Comfort Reading

[therealjohnpeat]

I ask this for the reason that I'm currently reading a few 'Jeeves and Bertie' books and they are simply fantastic for passing an hour or two in a cosy little fantasy-world (they are also some of the funniest material ever written of course).

I also re-read "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen" by Alan Garner to remind myself that it is possible to write great childrens fiction which adults can enjoy and which hasn't (to my knowledge) been compared to Harry effing Potter (yet!)

What are your 'security blanket' books then?

[earlymodernsteve]

I often return to The Hobbit for this kind of literary nostalgia. Plus, perhaps strangely, Hamlet can have that effect; probably because I have read it so many times for various levels of studying that it functions as a palimpsest of past versions of me reading it.

I used to comfort read the Duncton books as well, but they are at my parents' house so haven't done that in a few years. I miss those moles

[Scribblor]

To Kill a Mockingbird. Not the subject matter, obviously, but the way it's written just makes me warm inside. Or, as you've pointed out, the Jeeves and Wooster books. Molesworth is good too, as are the Just Willliam books.

David Eddings, for the sake of being topical.

[Silent Runner]

The early Adrian Mole books give me a mad nostalgia rush every time I read them.

[AK Bell]

I don't really re-read books. Too many new things to read. I'd feel guilty for doing it. And I don't really feel like I've missed anything that I'd catch on another read.

I do re-read comics though. I had an impulse to read Superman - Red Son again last week.

[Eats hoops and leaves]

Iain M Banks and Red Dwarf. The Famous Five. They are all my friends who never say anything mean to me.

[Uncle Mike]

Cannery Row - Steinbeck's (as far as I've read) only happy book, and one of the most uplifting warm/fuzzy books I've ever read.

[AK Bell]

The Famous Five. They are all my friends who never say anything mean to me.

I'm guessing you're a relgious anglo-saxon who shaves regularly then.

[smac]

I also re-read "The Weirdstone of Brisingamen" by Alan Garner to remind myself that it is possible to write great childrens fiction which adults can enjoy and which hasn't (to my knowledge) been compared to Harry effing Potter (yet!)

Word. Garner is awesome - and truly scary; the crawling through the tunnels bit (may have been in Moon of Gomrath) left me shaking as a kid. And a breathtaking evocation of the Wild Hunt - proper, smelly, British mythology brought to life. Whenever anyone tells me their kids are into Rowling, I point them towards Elidor, Weirdstone of Brisingamen or Moon of Gomrath. The titles are a little offputting, unfortunately.

His Red Shift is one of my all-time favourite books - not such an easy read, however, and not comfort reading.

Comfort reading? Robert Silverberg's Lord Valentine's Castle - a book I always recommend when a non-SF readers asks what they should try out; a sprawling travelogue across an ancient planet with a truly innocent protagonist. One of the nicest guys you'll meet in fiction.

Also Lord of the Rings, just because it's so familiar to me after so many re-readings.

And some of the Pratchetts, because he's a wise, humane writer and the bad guys get their just desserts.

Or some pulp SF - EE 'Doc' Smith is great for this, especially Tedric or the Lensman series.

Or, as has been said, any of the Willans/Searle Molesworth books. As any fule kno.

[Delargey]

Pratchett is my favorite comfort read- weirdly I have some books that like reading at certain seasons 'Good Omens' I like to read every Spring/ Summer. It reminds me of my childhood summer holidays (but with more of the spawn of Satan). Hogfather is a great one for Chrismas.

'American Gods' is a winter book. Mostly i think because I had the amazing old cover with the cold blue picture. It was lovely.

I'm a big re-reader of books. I'm sure I have some books which I've read 20 times over. Which is bad because that could of been 20 new books I could of read...but then 20 more books is more of my shiny pounds to Mr Waterstones and his fat kids... And I need those shiny pounds.

[Aardvark]

Mythago Wood by Brian Holdstock is just lovely, I'll happily go and reread that when I'm in the right mood.

Beasts by John Crowley is nice and short, wonderfully written, and isn't even close to being as good as Little, Big but still has something magical about it.

Swordspoint, The Fall of the Kings, and The Privilege of the Sword by Ellen Kushner are books I can come back to again and again because (apart from being just really good fun to read) unlike many of the books I admire I feel that if I put in the time and wrote loads more short stories and really honed my craft I could maybe, just maybe, write something that good. Of course I never will, but it does feel just about reachable.

