There’s many books I wish I could reread again. I decided to add a little spice to my list and pick books that I wish I could read for the first time again. Experience the first emotions the book gave me again. What a wonderful thing that would be…

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1 The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexander Dumas

This is one that I’ve been wanting to reread for some time. What a ride it would be to read it for the first time again. The way the story unfolds and the layers to the Count’s revenge is something else. No adaptation has ever been able to capture the complexity.  

2 The Devil in the White City – Erik Larson

I think this is the first true crime book I read, wrapped in a historical fiction framework. This is just one of those books that feels made for me. All my weird interests in one book. I wish I could read it fresh again just for all the different cultural discoveries. 

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3 Frankenstein – Mary Shelley

Read it twice. Cried twice. Why not another go around? Love this book so much and I already have it on my classics club list to read a third time. If only I could read it for the first time. 

4 Ender’s Game – Orson Scott Card

I still don’t know what it is about this book that grabbed my attention. Both militarism and bildungsroman type books don’t really appeal to me, but I was so taken in by Ender’s story. Due to Card’s hateful comments I just haven’t felt the need to continue the series, but Ender’s Game still holds a special place in my heart. 

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5 The Magicians – Lev Grossman 

I might lose some on this pick, but stay with me! I love the whole trilogy but the first book was a revelation that came at just the right time. I was tired of ‘magic school’ books, and I hesitated in reading The Magicians because I thought it would be more of the same. Not the case, it’s more about disillusionment and the hell of actually getting everything you wanted and still not being satisfied. 

6 Murder on the Orient Express – Agatha Christie 

When I first read this Christie classic I already knew the ending. I still loved the book but boy do I wish I could reread Orient Express knowing NOTHING. Thankfully the 1970’s movie adaption I saw years ago was pretty faithful, so at least that was a good experience, but yeah, I wish I could’ve read this one first. 

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7 Pachinko – Min Jin Lee

This is a multigenerational family saga about a Koren family throughout the 20th century. I was deeply moved by this family and their struggle of being ‘strangers in a strange land’ in Japan. This is definitely a journey I would like to take again, especially now knowing more about recent history of the region.

8 The Poisonwood Bible – Barbara Kingsolver

Even though this is historical fiction, this is also a family horror story. I go into a little detail in my religious horror post about my thoughts about The Poisonwood Bible, but my hell did this wreck me. Maybe I’m a glutton for punishment for wanting to experience this again for the first time?

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9 Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen 

When I first read Pride and Prejudice it was so different from my usual fare that I struggled. I remember having a dictionary right next to me the whole time, but I really wanted to understand the plot. Over fifteen years later and I’ve read all of Austen’s novels, and even reread Pride and Prejudice. I don’t know if I want to take that first experience away, but a part of me wishes I could read it fresh, and just enjoy it. 

10 Vita Nostra – Marina & Sergey Dyachenko

I, for the life of me, do not know what to make of this book. I don’t even know how I heard of it. I think it was suggested to those who loved ‘The Magicians’ and the little reviews I saw for it seemed equally perplexed. I couldn’t tell you if I liked it or not. I just know that I never had a book randomly pop back into my memory as much as Vita Nostra. 

I honestly would love to try and figure it out again, but I’ll just have to settle for a regular reread when the paperback version is released in January.