Diana Wynne Jones
Nina Kiriki Hoffman
Terry Pratchett
LM Montgomery
Georgette Heyer
Mercedes Lackey (ok, schlocky, but hits the spot sometimes) [#2 not a big Lackey fan]
Dorothy L. Sayers
Charlotte Bronte
Jane Austen
Anne Lamott
Dave Barry (“I wouldn’ta married her if she wasn’t a breather!”)
So, grumpeteers, who are yours? Who do you reread when you need emotion regulation? I actually just re-read Sex and the Single Girl because it is silly. Sometimes I re-read John Scalzi’s books about writing.
July 17, 2012 at 4:43 am
Mysteries that have zillions in a series. The characters are comfortable and if I start to recognize that I’ve read it before, it’s usually okay because I’m invested in the story again. John D. MacDonald comes to mind. Or the Spencer books. Or the horse racing ones by Dick Francis.
July 17, 2012 at 11:44 am
Oh yeah, good point about the series mysteries.
July 17, 2012 at 6:27 am
Authors I must add: Bill Bryson, Neil Gaiman, Eoin Colfer
Things to read when I need emotional regulation: Harry Potter, Artemis Fowl, “The Holy Man” by Susan Allen Trott, Charlotte’s Web (never gets old)
July 17, 2012 at 10:54 am
I haven’t tried rereading the Artemis Fowl books yet. I also noticed there’s one out I hadn’t read even though I thought I’d read the last. Apparently Colfer had more Artemis Fowl in him.
July 17, 2012 at 11:11 am
I am still regularly amazed at how Artemis Fowl has managed to avoid becoming ridiculously popular. It has all the elements of a great story, and is a million times better than Twilight. Sometimes I just don’t understand the general public.
July 17, 2012 at 11:24 am
I thought they were best-sellers? Just no movie…
July 17, 2012 at 11:38 am
Well, they were best sellers (maybe some still are) but for some reason, most of the non-reading folk I know have never heard of them. Unlike Twilight or even Harry Potter & The Hunger Games (both of which I actually liked), which most people recognize by title alone. When I talk about Artemis Fowl at family events, I get a lot of blank stares.
As much as I would LOVE to see them as movies, I understand why they haven’t been produced yet. Considering the majority of the characters are imaginary creatures, I’m sure the costs would be astronomical.
July 17, 2012 at 7:11 am
In English – Margaret Atwood
In Spanish – Miguel de Cervantes (and not just El Quijote)
July 17, 2012 at 7:16 am
Its funny, I thought I was the only one who “stress reads”, but the topic has been coming up on lots of blogs recently, & I guess its a common thing to do! My faves are on your list: LM Montgomery & Jane Austen as well as some more embarrassing chick-lit: Maeve Binchy, Sophie Kinsella, Marian Keyes. I love that Mercedes Lackey is on your list—I’m tempted to pull those out & see what I think 20 years later! There is something so strangely comforting in re-reading, in knowing what happens so there are no surprises or emotional trauma, and as a bonus I am perfectly able to put it down and go to bed when I need to, instead of staying up way past my bedtime.
July 17, 2012 at 10:55 am
There’s a TONNE of LM Montgomery stuff available free electronically (say for Kindle). It’s hilarious how she reused plots for her short stories over and over and over again with only minor changes.
July 17, 2012 at 7:29 am
Man, I really need to get back to reading – I miss it so much…..
July 17, 2012 at 7:56 am
Neil Gaiman (re-reading American Gods right now and realizing how much the first few times I read it), Christopher Moore (Lamb always tops my “recommended reading” lists), Margaret Atwood, and Toni Morrison. I’d also love to throw in some Chuck Klosterman and David Sedaris for less fictional and still incredibly entertaining reading.
July 17, 2012 at 11:45 am
I love Neil Gaiman but his stuff makes me think, and feel things, and sometimes that’s not what I’m after. Ditto Morrison. I should re-read Moore, though. I really liked “A Dirty Job”.
July 17, 2012 at 8:06 am
Mindless reading: Emily Giffin, Jennifer Lancaster. I’ve re-read Pink Think a few times now–letting a couple years pass in between. I’m re-reading Harry Potter right now–a nice break from moving stresses. In that same vein I really like Corneila Funke. All the adult stuff I read tends to be related to my field (recently finished Sherry Turkle’s Alone Together.) I have so many books to read that I don’t re-read unless I’m so stressed I can’t start something new.
