I'm linking up with That Artsy Reader Girl for another Top Ten Tuesday.
I don't do much rereading — it's limited almost entirely to when my book clubs pick books that I've already read — and I've also thoroughly weeded down my physical book collection, but there are certain books that I own or would like to own because I think they're worth revisiting. Either they're just so enjoyable that I want the experience of reading them again, or they have more wisdom that I could possibly absorb in a single reading. Here are ten books in this category.
1. 168 Hours by Laura Vanderkam
Vanderkam has a number of questions and exercises that are worth revisiting at different times in one's life. I did a time diary for a week when my son was a baby, and then I did it again when he was a toddler to see what had changed. Now that I'm looking at getting a different job, it would be worth going back through this book to revisit some of the questions about priorities and structure.
2. Being Mortal by Atul Gawande
I've read this twice now, and I found it just as engaging and useful the second time through. Gawande, in the midst of a more straightforward journalistic narrative about end-of-life care, introduces a number of opportunities for the reader to reflect on what makes life worth living for them and for their loved ones. It's one that's worth reading once for the overall message and then revisiting at different stages of life — when parents are getting older, when a loved one has a terminal illness, when one is faced with one's own end-of-life plans.
3. Daring Greatly by Brené Brown
I've only read this once, but I remember finding the book's message valuable and powerful. Given how little I remember of it, though, I think the lessons about vulnerability and courage are ones that I probably need to revisit on a regular basis.
4. The Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
I've reread these books more than any other books (I mean, not counting the picture books I've read to my son a bajillion times). I'm hesitant to start another reread just because there are so many other books I want to read and these take a long time to get through them all, but I do miss being immersed in that magical world.
5. The Language of Flowers by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
This is my all-time favorite book, though I've only read it twice. When I reread it (for a book club, of course), it made me cry again, even though I knew what was going to happen! It's such a beautiful story and masterfully written, and I wouldn't mind being stuck on a desert island with it.
6. Matilda by Roald Dahl
This is another one that simply brings me joy, in this case for my feeling of connection with the main character. I look forward to reading this with my kids someday.
7. Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
This one I also reread in the past few years for book club, and I enjoyed it just as much the second time through. I love the conversational tone of the narration, the colorful characters, and the many themes to unpack about identity and culture. I think I could probably find something new each time I read this.
8. Parent Effectiveness Training by Thomas Gordon
I keep saying I need to reread this and I haven't yet! Ah! I read it before I was a parent and while I now try to apply many of his principles, I'm sure I could use regular reminders. This and the Faber/Mazlish books are worth coming back to again and again.
9. Pastrix by Nadia Bolz-Weber
I absolutely adore Nadia Bolz-Weber and just about lost my mind when I got to spend an entire weekend in the same room as her during the recent Q Christian Fellowship conference. (I was too nervous to actually go up and meet her.) Her books are compassionate no-nonsense messages that essentially boil down to: "Christians suck a lot, but that has nothing to do with whether God is real" and "People in general suck a lot, but that doesn't give you an excuse not to love them." That's something I could be told every day and still struggle with.
10. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster
This book makes my little word-nerd heart happy. I can't wait to read this one with my kids, except for my fear that they won't love it as much as it deserves to be loved.
Which types of books could you reread again and again?
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