Constantly Rereading

Hello there lovelies,

I've been reading much more than usual lately. Well, not really. When I say "more than usual", I mean "more than when I was going to University". Before that reading was my main hobby, and the main way I spent any free time I had. As a kid, I used to go to the library, borrow the maximum number of books I could, read them in a week, then return them and repeat. As you can imagine, I've read a large number of books in my time. But, there are a few that I return to over, and over again.

1. Galax- Arena, by Gillian Rubenstein

This was the first book that really introduced me to critical thinking, and in particular to the idea that you can't always believe something just because an adult says it. Galax-Arena is the story of Joella, Peter and Lianne (among others) - siblings who are kidnapped and trained to perform in an incredibly dangerous gymnastics show for an alien race. But everything is not as it seems. I'd recommend it even for older readers, because it really is an emotional journey.

2. Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R Tolkien

My old favourite! I re-read the trilogy pretty much every year. I'm not going to describe the plot, as you must be living under a rock if you don't know the plot by now. But these books were the perfect escape from a drab, horrible world for a primary-school victim of bullying. Middle-Earth still seems more like home to me than reality!

4. Kushiel's Legacy (six-book series beginning with Kushiel's Dart), by Jacqueline Carey.

Oh my gosh, I can't even describe these books. I have never before read books that are so perfectly written, with such well-developed characters. Kushiel's Legacy is a work of art - you will laugh, cry, scream as you read these books. You will be horrified, and crushed, and uplifted, and ecstatic. However, I would avoid reading these if you have an aversion to sex, and particularly if you are disturbed by BDSM. The main character of the first three books, Phedre, is an anguisette - she is marked by the god Kushiel to find pleasure through pain. So yeah, if you don't like BDSM, don't read it, because it features pretty heavily. These are beautiful books though.

4. Luna-C, by Jutta Goetze

Luna-C is a snapshot into the lives of a group of people struggling to "make it" as a band. Written by the women who wrote the screenplay for The Saddle Club, of all things, it is actually a pretty gritty look at many angles of life. Mainly, it follows best friends Phoebe and Dale. Dale, who is beautiful, talented, and unsure of herself. Phoebe, loud and boisterous, who always feels second-best compared to her friend. This book is about making it in the music scene, but it is also about living, and the emotional turmoil of growing up. It is amazing, and depressing, and I always feel better after reading it.

5. Uglies, Pretties and Specials, by Scott Westefield.

My favourite series of science-fiction books. The star of Uglies, Pretties and Specials is Tally - an young Ugly, eagerly awaiting her sixteenth birthday when she will undergo a series of operations and finally become a Pretty. In this society, everyone is ugly until they reach 16, when they are surgically altered to conform to the highest standards of beauty. But then, Tally meets Shay, an Ugly who doesn't want the operation. This meeting turns her world upside down, and she discovers there is more to the operation - and her society than she ever knew. These books really make you think, and I love them to death.

6. The Harry Potter series, by J.K. Rowling.

Hahahaha. Ok, so we know there isn't really any deep and meaningful reason why I keep rereading the Harry Potter books. But they are fun, entertaining, and the characters are easy to relate to. Plus, who doesn't want imagine going to a high school where there get to learn how to turn beetles into buttons, and brew Shrinking Potion? That's what I thought.

Well there you have it. Those are the major books that I read over, and over again. I've read a few lately that might make it onto that list, but we'll have to wait a few years to see if they make the cut. What about you guys? Are you "readers"? And if so, do you have a list of books that you constantly reread?

Until next time, xo.