Five most read fantasy books

What are the five most read & re-read fantasy or sci-fi books on your shelves?

I've had trouble whittling it down to just five, but here are my five most dog-eared books:

the chronicles of morgaine by c j cherryh
the curse of the mistwraith by janny wurts
catspaw by joan d vinge
dog wizard by barbara hambly
chronicles of the kencyrath by pc hodgell

Hmmm a hard choice indeed

May I post series? It would be hard for me to pick just a book, cos I tend to read all in the series from the beginning when I get the next one - In which case

The Belgariad by Eddings
The White Dragon by Anne McCaffrey
Chronicles of the Kencyrath by PC Hodgell
Daughter of Empire by Feist & Wurts
Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop

Hmm
The one's I've read the most are those that I've owned the longest, purely by chance association, combined with those in long series where I've re-read the entire series at the release of each new installment,

Lord of the rings
foreigner
Magician
Master of whitestorm
storm front

However I woudn't say they were the best 5, although they are all worthy contenders.

The Belgariad by David Eddings
The Mallorean by David Eddings
Magician by Raymond Feist
The Chronicles of Thomas Convenant by Stephen Donaldson
The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

There are more, but you asked for 5. :)

Series that I've read and re-read many times:

The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Belgariad by David Eddings
All of the Valdemar books by Mercedes Lackey
The Last Rune by Mark Anthony
The Sun Sword by Michelle West

There are others, of course, but these were the ones that easily came to mind...

Books I re-read repeatedly tend to be comfort reads. That's not to say they aren't good because they totally are, but there are probably better books out there; they just don't do the same for me in that sense of "goofy grin on face while I'm reading this."

Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman
Song of Ice and Fire, George RR Martin (I don't re-read the entire series, god no. But I re-read favourite scenes over and over again)
Sabriel & sequels, Garth Nix
The Fionavar Tapestry, Guy Gavriel Kay
The Fire's Stone, Tanya Huff

The Black Company by Glen Cook (changed my view of fantasy forever)
Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson (so far my favorite book in the series)
Men at Arms by Terry Pratchett (the book that introduced me to Sam Vimes)
American Gods by Neil Gaiman (an all time favorite)
Someplace to be Flying by Charles de Lint (I love the crow girls)

The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay
The Silmarillion by Tolkien, definitely my favorite among favorites
Dragonlance Chronicles by Weis & Hickman
Princess of the flames by Ru Emerson, it was my first fantasy book love, so it feels nostalgic
Sandman by Neil Gaiman, may I post comics too? :)

Well lets see...

Dragonriders of Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey (and by this I mean all the books in the series, I think there are 20 of them now and I have reread about 15 of them numerous times)

A Song of Ice and Fire by George Martin (yep, the whole series so far)

The Generals Daughter by Nelson Demille (I know this isn't fantasy, but it is an excellent book)

Harry Potter series by JK Rowling

Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

This is definitely a hard one, since I don't really keep track. (Only 5?)

Series I've had for decades and won't get rid of (even though I feel like I can quote sections):
Dragonriders of Pern by McCaffrey
Warlock in Spite of Himself and the rest of the series by Christopher Stasheff (borderline sci-fi)
The Belgariad by Eddings

Newer favorites:
The Liaden Universe series by Sharon Lee and Steve Miller (sci-fi)

Just one more:
Interior Life by Katherine Blake (aka Dorothy Heydt)

#3 & #6 - Yeah, I was thinking the same thing when I tried to narrow down the field - the most read books aren't necessarily the best books... They're just the ones you keep going back to.

It's hard to say the five books i love the most.

I love Traci Harding's
The Ancient Future (book 1 ancient future trilogy)
An Echo in Time (book 2 ancient future trilogy)
Masters of Reality (book 3 ancient future trilogy)
Chronicle of Ages (book 1 celestia triad)
Tablet of Destinies (book 2 Celestia Triad)

Very possibly The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, Spindle's End, Deerskin, and Sunshine, all by Robin McKinley.