July 17, 2012 at 8:23 am
Kate Chopin, Zora Neale Hurston, Flannery O’Connor, John Irving, Thoreau, Wordsworth, Byron, Keats, Emerson, Faulkner, Steinbeck, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Hemingway, Jean Auel, Atwood, Kafka, Poe, Willa Cather, Edith Wharton, Edith Hamilton, Bullfinch, James Frasier (The Golden Bough).
Emotional regulation: I have a book, The Ancient Engineers, that I read for fun. I may have said before that I now know in theory how to build a catapult that won’t kill the users. Tonight, I picked up Rats, Lice and History for a light read…lol.
Emotional regulation with laughs: Read The Sweet Potato Queens (in the order written) series for the best laughs and empowerment you ever will have. For more laughs as you cringe, read Crazy in Alabama by Mark Childress. The movie cannot be as good as the book.
When I was working on my MA in English, I read for hours each day, especially when I was taking three grad lit courses. Several years later, I ran into a classmate and asked him what he was reading–Nothing. He said he read so much that he just burned out. I did too. But, I started reading again, just not the same things. Now, I am back to reading things I love. I missed reading, too.
July 17, 2012 at 8:34 am
On of my favorite books to re-read is sort of obscure: Playing the Jack by Mary Brown. My first time reading it was as a library book when I was living in Toronto. I lucked into a paperback copy from a used bookstore or thrift store several years ago and have cherished it ever since.
Others I like to re-read: Jacqueline Carey’s Kushiel series, Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander series, Kurt Vonnegut, and Sheri Tepper. When I’m really stressed and can’t focus on much, or when I’m very tired and just want a read a few pages before I fall asleep I like to read cookbooks.
July 17, 2012 at 11:02 am
Cookbooks are awesome.
July 17, 2012 at 9:30 am
My very favorite re-read is The Woodwife by Terri Windling. I’ve read it so much that I have passages memorized and pages are starting to fall out.
I also love to re-read certain volumes of Laurie R King’s Mary Russell series. If pressed to name a favorite, I would probably pick Justice Hall and Locked Rooms.
I think the Parasol Protectorate might become a favorite for stress-reading, but I don’t own them yet. Ditto the Stephanie Plum books by Janet Evanovich.
July 17, 2012 at 11:02 am
Parasol Protectorate is awesome. I’m sure those will be reread at some point in the future.
July 17, 2012 at 10:04 am
Regards to the above list, Charlotte but not Emily? (And two points for anyone who thought about Anne!)
July 17, 2012 at 10:31 am
I like Anne the best of the three, but her books aren’t as rereadable as Jane Eyre is. Have never been able to get through any of Emily.
http://harkavagrant.com/index.php?id=202
July 17, 2012 at 1:31 pm
It’s better when they work together – http://youtu.be/-NKXNThJ610
July 17, 2012 at 10:40 am
Dick Francis, Ngaio Marsh, Elizabeth Peters, Laurie R. King, Aaron Elkins, Jennifer Crusie, Carla Kelly, J.D. Robb, Jill Mansell. I also have a truckload of art & photography books that I use as mental medication and/or when I need to be relaxed or inspired.
July 17, 2012 at 10:45 am
YES. Elizabeth Peters, especially the Jacqueline Kirby series! (Also: Barbara Michaels, her slightly supernatural pen-name.)
And how could I forget Robin McKinley? She should go up there too.
July 17, 2012 at 11:08 am
YES YES YES! I can’t believe I didn’t think of Elizabeth Peters. As much as I enjoy Amelia Peabody, Jacqueline Kirby is my favorite. Naked Once More is one of my favorite re-reads of all time. Jacqueline is one of the best characters ever written; I keep wishing someone would think to make movies or a TV show out of her books. I also wish Peters had written more Kriby books.
July 17, 2012 at 11:24 am
I’ve read Naked Once More like a zillion times. She is awesome.
Hm… it’s been a while, maybe I should read it again…
July 17, 2012 at 2:18 pm
Anne McCaffrey – whose books where among the first “adult” books I read.
