ReReadable

[alianora]

I am so bored.

I am so bored, i am sitting here thinking of all the things i would rather be doing than sitting here at work.

I would rather be reading. Right now, i would rather have a book in my hand.

And to that end, here are the books i reread. Not the most well written, not books that will change the world, necessarily, but the books i end up coming back to over and over.

all sci fi and fantasy. because every thing else i read is popcorn.



1. The Fionavar Tapestry trilogy - Guy Gavriel Kay
(The Summer Tree,The Wandering Fire, The Darkest Road)

I love these. Love. I have to be very careful when and where i reread these, because i get completely lost in the story and the repetitive language (most hated by the dark, for their name was light). Plus, I generally start crying halfway through the second book, and sniffle through the rest.

2. Miles Vorkosigan novels - Lois McMaster Bujold - Memory and A Civil Campaign, specifically

MILES! I fell into these backwards, starting with A Civil Campaign, and then having to work my way back to the beginning. If you havent read Miles, trust me, you will love him. Telling you that he is a hyperactive dwarf who accidently ends up leader of a mercenary army just doesnt cover all of it. Miles is fabulous. I never thought i would like books marketed as "space opera" but really, give Miles a try. They are screamingly funny, mixed in with really heartbreaking. Wonderful characterization, fun plots, clones, hermaphradites, kittens, Ivan...you name it, we got it. But you might want to start at the beginning, which is Young Miles, a compliation of the first two novels.

and im using my one Miles icon, just because.

3. Arrows of the Queen and By the Sword - Mercedes Lackey

I reread all of the Valdamar series every now and then. and i do mean ALL of them. but these two are the ones i reread when i dont feel like slogging through the rest. Arrows is the first in a trilogy, but i tend to just reread this one - Talia is a neat character, and its not nearly as angsty as the Vanyel books. (I know many many people are in love with Van, but the emo makes me insane. i am very sorry. however, if you want a fantasy series with a main character who is gay and very angsty, its your thing.)

Sword is all Kero, and she is one of my favorite ever characters. Enchanted swords, big white targets of uniforms and a hysterical sense of humor. YAY.

4. Mairelon the Magician - Patricia C. Wrede

I love how Kim falls in with Mairelon, and how he continues to make her crazy, but she still follows him. More than that, i love the historical fantasy. Its in London, but not quite the London we know, where there is a college of wizards. And things just kinda go insane when a guttersnipe is hired to break into a wizard's place.

5. The Elenium - David Eddings

Probably an aquired taste. A bit overly wordy, but by this point, i have read them so many times, i know which parts to skip. and how can you not love Sparhawk? And Talen! Knights and magic and queens. and trolls.

6. Rose Daughter and Beauty - Robin McKinley

Two books, one author, one premise in two different directions. Both are retellings of Beauty and the Beast, in two very different formats. Beauty is more YA, while Rose Daughter is more of a fairy tale. My main complaints are that the endings feel like they should be switched, and that Rose Daughter has a complicated ending, and NEEDS rereading to fully get it.

7. Song of the Lioness - Tamora Pierce

Very much YA novels, but very beloved to me. Alanna pretends to be Alan in order to train to be a knight. Short, easy reads, low on the extreme angst scale. There is love and magic and gender confusion. Good times. Also, there is a new Tortall novel coming out set 200 years before Alanna! I am excited.

8. Young Wizards - Diane Duane

Who HASNT hoped that a book of wizardry would just snag them at the library? Also YA, but as Nita and Kit get older, so do the problems.

9. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams

Oh, please, of COURSE i reread it all the time. and if you havent, i am concerned for your mental health. linked to the ultimate edition, which has all five books of the trilogy. Yes, you read that right. there are five books in the trilogy. just go with it. and dont forget your towel.

My favorite thing in the whole series is STILL the pot of petunias.

10. The High King - Lloyd Alexander

All of the Prydian books, really, but this in particular. Taran is all grown up, and is no longer the assistant pig keeper. oh, TARAN. much love for him. and Doli. And Gurgi. And Eilonwy, even if i have never ever figured out how to say her name. Newberry medal winner, and it deserves it.



So, what do you lean to for comfort reading and rereading? Links, titles, authors? Id love to know.

Comments

[santiago-nuevo.livejournal.com]

I just love the Isaac Asimov books, specially the foundation series, and the Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy by Douglas Adams is just brilliant!

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

Asimov has never done anything for me, reread wise. Ive read some of his stuff, but nothing that i can remember, in all honesty.

and yes. it is. :)

[eustacia-vye28.livejournal.com]

Try Nemesis. It's a standalone, and I've read it twice so far. It amazed me both times.

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

Ill put it on my list and give it a try. :)

[magelette.livejournal.com]

Your comfort books are pretty much all of mine (Vanyel invented emo, btw). The only exception I have is The Last Unicorn. Have you read Magician's Ward (sequel to Mairelon)? It's not as good, but it's still good.

And I'm not dressing up as Alanna for Comic Con or anything just because Tamora Pierce is gonna be there, really...