But to actually consider how long I've had the and how many times I've read them - I didn't start keeping track until the last few years, but I've been reading fantasy and SF novels for around 15 years, since middle school - hmmm...I'd guess these:

The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
High Wizardry by Diane Duane
Dealing with Dragons by Patricia C. Wrede
The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner
Charmed Life by Diana Wynne Jones

There are certainly others that might fit there - the other Enchanted Forest books, for instance, and The Lives of Christopher Chant, but those are the books that I remember having the longest and liking the best, which means I would have reread them dozens of times when I was younger and I still reread them today.

It changes over the years. Sometimes it is some of Diana Wynne Jones later books, sometimes it is books from Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, sometimes some of Charles de Lints urban fantasy.

Most recently - that is, the last year or two - my most reread books are:

Fall of Ile-Rien trilogy (consisting of The Wizard Hunters, The Ships of Air, The Gate of Gods) by Martha Wells
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
A Fistful of Sky by Nina Kiriki Hoffman
A Brother's Price by Wen Spencer
Tinker by Wen Spencer

Swordspoint
Curse of the Mistwraith
Chronicles of Amber
Tales of the Flat Earth
Wraeththu

I would include the Blue Sword and The Hero and the Crown, but I don't currently own either of them. I've read both several times.

Five only? That's tough, but I'd have to say:

1. Lord of the Rings
2. The Elric Saga
3. Prydain Chronicles
4. Mists of Avalon
5. Dragonlance: Chronicles

Actually, that's about ten books if all of the parts are counted...oops. That's kind of cheating, isn't it?

1. Wheel of Time
2. Harry Potter
3. Bartimaeus Trilogy

I havent reread any others but favourites and soon to be reread are

ASOIAF
Malazan
Dark Tower

When I was in high school I read and re-read a bunch of times the Xanth books by Piers Anthony (the ones out to that point) and the Spellsinger books by Alan Dean Foster.

More recently, in the last 6 years or so my only re-reads have been the Harry Potter books, Shattered Mirror by Amelia Atwater-Rhodes and Twilight.

Since joining LT I haven't done much re-reading at all with the exception of Dark Prince by Christine Feehan, the first two of Marianne Curley's Guardians of Time books and most recently the Nightrunner books by Lynn Flewelling. I re-read Luck in the Shadows and Stalking Darkness twice in a row each, not something I usually do.

BTW-has anyone else noticed that the more popular an author is, the less chance their touchstone will work?

Mists of Avalon - Marion Zimmer Bradley
Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
All Guy Gavriel Kay - but if I had to choose one, the Lions of Al-Rassan
Memory and Dream - Charles de Lint
Weaveworld - Clive Barker

Great post. So many new authors to try!

Most often read, huh. A tricky question! And yes, I'm going to do series too.

1. Silverthorn - 3rd in the Riftwar - and easily one of my favorite books as well. The only fantasy I am sure to reread on a yearly basis - although there are others. The other 3 books of the original quartet are read almost as frequently.
2. Old Kingdom Trilogy - I've purchased Sabriel 3 times now (twice in paperback, once in the box set) and it never disappoints.
3. The Mirror of Her Dreams/A Man Rides Through - Mordant's Need is the only pair of books I've read by Stephen R. Donaldson, but they are one of my favorites.
4. The Lord of the Rings - I came to the books later than some, but I've read them several times since. My favorite 'book' is probably Book 5 (first half of The Return of the King, although I've a soft spot for that delightful scene at the end of The Two Towers when Sam is observing Gollum and Frodo.
5. A Quest Lover's Treasury of the Fantastic - a most excellent volume of short stories from the top names in fiction chosen by Margaret Weis. By far and away the newest addition to this list, but one I've enjoyed a bit. This year I picked up the A Magic Lover's Treasury of the Fantastic, which is just about as good.

