Hello readers! I love this weeks topic. These are books I’m scared to reread because I loved them so much when I read them when I was younger, and I don’t know if I’d love them now.
I have been burnt before by doing this and I would rather keep the good memory than ruin it with a reread.
The book I reread was Eleanor and Park. Man, I LOVED that book when I read it the first time. I then reread it in 2019 and HATED it. It was so bad and honestly problematic. I forgot that I didn’t enjoy the ending the first time, plus these two characters had no chemistry.
Anyhow, here are 10 books that I loved and am too scared to reread for fear that I won’t like them anymore. Feel free to tell me if you have read any of these recently and if they have stood the test of time!
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme that was created by The Broke and the Bookish in 2010 and is now hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. Each week, you pick your top 10 of the topic provided.
Prompt: Books I’m Worried I Might Not Love as Much the Second Time Around
Okay, I have to admit I am curious about this one. I own Midnight Sun and haven’t read it yet, but maybe I should reread Twilight before Midnight Sun.
Looking back, I feel like this relationship is really problematic. First of all, one of them is a minor and the other is over 100. I would have an issue now with one being a minor and the other being 20. I am so picky about age gaps.
Another thing is the fact that Edward is kind of a creepy stalker. I mean, I was always team Jacob. I even had a purse in high school that said team Jacob on it. At least Jacob was within her age group.
When I got my first job, I went out and bought nearly every book I was required to read in elementary, middle, and high school.
I bought around 90% of the required reading to be honest. I know I never bought Wuthering Heights (I really fkn hated this book) or Shakespeare, but I have most of the others. I’m honestly not even sure why I don’t own Shakespeare’s works. I’ll have to get a bind-up of some this year.
I read The Light in the Forest in middle school, I think in 8th grade. And, I have owned it physically for over 10 years. But, haven’t gotten around to rereading it.
I LOVED this book when I read it. BUT, it does center a white boy who is taken to live with indigenous people. He then is taken back to his original home at 11-ish and doesn’t do very well at all.
My concern is that this book is written by a white person and I fear it may be extremely racist. In 8th grade and even at 19, that did not cross my mind at all. I was not educated on the topic even a little bit. So, I worry it might be really bad.
I do remember the MC coming back to the white family and they constantly told him he was acting like a savage, so I can only imagine what I don’t remember is worse.
I think I mentioned this one in a post recently. Little House on the Prairie wasn’t a required read for me, but my teacher would read it to us at the end of each school day in 5th grade.
It was sort of a cool-down period at the end of the day where he would either read us this series or let us watch the Andy Griffith Show.
I also was a HUGE fan of this show as a kid and would watch it all the time with my mom. But, I do worry that if I read it now that I might not like it.
I know a good portion of the series focuses in indigenous people and I worry that the portrayal of them might not be good. But, I don’t know. I might be wrong. Let me know if you remember this series and if it stands the test of time. I have almost read book one so many times.
This was one of my absolute favorites in high school and I now own every single book. I couldn’t get enough of these characters or their story.
HOWEVER, I know there are some things that would make me put the series down if I read it for the first time today.
First of all, the MC Zoey is indigenous and I know the authors are not. The authors are a mother (PC) and a daughter (Kristin). They also center a lot on indigenous mythology, but it is mixed with greek mythology and others.
A character named Kalona and the Raven Mockers are part of Cherokee mythology, so I’m not sure how well that is done. This series is not popular online, so I haven’t seen anyone discussing it.
My biggest issue is the student/teacher relationship and how there was a spicy scene involving that. I think this was book four (roughly). This series is super long, so I may be completely wrong. Zoey has many different love interests in this series and one was a teacher. I really hate that this trope was put into a YA series. I am so critical of relationships in YA books these days. And, I can say that PC Cast has done better with this in later series, but still.
The Woman in the Window was the first thriller I ever read. I got it back when I had a subscription to Book of the Month.
I LOVED this book when I read it. I didn’t see the twists coming or anything.
Now, I know that some of the things in the twists are things I don’t like at all. Spoilers for the rest of the paragraph. I really don’t like the MC keeping something from the reader. And, I don’t like the mental health twist either.
Who knows, I could be wrong. But, I personally think I wouldn’t like this now that I have read quite a few more thrillers. Also, this author is a terrible person, so I know I won’t be checking out any of his future books to see if he can write a good twist.
Hush Hush is a series I think about a lot. I only read the first two books. But at this point, it’s been over a decade since.
I keep almost unhauling these books because I haven’t finished the series, but something always stops me.
Should I go back and reread this book? I don’t know. I don’t remember anything about it except that the MC name is Nora, as that was my great grandma’s name, and it centers fallen angels in some way.
If you’ve read Hush Hush, let me know if it’s a dated 2000s YA series or if it’s actually good still.
Finding Audrey was my introduction to Sophie Kinsella and I believe is her only YA book.
I honestly LOVED this book when I read it. It follows a girl who suffers with severe social anxiety. She also has a pretty crazy family. I just remember a scene where the brother’s computer was hanging out the window, but I don’t remember why.
Anyhow, so she ends up meeting a boy and he helps her through her anxieties. And, I think it may be one of those books where she is cured by the end and I don’t like that.
I might be completely wrong. You know what? Just talking about this book is making me want to reread some Kinsella books. I’ve read 12 or so of her books and would love to reread some of the stand alones.
Her books are perfect for those who like fluffy romance with no spice.
This was a required read for me in middle school. At this school, they would actually gift all of us our own copies of required books, which was cool. So, I still have the copy I was given at like 12 from my school.
This one basically follows a young boy who gets into a verbal altercation with his teacher over him humming during the national anthem when all students are supposed to be silent.
At the time, I loved how he stood up to the teacher. I mean, it was great to see a story where the kid was in the right and consequences were given to the teacher.
BUT, I know now as an adult, I would not feel the same. It’s like when you watch a movie you loved as a kid when you are a parent. I would remember thinking how unfair those adults were and now I’m thinking that kid is super bratty. It’s all about perspective.
I CANNOT even imagine how my teacher felt having to teach us this book. I bet that was awful. I am 100% sure I would change my opinion on this book completely as an adult.
I have found in recent years that I am actually not a big fan of dystopian books. And, I really don’t think I’d like this one the second time around. This book and Stephanie Meyer’s The Host are honestly so similar. And, I really didn’t like The Host.
Mentioning The 5th Wave here can honestly speak for most dystopians I read and thought I loved during the era where dystopians were the biggest thing out there.
Don’t get me wrong, there are some that I know I love from that era, but honestly there are many more that I know I wouldn’t like or didn’t even like the first time around.
Lastly, I would say anything I rated highly by John Green. Well, I think Looking For Alaska would still be a high rating. I can’t even bring myself to watch that show.
Paper Towns was one that I really loved, but didn’t enjoy the ending of the book. Thinking back now, I really think the MMC was kind of creepy and so self-centered. This girl runs away from everything and he is so self obsessed that he thinks she is leaving messages for him specifically?
No wonder the ending happened the way it did. I would probably react the exact way that she did if this happened to me.
Abundance of Katherines is very offensive. I mean, I didn’t rate this super high the first time around. is answer to the Katherine equation was pretty obvious, in my opinion.
The 2000s was really a weird era of books. So many timeless novels and so many that did not stand the test of time. I try to look past some things when I read books from this time and even before, but it isn’t easy.
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