Booking Through Thursday (7) - Repeats

Booking Through Thursday is a weekly meme (mostly) about books and reading,

The BTT question of the week is:

What’s the first book that you ever read more than once? (I’m assuming there’s at least one.)

What book have you read the most times? And–how many?

---

First of all, this is my first BTT post in over a month. I swear I cannot keep up with time since it seems to be trying to catch up with some deadline... *silence* No doomsayers allowed here, please. I just wanted to express my apparent exasperation with the speed of time.

Anyway, as to my answer to the BTT question of the week... I'll reply with a question first: Are picture books included because I still occasionally read my baby books despite being a 21-year-old. Hey! I love looking at those colorful drawings.

---

The first book that I've read more than once, that's not a picture book, was The Secret Garden by Frances Hudgson Burnett. It was my very first "grown-up" book since at that time I refused to read anything that did not have a colorful illustration on every page. I think I was around eight or nine at that time. My mother and I were at the bookstore and she insisted that I try and read it. Since I could not win on the matter, I begrudgingly agreed and she bought it for me. As soon as I got home, I threw in a remote corner of my room and absolutely refused to touch it since "It has no pictures! It's boring and it's thick!" Yes, to me that book was intimidating.

I can't remember how I eventually overcame my stubbornness and read the damn book but that book started my love for thick books (and my mother's exasperation at my lack of studying for school since I would be reading non-school-related books). I've reread it so many times in that year alone that I could practically be in Mary Lennox' secret garden and helped her to make it come alive again.

Unfortunately, this beloved book is lost. Someone borrowed it from me, I can't remember who, and he/she did not return the book to me since - Heck! I can't even remember when it was.

---

And the book I've read most times?

I don't know which book in the Harry Potter series or in the Lord of the Rings trilogy but it's in there somewhere.

Why?

Dude, --> Harry Potter and Lord of the Rings. Nuff said.