The Once and Future King doesn't count for Fantasy in my mind, but it's often considered part of the same genre (and where you'll find it in bookstores). It's a fantastic book, and one which I've read many times over (probably up at #2 on this list)

Like many people, I reread series all in one go, so most of mine fall into that category:

1. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, 26+ times. These were the first fantasy I ever read. I used to go through them over and over and over and over and over again.
2. The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander, 10 times. They were my favourite books for a long time, so I reread the whole series every year.
3. The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice, 7 times for the first five. They replaced Prydain, so I read them every year for quite a while. I'm on a bit of a break now, as I want to give myself some time to forget details.
4. The Sandman by Neil Gaiman, 7 times for the first few.
5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien, 7 times. I'm not really sure why, as it's not even close to being one of my favourite books.

The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle
The Unlikely Ones by Mary Brown
The Innkeeper's Song by Peter S. Beagle

1. LoTR
2. Sandman/Neverwhere
3. Deep Wizardry (diane duane)
4. Finder/Emma Bull
5. The Alphabet of Thorn (Patricia McKillip)
(sticking w/ fantasy here)
((this message may vary w/ mood/day/year))

1. Into the Land of the Unicorns (Bruce Coville)

2. Witch Child (Celia Rees)

3. the first 3 of the Harry Potter series (they should actually be number one; they were my escape from the ages 9 to 13-14) (J.K. Rowling)

4. The Song of the Lioness series (Tamora Pierce)

5. The Secret of Platform 13 (Eva Ibborson)

Pretty sure that's my top 5...I may be a little off...but I think it's pretty acurate.

Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
Beauty by Robin McKinley
Earthsea Quartet by Ursula Le Guin
Riddlemaster's Game by Patricia McKillip
Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones

At least that's my answer today.

Pullman's Dark Materials (Golden Compass)
Tolkien's Hobbit/Rings
Donaldson's Covenant (all three)
Fiest's Magician
Moorcock's Eternal Champion (Multiverse)

Small Gods by Terry Pratchett

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

Belgarath the Sorcerer by David Eddings

Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks

The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian by Robert E. Howard

I've read the The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien about a dozen times, and I consistently return to the Conan stories by Robert E. Howard. I also love the Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A. Salvatore. I don't get to play Dungeons and Dragons nearly as much as I'd like, and I tend to pick up a late-80s, early-90s Dungeons and Dragons novel when I can't get anyone to play.

I'm with bluerose, I tend to re-read various series rather than a particular book.

Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey
Daughter of Empire by Feist & Wurts
Darkover Series by Marion Zimmer Bradley
Witch World series by Andre Norton
Seventh Sword series by Dave Duncan

Drizzt books by R. A. Salvatore
Coldfire Trilogy by C. S. Friedman
Harry Potter Series by J. K. Rowling
Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander

...And I can't think of a fifth that's fantasy, though there's bunches in other fiction genres.

The list only really includes books I read as a kid (well, not so much the later Potter books), because when I was a kid I could never afford new books, so I'd just reread the books I already owned. Now that I'm an adult, I buy new books so fast I can't keep up, so I don't have the time to go back and reread anything.

For science fiction - it's easier to pick authors than single books...
I regularly reread:
1. Most of William Gibson
2. most Melissa Scott
3. Snowcrash
4. Kage Baker
5. Ted Chiang (only one book..sigh)

Interesting topic, and interesting choices!

At my age, I don't reread many books (not enough time left for all the new ones I want to read), but over the years, I've reread a few once or twice:

Lord of the Rings Trilogy (about 20 times)
Dragonriders of Pern
Interview with a Vampire
The Merlin Trilogy by Mary Stewart
Beauty by Sheri Tepper

Some recent fantasies I intend to reread at least once more are Tigana and The Lions of al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay.

Anne Rice-Interview with a Vampire
Stephen King-Dark Tower Series (Vols 1-4)

Sorry I couldn't come up with five. I keep finding new things to read. I guess I should go back and visit some old friends.

Ah, my five most-read fantasy books...

Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop
Wraeththu by Storm Constantine
Kushiel's Dart by Jacqueline Carey - though I love the entire series.
Little, Big by John Crowley
The Witching Hour by Anne Rice

Hard to winnow them down!

1st, Lord of the Rings, first read in 1967 and reread about every 5 years since, taking the top award.

P. C. Hodgell Chronicles of the Kencyrath--I must have read Godstalk a dozen times over the years.

Robin McKinley everything but Deerskin, many, many times.

