What's your most often-read book?

[Orrex]

Mine is McCarthy's Blood Meridian. Altogether I've probably been through it about a dozen times, which isn't all that much, but it puts it at the top of my list. Philip K. Dick's Valis is next, I suppose.

Yours?

[Xipe Totec]

1. Gödel, Escher, Bach: an Eternal Golden Braid

by Douglas R. Hofstadter

[Glorfindel]

2. "A Tale of Two Cities" by Charles Dickens

I never tire of it, and read it every two or three years. The older I get, the more I identify with the French revolutionaries. :evilgrin:

[HereSince1628]

3. Webster's Deluxe Unabridged Dictionary, 2nd Edition.

Generally, I don't read it cover to cover.

[Xipe Totec]

5. What's your favorite quote?

:bounce:

[HereSince1628]

7. Sic Semper Tyrannis

[Xipe Totec]

9. Mine is: Impeachment n/t

[HereSince1628]

10. Who said dat??????????????????????

[Xipe Totec]

12. The Newt itself

Gingrich's leadership in Congress was marked by opposition to many of the policies of the Clinton Administration, culminating in the impeachment of President Clinton shortly after Gingrich resigned as Speaker (the House was technically leaderless at this time, as Gingrich's chosen successor Robert Livingston of Louisiana also stepped down before he could be elected Speaker)

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Newt_Gingrich

He set the bar for impeachment so low, that impeaching the chimperor should be a slam dunk.












Right? :shrug:

[JitterbugPerfume]

4. A Cabticle for Liebowitz--Miller

and A Cats Cradle--Vonnegut

[Orrex]

6. I've only read Canticle once, but Cat's Cradle is excellent

Good picks--you're even cooler than I'd remembered!

[JitterbugPerfume]

17. Thanks!

:hi: :loveya: I read Blood Meridian about a year ago . It is on my re read list

[illinoisprogressive]

8. People's Almanac, The Long Party, The Glory and the Dream

People's Almanac came out in the 70s and was 3 vol. Just tons of good stuff and wicked
Long Party about Britain in the 20s and 30s
Glory and the dream by Manchester is a social history of 1930s thru 1970s
I've also reread bushworld. And the Sharpe series by Cornwell. Fiction of a rifle regiment during the Napolian wars in spain.

[MotorCityMan]

70. People's Almanac, The Belgariad, "The Stand"

I asked for it for Christmas back in the '70's, and STILL enjoy picking it up and just randomly flipping through it, reading whatever catches my interest. The essay on the Kennedy assassination chilled me to the bone when I first read it as a child; it still does now.

I have all 3 volumes (which are out of print now, I believe). I also have all volumes of "The Book of Lists", by the same authors.

"The Stand", by Stephen King, is my favorite of his books, and I think one of the best stories I have read. I don't know how many times I have read it now.

I have also read many times The Belgariad series by David and Leigh Eddings, and the Incarnations of Immortality and Xanth series by Piers Anthony.

[pinto]

11. Wow. I just finished Blood Meridian. It was a tough read for me.

Not the writing, which was poetic, but the unremitting off hand slaughter. Powerful book.

I got this one as a gift from my niece, as well as 'You Can't Win', autobiography of Jack Black.

Carl Sandburg, New York World, had this to say:

"Much of this book is about loneliness. Yet its pages are bracingly companionable. It is one of the friendliest books ever written. It is a superb piece of autobiography, testimony that cannot be impeached.While it is a statement of an American tragedy, it has laughter, brevity,style; as a book to pass the time with, it is in a class with the best fiction."

First published in 1926.
Reprinted in 1988 by AMOK Press.

Introduction by William S. Burroughs

[Redroach]

14. Monkey Wrench Gang

plus the follow-up "Hayduke Lives!" by ole Ed Abbey hisself.

:grr:

[brer cat]

13. Mine is Terry Kay's

To Dance with the White Dog. That's the only book I've ever read, put down, and then immediately picked up to reread. I read it at least once a year.

[toddaa]

15. Two books: Thus Spake Zarathustra and Chuang Tzu

Actually, I read most of Nietzsche's work frequently, but Zarathustra is his most enjoyable for pure reading pleasure.

