I rarely read books twice or more, and it happens usually when I just don’t get the meaning or it leaves me a weird impression, like Ulysses by James Joyce. There are some books that I just keep reading over and over hoping to get the same feeling as I’ve had the first time reading them. Here is the list of five books that came to my mind and I’d love to read them again.
5. The catcher in the rye
I’ve read it in the perfect time of my life in high school, it’s the best age when you resonate with the main character of the book — Holden. He has a bunch of problems the typical troubled teen would have, and you believe him so much. At the same time, as a reader, you can see the entire plot from the outside, and that’s important skill to have in your 15s. I kept reading it over and over later but it never gave me that feeling anymore: that I’ve got a troubled friend who needs my help. Later on, when I was advertising the book to my actual friends, they didn’t find it as wonderful and resonating as I did in my high school.
4. Jane Eyre
Oh, that’s typical. It’s so widely known and everyone seems to love it, but that’s how wonderful the book is. It does not only have a thrilling plot but also easy to read a second time, it’s just as catchy. In my college years, I’ve found a copy of Jane Eyre in a secondhand bookstore. It’s in English but published in Moscow at 1952. The pages are almost burnt brown from time, its cover is a kind of dusty peach, but I’m pretty sure that’s not the color that was meant originally. It wasn’t a library copy, as there were tiny pieces of paper with words and translations on them. I guess I just had a romantic feeling about this particular copy of the novel.
3. Waiting for Godot
I was completely swept off my feet by the book. It’s nothing special actually when you read it, it draws a very simple image in your head, there are minimal to no details on anything (because it’s actually a play). But when you’re done, it just doesn’t let you go on with your life. I’ve kept playing it in my head over and over again filling it with new meanings. If you haven’t read it, the plot is plain: Didi and Gogo are talking to each other and, guess what, waiting for a person named Godot. A little spoiler, Godot never comes. You can imagine Godot as death or God, or both at the same time or neither. It has very little action and details, but each of them you can use to build your own perception of the play, as there is nothing much else you can do. Thus it’s very relatable in any situation so I recommend to read it.
2. The short stories by Anton Chekhov
The good part about the short stories by Anton Chekhov is that you can read them at any age. When I was little I had a book by Chekhov in my parents’ library and it was simple enough to read and understand it. It’s a comedy in a way, but you get the tragical part of it only when you actually face life as a grown up. The stories are short, Anton Chekhov was a fan of minimalist structures and transparent ideas. Each story reveals a political or cultural issue, that not necessarily requires a change. It’s not a journalist article after all, but just a part of life you’ve never thought about but you’d better give it a thought.
1. The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
And we came to my absolute favorite. The only thing I regret about reading this book is that I can’t forget and read it again. There is no needless sentence, no extra thought, everything seems to work together, not even work but march or dance. It gave me so many levels of feeling and empathy for the main character, that no other book did before. I was worrying, I was literally crying sometimes, I couldn’t eat or sleep. It feels like drinking purely distilled story and I wish I could read another book just like that from Donna Tartt in this decade.
What’s your top book that you can read over and over?
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