Mercedes Lackey – although some of here books just beat the same subject to death (outcast who goes to save the work type of deal)
Simon Green – I read because I find his books funny as h*ll, even if his main characters are basically the same (ditto on outcasts that save the world, but it’s funny)
Tamora Pierce – YA fantasy, but with girls/women as main characters
Wen Spencer and Robin McKinley – but neither publishes much, and I don’t see any of their books becoming bestsellers like Harry Potter
David Weber – but only the War Gods Own and prequel Star Kingdom series, I still haven’t gotten into the Honor Harrington series
Michelle Sagara – The Elantra series, I haven’t read any of her other series
Kim Harrison, Ilona Andrews, Carrie Vaughn, Jeaniene Frost and Eileen Wilks – all urban fantasy, liked the first book they went instantly on the MUST HAVE list
Lois McMaster Bujold – not sure if I’ll like the books without Miles
JD Robb (aka Nora Roberts) – In Death series, I’m still trying to figure out how she publishes that many books each year
Larry Correia and Alex Bledsoe – for having non-traditional, don’t want to be a hero, hero
Laurell Hamilton – even if half of her books are basically porn, I like the other half
Gini Koch, Kat Richardson, Phaedra Weldon, PC Cast, Mike Shepherd – not sure if I like where their series are going, so they may drop off of the Must Have list
Kiersten White, Dianne Sylvan, Kelly Gay, Seanan McGuire, James R. Tuck – new authors or authors with new series, that haven’t written enough to decide if they will be on the Must Have list
July 17, 2012 at 3:39 pm
I’m pretty sure Robin McKinley had some best sellers back in the day, though of course not much is like Harry Potter. The Blue Sword was my introduction to adult fantasy. (We read it in my 4th grade class! For school! I LOVED Mrs. A.)
July 17, 2012 at 5:56 pm
I meant more that Spencer and McKinley have a quirky sort of writing style, and I don’t understand why they don’t have the appeal Harry Potter does.
McKinley won a Newbery Medal for The Hero and the Crown, sort of a prequel to The Blue Sword, so someone like her books.
July 17, 2012 at 6:09 pm
Who understands these phenomenon? I mean, Twilight? Really I think today’s blockbusters, starting with Harry Potter, have something to do with the time period in which they were published and how media and communication work with fads. But I’m not an expert in communications so I don’t really know anything.
Diana Wynne Jones is waaaay better than JK Rowling, and her sales went up with the Potter phenomenon. (If you like Harry Potter, you’ll LOVE Diana Wynne Jones. And it’s true.)
July 17, 2012 at 2:26 pm
Lois McMaster Bujold. The Barrayar series and the Chalion series are both excellent. The sharing knife series, not so much.
July 17, 2012 at 2:36 pm
John Steinbeck
Reynolds Price
Marge Piercy
“A Tree Grows in Brooklyn”
“The Living,” by Annie Dillard
Grumpy Rumblings of the Untenured
July 17, 2012 at 3:36 pm
awwwww
July 17, 2012 at 2:57 pm
And just like that my request list at the library is ginormous again. *happy sigh* And I’m not even a quarter of the way through all of these names.
I’m not much of a re-reader, except The Little Prince. I like the discovery process of books. And I just feel that there are SO many great books in the world I can’t possibly waste time re-reading books I’ve already read :)
Authors I tend to have lots of books by: Margaret Atwood, Anne Rice, and Chuck Palahniuk. I think there are others but those are the three that come to mind. That being said, I haven’t read anything by any of them in YEARS.
July 17, 2012 at 4:51 pm
Oh I forgot to tell you, I FINALLY started watching Fruits Basket. I love it. It’s cute and sweet and positive. The characters are great too.Thanks for suggesting it!
July 17, 2012 at 5:40 pm
When you’re done with the show, you should be able to get the rest of the story from the manga online (somewhere).
July 17, 2012 at 9:31 pm
Kurt Vonnegut
Aziz Nesin
And a new one..Haruki Murakami
July 18, 2012 at 8:01 pm
Madeline L’Engle, all the way. Others on the list include James Herriot and Orson Scott Card.
July 20, 2012 at 6:57 pm
I don’t have any go-to authors anymore, but I used to be a big Stephen King fan. Now I tend to get most of my books from authors I don’t know well…probably because I don’t reread books very often. At the moment I’d read anything by Patrick Rothfuss https://icons.duckduckgo.com/i/7809bbbb.jpg , or Kevin Hearne, and I’d at least flip through anything by Jim Butcher.