Friday, February 1, 2013

Twice-Read Books


"If you would tell me the heart of a man, tell me not what he reads, but what he rereads."
- François Mauriac (courtesy of Kara Monterey, @kmonterey)

Intrigued by this quote, I’ve pulled together a list. This is the order in which they occurred to me. I’ve not been one to read many things more than once, so the list is short. When you’ve looked through it, and been duly shocked and amazed by my tastes, I’d love to see what would be on your list.

The Chronicles of Narnia, The Space Trilogy, The Screwtape Letters
The Bible
Crime and Punishment, The Brothers Karamazov, The Idiot, The Gambler, Notes from Underground
The Lord of the Rings, The Hobbit
Strunk and White
The Brothers Grimm
Stephen Lawhead’s Song of Albion Trilogy (The Paradise War, The Silver Hand, The Endless Knot), Dream Thief
Patricia McKillip's Riddle of Stars Trilogy
The Master and Margarita, by Mikhail Bulgakov
Phantastes, by George MacDonald
The Odyssey
A Wrinkle in Time, by Madeleine L’Engle
Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer
Pride and Prejudice
Jane Eyre
My Father's Dragon, by Ruth Stiles Gannett
Alice in Wonderland
The Wizard of Oz
Beowulf
Selected Poems of Ezra Pound
Any number of picture books, but especially Dr. Seuss

I don't know that this reveals my "heart," but it says something about the kinds of stories I like. There's a bit of my history in there too, and no doubt some of my personality comes through.

Thoughts?

2 comments:

  1. Me as well for CSL and his other works.
    Hobbit, LOTR
    The Call of the Wild
    A Tale of Two Cities
    Getting Things Done by David Allen
    Chesterton's The Everlasting Man and Othodoxy

    Some Christian books that have been influential
    Inside Out by Larry Crabb
    The Gospel of the Kingdom by Ladd
    Paul, the Spirit, and the People of God by Fee
    In The Name of Jesus by Henri Nouwen

    There are some books I reread practically annually (at least 12x or more)
    The Hitchhikers Guide to The Galaxy "Trilogy"
    The Wind in the Willows
    CSL's Space Trilogy

    And Strunk and White ? I'm not sure I ever stop reading it.
    Once I reach the end, I start over from the beginning again!

    These are my favorites without racking my brain for a few days.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Mike, Thanks for sharing! I didn't know you were a Jack London fan. He was probably the first author I hunted down and read whatever I could find. I'm due for a re-read of Wind in the Willows, too. Good stuff.

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