightwatch subseries
1) Hysterical
2) fantastic prose
3) Clever and intelligent
4) great stories
5) Wonderful charactefrs
Sharon Shinn’s – Mystic and Ryder series. Pretty nuch the same reason I like Ilona Andrews’ stuff
1) Found Family
2) Total badassery
3) Fantastic ‘Hells yeah’ moments
4) Decisive victories and satisfying endings
5) Interesting world
6) character depth
Overall I re-read books that make me feel good, I like humor, a band-of-brothers type relationship bond in a group, I like action and I like decisive triumphs of good over evil, I like a nice build up of story with pockets of discovery as the story moves along, and I LOVE a good ‘Hell’s yeah’ moment.
This should be easy but it’s not.
1. NAKED IN DEATH, JD Robb. This is my “chicken soup” book. I always go to it when I need comfort, smart characters, and romance. (I also do the whole 50+ book series reread/listen at least every 2-3 years.
2. The Kate Daniels series and spinoffs, Ilona Andrews. Again, smart characters plus great worldbuilding, and snark. Plus the stories keep me engaged no matter how many times I’ve turned to them.
3. This one is a tie because Nalini Singh! Both her Guild Hunter/Archangel series and her Psy-Changling series just hit the spot when I’m in the mood, which is usually once a year or every two. I also cheat and go back a few books when there’s a new release. Same reasons as above except not as snarky.
I should point out that I will often go through an entire favorite series to refresh my memory when there’s a new release. My brain is so cluttered, I’ve often “cleaned out” all pertinent facts so its a bit like reading a book fresh. Yes, I am weird, why do you ask?
I don’t reread very often (at least not books, fanfiction is another story), but if I had to pick three that I’ve picked up more than once:
Uprooted by Naomi Novik (rereading this one right now!)
If We Were Villains by M.L. Rio
The Henchmen of Zenda by KJ Charles (hey, another vote for KJ Charles!)
I also tend to re-listen more. I sometimes have a bit of a hard time concentrating on audiobooks, so it’s better if I already know the story, with the added benefit that it is a story I already really like.
I rarely reread romance but am planning to slowly make myself reread the ones I’ve kept because I read most of them during a period of my life when I was so chronically sleep-deprived that I don’t remember most of them and need to figure out whether to continue keeping them. There are a few that I occasionally reread.
Also I am the sort of person who prefers to read a series together, and if I miscalculate and a new book is released after I’ve read the series, I have to reread the series first. This almost never happens because I never read spontaneously, but I did recently reread the first two books in Jeannie Lin’s Pingkang Li historical mystery romance series so that I could read the more recent ones.
However, I routinely reread fantasy if I like it. I don’t consider myself to have truly read a fantasy series until I’ve read it at least twice, and if I particularly like something new, it goes back on the List immediately (the List is about four years long). There are things that are almost always Listed, and others that just get reListed if it occurs to me that I haven’t read them in a long time. I have a database to keep track.
I also, less, frequently, reread childhood favorites, and it’s really lovely to see how many of you do that too. <3
It's kind of hard to translate this into a single top-three, especially with the never reading spontaneously, but I'll go with:
– one childhood favorite: Anne Rice's CRY TO HEAVEN (one of her non-horror titles, historical fiction about a Venetian castrato)
– one longtime favorite epic fantasy thing: Michelle West's immense (17 huge books and counting across four series) Essalieyan saga
– one newer favorite fantasy series: Daniel Abraham's Long Price Quartet
Top 3:
* Murderbot (for obvious reasons)
* Goblin Emperor, by Katherine Addison
* The Curse of Chalion, by Lois McMaster Bujold (and then I have to go read the Paladin of Souls)
Oh my gosh, so many more as well…
* Greenwing & Dart series, by Victoria Goddard
* the In Death series, JD Robb
* October Daye series, Seanan McGuire
* A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold (my favorite of that series, but often sparks re-read of others)
* Miss Silver series, by Patricia Wentworth
Most reread authors: I’m currently re-reading Melissa Scott’[s Point of …. Series in prep for another coming out, and like to reread Heyer’s Unknown Ajax, which is one of my favorites because I like competence porn and it has one of the funniest scenes she ever wrote. Also because I’m thinking of naming my next female puppy Aurelia. The Blue Sword and Chalice (Robin McKinley) are another comfort read, as is The Goblin Emperor (Katherine Addison). And yes, I re-read in the five gods universe by Bujold.
