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Tuesday, October 11, 2011

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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11 comments :

  1. Yes, Rebecca is one of those books that can really only be read the first time. The ending is just . . . so . . . wow.

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  2. I must confess, I love your list primarily because I've heard of most of these books! I don't keep up with all the latest releases in YA and Fantasy that much, as I'm working my way through a huge backlog of stuff I've been meaning to read forever, so many of the lists this week were filled with strangers. Nice to see some old friends.
    JNCL
    The Beauty of Eclecticism

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  3. Perfect list! I'm so glad Precious Bane is on our book club line up this year if it's that good! :)

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  4. I thought of BBC while I was making my list as well. Oh to be a young girl who loved a series so much she was willing to read like 125 volumes. I can't imagine that kind of reading state now.


    Come visit my list at The Scarlet Letter.

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  5. I totally agree about Gone with the Wind. Rebecca too!

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  6. Trish, I know! I wish I could be wowed again.

    JNCL, I'm glad you recognized these ones - I used to really devour the classics. I need to get back into that!

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  7. Suey, I hope I haven't built it up so much and you end up disliking it :)

    LBC, I haven't gone back to read any BBC in a long time. I don't suppose they'd hold that thrill anymore.

    reviewsbylola, I guess that's why they are so memorable!

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  8. LoTR and The Blue Sword are both on my list for re-reads & I would love to read The Witch of Blackbird Pond again. I also loved her book The Bronze Bow.

    But just to add 3 books that I first read and loved as a kid and still re-read:

    The Horse & His Boy by CS Lewis
    Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
    The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff

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  9. Andie, surprisingly, I've never read The Bronze Bow! I'll have to try it sometime. I'm terrible at rereading :)

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  10. Ooh, Rebecca and The Count of Monte Cristo are both on my read-soon list, so that's exciting! I'd have to say Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, Graceling by Kristin Cashore, Harry Potter, and The Hunger Games, just off the top of my head.

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  11. Erin, you are going to LOVE Rebecca (I hope :) I've not heard of Cloud Atlas, but the others are good rereading books.

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