Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly bookish meme created by The Broke and the Bookish blog, and now hosted at That Artsy Reader Girl.
This week’s topic is: Books I Loved But Will (Probably) Never Re-Read
I don’t think I’ll be re-reading any of these lovely books, but never say never…
Confessions of a Shopaholic by Sophie Kinsella
I loved the first few books in the Shopaholic series when I was younger, but I don’t think I’ll be picking them up again in the future. I’m afraid I would find Becky and her drama too annoying this time around, and I’d hate to ruin my happy memories of the books.
We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
We Were Liars made for a great summer read that was hard to put down. I don’t think I would find it nearly as entertaining now that I know how it ends though.
Clarissa by Samuel Richardson
I enjoyed reading and analyzing Clarissa for a college class, but I’m not sure I would find it engaging enough to re-read on my own. Plus, it is JUST SO LONG.
Where the Red Fern Grows by Wilson Rawls
I think I can safely say I will never read this book again. I’m still traumatized from when I read it in elementary school, and I can’t even think about a certain scene without wanting to cry.
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Bird Box is one of the best horror novels I’ve ever read. It was a thrilling, terrifying, unputdownable read. I could be completely wrong, but I just can’t imagine it would hold up as well on a re-read.
The Girl with All the Gifts by M. R. Carey
This book had me on the edge of my seat, but I don’t think it would be nearly as gripping the second-time around.
The Martian by Andy Weir
If I’m ever in the mood to experience Mark Watley’s struggle for survival on Mars again, I think I’ll be more likely to watch the movie than read the book,
The Bees by Laline Paull
This was a unique and entertaining read, but I think I’ve spent enough time with the hive.
Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins
Anna and the French Kiss was adorable and I really enjoyed the Parisian boarding school setting, but I don’t think it’s quite my cup of tea anymore.
The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Once was probably enough for me when it comes to this heartbreaking YA novel.
Have you read (or re-read) any of these books?
I’ve actually been wondering how Bird Box would hold up on a re-read, I think I’m going to give it a shot at some point. I guess there wouldn’t be as many edge-of-your-seat moments, but the tense atmosphere would have to still be there.
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That’s very true; there’d still be tons of tension! I’m really looking forward to the film adaptation. It may make me change my mind about re-reading the book!
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I agree about Shopaholic. I found that even in some of the sequels Becky ceased to be amusing and started to wear on my patience! I’m pretty sure that if I were to reread the first book, my response would be similar. I’d rather just think back on it as a fun, silly read; and not ruin that.
Ditto with Clarissa. I read it in college. I enjoyed it in the context of the class I was taking at the time, but I think the length (and perhaps some of the subject matter) would get in the way of me enjoying a reread.
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Yes! My patience wore thin with Becky after the first few books in the series, and I didn’t bother to read the final ones. There are several of Sophie Kinsella’s standalone novels that I’ve really enjoyed as re-reads though.
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I feel the same way. I think I stopped with the Shopaholic series about 3 books in. I’ve read most of Kinsella’s standalones, and enjoyed them, but I haven’t done a reread yet!
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“…I’m not sure I would find it engaging enough to re-read on my own.” I found this to be true with a couple of books from high school and college. Too much work alone. I can admit that now–I certainly couldn’t back in that day though. I agree on Fault in Our Stars–the book, then the movie = enough crying!
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It is definitely enough crying!
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The Martian made me laugh. I’ve reread it twice, I think. 🙂 My TTT
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It was so much funnier than I expected it to be!
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I was so surprised by the twist in We Were Liars, it was a great read. I do wonder how it would be on a re-read as I could look for things I’d missed first time around.
The Girl With all the Gifts was a favourite of mine the year I read that too.
I’ve got the first Shopaholic book but so far have never picked it up.
Great list 🙂
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Thanks! That’s a great point about reading We Were Liars with fresh eyes after knowing the twist. I wonder if some things would be a lot more obvious the second time around? The first few Shopaholic books are a lot of fun if you need a light, slightly silly read, but the series just got too repetitive IMHO.
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I read Clarissa a few years ago as part of a readalong with other bloggers and I enjoyed it, but it took months to finish it so I can’t imagine wanting to read it again!
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Exactly!!
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I CANNOT BELIEVE YOU COMPLETED CLARISSA! I read 500 pages & expired from old age. I actually liked it though. It was CRAZY. I really want to finish it. * scurries off to add it to her club list because she forgot *
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To be honest, I think we read the annotated version, or at least our professor had us skip some sections for the sake of time. And yes, it is completely crazy! So much drama!!
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The only one of these I have read is Confessions of a Shopaholic, which I thought was funny and clever, but the idea has been bludgeoned to death by all the sequels. I think in a hundred years time, academics will find a few a few examples of chick lit that will still stand up to scrutiny, and I think this book will be one of them (also Bridget Jones Diary, and Me Before You?). I plan to re-read it some time.
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I completely agree Michelle Ann! Have you read any of Sophie Kinsella’s standalone novels? I actually love a few of them even more than I did Confessions of Shopaholic.
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