I love rereads! There’s just such a comfort factor that I get from them. I tend to reread when I’m feeling super anxious and also when I travel–it’s like my brain is already processing a lot of new things so I need to keep my books familiar. It was hard to pick a top 3 but I’d have to say Ilona Andrews’ Hidden Legacy and Innkeeper series are up there, along with IT HAPPENED ONE AUTUMN and DEVIL IN WINTER by Lisa Kleypas. Another one I’ve reread a surprising number of times is BROOKLYNAIRE by Sarina Bowen–I love her hockey series and it’s fun to dip back into that world for a bit, plus the pairing in this book is my favorite of the whole series.
When I need a comfort reread I usually reach for one of three authors:
1. Julia Quinn’s Bridgerton series, particularly An Offer From a Gentleman and When He Was Wicked, which are my two favorites. The whole series if it’s a long-running depression.
2. Georgette Heyer; more random but frequently The Talisman Ring, my all-time favorite of her books.
3. Dianna Wynne Jones’ Chrestomanci series. (How is that not a movie yet? Benedict Cumberbatch would be a fabulous Chrestomanci!)
Honorable mention for LM Montgomery’s short story collections, Naomi Novik’s Uprooted and Spinning Silver, Juliette Marillier’s Sevenwaters series, and occasionally a deep dive into my 1901 editions of Louisa May Alcott if I’m really going dark.
I love a good re-read, so much so that there are books that get reread once a year and still others that get reread when a new entry comes out. Go to rereads (and I’ll try to pick single books!)
1. A Countess Below Stairs (also titled A Secret Countess) by Eva Ibbotson
Probably the first book I read that made me realize that I am, in fact, a romance reader at heart. The love story (really stories, since there are some romantic subplots as well) is sweet and slow, the side characters are excellent, the evil fiancee is truly, despicably horrible and gets what she deserves. Just a warm hug in a book.
2. Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold
I deeply love the Vorkosigan series (shout outs to Shards of Honor and Civil Campaign mentioned above as also phenomenal) but the big mistake Miles makes in this book and the big changes that happen for him always resonate with me. The brief synopsis “Miles hits 30 and 30 hits back.” really summarizes it and I get more out of it. I first read it in my early twenties, so annual rereads as I crossed the threshold and 30 and beyond have really made it a richer and richer reading experience.
3. Sweep in Peace by Ilona Andrews
Really, I reread all the Innkeeper books when I get the itch, but this one is where I simply cannot put it down. The peace summit! Turan Adin! Vampires and otrokar! I just gulp it down.
Re-reads…. I’ll have to go for series rather than individual books here because I re-read more than I actually do new reads.
L. M. Bujold – Vorkosigan Saga AND Penric & Desdemona. I reread at least one book in these series about once a week. Particular favorites are A Civil Campaign and Penric & the Bandit. Why? Because the people are real and I am truly involved in their problems.
A. Christie – mysteries that engage my brain but, since I’ve read them before, don’t require a lot of thought. While the characters can be a bit stiff, they’re like old friends. Miss Marple is my favorite because she ties together behavior in her little village to explain criminal behavior. About once a month re-read.
T Kingfisher – Paladin of Steel with their subtle and unexpected (to the participants) low key romance. I adore Stephen (Paladin’s Grace) leaning against the wall doing nothing while Grace kicks her ex out of her shop… then confesses that he threw out his back and couldn’t have helped her anyway.