Nina Kiriki Hoffman also everything!

Susan Dexter The Ring of Allaire and the rest of the trilogy and then the related books

Patricia Wrede The Enchanted Forest Chronicles and the Alta books (especially Raven Ring, and the regencies with Stevermer

No, no, no, I can't have used up my 5 yet! I haven't even mentioned Terry Pratchett or Diana Wynne Jones or Diane Duane The Door Into Fire and sequels. Or the guilty pleasure of reading the Belgariad books (the 10 plus the two retells) by David Eddings--I haven't been able to read anything he's written since, but I love that series. And I second The Prydain Chronicles by Lloyd Alexander mentioned above.

So we have to make it the top 10. I'm betting I've had a lot longer to reread things than many of you, anyway!

Rhonda

And I can't believe I forgot The Face in the Frost by John Bellairs. I have to re-read it every few years, preferably during daylight or with someone else in the house.

Harry Potter series
Enchanted Forest Chronicles
I think I've read Mossflower more than any other book ever, but not for a while now.
Peter Pan (but only in the past year or two)
Tatterhood and other tales/The Maid of the North (they're a pair, and so they TOTALLY count as one book.)

The Lord of the Rings - every two or three years I have to get back to my roots.
Robin McKinley's Beauty (her first take on 'Beauty and the Beast') and her Damarian books; those are all comfort reads for me.
The Thief and sequels - Eugenides is one of my favorite fictional characters; he just keeps getting more and more complex and fascinating.
The Moon in the Cloud - another comfort read; I especially love the characters of Reuben and Cefalu.
Howl's Moving Castle - I enjoy many of Jones's books, including Dogsbody, but this is my favorite to reread. Howl is such a hoot!

For pure "would read it again in a moment" books:

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
Stormbringer by Michael Moorcock
The Silmarillion by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake

Interesting question, this made me wax nostalgic a little bit. I don't reread as much as I used to:

1. Lord of the Rings. I mean seriously, I must have read this 20 times before I reached 18.
2. Chronicles of Amber. Every so often, I pick up the first book because I just love the first few chapters where Corwin wakes up with no memory. The next thing I know, I'm off and running through the series again.
3. Well of Souls. You said sci-fi as well as fantasy after all. Another protagonist who has no idea who he is at first. Hmmm...it seems I like books like that.
4. Bloodchild. Quick read and also includes a bunch of really great short stories by Octavia E. Butler. I reread this constantly.
5. Dragondoom by Dennis L. McKiernan

1. Seventh Sword series by Dave Duncan

2. Witch World series by Andre Norton

3. Daughter of Empire series by Feist & Wurts

4. Pern series by Anne McCaffrey

5. High Wizardry by Diane Duane

Loads more run pretty close.

The Wood Beyond The World and The Well At The End Of The World by William Morris. I am rereading these. The preface notes that these are the books that inspired Tolkien. Endlessly fascinating and so real it feels like history. Also anything by H.P. Lovecraft. He is in a class by himself for his belief in the existence of pure evil. Take that on a cold and windy night.

Most read hmmm....

1) Harry Potter - J K Rowling
2) Black Magician Trilogy - Trudi Canavan
3) Old Kingdom trilogy - Garth Nix
4) Age of the Five - also by Trudi Canavan
Now this last one is really hard for me to think of... there's several it could be
hmmm....
5)His Dark Materials - Philip Pullman

Couple of the authors touchstones aren't working - sorry about that *shrugs*

The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien
The Attolia series by Megan Whalen Turner (The Thief, The Queen of Attolia, The King of Attolia)
The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis. I had sections of these memorized.
The Hero and the Crown and The Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
The Tombs of Atuan by Ursula K. Le Guin

Beauty Robin McKinley
The Last Unicorn Peter S. Beagle
Prisoner of Azkaban JK Rowling
The Tricksters Margaret Mahy
The Newford Stories Charles Delint

there are tons of other books i've re-read to death, but i think those are the top fantasy books

Limiting myself to just fantasy...books that I reread frequently, some annually, often comfort books:

Kencyrath series by P.C. Hodgell
Mercedes Thompson books by Patricia Briggs--I just became acquainted with these recently and keep picking them up again
the Darwath trilogy and beyond by Barbara Hambly
the True Game and End of the Game trilogies by Sherri S. Tepper I'd probably read the Mavin Many-shaped trilogy, which begins the set of 9, if I could find them...too bad I wasn't paying attention in the 80s
the trilogy by Laurie J. Marks--Delan the Mislaid, The Moonbane Mage, and Ara's Field

I could go on, but it did say 5.

