Ask HN: Which books did you read multiple times?

Tons, but by far the most rewarding reread has been Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicle. Which is unfortunately still incomplete, but on the other hand if you're the type of person who likes to dig for clues between every word, the most interesting time to do so is before book 3 is (some day, hopefully) released.

They're books which work on so many levels, with layers of subtlety and literary cleverness and even little buried jokes. There's truly nothing else like them in fantasy fiction.

Lots of faves, for various reasons, such as:

1. Comfort reading/nostalgia/guaranteed satisfaction (e.g. Mark Twain, Joseph Conrad, some of the SF greats)

2. Knowing there's more in there to absorb that I didn't get last time or have forgotten (e.g. various Neal Stephenson doorstops, biographies, history books)

3. Suspicion I didn't "get it" the first time and might appreciate it more now (e.g. not a personal example, but good summary - the famous line that "You read Don Quixote three times in your life. The first time it makes you laugh. The second time it makes you think. And the third time it makes you cry.". My personal example would be Code Complete!)

4. Plus, this being HN, straight technical books, which I reread to refresh and improve skils

The last book I reread was Kerouac's Desolation Angels, which actually for me was an interesting mix between categories 1 and 3.

- The Harry Potter series. My teacher in school said if I finish my work quickly, I can sit and read whatever I want. I read the Goblet of Fire at least a half a dozen times in 4th grade

- Lord of the Rings, same reason as above

- Life of Pi. The story is so good, the emotions are so real, and the air of absurdity and comedy throughout are so well done

- The Martian, it’s again such a good story and fantasy novel

- Bartleby, the Scrivener. Something about Bartleby as well as his boss spoke to me, as a young professional early in his career. I also loved the imagery of a clerical office in a Manhattan high rise in the 19th century

1. The Black Swan by Nassim Nicholas Taleb It has had a large impact on how I view the world and I read it every few years.

2. K&R The C Programming Language I've read/owned well over 100 programming books but K&R is the most beautifully written programming book ever imo. I have read it multiple times and will continue doing so.

Every few years I re-read the Count of Monte Cristo. I then wish I could forget it and experience it all over again.

Not sure how to answer. I have a bookcase of maybe a thousand volumes, and every evening choose an old favorite to read before bed.

Why? Old friends; been a long time so they're fresh again; authors that quit producing, this is all I have. That's some of 'why'.

A few that come to mind.

Fiction:

Neuromancer - William Gibson

False Memory - Dean Koontz

The Mysterious Island - Jules Verne

The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien

Nineteen Eighty-Four - George Orwell

Non-fiction:

The Four Steps to the Epiphany - Steve Blank

The Discipline of Market Leaders - Fred Wiersema and Michael Treacy

Some light novels and manga, often before a new volume comes out to freshen up my memory or because im bored.