A book calls to you on a shelf, and unable to turn from the siren song, you pick it up. Four books and two days later, you blink and realize you have to stumble your way back into the “real” world, which is disappointingly devoid of magic, and they get mad when you stab people, for some reason. It’s perfectly normal … ish. We’ve all been there.

Yet, I seem to have this really disturbing habit of finishing a series and then leaving it abandoned, weeping in a forgotten corner of my bookshelf. I know, I’m a horrible person. What’s even worse is that some of these books are my favorites, and yet I’ve abandoned them. I mean, I still have no intention of re-reading them (hence the title), but at least this way, they get the credit they deserve. So here are some series that I loved that I will never re-read.

Top Ten Tuesdays are hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week’s prompt was books I loved but will never re-read.

Harry Potter

If you have to make a list, might as well start it with a bang, right? When it first came out, Harry Potter was something special for me, something I could share with my mother and my aunt. I was a little younger than Harry, so it gave me magic and a never-ending hope that in just a few years, my owl would come, too. I’m still waiting, but you know what? If it’s got my sense of direction, I understand why it’s taken so long. It’s okay. I can be patient. Back in those days, I was all cute and sweet and naive enough to think I could ever belong in a house like Ravenclaw (unfortunately, they don’t let you, like, experiment on other students or use dark magic, so I have since understood the error of my ways).

So why won’t I read it again? Well, first of all, I probably know more about the fandom that it’s healthy to know (and what I don’t know, I’ve just made headcanon for, which is probably even more dangerous). But second, it’s lost that magic from my childhood. Now, it feels like a mix of a lame protagonist, questionable circumstances, pathetic “adult” figures, and gaping plot holes. But I don’t want to lose the magic, okay? So I pretend those things don’t exist, and if I don’t re-read it, I’m not reminded of it.

Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy

I mean, what can I say here? It’s fantastic in so many ways. Actually, between this and Terry Pratchett, my love for comedy books was born, matured, and eventually peed itself laughing. I devoured this series on the first read, but I feel like something is lost in the second read. Part of the greatness was the randomness and not knowing what to expect, and that’s something you don’t get to experience twice. Still, it has a special place on my bookshelf. I hope that one day, when my daughter is pestering me and I need some quiet time, I can take a page from my grandmother’s book and throw it at her. Gently, of course. This many words hurt.

The Reckoners

This was actually my first introduction to Brandon Sanderson, and it’s over the course of this series that I absolutely fell in love with his work. I read them as they came out, and I was hooked and couldn’t wait for the next ones. But will I read them again? Probably not. I wasn’t thrilled with the way the series ended, and I feel like there’s not a whole lot I’ll get from a second read. I’m not writing this one down as a never because I might change my mind. Who knows? But for now, I don’t see it happening.

Chronicles of Narnia

I read this a long time ago. I barely remember it. I mean, I liked it at the time, but I tried to re-read it not long ago and … it didn’t go well. It was rough. Somewhere along the way, I suppose my reading tastes have changed, but I still remember this series fondly.  Including the movies, which were less impressive to me, but isn’t that often the case?

Encyclopedia Brown

Ah, so many good memories! This was by far my favorite series growing up, and technically I probably re-read them at least five times already (or at least the ones I owned), so I’m not sure if this counts. But I’m going to count it because I’m never going to read it again. Okay, I probably will, when I velcro my child to a chair and force her to relive my childhood with me, because that’s totally the point of being a parent, right? RIGHT?!

The Wicked Years

I thought this was the greatest series ever in my teen years when I started reading it. Wicked was everything The Wizard of Oz never was (that movie still creeps me out). I couldn’t wait for Son of a Witch to come out … and then I forgot about them. Which was probably for the best, because I actually ended up not liking the last two books as much. Which is probably why I’ll never read the series again.

Goosebumps/Shivers

I know these are different series by different authors, but they inhabit the same space in my own personal time/space continuum, and so they get lumped together. Besides, the reason I won’t re-read them is the same. As I’ve unfortunately aged, my worldview has skewed, and suddenly, the things that drew me to this (namely, the scariness and creep factor) have disappeared. I mean, a scarecrow walking at midnight no longer has that same je ne sais quoi to keep me up at night. In fact, I almost prefer it. I’ll put that sucker to work, like everybody else around here. I don’t care if you’re made of straw, Steve, you need to pull your own weight!

What are some series that you loved the first time you read them but never plan to re-read them? Why won’t you re-read them?