Catching up on Classics (and lots more!) discussion

This came from J_ Blueflower. Thanks! If you could erase 1000 pages from your memory and read them again, what 1000 pages would that be?

Lord of the Rings by Tolkien!!

Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas !

Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy

Ah, Sara and Matt, you helped me think of mine. It has to be War and Peace. The scene that gets me is Prince Andrei's thoughts on the battlefield. Those moments of realization really hit hard, don't they! I'd love to experience that again/for the first time.

I was torn between War and Peace and Anna Karenina, Kathleen. Sometimes I am so envious of those who are reading the great books for the first time, but then I remember I have had all those years of joy from having read them already.

Lori wrote: "Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry"

Good choice, Lori! Here's another vote for Lonesome Dove. What a book!

I have reached the mental state that often when I read a book I have previously read, time already has erased the book from my memory,

Sara wrote: "Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy"

Same for me. Although my memory for anything I have read is so bad I probably don't need this erase feature.

Sam wrote: "I have reached the mental state that often when I read a book I have previously read, time already has erased the book from my memory,"

Haha. Exactly. You said it more eloquently.

Yes! The "erase feature" can come in handy. You can read a wonderful book for the first time -- twice!! ;)

Watership Down by Richard Adams. Absolutely a beautiful book, well written and different from anything else.

I rarely reread books, but have a few 5-star books I have reread and reread was (almost) as good as reading them the first time. Recently Dune and The Name of the Rose.

.... it would also be pretty crazy to read all of Harry Potter again not knowing the plot. And maybe not even knowing if there was a plot. I think I started reading around when book 3 came out. I remember people being scared the end would be a failure. That definitely added some extra tension.

There are some books in the Vorkosigan-saga there are plotwise perfect. I remember reading them the first time and trying to guess where the plot was heading, and being completely wrong - it was even more crazy - but logical.

My 1000 pages:
Memory Lois McMaster Bujold (462 pages)
A Civil Campaign (also Vorkosigan series) (534 pages)
(Do not start the series here.)

Ila wrote: "Lori wrote: "Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry"

Good choice, Lori! Here's another vote for Lonesome Dove. What a book!"

I just love the characters so much!!

Milena wrote: "Sam wrote: "I have reached the mental state that often when I read a book I have previously read, time already has erased the book from my memory,"

Haha. Exactly. You said it more eloquently."

But Sam, don't you find that even if memory has "erased" the book, the emotions it evoked remain?

This is why I keep such a large library of books - I keep the ones that impacted me over my lifetime. Being a senior, I have kept a lot of books and I am so grateful that I can pull War and Peace off my shelves and re-read it at any time. All I have to do is hold that book in my hands, the ~ 85 year old edition given to me by my father decades ago, and memories begin to flood over me. (It is a Modern Library edition, no publishing date, translated by Constance Garnet).

And I think I speak for many of us who have reached our senior years, that re-reading a book we know we once loved can be an even sweeter, richer experience than it was the first time!

Precisely, the emotions remain, but not the details. Sometimes I am afraid to reread a book I loved though, fearing I will not love it as much.

For some the memory remains, for some the memory but somewhat altered. For some the emotion, but for more and more of the lesser reads not even the emotion remains. That is less true of the better books but even some of those I only know I read because I had noted it. But that is true of books I read a couple of years ago too. Lol

Rereading after 30+ years is so interesting. Large part of the plot and characters are gone from memory. But suddenly there is a little detail or a single line.

Sam wrote: "I have reached the mental state that often when I read a book I have previously read, time already has erased the book from my memory,"

LOL love it! Speaking of War and Peace and Anna Karenina, I can't remember them at all. It was 1985 when I read them.

Lee wrote: "Lord of the Rings by Tolkien!!"

Good choice Lee, it would be wonderful to visit that epic fantasy world again for the first time.

Lee wrote: "Lord of the Rings by Tolkien!!"

yes this
wow
imagine not knowing the plot of LOTR...
:oO

I'm with Terris on this one! The Count of Monte Cristo is one I hope to reread someday. Another one is Gone with the Wind. Scarlett is one of those unforgettable characters who I hated but loved.

Shaina wrote: "I'm with Terris on this one! The Count of Monte Cristo is one I hope to reread someday. Another one is Gone with the Wind. Scarlett is one of those unforgettable characters who I hated but loved."

Oh, Gone with the Wind! I'm with you on that one, Shaina! :)

That's a great question. I don't think I have a great answer, but I am enjoying reading everyone else's responses.

Sara wrote: "Anna Karenina by Leo Tolstoy"
I'm actually in the middle of reading it now for the first time and it's such a great first read, the book just draws u in, I'm so invested and dont want it to end!!
I'd probably reread LOTR... or any Jane Austen.

Maybe Villette by Charlotte Bronte as well because it isnt the type of book that i would enjoy rereading, but it was a very interesting and frustrating read (anyone who has read it will know what i mean).

Lee wrote: "Lord of the Rings by Tolkien!!"

YES!

- but erasing the memory of a book perversely evokes the memory of where and when I first read it. I would not want to erase that memory, too.

I'm with sabagrey on this. I think part of loving a book has to do with finding it at the right time. If we erased a book from our memory and tried again, maybe it wouldn't resonate with us as much, and we'd have lost something important. But perhaps I'm taking the question a bit too literally... :)

Stephen King’s The Stand

Great Expectations (Charles Dickens)
Marathon Man (William Goldman)
Angela's Ashes (Frank McCourt)

These three books total around a thousand pages together.

Wobbley wrote: "I think part of loving a book has to do with finding it at the right time.."

... or the totally wrong time! How well I remember the book I came across and dived into (over 1000 pages) three days before the deadline for submission of my master thesis. I worked on the thesis by day and read the book by night, and finished both in time. Totally crazy!!

btw, it was Like a Tear in the Ocean: A Trilogy

The Brothers Karamazov!! An all time favorite, though its not quite 1000 pages I'm always thinking about rereading it.

I need more than 1000 pages to enjoy for the first time again. My two favorite books of all time:
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas
And for extra giggles: The Princess Bride by William Goldman

I have to say there are a few that I would like to erase from my memory and get that time back! But that is for another day... :-)

sabagrey wrote: "Wobbley wrote: "I think part of loving a book has to do with finding it at the right time.."

... or the totally wrong time! How well I remember the book I came across and dived into (over 1000 pages) three days before the deadline for submission of my master thesis. I worked on the thesis by day and read the book by night, and finished both in time. Totally crazy!!"

I laughed aloud at this, sabagrey! Such a very human thing to do. :)

EvenB wrote: "I need more than 1000 pages to enjoy for the first time again. My two favorite books of all time:
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
The Count of Monte Cris..."</i>

I love seeing [book:The Princess Bride in your list.

Lynn wrote: "EvenB wrote: "I need more than 1000 pages to enjoy for the first time again. My two favorite books of all time:
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
[book:The Count..."

That was a fun question! Great answers from everyone!