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

i own, but have never read Last Unicorn. something about worrying about it messing with the movie in my head, because i love the movie oh so much.

and yes, own and read Magician's Ward, and it is a reread after Mairelon, but..its not quite as awesome.

dude. you win at LIFE. take pictures. get her picture. get your picture. Is Tim dressing up? Jon or George?

[magelette.livejournal.com]

Tim will not (to the point of refuses) dress up for Con. He won't even wear his Tim outfit, though he may bring the hat. *sigh* But that's okay...

I'll get pictures, I promise. :)

Read Last Unicorn. The movie follows the book so closely that it isn't even funny.

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

ok, but if it destroys my childhood, im blaming you. :)

[kueble.livejournal.com]

I tend to go for the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series or the Meridith Gentry series when I reread. They're both by Laurel K. Hamilton and fantastic.

Guilty Pleasures (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/051513449X/sr=8-4/qid=1150138055/ref=sr_1_4/002-1822918-5442438?%5Fencoding=UTF8) is the first in the Anita series, and A Kiss of Shadows (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345423402/sr=8-9/qid=1150138055/ref=sr_1_9/002-1822918-5442438?%5Fencoding=UTF8) is the first in the Merry Gentry series.

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

I liked Anita. I did. for several books.

and then i just got really really bored..so, i havent read any since Narcissis in Chains.

[barefootatkheb.livejournal.com]

I'm gonna have to be terrible boring here and say the LOTR books and the Harry Potter books (I'm at the moment up to book 5 of HP and then it's time for The Hobbit, Silmarillion and the trilogy *s*), but mostly because I have them on audiobook (which makes it much easier for me to focus, then to read them...) :) but also because they are my comfort books and because they make me happy ^.^ and I def. think I will have to listen to Hitchhikers guide again, I so love those books :)

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

i reread the first four HP books on a pretty regular basis, but they arent comfort books, if that makes sense.

I have never ever read LOTR. I read the Hobbit and barely survived. and ive always been too scared to try the others.

im sort of a wimp..

[barefootatkheb.livejournal.com]

*nods* that does make sense :) I have listed to them quite a few times and I even put them on to sleep to (not because they are boring *lol* but because it's soothing) :)

I have only read a bit on the Hobbit and Silmarillion (but now I have found them on audiobooks *glee*), I have read the LOTR trilogy before, but I'm loking forward to doing so again :))

I read the Hobbit and barely survived
how come? *curious*

naww *pets you*

[penmage.livejournal.com]

The Last Unicorn is a brilliant, beautiful poetic book that takes my breath away every time I read it. I also had it on my shelf for ages and was stubbornly not reading it because of my love for the movie, but oh, I am so glad that I gave in and read it.

Charles de Lint. His Newford collections (Dreams Underfoot, The Ivory and the Horn) and Memory and Dream are the stuff I read when the world hurts and I need to be reminded that even when things hurt, there's still good in the world. I cannot even begin to describe my love for his books.

Nina Kiriki Hoffman writes strangely. And by that I mean, it always takes me a chapter or so to wrap my mind around her style, the way she approaches words and magic and people - and once I'm there, there is nothing else like it. She is a totally unique voice, and a beautiful one. My current favorite is A Fistful of Sky.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is one of my favorite books in the world. I love the sequals, too, especially the widely bashed Xenocide. I love his grasp of people.

Connie Willis is a goddess among science fiction writers. She can be hilariously funny or dead serious, and either way she's excellent. I love Doomsday Book and To Say Nothing of the Dog.

Tam Lin by Pamela Dean is the ultimate literary fantasy. I reread it maybe once every two years and always love it just as much.

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

Ok, ok, ill give in and give Last Unicorn a try.

But im still scared of it destroying the movie in my head.

ooh, I havent read any Charles de Lint in quite a while..i always really enjoyed what Ive read of his.

Ive never heard of Hoffman, but ill take a look and see what i can find. thanks for the ideas!

[thegranddewru.livejournal.com]

I have not read a lot of this genre, but The Elenium is one set that I have read! I did really enjoy them, I love Talen, but since they were borrowed I didn't get to read them twice. I've been trying to tell my brother about them as he was reading something else by Eddings. This is pretty much the only genre he reads in.

I usually reread one of my more complex romance novels :p Preferable the ones that make me LMAO.

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

Eddings is pretty prolific. The Belgariad and its sequels total up to be, i think..12 books? yeah, thats right. those are good too, but i prefer Sparhawk to Garion.

But the Elinium has a sequel series, not quite as good, but still fun.

[rinalin.livejournal.com]

I LOOOOOOOOOVE #7.

I'm currently on my third readthrough of Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen and Kushiel's Avatar. Midway through the 2nd book right now (it's slow going, you know how busy I am). And I adore it.

It has elements of court intrigue, erotica, religion, and a powerful love story. The heroine reminds me of Inara, she's a courtisan cursed/gifted by the God's to experiance pleasure in pain. As a child she's trained to spy on her patrons and...it all goes to hell for her from there.