Others: Murderbot Diaries (at least weekly), Scoundrels of St. James (and succeeding series) by Lorraine Heath (about 4x a year), Midnight Series and Protectors Series by Lisa Marie Rice (about 5 times a year), occasional delving into childhood series like The Black Stallion, Tarzan/Pellucidar, Dr. Seuss and Sound & Sense: An Introduction to Poetry..
Top 3 Rereads:
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Avonlea
Anne of the Island
You may notice a theme here. I love the gentleness of these books and their association with my Gran who gave me my first copies.
Every Christmas, I reread Kati Wilde’s Christmas Trilogy: ALL HE WANTS FOR CHRISTMAS, THE WEDDING NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS, and my all-the-feels favorite, SECRET SANTA. Other than that, I don’t do too much start-to-finish rereading: the last two books I reread from first page to last were Eris Adderly’s BASS-ACKWARDS and Cait Nary’s SEASON’S CHANGE. However, there are many books that I like to dip into from time-to-time if I just want the comfort of familiarity. My favorites to dip-into are Kati Wilde’s GOING NOWHERE FAST (especially the heart-tending breakup scene), Melanie Harlow’s AFTER WE FALL, and Rachel Reid’s HEATED RIVALRY.
Mine is I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith. The words are so familiar at this point that I’m not even sure I’m having any of my original reactions to the story. But reading it gives me this feeling like I’m 12 and my mom just let me walk to the store alone for the first time, or like I went swimming and am walking home barefoot and not worrying about anything. It feels like I get a hint of childhood/growing up when I read it, which is kind of what the story is about in the end. I just love feeling that way every once in a while.
Until fairly recently, I wasn’t ‘re-reader’ because I felt like the time would be better spent discovering something new. The combination of the pandemic and my growing feeling that we are moving backward as a society has caused me to occasionally succumb to the lure of a ‘sure thing’.
The books that come immediately to mind because I’ve re-read them more than once are:
Roan Parrish’s MIDDLE OF SOMEWHERE because Rex and Daniel are very different but somehow perfectly complimentary. This is m/m and the sexy times are many and varied so there’s that too.
Lily Mayne’s SOUL EATER because Wyn (the ‘monster’) and Danny (human soldier) are even more drastically different than the characters in MoS but they manage to find common ground and love in a post-apocalyptic wasteland.
JR Ward’s LOVER AWAKENED, 3rd book in BDB, is Zsadist and Bella’s story. Z had a horribly tragic life and even his twin brother thinks he’s ruined. Z agrees but Bella doesn’t and she’s determined to convince Z of that.
1) The Forgotten Beasts of Eld, by Patricia McKillip. It’s a perfect fantasy novel, the heroine Sybel is amazing, the growing feelings between her and Coren are subtle and sweet, and the writing is so lovely and lyrical, like all of McKillip’s prose. Sometimes I read parts out loud just to hear the words spoken.
2) Hogfather, by Terry Pratchett. It’s my annual Christmas read, because we have to believe in the imaginary things in order to believe in the real ones.
3) Cythera, by Jo Graham. It’s a short sci-fi romance, the heroine is a Space Courtesan and the hero is a starship captain, and it’s the perfect blend of space adventure and sex and *kindness*, as Cythera helps her starship captain and one of his passengers through their emotional struggles.
Books feed something in our souls, don’t they?
Murderbot, thank you, Sarah. Often just bits now that give me endorphin hits. Exit Strategy and MB taking Mensa’s hand as they head for the docks? Sigh. The controlled anger at sending Sec Units after his clients. “No one gets to walk away from that.”
Howl’s Moving Castle. In the 90s, a roomie shoved this book at me to read. Was first book I ever bought on Amazon (when it was small). Named offspring after characters.
Only a Kiss by Mary Balogh. Goofball and Ice Maiden are such opposites. I can never get enough of these two.
Bonus: the scene in Devil’s Cub by Heyer when Mary shots Dominic.
