Re-readability in Le Guin: which books do you reread more often than others and why?
One aspect I think we all share in Le Guin’s books is the rereading value. Many of her works just seem so endlessly rewarding that they are begging to come back to. None more so in my opinion than Paradises Lost with its myriad of references and nuances. But also Five Ways to Forgiveness, later Earthsea books, parts of the Annals, etc. By the rereading/rewarding value I don’t mean they are the best or the most profound by the depth of ideas or by the quality of prose. Lavinia and Always Coming Home stand out in that respect. Complete Poetry too, as a collection. Some of the books or passages I reread can be quite dark and sad, but I’m still entering them because I know I’ll be exiting richer than before, like with Tehanu, although it can feel a bit overwrought. Some books, for me, have exhausted themselves on the first reading, The Eye of the Heron and The Beginning Place, for instance. The latter I consider a first-rate novel though. Also, The Dispossessed exhausted itself for me on third, chronological reading. It’s like the re-readability increases when the world-building gets more exciting for the writer than expressing an idea. Or what do you think?