[therealjohnpeat]

Word. Garner is awesome - and truly scary; the crawling through the tunnels bit (may have been in Moon of Gomrath) left me shaking as a kid. And a breathtaking evocation of the Wild Hunt - proper, smelly, British mythology brought to life. Whenever anyone tells me their kids are into Rowling, I point them towards Elidor, Weirdstone of Brisingamen or Moon of Gomrath. The titles are a little offputting, unfortunately.

I LOVED Garner's books as a kid but my copies of them disappeared and I'd quite forgotten about them until I found MY copies in a local second-hand shop a few years ago!!

Garner was accused of copying Tolkein and CS Lewis but it's clear his books are different. He also claims his books "aren't just for kids" which I'd heartily agree with too - he writes with proper tension and great pacing...

I didn't realise he was still writing tho (he's 75?) - I really must try some of his later output.

[Scribblor]

Awesome - Garner's still going? Then I'm off to Amazon! I got paid yesterday and my bank balance is mocking me by being slightly less unhealthy than normal. I'd best show it who's boss!

I'll probably pick up Gomrath and Weirdstone, as I haven't read them since I was a kid, and since I'm currently writing a "children's" fantasy/horror for my wife (who, since she became pregnant, has got all nostalgic for the sort of books she used to read) and clearly rereading Garner will be good research, especially as they're not just for kids.

And I'll look about and see if there's anything in his later stuff that looks good.

[And]

Dune - I can do the whole book in a day given a comfy chair and no distractions.

Otherwise IM Banks or pratchett go down well as repeat offenders. Probably consider phlebas and nightwatch.

[Laine]

Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, I could read them over and over.

I always turn to Jilly Cooper too, especially The Man Who Made Husbands Jealous or Score, pure ridiculous escapism which is very amusing and the good guys always get the girl.

I often turn to Memoirs of a Geisha if i'm feeling a bit miserable, god knows why as it's actually quite depressing.

[Gommy]

Girlfriend in a Coma by Douglas Coupland, read it once or twice a year.

[linkster]

Sophie's World

[TarquinTheHappyMouse]

Cannery Row - Steinbeck's (as far as I've read) only happy book, and one of the most uplifting warm/fuzzy books I've ever read.

^^ This to the MAXX!

and the sequel Sweet Thursday..... In fact most Steinbeck; it all takes me back to lazy summer days drinking wine and reading on the park when i should have been in tedious dynamics lectures.

Also Willard Price's 'Adventure' series; especially South Sea and Volcano.

[Streets_Disciple]

Gotta be Phillip Pullman's The Northern Lights. If only for the brilliant image of a pre-dated England, is conjured whilst reading the earlier parts of the book. It's enchanting, for mentions of zeppelins moving across an evening's Oxford sky, or the images you get of traditional old stone buildings and cobbled streets...

[Eats hoops and leaves]

And then it rips your heart out.

[smac]

Hitch Hikers Guide to the Galaxy, I could read them over and over.

All of 'em?

I just re-read the whole five books in the trilogy, one after the other. The disjoint between the trilogy and the other two is marked - you can clearly tell it was a different man who wrote number four. And then five turns really dark.

Loved the fourth book, 'though.

[Made of Ghosts]

Harry Potter is nice for this. Especially the first two. Just following Harry around Hogwarts, learning about magic, sending letters by owl and getting invisibility cloaks for Christmas.

[Hemzoozlefluff*]

Slightly trashy gothic nonsense like Virginia Andrews. I remember first reading Flowers in the Attic when I was about 13 and just thinking "Wow! This is amazing!"

[Jonnysaxc]

Three men in a boat

Sherlock Holmes

[Dr Slotter]

Another Hitch Hiker reader here. If I want some 'easy reading' I also embark on ordered re-reads of:

Clive Cussler's NUMA universe books (Dirk Pitt etc.)

Fleming's Bonds

Len Deighton's Bernard Samson books

Tom Clancy's Jack Ryan novels

I probably will re-read all the Rebus novels at some point soon too.

[Rebs]

I've got a Jeeves and Wooster to start. I stole it at a wedding the other day. There was a 'bring a present take a present tent' but I didn't bring one. Too much hippiness was in the air. But I pinched a book.

Northern lights is also waiting for a proper read as I've only ever started it, but several times.

Read 2 Patterson's this week already. I love murder milarky.

[Monbee]

It's all about Rumpole!

Just a shame I burn through a book of the stories so fast. But it's great while it lasts, read something heavy primarily and then a bit of Rumpole at bedtime. Ace.