By Verónica Suárez
Reading is an activity most people grew up doing, so there are a lot of books people remember from their childhood, teenage, and even college years that have marked them forever. There’s something special about reading a book that marks a “before and after” in someone’s life.
It’s very hard to have a feeling like that regularly, so that’s why a user on Reddit asked what books users would like to read again for the first time. Here are some of the most popular answers:
Dune
“Probably Dune but I don’t think it’d have the same impact as it had on me when I was in high school. I wouldn’t want to give up the memory of reading it then or how it affected my later life and my love of Science Fiction” —Slammy1.
Dune was originally published in 1965. Written by Frank Herbert, the novel won the first edition of the Nebula Award for Best Novel and is generally considered as the world’s best-selling science fiction novel. It’s the first of six books in the Dune series.
The book follows the story of Paul Atreides, a young boy who is the son of Duke Leto Atreides. Their family is given the desert planet of Arrakis for them to rule and harvest the drug known as “spice” and “melange”, the thing that allows for intergalactic travel, but is also capable of extending life and enhancing consciousness. But things take a turn when House Atreides is betrayed…
But the book is more than just Paul’s experiences. It talks about politics, religion, addiction, colonization, philosophy, and so many topics it’s difficult to mention all of them. This is why another user, vegetarchy, says “I actually like the re-reads more. The book has so many layers, it really rewards returning to the text time after time.”
And Then There Were None
“This was my first [Agatha Christie] book. After this book I solely read [Agatha Christie] for the next couple months” —hereitcome.
This book was originally published in 1939, written by Agatha Christie, one of the most known writers in history. It’s considered the world’s best-selling mystery, and one of the best-selling books of all time.
The story follows a group of strangers that arrive as guests on a small private island off the coast of Devon. Their host is a millionaire who is unknown to all of them, but also nowhere to be found. All of the guests have secrets they don’t want to reveal, and those secrets are the reason they have been marked for murder because when the weekend ends, there will be none.
Hyperion
“I actually put down the book after finishing the [first] section and then reread from the beginning several months later and it still gave me shivers.” —DaniusTarquinius.
A science fiction novel written by Dan Simmons, originally published in 1989. It won the Hugo Award for best novel and is the first of four books in the Hyperion Cantos series.
The story takes place in the 29th century, where hundreds of planets are connected by portals. One of these planets is the Hyperion, which has structures called “Time Tombs” that move backward in time and is guarded by the Shrike, a legendary creature. On the eve of Armageddon, a last pilgrimage to the Time Tombs is organized and each of the seven pilgrims tells the story of how they were chosen, because every single one of them has hope, along with a terrible secret.
The Lord of the Rings trilogy
“I read it first when I was unhappy at boarding school. I’d curl up in a library chair and disappear for hours into this wonderful world, so different from what I was living. At night [I’d] even dream about Middle Earth.” —rocima.
Written by J. R. R. Tolkien, and published between 1954 and 1955, this trilogy is often credited as helping create and shape the modern fantasy genre, and each is considered one of the greatest books of all time.
The title is a reference to the story’s main antagonist: the Dark Lord Sauron, who created the One Ring to rule over the other Rings of Power as a way to govern over all of Middle-earth. The story starts with a hobbit who is given the quest to destroy the One Ring and has to leave his home at the Shire to travel across Middle-earth.
The Count of Monte Cristo
“Monte Cristo to me is just on another level ([not to] exaggerate). I think I learned a lot about human nature and emotions” —FullMoonLulu.
Written by Alexandre Dumas, the author of The Three Musketeers, and originally published in 1844. It is considered a literary classic, and a permanent fixture of Western civilization’s literature.
It tells the story of Edmond Dantes, who is thrown into prison for a crime he didn’t commit. While he’s there, he decides to escape and unearth treasure as a way to destroy the three men responsible for his incarceration.
Every book can be read for the first time!
Some users joke that as you grow older you tend to forget the details for certain books, so if enough time passes it could be as if you were reading it for the first time. Most of the users were saying that they fell even more in love with their favorite books by rereading them after years had passed.
And you? Tell us a book you wish you could read again for the first time!