I reread all the time, and I think sometimes if I’m stressed about life or if I’m in a reading rut, re-reading is something that helps. A few of my favorite rereads (I’m not sure I can limit to just three authors, much less books)–
– Erin Nicholas–I’ll often reread parts of a series, like her Sapphire Falls or Boys of the Big Easy or Boys of the Bayou Gone Wild or Hot Cakes… a couple faves–CRAZY RICH CAJUNS, GETTING OFF EASY, GETTING OVER IT…
– Joanna Bourne’s Spymasters–I’ve probably reread either THE SPYMASTER’S LADY or THE FORBIDDEN ROSE the most
– Julie James–I’ve reread the whole series quite a few times, but I think I pick up THE THING ABOUT LOVE, ABOUT THAT NIGHT, and SOMETHING ABOUT YOU the most
– Shelly Laurenston–I love the Pride series, but I’ve read the dragons too
– Loretta Chase’s LORD OF SCOUNDRELS
– Lisa Kleypas’s DEVIL IN WINTER
– Jeannie Lin–THE HIDDEN MOON and THE SWORD DANCER are a couple of my favorites
– Beth Bolden–HIT THE BRAKES, THE GAME, are a couple faves, but I reread her series all the time
– Rachel Reid’s TIME TO SHINE
– Ari Baran
– Kati Wilde–Like @DiscoDollyDeb, one of my faves is her Christmas trilogy; I also love JACK & LILY, LOSING IT ALL, and THE MIDWINTER BRIDE…
I’m sure I have many more, LOL!
I am constantly re-reading when I need a break (and no surprises) before valiantly making progress through my TBR. I have an entire collection on my kindle of comfort rereads across all genres. I’m also a seasonal reader and like to cycle rereads accordingly. It feels impossible to choose but here are 3 of my favorites for fall and why:
1) Wordless, Mel Sterling — Small bookstore in the autumn, with incredibly cozy vibes and an intriguing mystery that doesn’t skimp on the spice. What’s not to love?
2) Firelight, Kristen Callihan – Beauty and the Beast retelling with a mix of paranormal and gothic vibes. The FMC is so protective of the hero and they end up making such a strong team together—the whole series is great but every year I pour a bourbon and read with a blanket.
3) Law Man, Kristin Ashley – Ashley can be polarizing, and all her standard tropes apply, but I find this book so comforting in all of its ordinary-ness. The everyday gestures like the MMC getting groceries and just showing up to help when the FMC is struggling to manage her changing circumstances is incredibly soothing to me. If you’re new to the author, this is a lower stakes/angst to dip your toe in the water.
I re-read constantly in stressful times (e.g., run-up to this election) when I just want to spend time in a world where I know everything turns out ok.
In the last few years, my go-to authors have been Cat Sebastian (especially the Cabots), Rachel Reid, and Ari Baran.
In prior years when I read more het/ straight romance, Ilona Andrews/ Hidden Legacies and Susanna Kearsley were my go-tos, depending on mood.
The books I have re-read the most are by the British author Trisha Ashley, especially her Christmas books at Christmastime. I find them very comfortable, slightly quirky characters and no angst. I never used to re-read until 2020 when I went through the Stage Dive series by Kylie Scott and the Destiny, Ohio series by Toni Blake again. Now in times of anxiety I turn to Trisha Ashley’s books and sometimes Katie Fforde’s. I know nothing bad is going to happen in them.
I am a chronic rereader so trying to pick three is basically impossible.
1 – the LYMOND CHRONICLES by Dorothy Dunnett. Dense and satisfying, with a historical sweep like no other books I’ve read. Lymond as a character has been used as a template for so many prickly antihero male leads but no one quite gets the flavour right. You have to commit to six books but once you are in just block out your calendar – you won’t be doing anything else. I cannot imagine reading these as they came out – it took FOURTEEN YEARS from first to last.
2- THE BLUE CASTLE by LM Montgomery- as a tween I loved this out of print book so much I nicked a copy from the library so I could keep reading it again and again. (Don’t worry I eventually returned it) it resonated with my feelings of being the plain one in a glamorous family and proposed the delightful solution of marrying a stranger and running away to an idyllic island where you wandered the woods and kayaked.