Actually, justchris, the Mavin Many-Shaped trilogy is the middle of the set of 9. King's Blood Four was the first book of the 9. I picked them all up at the time. By the bye, I am a huge fan of the Kencyrath series as well.

What can I say -

I always find my way back to these ones

Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
The Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart
The Master of Whitestorm by Janny Wurts
Grass by Sheri S. Tepper
The Walrus and the Warwolf by Hugh Cook

Cheers

Some of my favourites are:

Cheysuli series by Jennifer Roberson
Harry Potter Box set by J.K. Rowling
Mists of Avalon} by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

Another book I absolutely love but strictly speaking is not Fantasy is The Eight by Katherine Neville

At the moment I'm starting Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson

Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay
The China Garden by Liz Berry
Summers at Castle Auburn by Sharon Shinn
Fire and Hemlock by Diana Wynne Jones
To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis

Lord of the Rings - Tolkien
Enchanted Forest Chronicles - Wrede
Blue Sword - McKinley
Harry Potter - Rowling
Lioness Quartet - Pierce

Wow, choosing just 5 books is hard. lol I chose 2 series, 2 stand alones and one favorite character

The Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop
Blue Sword by Robin McKinley
The Hero and the Crown by Robin McKinley
The Belgariad by David Eddings
the Drizzt books by RA Salvatore

The book I've read most in my entire life is, hands down, Dragonsong by Anne McCaffrey. It got me through adolescence and I still reread it occasionally.

Next, probably Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley.

Then probably The Wizard of Earthsea, the whole Earthsea series, well, just about anything by Ursula K. Le Guin.

Firelord by Parke Godwin (I think it's a shame this book isn't more well-known; I just love it).

And the Harry Potter books, because I'd re-read every time a new one came out.

I feel remiss in not mentioning Guy Gavriel Kay, Robin McKinley, Patricia McKillip, and Octavia Butler, because they've written books I do or will surely will re-read - but they're not the "most reread."

The book/series i've reread the most is definitely Harry Potter, I reread them every year until the last one was published, knowing the whole plot kind of ruins the whole rereading-thing I think so i'm going to let it rest for a couple of years. The other ones I've reread the most:

* The Farseer Trilogy - Robin Hobb

* Tyrants and Kings - John Marco

* A Song of Ice and Fire - George Martin

* Memory, Sorrow & Thorn - Tad Williams

I've reread most of these because I read them the first time in Dutch but I take more pleasure in reading them in the language they were written in... English!

Interesting question. Particularly interesting for me is to see what has changed over the years. For example, I read Dune numerous times when I was much younger, but it's not something I think I would pick up again now. Same for the Narnia books and Fred Pohl's Gateway series.

Ones I've re-read recently that seemed to be holding up quite well:

Madeleine L'Engle's Time Trilogy, especially the fourth book, Many Waters
Gene Wolfe's Castleview, as well as all twelve volumes of his "solar cycle"
John Kessel's Good News from Outer Space Walter M. Miller, Jr.'s A Canticle for Leibowitz: a favorite since high school
Patricia McKillip's Fools Run, which as far as I know is her only science fiction novel. Also her Riddlemaster trilogy.

(1 for 5 on author touchstones. They haven't been doing too well lately.)

As others have said, five is way too short a list; I also re-read LOTR, Guy Kay, LeGuin, and others. I don't re-read quite as much as I used to, because y'all keep giving me ideas for new things to try.