I take a copy of Chuang Tzu's writings and Zarathustra everywhere I go. The thought of being stuck somewhere with reading material that sucks is one of my worst nightmares. Thankfully, a dog earred copy of each serves as welcome comfort.

[agates]

16. Annals of the Former World by John McPhee

I've probably read it a dozen times. It is a geological history of North America, centered on the 40th parallel. Wonderful book!

[ret5hd]

18. TV Guide...

I kid, I kid!

(God, I kill me :rofl: )

[ananda]

19. Steinbeck

The greatest author of all time.

[pinto]

22. misplaced post.

[Sequoia]

41. He was on PBS last night.

About authors who made a difference. He wrote Grapes of Wrath two times (under other titles) before he came up with the winner. Oh, how the rich and powerful hated him for it, but it kept selling and selling and wham, he got the Noble Prize. I didn't know that he was working for a newspaper and was told by his editor that there was some people starving the the central valley and would he go and write a story for it. John was just shocked at the treatment the migrants from Oklahoma were receiving at the hands of the farm owners, who threw out food rather than feed them. Of course all this is in the book one way or another but I never knew the history behind the book.

[tech3149]

20. Besides 1984?

Dean Koontz Dark Rivers of the Heart and Homer Hickam Back to the Moon

All three focus on the psychopathology of those that seek power, but Koontz and Hickam are much better story tellers that develope an empathy for the characters and provide a feeling of hope at the end. I'm a sucker for a good story with intrigue technology (hence the screen name) and a happy ending. I might not have high literary standard, but when it piques my interest I'm ready to start over when I turn the last page.

[Dora]

21. Heidi. n/t

[pinto]

23. Don't know if this counts, but my most read pieces are Shakespeare's.

I like them all, particularly Henry VIII, Macbeth, Hamlet, Much Ado About Nothing, Julius Caesar, Twelfth Night. At times, I read them aloud, just to "hear" the words in the room.

[nealmhughes]

24. Candide, then A Manual for Writers of Term Papers, Theses and Dissertations,

Kate L. Turabian, aka, Biblia Sacra Juxta Vulgatam Turabianam.

[YankeyMCC]

25. Asimov's Foundation Series or maybe the Robot novels

hard to say which group I've read more often.

You know I asked a similar question a couple of months ago in the Lounge (what books do you re-read?) and most of the responses where something like "My memory isn't that bad." or "Why would I need to re-read books I've already read."

[Snap]

26. Suttree

Then would be all the Jack Aubrey (O'Brian) and the Baroque Trilogy (Stephenson). I first read Suttree over maybe a 2 year period, a couple of pages at a time, the language is delicious.

[Orrex]

28. Suttree is exceptional

Definitely in my top five of "most read," but its length and density keeps me from reading it cover-to-cover too many times.

I'm a big McCarthy fan, as one can probably guess from this thread. I've read Outer Dark three or four times and Child of God about that many times. Fine stuff.

[truedelphi]

63. What's the book Suttree about

[LWolf]

27. I don't know!

I read so many books. I read and reread favorites, then let them rest for a few years and read them again. Often, after a decade of many rereads, I find I'm "done," have moved on, and pass the book on. The rest sit on my shelves, because even though I'm not reading them now, I still feel like I might want to some day.

So what books have been on my shelves the longest? Here's one left from my childhood:

"The Four Story Mistake" by Elizabeth Enright. I read it every 5 years or so, just because it evoked such a strong response as a child, and I can "reconnect" with my childhood self. Other authors still on the shelves after 3 decades:

Twain
Vonnegut
Conan Doyle
Agatha Christie
Elizabeth Peters
Tolkien
Keats
Shakespeare
Jean Craighead George
Thoreau
Jules Verne
Dylan Thomas
Du Maurier

[pitohui]

29. "valis" is certainly one of them EOM

,

[Forkboy]

30. I've read most of Vonnegut's books multiple times..same for Hunter S. Thompson

I've read the book The Years Of Rice and Salt twice in the last two years,and I'll definately be reading it again soon.I see it as a book I'll be coming back to over and over again through the years.

