Top 10 Tuesday: Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time

Welcome to Top 10 Tuesday! This is a weekly challenge hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl, and this week’s challenge is about books I wish I could read again for the first time!

I love this prompt! There are several books that I’ve loved, and – while I do enjoy rereading books – they just wouldn’t be the same if you were to reread them. This is especially true with mystery novels, for example, since you already know how they end, but there are many other times when the experience of reading a certain book for the first time just can’t ever be replicated. Here are my top ten books that I wish I could read again for the first time!

To learn more about a book, click on the photo to find the Goodreads synopsis.

1. “The Hunger Games” by Suzanne Collins

I can still remember the emotions and suspense I felt while reading this for the first time. And as much as I enjoy rereading them, I do wish I could experience it for the first time again!

2. “Gone Girl” by Gillian Flynn

This book was such a rollercoaster. And that ending? Controversial as it may be, it certainly was memorable. I know rereading this one wouldn’t be the same if you already know all the crazy twists and turns, but there could be some fun in that too! I can see how it could be fun to go back and look for any signs or foreshadowing of what’s to come; to see what clues you missed the first time around. Still though, I would love to be able to read this again as if it were the first time.

3. “Murder on the Orient Express” by Agatha Christie

My first and favorite Agatha Christie novel! I was so captivated as I followed along with Poirot as he solved this mystery, and I absolutely did not see the ending coming. I wish I could experience that again for the first time!

4. “Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine” by Gail Honeyman

I wasn’t expecting how much I’d love this one, and there were many things about it that ended up surprising me as I read through it. I’d love to join Eleanor on her journey again as if it were the first time.

5. “Like Water for Chocolate” by Laura Esquivel

Honestly, I read this one in high school, so if I were to read it again it probably would feel like the first time (since I remember so few details about it). However, what has stayed with me from this book is the magical realism. It was my first experience with reading magical realism, and the shock and awe of it is something I’ll never forget (and never be able to experience again).

6. “The Kite Runner” by Khaled Hosseini

The ending of this book absolutely destroyed me. It was such a beautiful story, but knowing how devastating the ending is, I don’t know if I could bring myself to read it again for a long time.

7. “Then She Was Gone” by Lisa Jewell

This book was so dark and captivating. I had kind of worked some of it out on my own before the big reveal, but not so much that there weren’t any surprises! This book definitely wouldn’t be the same upon a reread of it, so I wish I could somehow experience it again for the first time.

8. “Flowers for Algernon” by Daniel Keyes

This was another ending that absolutely devastated me. Apparently I would want to read this again for the first time so that I could be devastated again? It was just so powerful and moving, and I love it when a book can make me feel such strong feelings. I wish I could experience that again.

9. “Where the Crawdads Sing” by Delia Owens

This was such a good book! It held my attention the whole time, and the ending really surprised me. While I still think it would be enjoyable to reread, it definitely wouldn’t be the same as reading it for the first time.

10. “Bel Canto” by Ann Patchett

This was another one I read in the last couple years that I was surprised by how much I enjoyed it. There was just something so special and magical about it; I felt so immersed in the story. Books that make you feel that way are so special, and that experience can’t really be recreated (not with the same book anyway).

Have you read any of these books? What would your top ten be?

Let me know in the comments!