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
The Lies of Locke Lamora (yeah, new or not, pushing 6 readings already)
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (Even though the author's a douche)
Dark Elf Trilogy by R.A Salvatore (I still think it's a single book, I don't care how it was published initially)
Dragonsinger by Anne McCaffrey (whole series of course, but that book substantially more than the rest)

I don't reread much of anything if I can help it, especially lately. I'm constantly searching for the new and exciting that I've yet to read. In the past month, this policy has led me to discover Susanna Clarke, Charles Stross, and Daniel Quinn. Can't say I'm unhappy!

1) any of the Pern books, especially the early ones
2) Mist of Avalon
3) Harry Potter (there's 7!)
4) Eragon
50 Incarnations of Immortality

In no particular order:

1) The Dark Is Rising by Susan Cooper (I really reread all the others in the sequence as well, except for Over Sea, Under Stone.)
2) The Amber Spyglass by Philip Pullman (Again, the whole series, but mostly The Amber Spyglass.)
3) Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling (The whole series. I've probably read each book a thousand times.)
4) Sunshine by Robin McKinley
5) The Farthest Shore by Ursula K. Le Guin (Plus the other two books in the trilogy, but I guess my five book limit is up...)

The only ones I've actually reread to this point are the Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit.

Interior Life by Katherine Blake
Godstalk by P.C. Hodgell
Sunshine by Robin McKinley
Oathbound by Mercedes Lackey
Goddess of the Rose by P.C. Cast

hi do you like eragon

hi i like Eragon and i think it is cool and I also like Harrry potter i listen to it on CD

dose anyone know good 5ht grade fantasy books like the spider wick chronicles or eragon?

#64 - indoboy - try any of these:

The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz

The Chronicles of Narnia by C. S. Lewis

any title you can find by Alan Garner

any title you can find by Andre Norton

indoboy, I also like pretty much everything by Diana Wynne Jones. You might also enjoy The Earthsea books (A Wizard of Earthsea, The Tombs of Atuan, etc.) by Ursula K. LeGuin.

#65> Andre Norton! I remember reading all of her books I could get my hands on in junior high. And I'm reading The Witches of Karres right now, and loving it.

#'s 62-64

I like Eragon, both the book and the movie.

I have also read Eldest and have Brisingr on order and due here in a couple of weeks.

This is such a great question. I'm going to cheat and list authors too because I'm also one of those people who gets started re-reading and wants to read EVERYTHING.

1. Diana Wynne Jones - Archer's Goon, Howl's Moving Castle or the Dalemark Quartet are probably my most re-read
2. Robin McKinley- The Blue Sword, although I also love Hero and the Crown and now Sunshine
3. Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grill by Steven Brust-I reread it countless times in high school, although less nowadays
4. Dragon's Heirs Trilogy by Courtway Jones-I only recently got A Prince in Camelot but Shadow of the Oak King and Witch of the North are falling apart
5. The Mercy Thompson Series by Patricia Briggs-wins for most reread in the last year, I'm on a big vampire books kick (urban fantasy, paranormal romance, whatever you want to call it)

and at
#36>John Bellairs! Definitely most read and reread when I was under 12, I go through his books once every other year or so now.

1) The Lord of the Rings, but nowadays I tend to skip some episodes and go for the interesting ones.
2) The Sandman
3) Discworld: City Watch -books
4) Discworld: Death -books

So difficult to choose only five...

1. Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
2. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman
3. Miles Vorkosiganseries by Lois McMaster Bujold
4. Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
5. The Sandman series by Neil Gaiman

Maybe at some point there should be a "your next 5" thread.

Erm well my most re-read books are probably all of my Tamora Pierce books
1) The Protector of the Small quartet is my most read series by Pierce and is looking a teensy bit battered
2) Trickster's Queen is my favourite book period. Although it has a horrible crack down its spine and i fear for the binding in the near future... i smell a re-buy!! (does anyone else do that? buy another copy of a beloved book when it falls apart)
3) The Chronicles of Narnia are probably another series that's been re-read several times - with the exception of The Silver Chair cos i don't like one at all.
4) Harry Potter series obviously has been read through a few times. I'm thinking about having a serious re-read marathon this summer and this will be up for consumption.
5)although i haven't read them properly for a couple of months now my Twilight books have been read through several times each with the first being the favourite of the four.

