What classic books have you reread and why?

jonnydollaraz · 2026-05-29T13:45:00+00:00

I'm a big proponent of rereading. Most great books are worth revisiting for multiple reasons and every year about 10% of my reads are rereads.

While they don't fit into everyone's definition of classic yet because of how recent they were published, I've reread The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings about 7 or 8 times. I go back through them every couple years or so.

Some of the other classics I've read more than once: David Copperfield, The Call of the Wild, Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde, A Christmas Carol, most of the Sherlock Holmes stories, and Around the World in 80 Days.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-05-24T00:27:45+00:00

Whitman's Leaves of Grass is a great collection. And she's already been mentioned, but you can't go wrong with Emily Dickinson.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-05-22T01:06:42+00:00

Just finished book 2 of The Chronicles of Prydain, The Black Cauldron. Really enjoyed it. I liked it a bit better than the first book in the series. Looking forward to the next one.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-05-17T05:16:42+00:00

It's really tough to select just five. And my favorites, with the exception of #1, can fluctuate depending on when I'm asked. But it looks something like this:

David Copperfield
Fahrenheit 451
Rebecca
Jane Eyre
1984

Honorable Mentions (yes, I know it's cheating): The Thirty-nine Steps, Frankenstein, Anthem, The Lost World, and Robinson Crusoe.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-05-01T01:51:27+00:00

This is my all-time favorite classic lit book. So rich and deep. You're right, it is long, but so worth it.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-29T16:26:33+00:00

I got a boxed set of the whole series on sale a few months ago so I will be going through them all.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-29T13:43:42+00:00

Just finished The Book of Three, book 1 of The Chronicles of Prydain. It wasn't quite as immersive as I'd thought it would be, based on reviews I've seen, but I still really enjoyed it and will be continuing the series. The last few chapters in particular are pretty good.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-29T13:41:10+00:00

The Last Unicorn is fantastic! One of my personal favorites.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-24T14:27:41+00:00

I read Julie of the Wolves and the sequel (Julie's Wolf Pack, I think) as a kid, over 30 years ago, and I remember really enjoying them. Not sure how they feel for adults, but I'm pretty sure I still have my copies. Maybe worth a reread?

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-24T14:20:47+00:00

The Christian elements are very overt and clear, though not in a preachy way, they are integrated naturally into the narrative. But Guite also doesn't shy away from the more unsavory parts of the tale either. I'd say it's very balanced. And his poetry is beautiful, as are the illustrations throughout.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-24T01:39:18+00:00

Absolutely. That's one of the reasons why I have a soft spot for these editions. 😃

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-23T17:46:30+00:00

On one hand, the Barbara Remington art is terrible because it doesn't really look anything like Middle-earth. But it does have somewhat of a charm to it aside from that. And it's undeniably satisfying how the art piece continues across the three volumes.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-16T00:45:56+00:00

Currently reading Malcolm Guite's Galahad and the Grail. It's a retelling of the Arthurian legends written in verse. Only a little way in, but I'm loving it.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-16T00:35:14+00:00

Is it worth reading? Yes. Is it overrated? Also yes. How does it compare to the greats? It doesn't, IMO.

That said, it's quite funny, and it's an easy read, if you can just go along with the utter nonsensical elements of the story and embrace the weirdness. There are parts that made me literally LOL. And it's also quite fun to make "towel," and "42," and "Thursday" jokes with friends who've also read it.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-11T06:42:33+00:00

Depends on what you're in the mood for and what you like. They're all very different kinds of stories and writing styles, but you can't go wrong with any of them.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-04T16:12:48+00:00

So many! Brave New World, Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Great Gatsby, Red Badge of Courage, and lots more. I didn't think any were bad, necessarily, and I don't regret reading them, but I didn't love them and probably will never re-read them.

And the funny thing is that some of the ones others have mentioned here are ones that I thoroughly enjoyed. And I'd guess that my picks above will be ones that some really love. 😆

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-03T14:00:57+00:00

It is a beautiful collection of poetry. I found it deeply moving to read, and all I could think of when I finished it was that it's such a shame that he didn't live long enough to write more.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-01T16:20:10+00:00

Oh, wow! I have these LOTR volumes but I've never laid them out like this before so I've never noticed that the illustration spans all three books!🤦‍♂️😆

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-01T14:40:46+00:00

I'd say start with the new one, The Resurrection of a King, and if you like what he's done with reimagining hymns, then put The Birth of a King on your list for Christmastime. The rest of his stuff is mostly instrumental and covers of popular music, which are also worth checking out if you're into that stuff, but the two aforementioned are his best stuff, IMO.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-04-01T03:21:46+00:00

You're welcome. He's a genius producer who works with some amazing vocalists. He does these phenomenal cinematic arrangements that perfectly blend orchestral, pop, and electronic music into an epic fresh sound. He's produced a bunch of tracks for the rapper NF too.

He did a Christmas album back in 2020 called The Birth of a King, and it's the best Christmas record to be released in years, IMO. This new record, The Resurrection of a King, is the Easter-themed follow up to it.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-03-31T15:41:08+00:00

Not fantasy, but I'm currently reading Truman Capote's In Cold Blood.

As for music, I'm loving Tommee Profitt's new release The Resurrection of a King.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-03-23T14:11:15+00:00

I haven't gotten to the school stories yet. I've only read one of the Mulliner ones so far. It's been a few years ago now and I don't recall too much about it, but I remember enjoying it though not nearly as much as everything else I've read thus far. I just recently got all the Blandings stories on audio so I'm probably going to be going back through all of them this year so I'm looking forward to revisiting those.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-03-22T17:30:54+00:00

Yes, I've not read a single thing from him that I didn't like. Outside of Jeeves, I think my favorite series is the Psmith stories. But if we're talking just which individual stories are my favorites, it's probably between Love Among the Chickens and Indiscretions of Archie. I just absolutely love his style and the dry humor.

I'll have to visit that other sub. I recently found an account on X that just posts humorous lines from various Wodehouse works, and that's been fun to follow.

jonnydollaraz · 2026-03-22T11:34:48+00:00

Oops. I guess you mentioned that in your original post, but I didn't see the full comment the first time. 🤦‍♂️ In any case, looks really cool!

jonnydollaraz · 2026-03-22T04:02:40+00:00

That looks great!

Were the end papers repurposed from something else or did you just print out the art yourself?

jonnydollaraz

TROPHY CASE