Top Ten Tuesday: For the First Time Again

And once again, I don't have a Tween Tuesday book to post (!), so here I am doing another Top Ten Tuesday list hosted by The Broke and the Bookish.  This time, it is books I'd like to read again for the first time.  They are nearly all, interestingly enough, old favorites of mine (lots of classics too). 
 
10. Gone with the Wind by Margaret Mitchell - having discovered this when I was in middle school, I became obsessed with it.  And with the movie.  For some reason, its epic story and its not-perfect ending really stuck with me and I couldn't get Scarlet and Rhett out my mind, those idiots.  I think it might have been my first experience with selfish main characters that I still liked.  Now if only I could go back and be surprised and enthralled all over again.
 
9. Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte - the ultimate in surprising twists (you know, if you have zero knowledge of the story beforehand) and one of my favorite main characters in all of literature.  Jane is such a strong, plain, and unassuming character that I think she's underappreciated.  I'd love to come fresh to her story again.
 
8. The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas - yes, another classic.  I remember being just sucked into the intricate and complicated plot filled with betrayals and secrets and revenge.  While I've been just as entertained each time I've reread it, I think nothing is quite like discovering that story for the first time.
 
7. Precious Bane by Mary Webb - another of my classic favorites, I read this right after I had a disaster of a break-up and it really helped me get through it.  I'm quite sure I won't every have the same kind of experience again, but I'd love to experience Prudence's awakening all over again.
 
6. The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare - a favorite from elementary school, I remember adoring Kit and wondering how she would make it in that hard New England environment.  And I love Mercy's story too.
 
5. The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley - oh, Harry, how I wish I could meet you all over again.  Fall in love with you again and discover your amazing tough-girl-ness again.  This one actually does bear well as a reread though.
 
4. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - what a fantastic story this one was the first time around.  I don't think it holds quite the same charm in a reread and the mystery isn't nearly as intriguing. 
 
3. Babysitters Club series by Ann M. Martin - oh how I loved these books.  I truly wish I could go in and find those friends again.  I am quite sure as an adult I would not enjoy them as much, so this is another one I wish I could find again as a kid.
 
2. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling - of course!  With all the twists and surprises and the sheer wonder of these stories, I wish I could go in fresh and discover Sirius and Dumbledore and, of course, Harry all over.  I also wish I could read it and pick up on those subtle clues so I could be more prepared for some of those amazing revelations.
 
1. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien - one of my all-time favorites and just as good every time I've read it (which is only like three, considering how long it is).  I wish I could go back and experience that wonder and awe at Tolkien's ability to create such a complex and detailed fantasy world.

Anybody else's lists have a lot of old favorites?

 

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