My most read re-reads are probably:

- The Forgotten Beasts of Eld - Patricia McKillip
- Lyonesse - Jack Vance
- Dragonflight - Anne McCaffrey
- The Belgariad - David Eddings
- Chronicles of the Deryni - Katherine Kurtz

The McKillip and Vance books are ones I go back to regularly. Love the lyrical-ness of the story and language in both of them. The other three are comfort food that I go back to when I want something comfortable and familiar.

My most reread are probably:

- Lioness Rampant by Tamora Pierce
- Monstrous Regiment by Terry Pratchett
- Lirael by Garth Nix
- The Chronicles of Chrestomanci: Volume 1 by Diana Wynne Jones - either this one or Fire and Hemlock
- Taggerung by Brian Jacques

These are all books from my elementary and middle school years - back when I still reread stuff more often. The only one that I don't think has stood up to time's test is Taggerung, although I haven't touched it in awhile so I can't be sure. Other close contenders for these spots were either the first or fifth Harry Potter book, The Fellowship of the Ring, The Wee Free Men by Terry Pratchett, a couple other Tamora Pierce books, and The Outlaws of Sherwood by Robin McKinley. I think these 5 definitely have the most reads, though.

This is probably my most re-read fantasy books list:

Magician by Feist and the rest of the Riftwar series
Myth series by Asprin
Dragonlance by Weis & Hickman
Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan
Sword of Truth by Goodkind

I will tend to read an ongoing series from the beginning when a new book comes out so as to remind myself exactly where we're at.

Comfort books! :-)

Harry Potter series by J.K. Rowling
Nightrunner series by Lynn Flewelling
Valdemar series by Mercedes Lackey
Tillerman books by Cynthia Voigt
Bob Evers series by Willy van der Heide

Other favorites are Women of the Otherworld by Kelley Armstrong, Pern books by Anne McCaffrey and David Eddings' Belgariad.

Most are ya/children's books, because they had more time to get re-read. :-)

The Redwall Series by Brian Jacques even though I don't have all of them yet I have most of them and read them a lot.
The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan I need the last two books and then I have them all!
Almost anything by Anne or Todd McCaffrey but mostly Dragonriders of Pern.
The Noble Dead Saga by Barb and J.C Hendee
Anything by Tamora Pierce.

I'll try and avoid most reread as a child, because there are books I probably haven't read in eight-ten years that I read dozens of times when I was young (The Witch Family, The Forgotten Door, Ella Enchanted, etc.). Nowadays, probably:

1. The Princess Bride by William Goldman
2. The Young Wizard books by Diane Duane
3. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
4. A Wrinkle in Time (and sequels) by Madeleine L'Engle
5. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis

1. Lord of the Rings
2. Harry Potter
3. Watership Down
4. The Hobbit
5. Prydain Chronicles

I have never read any book more than once to myself, but I did read each of these a second time to my children so I suppose that counts.

Those of you who listed Curse of the Mistwraith must be pleased to hear the entire series is being re-released and that she is working on the final novels in that series.

The Birthgrave by Tanith Lee
Gormenghast by Mervyn Peake
The Nightmare Factory by Thomas Ligotti
Lord of the Rings by J.R.R Tolkien
A Wizard of Earthsea by Ursula le Guin

The ones I've read the most are:

1. Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling
2. His Dark Materials by Phillip Pullman
3. The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien
4. The Bartimaeus Trilogy by Jonathan Stroud
5. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

I love re-reading and do it quite often - recently I've been re-reading more than reading new books. Most of these on my list are series. I read each book about the same number of times even if I like a few better than others. I've read all of these far too many times to count. I never read the Harry Potter books in order, but the others I do.

My favorites, as of now, that I reread alot are:

1. Sun Sword series, by Michelle West
2. The Thief series, by Megan Whalen Tuner
3. Inda series, Sherwood Smith
4. Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling
5. Young Miles series, by Lois McMaster Bujold