[China_cat]

31. Mists of Avalon...Marion Zimmer Bradley

I've already worn out 2 copies.

[raccoon]

32. Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank. nt

[Wickerman]

33. Catcher in the Rye

yeah, kind of trite, I suppose, but its been interesting to reread it at various life stages. Approaching 50 my view of Holden is much different than it was when I was 12.

I don't know if it is my most read book by any stretch, but it, along with The Metamorphosis are two books that have been a lot of fun to revisit with regularity.

note: I tried to do the same with Atlas Shrugged but found it too shitty of a read to continue after the 2nd pass. :shrug:

[freesqueeze]

48. Catcher is interesting

as a book that changes as you age.

At 15, I WAS Holden.

Now, I can't believe what a self-obsessed brat he is.

Hmmmmm. could both impressions be true???

[Z_I_Peevey]

34. In fiction, A Prayer for Owen Meany.

Think I've read it perhaps five times. In nonfiction, My Mother, My Self by Nancy Friday.

[Clintonista2]

35. Tie between The Egyptian and 1984

[paparush]

36. SnowCrash - Neil Stephenson

[Patsy Stone]

46. Excellent, excellent book. n/t

[terrya]

37. "1876" - Gore Vidal

I've probably read it about 10 times.

[RobertGregoryBrowne]

38. Marathon Man

by William Goldman. Which is one of the books that inspired me to write and is, in my opinion, one of the best thrillers ever written.

[saltpoint]

39. Joan Didion's DEMOCRACY.

[idgiehkt]

40. Cold Mountain

I think I've read it 5 or 6 times. I just love it.

[Donald Ian Rankin]

42. Probably either The Tempest, Othello or Lord of the Rings.

I've also read most of Terry Pratchett's works several times, and I have a couple of "complete works of" (Auden, Tennyson) that I've reread a lot.

[MedleyMisty]

43. Jane Eyre

Hands down.

It's been my favorite book since I first read it in 9th grade.

I often reread books. It's so nice and comforting, all the sentences right where you remember them.

That reminds me, it's time to reread Pickwick Papers. I first read it around the same time - 8th grade? Or 7th?

[patsimae]

49. Jane Eyre, my favorite too

I first read it when I was about 12 or so and I've read it at least a half dozen times since. When they assigned it in English class I was just overjoyed!

[Z_I_Peevey]

51. Still one of my favorites too.

One of a few books I was compelled to read straight through, without breaks for incidental things like food or sleep.

[Marie26]

44. Pride & Prejudice.

6 times & counting.

[bread_and_roses]

72. Austin's complete novels for me, excepting only the dreary "Mansfield

Park" and "Northanger Abbey" which I've re-read less than the others. I find Fanny tiresome, but I have re-read it many times as well, for the flashes of wit, just fewer than the others. "Northanger" I simply find far more superficial than the others.

But "Pride," "Persuasion," "Sense," and "Emma" never fail me.

[Bridget Burke]

45. "Fourth Mansions" by R A Lafferty.

Allegory inspired by St Teresa of Avila? Jungian quest for Individuation? Or just an Irish-American shaggy dog story written by someone who loved to get drunk on words?

I've read his "Past Master" several time, as well. If you've got a planet with a Utopian society that people are deserting in droves, why not go back in time to recruit Thomas More as President?

For a laugh: "To Say Nothing of the Dog" by Connie Willis.

And "Clash of the Star Kings" by Avram Davidson. A trifle by this master of arcane lore; what if the Aztec Gods were real space aliens? www.crystalinks.com/aztecgods.html
(My cheezy paperback edition boasts Frazetta cover art of a muscular Mexican warrior battling a Feathered Serpent. Not much to do with the actual novel, but very cool.)

I've just finished reading Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun" for the first time & suspect I'll return more than once.

[japple]

47. David Bradley's The Chaneysville Incident is one

I read over and over. After I loaned it out to people who never returned it, I got a permanent copy that I will not lend to anyone. Also, Toni Morrison's Song of Solomon.

