Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Keepers and Rereads

One of the things I'm doing over the holidays is rearranging my bookshelves  - and it got me to thinking about the books that are permanent fixtures on those shelves, the keepers and rereads that I return to again and again. 

These are my comfort reads, even though the story within the pages isn't always gentle or comfortable! Do you reread? If so, what are the books you return to over and over again? Any idea of your oldest keeper book? ❤️

18 comments :

Anonymous said...

The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley. I checked it out from the library when I was in 8th grade and that’s the book that hooked me into fantasy books. And decades later, it’s still a favorite. I still wonder if we’ll ever get more Damar novels.

Kathy Martin said...

I am a chronic rereader. The first one that came to my mind when thinking of my oldest was That Man Cartwright by Ann Fairbairn which was written in 1970. I'm sure I still have some childhood favorites on my shelves too including The Chestry Oak by Kate Seredy written in 1948 but I didn't first read it until sometime in the late 1960s and finally got a keeper copy of my own as an adult when it was withdrawn from a Public Library and I grabbed it before it was thrown away. I will have to admit I haven't reread either of them for years now but I still have them.

library addict said...

I wrote a long list of my favorites with commentary which disappeared when I tried to post it :( So I will stick to a shorter version...

Though I have individual favorites I've reread more often, I reread the entire Psy/Changeling series annually and plan to do so again in 2021. Also Rock Courtship and Rock Hard.

From JD Robb's In Death series: Conspiracy, Portrait, Divided, Memory, Innocent and New York to Dallas (I behaved and limited myself to only five!)

Cindy Gerard's Show No Mercy, Jeffe Kennedy's The Talon of the Hawk and Dragons of Summer, Carla Negger's Saint's Gate, and Shannon Stacey's Kowalski Family series.

Many by Jayne Ann Krentz including Fabulous Beast written as as Stephanie James, Scandal, Ravished, and Deception as Amanda Quick and Trust Me, Falling Awake, and Absolutely, Positively. Plus a number of her Arcane Society books written across JAK, AQ, and Jayne Castle.

My newest favorite reread is the Consortium Rebellion trilogy by Jessie Mihalik.

As for my oldest* reread, I'm going with a tie between Joyce McGill's Through the Looking Glass and Lee Magner's The Dragon’s Lair which both released in the latter half of 1990. Sadly, I don't get to reread them very often anymore as my print copies are falling apart from so many rereads and neither is available digitally.

*technically Fabulous Beast was published first in 1984, but I didn't read it for the first time until 2000).

Anonymous said...

Number #1 and oldest, my copy was given to when I turned 6 in 1959.
Wind in the Willows is the one I go to when sad, depressed or sick. It's my comfort book along with the Pooh series.

Anonymous said...

So many of the book you have mentioned are my comfort reads too @libraryaddict. If you are on good reads I would definitely follow you ! :)

I second all the books written by JAK in all her aliases !
Love the J D Robb series.
And of course all series by Nalini Singh. They are now my most re-read books.

My oldest keeper/re-read is 'Birthright' by Nora Roberts. The others most often re-reads and guilty pleasure books as mentioned below (not necessarily in chronological order) -

1. Slightly Dangerous - Mary Balogh
2. High Energy - Dara Joy
3. The Madness of Lord Ian MacKenzie - Jennifer Ashley
4. Secrets Of A Summer Night - Lisa Kleypas
5. These Old Shades - Georgette Heyer

I have no idea why I like this one. Truly. I cannot even abide Hawke and Sienna's age difference or even Tamsyn and Nathan's; maybe bcoz they both used that to keep their ladys' on edge ??

6. Cover of Night - Linda Howard
7. Prime Obsession - Monette Michaels
8. One night for love - Mary Balogh
9. The Lady Chosen - Stephanie Laurens
10. Tempt Me at Twilight - Lisa Kleypas
11. Guilty Pleasures - Laura Lee Guhrke
12. The Raven Prince - Elizabeth Hoyt
13. The Making of a Gentleman - Shana Galen
14. Wicked Nights with a Lover - Sophie Jordan
15. Never Trust a Rake - Annie Burrows
16. An Indecent Proposition - Emma Wildes

I consider these two as guilty pleasures.
17. The Passionate Prude - Elizabeth Thornton
18. Cynster 01 - Devil's Bride - Stephanie Laurens

Kim said...

