Top Ten Tuesday is a tag hosted by Jana at That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week, she picks a bookish prompt and then posts ten books that fits the prompt. This week's prompt is "Books I’m Worried I Might Not Love as Much the Second Time Around".
Some of these are books that I actually have reread and didn't like as much (or at all) the second time around. All titles are linked to Goodreads.
Little Women, by Louisa May Alcott
First read in 2012, reread in 2020
This was actually the very first book I wrote down when I started keeping a reading list! I loved the 2019 movie adaptation directed by Greta Gerwig, so I decided to reread the book in 2020 and I was disappointed. The story still holds up, but I found the writing to be a tad moralistic.
Rilla of Ingleside, by L.M. Montgomery
First read in 2013, reread in 2015
I could have put any L.M. Montgomery title here, but I chose Rilla of Ingleside because it was one of my favorite books in the Anne of Green Gables series, and I'm frankly scared to reread it after my experience rereading A Tangled Web. I'd prefer to let this one rest untouched in my memory.
Jane Eyre, by Charlotte Brontë
First read in 2014, reread in 2017
I did reread this several years ago, but my strongest memory of it is the first time. I remember thinking it was so romantic and swooning over Mr. Rochester. Having reread it, I realize that Mr. Rochester is actually kind of problematic. So, while I still enjoyed the book, I did not like it quite as much the second time around.
The Phantom of the Opera, by Gaston Leroux
First read in 2014, reread in 2022
I still love the musical, but the book didn't hold up when I reread it two years ago. It was just cringy. I mean, so is the musical, but the soundtrack makes up for that.
Mansfield Park, by Jane Austen
Probably read around 2016 (I can't find it on my reading list)
I was in my early teens when I read this and melodramatically related to Fanny Price, as I was in the throes of a years-long unrequited crush. Being happily married now, I'm not sure how I would feel about Mansfield Park if I read it again.
A Cast of Stones, by Patrick Carr
Read in 2016
I loved The Staff and the Sword series when I first read it, but I came across one of the books in a used bookstore a couple years later (I don't remember if it was The Hero's Lot or A Draw of Kings) and decided to read the first page or two for nostalgia's sake, and I was astonished at how bad the writing was. I compared notes with my mom, who had introduced me to the series, and she agreed. We decided it was pretty amazing how Patrick Carr's story was able to carry the poor writing.
Life After Life, by Kate Atkinson
Read in 2019
I thought this was brilliant when I first read it, but I think I'd get bogged down in all the death if I read it a second time.
The Night Circus, by Erin Morgenstern
Read in 2019
I don't think this would hold up to a second reading because the characters were so flat.
The Once and Future King, by T.H. White
Read in 2020
I loved this, but I'm not sure if it would be the kind of book that would lose its luster a little bit every time you read it, or if it would gain deeper meaning each time.
The Brothers Karamazov, by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Read in 2020
This was my favorite Russian novel until I read War and Peace (favorite being relative; I would not read this again).
I'd love to hear your thoughts if you've read any of these! I'll be back next week on Wednesday with a rare book review.
I had the same reaction to Little Women when I reread it a few years ago.
ReplyDeleteHere is my Top Ten Tuesday.
Lydia
I'm glad it's not just me! Lol
DeleteI rarely re-read books, but there are actually two on here that I do re-read on occasion because I love them so much: LITTLE WOMEN and JANE EYRE. They're both old-fashioned, of course, but that's part of their charm for me :)
ReplyDeleteHappy TTT!
Yes! Both great books.
DeleteYou have lots of classics on your list. I have only read Little Women. Here is my post-https://paigesofnovels.com/2024/03/12/top-ten-tuesday-books-im-worried-i-might-not-love-as-much-the-second-time-around/.
ReplyDeleteI realized that as I was writing my post! I like to read classics, but I rarely reread them for a variety of reasons.
DeleteI first read Little Women as an adult; it was enjoyable but not something I would re-read. Besides, there are enough adaptations to get the fix if I wanted. I read Jane Eyre too long ago to know how I feel about it, but I do remember thinking the relationship was a bit (a lot?) weird.
ReplyDeletePam @ Read! Bake! Create!
https://readbakecreate.com/the-cs-have-it-ten-titles-starting-with-c/
I now prefer adaptations of Little Women to the book itself, but I'm so glad I've read it! And you're very right that the Jane/Mr. Rochester dynamic is a LOT weird xD
DeleteA good list. I liked Jane Eyre. I read it a few years ago. I get what you mean about it 😂 The Night Circus I read years and years ago and thought it was pretty average. I can't believe that it has had the resurgence that it has 🤣 I keep feeling that I must have missed something!
ReplyDeleteHave a great week!
I honestly remember almost nothing about The Night Circus! I think it's more about the atmosphere that Erin Morgenstern creates than the characters or story development.
DeleteI read Little Women at age ten or eleven and Jane Eyre at age thirteen and imprinted hard on both of them. Multiple rereads later over many years, I agree with your comments (Little Women does get moralizing and the main love story in Jane Eyre is indeed problematic) but my love for them is unfinished. It's different for the titles I encountered as an adult. I'm meh about Mansfield Park and Phantom of the Opera, while Rilla of Ingleside is my least favorite Montgomery book. TNT
ReplyDeleteMy love for them is undiminished, not unfinished. TNT
DeleteThat makes so much sense! I read all of the books you mentioned (except Mansfield Park) in the 10-12 age range, and I feel like we really hang on to the stories we read at that age, even if we look at them a little differently in later years. Thanks for your thoughtful comment!
Delete