[Paranoid Pessimist]

50. Cat's Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut

I read it many many times. I recently reread it to see if I'd like it as much as I did when I was young. I did.

[blueworld]

52. The Lord of the Rings

I've been through it easily once per year since college, and at my age that's saying something:) Unfortunately, although the films are great action, I'm too much of an LOTR snob to really enjoy them. :hippie:

[JerseygirlCT]

58. Me too. It always feels like taking a vacation. nt

[bread_and_roses]

73. LOTR high on my list of re-reads as well.

The films are certainly uneven, but I enjoyed them for some of the perfect moments.

[Malikshah]

53. Dorothy Sayer's Wimsey series...He's just so much fun--the dialogue is too clever by half

I wish they would revive these on Mystery...the Petherbridge versions (covering 3 of the Wimsey/Vane stories) were quite nice, but c'mon...

Still--the books are just too much fun and get pulled out every year.

[Lithos]

54. Zelazny's "A Night in the Lonesome October"

I read it every October, usually just before Halloween. Generally considered Zelazny's swan song, very good book that reminds you of his earlier storyteller's voice used in the Amber series when they first started. The master revisiting a rich vein.

L-

[Bridget Burke]

56. Another vote for "A Night in the Lonesome October"...

Familiar characters pop up in amusing & amazing ways.

[Enoch1981]

55. Bureau of lost souls

It's a short story anthology by Christopher Fowler. If anyone ever checks out the book, read 'Box', 'Shadow Play', or 'Jumbo Portions'. His horror stories are often set in urban settings, but he has a good mixture of supernatural and more modern terrors; not to mention just misadventure. One of his other collections, City Jitters, is good too.

[Clintonista2]

57. "The Egyptian" by Mika Waltari

Best.Book.Ever.

[terryg11]

59. Dune or LOTR

every few years just need to reconnect with Middle earth and Arrakis.

although I do find myself going over Lovecraft stories at least once a year

[Richardo]

60. Catch-22

and:

"The Annotated Alice", by Martin Gardner - both Lewis Carroll books with exhaustive footnotes explaining the contemporary references, the jokes, the real-life background of the stories, the whole context. Fascinating reading, plus, I appreciate the 'Alice' books so much more now.

[MedleyMisty]

61. Jane Eyre

I love it. It has been my favorite book since I first read it in middle school. I identify so much with Jane.

[wordsaladwithranch]

62. 1984- 7 times. Other than that, mostly nonfiction read in the upwards of 20 times.

I had a lot of free time in my music theory class...

-edit for my own ignorance

[flamingyouth]

64. "The Heart is a Lonely Hunter" by Carson McCullers

My mom had me read it during our home summer-reading program when I was a child (her "summer schools" were way tougher than my regular public school, believe me) and I loved that book. I was way ahead of Oprah. :D

I still read it about once every other year, so I've probably read it 10-15 times.

Next runners-up would be "To Kill A Mockingbird" and "A Chiristmas Carol."

[Thirtieschild]

65. Two I've read over and over and over

Pride and Prejudice
Little Big Man

[unpossibles]

66. Probably Dune, Stranger in a Strange Land, and Siddhartha n/t

[Thirtieschild]

67. Pride and Prejudice

The first time I read it I finished the last page, then turned to page one and started over. Also read Little Big Man repeatedly. My two favorite books.

[sinkingfeeling]

68. 'To Kill a Mockingbird' - Harper Lee

[Wheezy]

69. The Poisonwood Bible

actually, it's probably Harry Potter, the first one, because every time a sequel came out I had to start the series over again so I could remember what happened. :)

[tactics]

71. hitchhikers guide and restaurant at the end of the universe

so amazingly well written it often robs me will to scribe further. also way of zen by alan watss , but thtas for a much different reason.

[Patiod]

74. "The Stars in Their Courses" by Shelby Foote

I read it every year on the anniversary of the Battle of Gettysburg. I have no idea why - I'm not a guy, not into guns or war or military strategy. We've visited a lot of the Civil War battlefields, though, and Gettysburg spoke to me. Plus it's an amazing book, written like poetry, not at all a dry play-by-play recounting of those three awful days.