What's your #1 favorite book that you can actually read over and over again?

[Anonymous]

[NamerOfStars]

Probably Finnegans Wake. It's one of my favorite books, and I hate talking about it. Why? Because at some point, I inevitably have to say something like "It's one of the greatest books ever written, and you probably shouldn't read it", and there's pretty much no one who wouldn't take that as an insult. It's not "hard to read" in the same way as Ulysses (its companion, and arguably the book it's a sequel to) is- actually, no; it IS hard to read in that way, but it's also hard to read in the sense that it's not exactly written in English. It opens as follows:

"riverrun, past Eve and Adam's, from swerve of shore to bendof bay, brings us by a commodius vicus of recirculation back toHowth Castle and Environs.

Sir Tristram, violer d'amores, fr'over the short sea, had passen-core rearrived from North Armorica on this side the scraggyisthmus of Europe Minor to wielderfight his penisolate war: norhad topsawyer's rocks by the stream Oconee exaggerated themselseto Laurens County's gorgios while they went doublin their mumperall the time: nor avoice from afire bellowsed mishe mishe totauftauf thuartpeatrick: not yet, though venissoon after, had akidscad buttended a bland old isaac: not yet, though all's fair invanessy, were sosie sesthers wroth with twone nathandjoe. Rot apeck of pa's malt had Jhem or Shen brewed by arclight and roryend to the regginbrow was to be seen ringsome on the aquaface."

Two things: first, Sir Tristram, there? The first character mentioned by name? He never shows up again. Well, he DOES, but not by that name. Secondly, that word "thuartpeatrick"? Scholars (yes, there are Wake scholars; it deserves it more than any book that's not the foundational text of a religion) disagree on its exact meaning- or rather, its meaning *here*, since many of Joyce's neologisms have multiple meanings- but the most commonly accepted ones require knowledge of up to NINE languages to suss out. Other difficult books have people arguing over what a given plot development means, thematically. Wake has people arguing over what the plot IS. Were a faithful movie adaptation to be made, all the reviews would be paraphrases of "What the hell did I just watch?".

And yet, there is content here: it's not just confusing nonsense, there's treasure- a LOT of treasure- in its depths. And its shallows, too- the book is as much a work of engineering as of art. But finding that treasure requires both intellectual power- not just knowledge (though you need a LOT of that), but mental horsepower, to find the hidden things and piece them together- and intellectual humility, to ruminate and let your brain assemble things it can't when you're steering it. And power and humility are a very rare combination. Basically, if you read a difficult book the way you'd conquer an ancient city, don't bother- it will defeat you. If, however, you read a difficult book the way you'd EXPLORE an ancient city, then there's something for you here- but whether you find it, and how much of it you find, is very much up for grabs.

[exitseven]

I have read The Sun also Rises many times and every summer i used to re-read a copy of Jaws that my cousin left. Either of them.

[exitseven]

Thanks for the MHO😎

[RoulOB]

I'm not a pro reader, but I liked "White Nights" by Dostoevskij.
And yeah also Bible

[FunkyMonkee]

"The Real Animal House" by Chris Miller (the real Pinto).

[jamesgoldman]

Rich dad poor dad or anything by Felix Dennis

[Guy13]

Bible.