I have no time to reread things (typically, although on rare occasions I will, with something I haven't read in a long time), my TBR list is too long, and ever-growing. However, I do have a large stack of keepers. In fact, the last time I did a major cull/sort (about 2 1/2 years ago, so yes, I'm overdue for another, but with COVID, I've been in more of a sort than cull mood) I had to move a bunch of keepers over to a bookshelf I store at mom's so I had room for new stuff here. I remember I moved my entire Anne McCaffrey section, plus my entire Elizabeth Moon section. I'm not sure what else.

I absolutely agree that The Blue Sword is an all time favourite, and wish there were more!

Umm... Psy-Changeling are absolute keepers, as are Mercedes Thompson and Alpha and Omega. (Patricia Briggs). Umm... Merovigen Nights series is a long time keeper (haven't read all of it, partly because I only go the last one recently. Long since forgotten how far I got.) (several authors). Oh! Jennifer Robson's Shapechangers series... I've had to reacquire some childhood favourites. OH! mom discovered we still had a couple of the original "I Want To Know About" series. I suppose those would qualify as the oldest keepers, since I was little when we got those. Umm... Ender's Game, and sequels... So many others... probably too many to count. Suffice it to say I've got many bookshelves full of stuff!

Oh! And... I guess I assumed we were talking about fiction, because I never even thought about the nonfiction shelf of keepers I have!

Unknown said...

My list is too long to list these are the authors that I like and keep. Nalini singh Diana palmer Christine feehan Joanna Wilde jamie begley Chloe Neil Kerley cole Jeanne st James. Now for my reread all of the archangel books. Or whatever mood I am in


Vickie ~ Mademoiselle*Rose said...

I have spent the last three years re-reading as I'm finding with the explosion of ebooks it's hard to find the good stuff amongst a lot of dross. I know they're there, just can't find them.

I tend to read new books with authors that I already know, but a lot of them don't write now, and a lot of my old friends I used to get recommendations from on Goodreads aren't on there anymore or have gone off into areas I'm not interested in. It's very frustrating.

My oldest re-reads are the regency romances by Georgette Heyer. I discovered her when I was a teenager and re-read all of her books around every five years. They are the only paper books I have now, everything else is ebook. She is my all time fave author, and my faves now are Nalini Singh, the Guild Hunters is my favourite series along with Ilona Andrews, their current series being the Hidden Legacy books.

I used to read pretty much all historical romance, but paranormal is my fave now. I can't seem to find new historical romance, most of them are anachronistic and want to impose current thinking on characters from 100s of years ago, pretty much ruining the reason why you read them in the first place.

Patricia Schlorke said...

I have a lot of books I re-read. Nalini Singh, Ilona Andrews, JD Robb. Nora Roberts, and lots of others. My oldest re-read is Shogun by James Clavell. My mom had the printed book, with the original cover, and I read before I was a teen. When I want to get away from modern life, I read that book.

Happy New Year everyone!

Unknown said...

Some of my favorite re-reads are some of your books, especially the dark river/snow dancer books, and the guild hunter ones.

I love Ilona Andrews, and re-read the Hidden Legacy and Innkeeper series all the time. I also love T A White's Firebird Series, M K Eidem's Challenge Series, and Christine Feehan's Shadow Series. And, I can't forget Anne Bishop's The Other series.

My earliest books to re-read, and ones that still have a cherished and important place on my book shelves, are Anne McCaffrey's the Dragon Rider's of Pern Series. She has many other series that I re-read as well, but the Dragon Rider's of Pern series is special. She has such a gift of bringing you into the story, so that the characters are your friends and family, and the World is one you can swear is out in the Universe and that you have lived on it before. As I said, she has/had such a beautiful gift.

Happy New Year to all, and peace and blessings to Nalini and her family.

Anonymous said...

