I've been commissioning illustrations from Vicky Scott, a fine, fine illustrator, about book and reading terms that are familiar to us all. First, we did “Abibliophobia:”
And now, “Comfort Reading:”
When I posted the latest illustration on Facebook, Heather S. asked the question perfectly: “What are your 'comfort blanket' books?” What books would you make a blanket out of if you could, and why?
Georgette Heyer, pretty much any book but love the Devil’s Cub. Also Janet Chapman’s The Highlander series and most of Rachael Gibson, Mary Balogh’s Simply series.
@ Tam – I feel exactly the same way about The Lantern Bearers. I adore this book and I have never read it without becoming quite emotional, not necessary weepy, but very caught up in the book’s mixture of anguish and hope. I do really love and admire Rosemary Sutcliff, she is a genius at writing historical fiction.
Romances in general are comfort reads for me. If I had to pick a few, I’d go with Lisa Kleypas’ Wallflowers series, Karen Marie Moning’s highlander romances. Sometimes I just like to look at art books—looking at beautiful things also can be comforting.
I turn to Betty Neels, Nora Roberts and any and all of the Krentz/Quick/Castle books. It’s like a box of chocolates-one is not enough. Lou
I’m with those who love the Harry Potter books. I’d heard of them but didn’t read them until my elder niece started reading the series in school and became obsessed with the series. I thought I should read “that kid’s book” series to see what it was all about, but I never got around to it. Then one day, I picked up book one, which the niece had left in the bathroom, and started reading. Finished it in one sitting and went looking for the rest. Fortunately for me, I had just bought the last book for her for her birthday, so I ended up reading the whole series over one long Thanksgiving weekend without having to wait a year or more between books.
My other comfort reads are PRIDE AND PREJUDICE and PERSUASION by Jane Austen, almost any book by Dick Francis, but especially the Sid Halley books, and the Odd Thomas books by Dean Koontz (weird comfort reading, I guess, but I love them and enjoy visiting Odd’s world when mine goes a little crazy).
I think I may add books by Tessa Dare, Courtney Milan and Darynda Jones to that list, too, before I’m done.
Many of my comfort reads have been listed, but here’s my list.
Georgette Heyer: Frederica, Venetia and the Bath books.
Pamela Dean: Tam Lin (I love this book heart and soul)
Susan Elizabeth Phillips: Natural Born Charmer
Ilona Andrews: Magic Bites and the Edge
L.M. Montgomery’s “The Blue Castle”!
From contemporary authors: “The Last Hellion” by Loretta Chase and “Anything for You” by Sarah Mayberry (aaand half of Mayberry’s books, frankly).
For me it’s Georgette Heyer, Ilona Andrews and Nalini Singh. I’d agree about Crusie’s Bet Me as well. I also like Linnea Sinclair’s sci-fi romance books, especially Finders Keepers and Gabriel’s Ghost.
I have very anglophone taste, apparently. I blame my mom. 🙂
– All Creatures Great and Small (James Herriot)
– Miss Buncle’s Book/Miss Buncle Married/The Two Mrs. Abbotts (D.E. Stevenson)
– Harry Potter series (J.K. Rowling) (just finished my most recent series re-read today)
– The Beekeeper’s Apprentice (Laurie R. King)
– A Bear Called Paddington (Michael Bond)
– Jeeves stories (P.G. Wodehouse)
@ScifiGirl1986 Oh it was crazy. And I’m cementing my total HP fangirl status by sharing that he closest midnight release party was over 65 miles away..one way. Needless to say I had to do a LOT of begging to get my grandparents to drive that far, that late; but they are fans, too, and since I was a good girl they gave in. For #7 I took my best friend and fellow fan with, and we had a blast. Spent the entire day leading up to midnight there. By the time we got back in the car to head home at 2 am, we were both wired and exhausted and ended up waiting until morning (er, later morning) to start reading. But it was worth it; they had a man doing quick drawings during the party, and I still have mine on the wall. He made me look kind of like Hermoine. 🙂
You know, that’s the only problem with HP—once I start talking on the subject, especially with fellow fans, I never know when to stop! LOL.
I’ll shut up now….
Reading is in and of itself a comfort to me, even if it’s just a shampoo bottle or a restaurant menu.
Georgette Heyer is one of the few romance novelists I can happily reread. In general I want a romance that I haven’t read, but has all the familiar rhythms. Pattern is comforting.
P.G. Wodehouse is my go to cheer-up read, which is perhaps slightly different from a comfort read.
The books that I have reread the most are probably The Illiad and The Odyssey. Anna Karenina, Sense and Sensibility, Pride and Prejudice, Red and Black, and Njal’s Saga are all up there. I find the Icelandic sagas in general very soothing. I have no idea why. Also Hardy. And Zola. I guess when I’m in a really bad mood I enjoy having support for my pessimism?
Most of my comfort reads have been mentioned, so I’ll just add ones that haven’t been listed yet.
A mystery series with a romantic thread is the Bootlegger’s Daughter series by Margaret Maron. Good writing, good stories, and each time I read one of these books I go back to well-loved friends and family.
The Queen’s Thief series by Megan Whalen Turner. I think this is considered YA fantasy. There is a romance thread. I love the lead character and the author’s ability with plot twists.
The Last Days of Summer by Steve Kluger – not a romance but just a great, great story. Fast, easy read that makes me laugh and cry. Perhaps my all time favorite book.
DUH – anything Kristen Ashley.
Pride and Prejudice
The Lady (Anne McCaffrey)
The three Kleypas contemporaries about the Travises (especially 2 and 3)
Dorothy Sayers (all, but especially Gaudy Night and Busman’s Honeymoon)
One of the Kleypas Hathaway series (can’t remember the name but where Cam Rohan is the hero)
The Railway Children (E. Nesbitt)
Harry Potter
Bet Me and Welcome to Temptation (Crusie)
I am sure there are others, but those are the main ones.
Jude Deveraux, SEP, Jennifer Crusie, Susan Mallery, Debbie Macomber and Kristan Higgins are some of my go-to comfort authors.
LaVyrle Spencer is another. When I was in my teens, I had a really horrible flu and my grandmother gave me a cozy afghan and her stack of Spencer’s, so there’s an emotional connection there.
Another comfort to me are 90s romances. The only reason I can figure is that I got hooked at that time.