It's told in first person past tense, which is realllllllly hard to get into at first, but well worth it in the end.

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

i HAVE picked up those, but the pleasure in pain thing skeeves me a little, so ive never actually read them..

i might give them a try, if i can convince myself to get past my issues. :)

[rinalin.livejournal.com]

You know, the pleasure-pain thing is sort of off putting, but it's not exactly pornographic. And most experiances in the book are of the "fade to black" variety.

Interestingly, I think part of the reason it doesn't bother me, is because it IS fantasy. She enjoys the pain because she has to. There's an otherwordly quality to it.

Whereas, if I were reading a regular novel about S&M, I--well, wouldn't.

If that makes any sense at all.

[maire-x.livejournal.com]

Wow. You have so many of the same favorites as me. I LOVE By the Sword - Kero makes me giggle all the time. I also really like the Kushiel's Dart series that Rinalin mentioned. And for me a classic re-read is Dragon Bone Chair, Stone of Farewell, and To Green Angel Tower by Tad Williams.

I have no idea if you want but if you do I can upload some of the songs that go with the Valdemar Universe. Kerowyn's Ride and some of the one's about Tarma and Kethry are really neat.

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

i think ive actually read two of the Tad Williams books..i cant remember why i didnt finish...maybe i just read the first one, and then got distracted. its very possible.

i would LOVE some of the songs! ive always wanted to be able to buy some of the filk cds, but i didnt want to buy without previewing, just in case i didnt like it.

[maire-x.livejournal.com]

Well the Tad Williams ones do go up and down in pace, so you may have easily drifted away.

I felt the same way about the filk songs and then I got some off a friend and now I'll admit to a certain fondness for them.

I've put together a bunch of songs which can be found through the link at my journal.

(As this is my first time trying to do this - bear with me) The full description of songs and the file can be found here (http://maire-x.livejournal.com)

[qelenhn.livejournal.com]

I also reread the High King several times, but not the rest of the series. I think I only ever read the odd numbered books in the series anyway. I haven't read it in years, but I still have it, and read it several times between fifth grade and the end of high school. I think I had a thing for Gwydion. And for some reason I was drawn to Achren.

Hitchhiker's Guide bears reading several times.

I usually don't reread anymore, because my reading for pleasure rate slowed down so much in college that I'm always behind on the new books I want to read, which doesn't leave much time for the old ones. Lord of the Rings is due for a reread though. I read it again right before the movies came out, and need to read them now that I've seen the movies several times. The Princess Bride needs to be read again too, but I'd have to buy a copy. I think my parents have the one I read originally.

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

when it comes to reading something new im not sure about, or rereading something i know i love, i tend to stick to the rereading. its pretty much only when im traveling that i branch out.

i LOVE the whole Prydian Chronicles stories, but Taran Wanderer and The High King are the best ones. and the least YA of them. and yes, totally a thing for Gwydion.

[whitelighter69.livejournal.com]

We have such opposite taste is books. Give me some Stephen King any day.

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

Shan comes down on my side when it comes to books. Ask HER about Vanyel. She LOOOOOVES him. :)

[whitelighter69.livejournal.com]

I fear I will be converted!

[(Anonymous)]

Katherine Kurtz's Deryni series is, in a word, immense. It started off simply, young prince must find the process to acquire his father's power's or he'll die in a battle to the death for the throne of Gwenydd. And then, as the series and then the backstory progresses, the story, characters, politics, history, magic, relationships - all become more and more complex. I can't do justice in the space here.

Katherine Kurtz is an amazing author. She has another series that she co-writes withe Deborah Turner Harris called the Adept series, and a on-off called Llamas Night that are very, very good reads. Llamas Night is the one I turn to if I want to reread something again. I've read it a dozens of times over.

You can find out more about her and her works at www.deryni.net Hope this didn't go on too long.

-pauline

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

oh! ive actually read Llamas Night!

it was a very long time ago, and i remember no details at all, but i DID read it.

will take a look for more of her stuff. thanks for the recs!

[bookaddict43.livejournal.com]

I love all your comfort reads...they're some of mine too. But here's some others to try.

"Domesday book", "To say nothing of the dog", "The passage" & "Bellwether" by Connie Willis. Really hard to classify, but just great.

[aliaspiral.livejournal.com]

Hmm...I shall give them a look! Thanks for the recs!

[bookishtype.livejournal.com]

i TOTALLY recommend bookaddict43's recommendations of Connie Willis... you will love them.

i agree with the concept of comfort books - i have a large number of them that i do reread because they invoke that 'feeling' everytime.

one in particular that does it is "Restoree" by Anne McCaffery. It's her first book. and she wrote cos she was tired of seeing weak female characters in sci-fi books so she wrote an strong woman lead-character.

totally recommend it.

i tend to reread my more humourous book like Janet Evanovich (stephanie plum series) and Charlaine Harris (sookie stackhous series).

any give 'restoree' a go if you haven't read it already!