I’m having a great reading year. Truly read – I’ve read 90 books easily on track for my goal of 100. I’m participating in the BookRiot Read Harder Challenge, and I’ve completed 19/24. I’m not certain I’ll complete the final categories (I’ve attempted at least one book in each), but I’ve definitely stretched my reading comfort zone this year.
I struggled at the midyear point to limit myself to my favorite 10 books read over 6 months. Seriously, I have read some awesome books this year and across so many genres that I have books to recommend to anyone who asks for one. Some years I struggle to come up with 10 books at the end of the year.
Over the past month I’ve been feeling like I was missing something in my reading and yesterday I think I figured out what it was. Every other year I read 1-3 books that grip me to the point that I IMMEDIATELY reread them. I finish the last page and then start over (or read books 2 and 3 and then start the series over). The books that do this for me aren’t always the quote/unquote BEST books, but I emotional invest so completely that I’m not ready to leave them behind. I read the first three books of Twilight through three times in a row before coming up for air (the final books wasn’t out yet).
Here are the books that have been immediate rereads for me since 2011 (when I started tracking my reading).
2011
2012
2013
2014
I’ve had a few books come really close to that this year. I read Daughter of the Forest earlier this year and just now reread it. And I read/listened to Jane Eyre about a month ago. I went back and listened to some of the parts I read. But nothing has made me immediately restart the same book in it’s entirety, and I’m missing that feeling.
Any suggestions?
Hmmm... I have never reread an entire book/series back-to-back... I have done that with bits and pieces of books (Unsticky, Jane Eyre-- overlapping with your list, actually!). Books that hit me hard in the emotions/totally reeled me in-- have you read Me Before You? It is fresh on my mind after finishing the sequel... not entirely it's an instant reread (pretty heavy themes), but the characters were the type I got very invested in (much like Unsticky). Also, I'm thinking maybe one of the Taylor Jenkins Reid books would be a good fit for this category-- I think my favorite was her most recent, Maybe in Another Life, but all three of her books have been pretty great in terms of emotional investment/addictive quality-- only hesitation here is I don't think of them long beyond finishing them, but I don't know why, they are really good. Hope one of those does the trick-- but if I find the next Unsticky, I'll be sure to let you know!
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