books i want to re-read (again and again and again)

[jenn]

jack being a fantasy writer when he was a kid and writing about demons and villains and superheroes is a little bit funny because it’s his least read genre 😂

[carolinestreithorst]

Happy Hour - Marlowe Granados
Open Water - Caleb Azumah Nelson
Hamnet - Maggie O'Farrell
I'm A Fan - Sheena Patel
Our Wives Under The Sea - Julia Armfield
Boulder - Eva Baltasar
Sula - Toni Morrison
Panenka - Ronan Hession
Normal People - Sally Rooney
Young Mungo - Douglas Stuart
Demon Copperhead - Barbara Kingsolver

[chiejavier]

i’ve said it before, but “sula” fundamentally changed something in me. i think about “whatever’s burning in me is mine! // and i’ll split this town in two and everything in it before i’ll let you put it out!” several times a day. it hasn’t been long since i first read it, so i’m going to wait a bit before i give it a re-read, but it’s definitely a top 3 book for me.

i have a tradition of re-reading “on earth we’re briefly gorgeous” at the start of every year; this time i’m annotating my copy and nearly every page is highlighted 😭😭

[judyquinn]

“It’s like reading sheet music” - Jack has obviously never sight read any sheet music 😂
But I agree, Caleb Azumah Nelson’s work is so beautiful - so lyrical and poetic.

[annette]

my favourite book of all time is “veronika decides to die” i think
i’ve read it multiple times and each time i’ve managed to find and think of something new and it’s just so nice i don’t even know
somehow there’s comfort

[kerisoliankina]

i was in a quite severe reading slump and rereading my favorites helped me a lot. last year i reread all of jane austen's novels in english for the first time (english is not my first language so it was a JOURNEY), also at rhe beginning of the year i reread the goldfinch and it was another great experience of rediscovering this amazing text.

i think rereading books helped me a lot with understanding how I changed as a person, how my reading taste changed and define my reading taste NOW and what i actually want to read in terms of themes and genres

[kittomic]

I'm so glad you added this video, Jack. I used to avoid re-reading as my TBR list has always been so long. As I've got older though, I have returned to books and discovered a whole new experience - even those I originally hadn't enjoyed. I think the experience reflects the time in your life, personal events, your mood, and the writing that "speaks" to you at that time. It is well worth returning to a book!

[Z_pixel]

Bad diaspora poem randomly popping up was such a mood

[simranramchandani]

this video just made me soso happy- seeing someone who loves books so much talking about books is always an amazing time. Jacks eyes really shined in this video and it showed how much you really love books.

[johannalehto]

I love re-reading books! I usually do that every 3 to 5 years depending on the books 😊

[vincent_]

I’m excited for this! Rereading is so hard for me because there are some that just hit the same like Frankenstein and others I reread and am just like…wow I liked this? Insane.

[eadaoincorrigan]

Jack, please stop releasing such amazing recommendations! I spend more time curating my TBR list (which now resembles some sort of abstract novel in itself), than I do actually reading books! You are the only person I can watch recommending books. Keep doing what you're doing, I love it!

[urfriendhannah]

Open Water is one of my favorite books of all time and I found out about it originally on your channel! I have also been thinking of rereading it since it is a short yet complex and beautiful story.

[ninja_boy]

I'd always considered The Secret History, Kafka on the Shore, and The Magus by John Fowles to be three of my favorite books, and I was delighted to find that when I read them all for the second time, I enjoyed them even more. That told me I was absolutely right to rank them among my favorites. It's unfortunate when a book doesn't hold up, but sometimes you were on to something with that initial “wow” factor...

[onefocus]

Yes for Open Water! Living in the US, maybe it’s more popular in the UK, but I literally never hear anyone talk about that book and it’s one of my favorites of all time.

[mayasworte]

as a theatre student who moved across the country because of if we were villains by m.l.rio, i'm currently reading and annoting that book for the 5th time and it's so fun reading my annotations from a few years ago :)

[ellarose]

I love these videos and hearing about people’s life-changing books because everyone’s are so unique!

[joangavrilik]

You are so thoughtful about what you do — I love following your journey!

[Kristinaxprr]

That's what I was thinking. What if I re-read my fav book (alone with you in the ether) and I don't love it as much as I did when reading it for the first time. Because obviously the circumstances, feelings etc I had back then when I read the book aren't present anymore. Maybe it's better if I don't re-read it and keep the memories & feelings I have in the past. Because looking back and thinking about it gives me a feeling I don't want to lose when re-reading. Hope this makes sense! 🥺

[taylornpickle]

i would looove to hear your thoughts after your rereads, compared to how you felt about them the first time!