Top Ten Tuesday is a meme hosted by Jana over on that artsy reader girl, which features a different bookish theme every week. This week’s theme is Books I Wish I Could Read Again for the First Time.
Number 1
The Complete Works of William Shakespeare
William Shakespeare
Why? It was my grandfather who gave me my lifelong love of The Bard. Some of my earliest memories are of me sitting on Pa’s lap, listening to him read from his copy of The Complete Works of William Shakespeare. I understood less than half of what he read, but I found the words beautiful. I now own that very copy of The Complete Works but would give it up in a heartbeat to be back on my Pa’s lap listening to him read.
Goodreads link
Number 2
The White Bird of Kinship
Richard Cowper
Why? To feel the way these books made me feel again for the first time. They (especially the first one) spoke to my soul.
Goodreads link.
Number 3
Harry Potter series
J.K. Rowling
Why? To experience the wonder, the joys, the heartaches, the anticipation again for the first time, without the taint of controversy.
Goodreads link.
Number 4
The Thirteenth Tale
Diane Setterfield
Why? To experience the beauty of the writing again for the first time.
Goodreads link.
Number 5
The Taking
Dean Koontz
Why? Horror books are always at their best on the first read.
Goodreads link.
Number 6
A Time to Kill
John Grisham
Why? Just like horror books, courtroom dramas are always at their best on the first read. Some of the tension is lost on rereads, when the verdict is already known.
Goodreads link.
Number 7
Ash Road
Ivan Southall
Why? Just because.
Goodreads link.
Number 8
Letters of an Indian Judge to an English Gentlewoman
Dorothy Black (Anonymously)
Why? The feels.
Goodreads link.
Number 9
Nightfall
Isaac Asimov & Robert Silverberg
Why? As I said earlier, horror is always best on the first read.
Goodreads link.
Number 10
Pollyanna
Eleanor H. Porter
Why? Nostalgia, mostly.
Goodreads link.
And now, I’ll leave you with a little teaser from one of my current reads as part of Teaser Tuesday, hosted by The Purple Booker:
“You think I’m guilty,” said Leonard Vole, in a low voice. “But, by God, I swear I’m not! It looks pretty black against me, I know that. I’m like a man caught in a net — the meshes of it all round me, entangling me whichever way I turn. But I didn’t do it, Mr. Mayherne, I didn’t do it!”
— ‘The Witness for the Prosecution’ in The Hound of Death and Other Stories by Agatha Christie, p. 89
© Adele Walker October 2025
Last updated 14 October 2025
Adele Bound in Books 
Totally agree about legal thrillers being best when read for the first time!
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Great list. I agree that reading horror and courtroom dramas are best reading the first time around.
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Nice picks! Have a good week.
Here is my TTT.https://dmhoisington.wordpress.com/2025/10/14/top-ten-tuesday-5/
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Great choices! There are so many books I wish I could read again for the first time.
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Interesting picks! Apart from Shakespeare, I think most of these books were new to me. I definitely agree that some types of books are better the first time through.
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Great list! I’ve heard a lot of wonderful things about Diane Setterfield, but I haven’t read any of her books yet. I need to put her on my list. Have a fantastic Thursday!
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This is the only one of her books I’ve read so far and I loved it. The writing is beyond superb. It almost borders on poetry at times.
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Funny story, I’ve read The Thirteenth Tale but I don’t remember reading it at all, so I’m actually planning to reread and it will probably be like I was reading it for the first time. 😂
Haze
https://thebookhaze.com/
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I don’t usually read horror, but I agree that some books are best on the first time around! For my it’s mysteries… I usually don’t find the book as enjoyable once I know who did it.
Thanks for stopping by my TTT earlier!
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What a great selection of books! I’ve only ever read the first HP book 🙂 Here’s my TTT post – https://justreadjessie.blog/2025/10/14/top-ten-tuesday-books-i-wish-i-could-read-again-for-the-first-time/
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