As far as holidays go, Groundhog Day draws the short end of the stick. You don’t get time off, there are no gifts. In fact, there’s a 50/50 chance something not so great will happen — the infamous rodent Punxsutawney Phil will emerge from hibernation and see his shadow. It’s kind of a big deal.
It was certainly a big deal for actor Bill Murray, who starred in the 90s classic movie, Groundhog Day. In it, he is a curmudgeonly weatherman sent to Punxsutawney, PA to cover the annual Groundhog Day celebration — yes, that’s a real thing. But instead of getting the scoop on Phil’s prediction, he experiences his very worst day — over and over (and over) again.
Of course, we’d never wish that on anyone — but there are definitely books we’d love to experience again for the first time, or perhaps over and over (and over) again. Here, we’ve compiled a list of our staff favorites.
What books would make your list?
Meryl Moss (President/Founder): The Secret History by Donna Tartt. It still sticks with me to this day, what a cinematic mystery…
Jim Alkon (Editorial): A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving. Perhaps for sentimental reasons, my friends recently gave me for a “significant” birthday a gold-plated edition signed by the author. When I opened it and reread the first page — the first sentence of which has been referred to now and then as one of the best opening sentences ever — I said to myself, it’s time to read this book again.
Megan Beauregard (Editorial): “Fruiting Bodies” the titular short story from Fruiting Bodies by Kathryn Harlan. In “Fruiting Bodies,” Agnes and Geb live an isolated life in the woods where daily, they feast on mushrooms that sprout from Agnes’ body — until an unwanted male guest disturbs their peaceful home and learns of Agnes’ secret. After finishing the story, I remember sitting with it, stunned by what I had just read, wishing I could experience the beauty and the satisfaction of the final pages all over again.
Cameron Kimball (Editorial): Not only is it an incredible book, but Tamsyn Muir’s Harrow the Ninth also captures the psychological stress of what it’d be like to be stuck in a Groundhog Day time loop. This mind-bending Gothic sci-fi makes you work for the grand reveal but boy is it worth it.
Katie Bloomer (Editorial): I’d want to reread any of the first three books of Raven Kennedy’s Plated Prisoner series. The series is a perfect slow-burn romantasy, and each book has a twist at the end that had me jumping out of my seat.
Monique Snyman (Social Media): Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë. While I’m not a romance reader by any means, this book just had everything that appealed to my teenage self’s heart at the time I first read it.
Barbara Wilkov (Sales): There are so many answers I could give, but, really, the first one that came to mind is Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë. I read this book in high school and I still remember how much I loved it. I was such a romantic and the love between Catherine and Heathcliff was epic. It was a heartbreaking story, though, and kept me fully captivated. I’ve never forgotten how much I loved that book.
Kim Weiss (Publicity): I reread The Hummingbird’s Daughter by Luis Alberto Urrea just recently to freshen up for my book club. I chose to listen to Urrea narrate his audiobook for one of the best storytelling experiences of all time. I rarely re-read books!
Kendall Farris (Publicity): The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern was my all-time favorite book as I was discovering the fantasy genre. It was my introduction to magical realism and the first time I’d ever read such an atmospheric book with so many perspectives. Set in Victorian London, I would describe this book as the ultimate escapist fairytale about two star-crossed magicians fated to compete in a battle of skill. I begged everyone to borrow my hard copy just so I would have someone to share it with. I rediscovered it recently and it was bittersweet to see how worn it was moving from hand to hand. I’ll have to buy a new copy to lend out!
Deb Zipf (Publicity): I’d have to say that I’d like to reread The World According to Garp, a book that put John Irving at the top of my favorite writers list. It had everything I love in a novel and nothing I could have foreseen.
Natalie Garrison (Publicity): A book I wish I could read again for the first time is Clockwork Princess, the third book in the Infernal Devices trilogy by Cassandra Clare. I have not cried from reading a book since. The storyline was extremely immersive with a strong female protagonist and the love triangle was unmatched!
Cynthia Conrad (Marketing): Any book I’ve read that has a great twist ending. Once you know the twist, there’s no going back to experience that frission again! But narrowing it down for today, I’d have to go with The 7½ Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton — there’s a Groundhog Day-like plot device in the book as well as a twist.
Andrew Masi (Administration): My pick would be The Presidents Club: Inside the World’s Most Exclusive Fraternity by Michael Duffy and Nancy Gibbs. Reading this book gave me an incredible insight of the relationships between the men who once held the most powerful position in the world. Being a giant history and political buff, I really enjoyed learning more about the presidency itself and the men who sat in the Oval Office, leading the Free World and wrestling with the toughest of decisions. I learned more from this book than any other.
JeriAnn Geller (Publicity): I would definitely read The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay by Michael Chabon again for the first time. The book is practically a magic trick. Chabon weaves together American Jewish culture, escape artists, comic book creators, Antarctic exploration, German U-boats, the golem, unbreakable love, the Golden Age of Hollywood, and stunning twists and turns. Then he wraps it all up in a bow of flawless writing. It felt like a love letter to the culture I grew up with and I couldn’t get enough.
Dawn Ius (Editorial): I’m going with HeartSick by Chelsea Cain — I’ve read it so many times I could probably recite it. As a reader, I was transfixed to the drama unfolding on the page, the pulse pounding action, and raw terror at every twist and turn. As a writer, I connected with the emotion pulsating from the story, somehow making me root for a truly conniving villain, despite knowing how evil she was, how many lives she’d destroyed and the many hearts she’d broken.
Kelsey (Editorial): My pick is more for sentimental/nostalgic reasons. It’s 2012 in the year of our lord John Green and my best friend and I decided to buddy read his latest book The Fault in Our Stars. The chokehold this book had on both of us has yet to fade from our memories and we still talk about the gut wrenching emotions Hazel Grace’s story put our adolescent hearts through.
