Have you ever encountered a book that was so good or unforgettable that, after reading it, you instantly wished you hadn’t, just so you can experience the feeling of reading it again for the first time?
Of course, re-reading the said book wouldn’t be the same, because although you will still enjoy it, the emotions you felt while reading the book might not be as strong, and your expectation and impressions of it would be different.
I’ve come across my fair share of books I wish I hadn’t read yet. Some of them are in my top 100 favorite books, while some are not. Some, I just wish I could read again, because it made a strong first impression, or caused great emotional turmoil in me the first time I read it. Some are just magical, plain and simple.
These are the books I wish I hadn’t read yet, so I can experience them again for the first time:
- The Count of Monte Cristo – Alexandre Dumas
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell – Susanna Clarke
- Wuthering Heights – Emily Bronte
- Pride and Prejudice – Jane Austen
- Persuasion – Jane Austen
- Jane Eyre – Charlotte Bronte
- The Lord of the Rings – J.R.R. Tolkein
- The Silmarillion – J.R.R. Tolkein
- Catch-22 – Joseph Heller
- A Moveable Feast – Ernest Hemingway
- The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet – David Mitchell
- The Grapes of Wrath – John Steinbeck
That’s all I can think of so far. What about you, what are the books you wish you hadn’t read yet, just so you can read them again for the first time?
The Misanthropologist 
Atonement by Ian McEwan! Although I don’t think I could suffer that heartbreak again. Love your list, and agree with every single book on there! 🙂
Oh, yes, Atonement! I agree, I’d love to read that again for the 1st time.
I love the idea of this post. I often wish I could go back and read books that have been made into movies. When I read I love to picture the characters but after I’ve seen the movie when I read a book I just visualize the actors who played those characters. I always wish I could go back and read the books without those actors in my mind.
I must have read Monte Cristo a dozen times and get something new from it every time. Ditto LOTR (maybe not quite so many). With Jane Austen, I often think you have to read her novels twice to really appreciate them.
I’ve read parts of Monte Cristo again…it’s such a great novel.
What a great topic….. you’ve set my brain whirring now. A lot of the titles you have would be on my list too like Pride and Prejudice and Persuasion
Thanks. It’s just something I always think about everytime I read a great novel. It’d be interesting to know what books other readers would choose.
I’m with you on a lot of this list. In fact, I agree for all the ones I’ve read. Which perhaps means I need to go and read the titles I haven’t got to yet!
Love the list – I still have Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell on my list of books to read… I agree with the Austen books and would add Great Expectations. And I definitely need to read A Moveable Feast! 🙂
Thanks! Jonathan Strange is great! I hope you like it when you get to read it.