What book have you (re)read with the most frequency?
(If you haven't ever given any book multiple readings, feel free to name the book you're most likely to read again. Parents and other carers of small children, please feel free to exclude favorite books you've read a zillion times at bedtime. This is more a question about books you've read singularly for your own pleasure.)
I have an acquaintance who re-reads The Lord of the Rings trilogy once every year. That's dedication!
I don't read anything that often, but I have re-read many books, despite my endless list of books I still want to read, which I will never conquer unless I live to be a hundred million years old. (Super senior discount!)
I'm pretty sure the book I've read the greatest number of times is Beautiful Joe, a children's novel narrated by an abused dog who finds a home with a caring family. It's no exaggeration to say that Beautiful Joe was a significant influence on my life; I owe a great deal of my capacity for empathy and my ability to survive to Joe's tale.
It was based on a true story and written by Marshall Saunders—actually Margaret Marshall Saunders, who entered (and won) a literary contest sponsored by the American Humane and Educational Society under her middle name because female authors weren't getting published—and was first published in 1893. My tattered copy of the book was passed down to me through three generations.
My first memory of really loving a book is loving Beautiful Joe.
You can read it here, if you are so inclined.
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