Americans say nostalgia drives them to reread favorite books

The average reader has read their favorite book six times — and anticipates they’ll read it another seven times during their lifetime, according to new research.

The survey of 2,000 American readers, evenly split by generation, unpacked the science of book nostalgia and uncovered trends and habits relating to “nostalgic reading” — the practice of reading a book to evoke a particular sense of coziness and sentimentality.

According to the findings, the top reasons that people reread their favorite titles are to reimmerse themselves in the book’s unique setting (36%) and to visit with their favorite characters again (35%). More than a quarter (27%) also do so to evoke a particular sense of familiarity and nostalgia.

Conducted by Talker Research on behalf of ThriftBooks, the survey found that readers actually opt to read a title they’ve already read almost half the time (48%) when choosing their next book.

More than seven in 10 (71%) also said they do nostalgic reading to purposely feel wistful, familiar and sentimental, which comes as no surprise since most readers (82%) labeled themselves as nostalgic people in general.

But interestingly, Gen Z is the most likely out of all generations to do nostalgic reading (84%) and to confess to having nostalgic personalities (87%).

Zita Chriszto, a licensed clinical psychologist, weighed in on the research and shined a light on why people gravitate toward the nostalgic, especially Gen Z, saying, "Reading nostalgically is an emotional coping strategy. It provides psychological safety by bringing readers back into a known emotional space with known characters, known outcomes and memories of earlier times in their lives.”

“Nostalgia typically arises during times of stress, transition or instability and is more prevalent than ever. While Gen Z is young, they have been raised in a time characterized, at an astonishing pace, by change, digital clutter and global apprehension. Nostalgia for them is less about the past and more about regaining a sense of simplicity, safety and emotional connection in an increasingly fragmented world."

More than four in 10 respondents (45%) said they struggle to keep up with how quickly the world is evolving, with Gen Z being more likely than older generations to feel this way (52%).

So to feel more secure in life, people said they turn to their favorite books (58%) and TV shows and movies (59%) to feel a bit more stable and familiar. Forty-five percent also like to cook to maintain a sense of peace and 39% exercise.

And 80% of respondents make it a habit to read at the end of a bad day to feel better and end the day on a good note.

“There’s nothing better than ending the day curled up with a good book, especially if it’s been a hard day,” said Barbara Hagen, vice president of marketing at ThriftBooks. “In this study, we found that readers are gravitating toward old favorite titles, and we wanted to see what those were, as well as the books that instilled their original love for reading.”

Looking at readers’ all-time favorite books, there were differences between generations, as well as a few titles that were common among age groups.

The Harry Potter series was favorited by Gen Z, millennials and Gen X, and “To Kill a Mockingbird” was popular with millennials, Gen X and baby boomers. “Gone with the Wind” was also cited as a top book by Gen X and baby boomer readers.

Uncovering which titles sparked a love of literature in the first place, the survey also found similarities between age groups.

The Harry Potter series was once again mentioned by Gen Z, millennials and Gen X as their first book love. Millennials and Gen X also said “Charlotte’s Web” was one of their first favorites, and the Nancy Drew series was a common answer from Gen X and baby boomer respondents.

But regardless of which books are currently their favorites or which titles began a love affair with reading, readers are still more in love with printed books (84%) than digital (28%) or audiobooks (20%).

Reasons for this include enjoying the feeling of holding a book (62%) as well as the smell of books (36%).

Readers also said they like reading printed books best because it feels cozy and familiar (58%) and induces a pleasant sense of nostalgia (36%).

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POPULAR FAVORITE BOOKS BY GENERATION

Gen Z

• “Diary of a Wimpy Kid”
• The Harry Potter series
• The Hunger Games series

Millennials

• The Harry Potter series
• “Pride and Prejudice”
• “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Gen X

• “To Kill a Mockingbird”
• The Harry Potter series
• “Gone With the Wind”

Baby boomers

• “Gone With the Wind”
• “The Stand”
• “To Kill a Mockingbird”

Survey methodology:

Talker Research surveyed 2,000 American readers evenly split by generation (500 Gen Z, 500 millennials, 500 Gen X and 500 baby boomers); the survey was commissioned by ThriftBooks and administered and conducted online by Talker Research between July 29 and Aug 4, 2025.

We are sourcing from a non-probability frame and the two main sources we use are:

• Traditional online access panels — where respondents opt-in to take part in online market research for an incentive
• Programmatic — where respondents are online and are given the option to take part in a survey to receive a virtual incentive usually related to the online activity they are engaging in

Those who did not fit the specified sample were terminated from the survey. As the survey is fielded, dynamic online sampling is used, adjusting targeting to achieve the quotas specified as part of the sampling plan.

Regardless of which sources a respondent came from, they were directed to an Online Survey, where the survey was conducted in English; a link to the questionnaire can be shared upon request. Respondents were awarded points for completing the survey. These points have a small cash-equivalent monetary value.

Cells are only reported on for analysis if they have a minimum of 80 respondents, and statistical significance is calculated at the 95% level. Data is not weighted, but quotas and other parameters are put in place to reach the desired sample.

Interviews are excluded from the final analysis if they failed quality-checking measures. This includes:

• Speeders: Respondents who complete the survey in a time that is quicker than one-third of the median length of interview are disqualified as speeders
• Open ends: All verbatim responses (full open-ended questions as well as other please specify options) are checked for inappropriate or irrelevant text
• Bots: Captcha is enabled on surveys, which allows the research team to identify and disqualify bots
• Duplicates: Survey software has “deduping” based on digital fingerprinting, which ensures nobody is allowed to take the survey more than once

It is worth noting that this survey was only available to individuals with internet access, and the results may not be generalizable to those without internet access.