3- TRAMPS LIKE US by Yayoi Ogawa – hardworking Japanese journalist (F) acquires a young man as a pet. It has a whole underlying theme about who do you let your guard down around, who do you trust with your real self vs who you have to keep trying to impress. And it’s very funny.
Honourable mentions: T Kingfisher- I am listening to the Saint of Steel series having only just finished rereading it a month ago, KJ Charles, Courtney Milan, Alexis Hall’s Spires series, Cat Sebastian – who I have just finished rereading the entire works of, Victoria Goddard – if I pick up Greenwing & Dart I know I am finishing all of them, Antique Bakery by Fumi Yoshinaga – gorgeous men making delicious cakes and maybe also resolving longstanding trauma.
My dad was a prolific rereader, he was a huge fan of John D. MacDonald’s Travis McGee series and had read them so many times that he could quote them chapter and verse. So I can claim that rereads are in my DNA.
My three are:
1) Marrying Winterborne
It’s my first Kleypas and I love every moment of it. Particularly those many times that Helen’s backbone is pure steel. And then there is this, “I love you. I don’t give a damn if your father is the devil himself. I’d let you stab a knife in my heart if it pleased you, and I’d lie there loving you until my last breath.”
2) Ten Things I Hate About the Duke
My second Loretta Chase book and perhaps my very favorite of her catalog. Cassandra and Ashmont should never work, but they absolutely do. He’s a giant man child who finally sees that in order to be even worthy of breathing the same air as Cassandra, he’s got to get his shiitake together. It makes me swoon every time. Also, it has the sharpest and best written take down of a villainess ever.
3) The Sins of Lord Lockwood
It’s both the last book in this series and that Meredith Duran has published to date. It is brilliance on every page. It pops in my head at random moments and I find myself turning it immediately. Anna and Lockwood were destined to be together and were it not for evil forces, they would have been. Reunited, they are counterweights Anna trying to bring him to the light and Lockwood trying to protect Anna from his own horrific experiences. It is just soon good.
Totally second re-reading via audiobook – it’s so lovely having something you love read to you, and it sometimes gives such a different perspective from the original!
I tend towards re-reading things that make me feel particularly swoony. In the last few years that’s been Mariana Zapata, particularly KULTI and FROM LUKOV WITH LOVE.
I also love re-reading Danielle Hawkins – I just re-finished her debut DINNER AT ROSES. I’m a New Zealander who immigrated elsewhere 10+ years ago and there is no one else whose writing makes me feel quite so much like I’m home; all aspects (including the romance) feel so authentically Kiwi.
Oh and also a shout-out for Melissa McShane, whose CROWN OF TREMONTANE and THE EXTRAORDINARIES series (both female-led fantasy with romantic aspects) just always makes me smile.
It can’t be just three. There are several already mentioned such as Murderbot, Act Like It, and The All Souls Trilogy. To those, I’d further add Jackie Lau’s Donut Fall in Love, From Lukov with Love by Mariana Zapata, and the Hidden Legacy trilogy by Ilona Andrews.
I have lots of re-read favorited depending on the mood I’m in but just to namd three:
ARCHANGEL by Sharon Shinn
My first Sharon Shinn and still my favorite
PROMISED LAND by Connie Willis and Cynthia Felice
Connie Willis is very re-readable in my opinion because of endearing and sometimes frustrating characters. I’d pick this if I have to choose just one of hers.
POSSESSION by A.S. Byatt
I’m still finding new things about this book to love more than a decade after I first read it
I have a box of keepers in my bedroom closet, and probably my most reread books are Nothing Venture by Patricia Wentworth(which is NOT a Miss Silver book, it’s romantic suspense), Devil in Winter and Heyer’s Devil’s Cub. I also have one litfic frequent reread, A Far Cry from Kensington by Muriel Spark. And shout out to the fans of the Vorkosigan series and Joanna Bourne.