I also still have a copy of Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword. Another older favorite is Mikhail Bulgakov's The Master and Margarita. I love my Anne McCaffrey Dragonriders of Pern books and have reread them countless times. Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover novels are another set of favorites I own. More recently, I've expanded my Kindle selections and own Christine Feehan's Dark, Shadow Riders, Drake Sisters, Sisters of the Heart, and Torpedo Ink series. Of course, I also have Nalini Singh's Guild Hunter, Psy/Changling, Trinity, Rock Kiss and Hard Play series. I do a lot of rereading, especially when new books come out!
Happy New Year to all!!

Anonymous said...

My oldest comfy books are four of the series by David Eddings.

Belgarion and
Malloreon

Elenium and
Tamuli

(conected series)

I remember reading Elenium in my teens staying at the hospital. Since this was some 40 years ago......

In the mean time I have all of these books in English and German (Translation is lacking) as ebooks and partly - in English as audiobooks. So I conviced myself last year to finally gift the print books to a social warehouse in the hope they lighten up the day for someone.

AlwaysV said...

My beloved keepers:

Every book by YOU ~ C.S. Harris ~ Anne Cleeland ~ Ilona Andrews ~ Jeffe Kennedy ~ Patricia Briggs ~ Michelle Diner ~ Anne Bishop ~ Jayne Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle/Amanda Quick ~ Thea Harrison ~ Grace Draven ~ Jeaniene Frost ~ Laini Taylor ~ J. D. Robb ~ JR Ward ~ Christine Feehan ~ C.L. Wilson

Almost every book by Sarah MacLean ~ Courtney Milan ~ Lisa Kleypas ~ Kristine Ashley ~ Elizabeth Hoyt ~ Ruby Lionsdrake ~ Lauraine Heath ~ Eloisa James ~ Jennifer Ashley/Alison James/Ashley Gardner ~ Elizabeth Hunter

Fewer than 10 books ~ Too many to list here. Thanks to Kindle I don't need physical space for them all. But I do keep a bookshelf for YOUR BOOKS, even when I also have the kindle edition.

AlwaysV said...

Additional beloved keepers & reread:

Every book by Bec McMaster ~ Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series ~ Faith Hunter's Jane Yellowrock series

Ellwyn said...

Oldest reread other than kids books would be Anne McCaffrey's Dragonriders Trilogy (+ The White Dragon). After that . . . I reread many books since I have become homebound.
David Eddings Belgariad, Malorian, Belgarath, and Polgara have been an annual event since they came out. Many of the psy-changling books, but ALL of the guild hunter books.
The list could go on for quite a few days. Some of Nora Roberts, Amanda M. Lee (recently), The Haunting Danial books, and I'm trying out the new paranormal womans Fiction. Once I read a book I reread it before the next one comes out.
I run out of new books I want to read because I read so fast and Don't get out much any more.

Anonymous said...

I am a chronic re-reader. Starting with psy/changeling, guild hunter, quite a few of Feehan's series especially the Drake sisters, J.D. Robb and others. The older mysteries as well such as Agatha Christie, Dorothy Sayers, Rex Stout, Ngaio Marsh, and several others. I also keep McCaffrey's dragon riders and her Pegasus/tower series as well as some other authors and I have a couple of western authors as well. The oldest keeper is actually a cookbook called 'Grandma's Cooking by Keller, but long time keepers include the Mrs. Pollifax series by Gilman. There are also lots of cookbooks and poetry books. Obviously I have lots of bookshelves, but I am also going through and weeding books out slowly for the last few months. I do need to re-arrange them but I'm waiting until I make some more decisions about what to keep. I have been doing a lot of re-reading this year, since I'm staying home more. Looking forward to hearing more about the next Trinity novel in the P/c world.

Such interesting questions we get to answer! Thanks.

Alice E

Anonymous said...

All of the Liaden Universe books, definitely my Robin McKinley collection, the Enchanted Forest chronicles, Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses series, and of course your books! There are others too but I can't think of them all.

Unknown said...

Re-read books that I forgot to put on my list are Jana Deleon's Miss Fortune Series. Fun, laugh out loud and so so entertaining books.