2025 Reading Theme: Nostalgia
Do these old faves hold up?
The Theme
This year’s reading theme is Nostalgia Reads. M and I both needed a breather after all that nonfiction neither of us really enjoyed. What better way to get back to the fiction we love than rereading some old faves we haven’t touched in years?
Do the books we loved as kids and teens still hold up?
The Rules
First, all the books need to be old: read in highschool or earlier. I’m going to break this rule once for a book I read right after college. It sort of works because I must know how it holds up. So it’s on the list.
Second, we can’t have reread the book recently. We decided “recently” means “within the last 5 years.” So that immediately disqualifies the His Dark Materials and Circle of Magic series for me, because I reread those regularly. I already know those hold up, so they don’t count. I read my rule-breaking book over 10 years ago, so again it sort of works.
And finally, we are allowed to DNF (did not finish) any book. The point of this theme is to see what holds up. If it’s bad enough we want to DNF it, that book obviously doesn’t hold up.
The List
Here is my list, in roughly the order I read them:
Redwall by Brian Jacques - 1999
Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone by J.K. Rowling - 1999
Elfquest: Siege at Blue Mountain by Wendy and Richard Pini - 2001
Castaways of the Flying Dutchman by Brian Jacques - 2002
The Lost Years (of Merlin) by T.A. Barron - 2003
The Seer and the Sword by Victoria Hanley - 2003
Ella Enchanted by Gail Carson Levine - 2004
Treasure at the Heart of the Tanglewood by Meredith Ann Pierce - 2004
The Alchemyst by Michael Scott - 2012*
*Here’s my rule-breaker. I remember love-hating the series and I just have to know what its deal is!
That’s 9 books to get through this year, most of which should be short and/or easy reading. Hopefully that means I’ll have time for at least one recommendation from M’s list. And maybe a few wildcards.
What books did you love when you were younger? Do you dare reread them now? Or is it better not to risk ruining fond memories?