Comfort Food Reading

[Sue]

The last few weeks have been stressful ones for me (and I am betting at least where politics are concerned for a lot of others too!) anyway I am finding that I am turning to some of my old favourites to comfort me and make me feel better. Right now I am reading my way through a favourite YA series - the Beany Malone books by Lenora Mattingly Weber (I have never met another person who's even heard of her, let alone read her) and am also re-reading a favourite mystery author, Elizabeth Peters. The Weber books for the feel good factor and the Peters books because she makes me laugh.

So what are your favourite comfort books?

[Cervus]

Douglas Adams' Hitchiker's trilogy (the first three books)

A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole

[Lainie]

High Tide in Tucson, a book of essays by Barbara Kingsolver. I read it to pieces. Many years ago, I did the same thing with And Ladies of the Club, by Helen Hooven Santmyer.

[mbravo]

John Steinbeck's Travels with Charley.

[kitap]

Gone-Away Lake and Return to Gone-Away by Elizabeth Enright

The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald

[Dasla]

The Anne of Green Gables books although I haven't read them for a while. Their are a few others, it depends on my mood.

[Lainie]

Oh yes, I read several of the Anne books to pieces, too.

Maybe I should buy some stuff in hardcover.

ETA: Also some cozy mysteries. There are particular series that I enjoy.

[Richard W]

At one time mine would have been Terry Pratchett and Iain M Banks, but since I've pretty much read everything either of them has ever published, they're no longer writing new stuff (thanks to inconsiderately being dead) and I have too many new books on my shelf to re-read much at the moment, I've nothing of theirs left to read. (The last major thing is The Long Cosmos by Pratchett and Baxter, when it comes out in paperback, but that will probably be more Stephen Baxter).

I don't really have any on-going light reading series that have unpublished, unread books at the moment. My to-read shelf naturally tends to end up stacked with heavier books (since I buy those at about the same rate as lighter reads, and obviously read the lighter reads more quickly), and since I'm trying not to buy books until the shelf is a bit less full, I've got almost no light reading left!

[Sue]

Originally Posted by kitap

Gone-Away Lake and Return to Gone-Away by Elizabeth Enright

The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald

I always loved the Melendy books by Enright (I really really wanted to be a Melendy for a few years there - hmm, still do ) but I never read any other of her books, I shall hasten to the library and do some requesting!

I love MacDonald's books but I think my favourite is Onions in the Stew. Have you read her other titles? They're all good IMO.

Originally Posted by Lainie

Oh yes, I read several of the Anne books to pieces, too.

Maybe I should buy some stuff in hardcover.

My mother gave me the first 3 Anne books in a paperback trilogy back when I was about 12 or so. They have been read to pieces since and a few years ago I replaced all my Anne books with hardcovers. My comfort food reading with Montgomery would definitely be the first 3 Anne books but also Jane of Lantern Hill and The Blue Castle. I think I may love Rilla of Ingleside best (or it's close) but it's not exactly comfort food reading. I once started crying on a bus while reading that book!

[AmISam]

Anything by Terry Pratchett except maybe the last one which is a little too poignant.
ETA by the last one I mean the final Tiffany Aching book.

[thorny locust]

I will also re-read Pratchett; almost anything by Pratchett.

He's probably particularly appropriate when one is so furious about politics that laughter is essential.

But what I actually seem to be re-reading at the moment is Pamela Dean's Secret Country trilogy. (Beware of actually getting into your alternate universe, it may not work out the way you're expecting -- is that what the back of my head is trying to tell me? but -- very vague spoiler alert



-- most things in that trilogy do work out OK in the end.)

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Sue

I think I may love Rilla of Ingleside best (or it's close) but it's not exactly comfort food reading. I once started crying on a bus while reading that book!

Yes, I love that one too, but it's definitely the darkest of the books. And the earlier ones aren't without darkness.

[Sue]

Absolutely! Anyone who thinks Montgomery's books are all happiness and light hasn't read any of them.

[Die Capacitrix]

J.A. Jance's J.P. Beaumont series
Anne McCaffrey's Generation Warriors (the good guys win, and sometimes it's nice to read something where the good guys win)
Joanna Carl's chocoholic mysteries
Anne McCaffrey's Tower and the Hive series
James Herriot, mostly the first book, but the others do as well
James Thurber's My life and Hard Times
Steve Johnston's Tales of the Truly Unpleasant (if you're not from Seattle, you've probably never read his column)
Madeleine L'Engle's A Ring of Endless Light (which isn't even on my bookshelves - it's in a box with other papers from my childhood)

After my fellow student died at age 15 I buried myself in Anne of Green Gables. Haven't read it since - it is too tied to that time.

[Lainie]

Originally Posted by Sue

Absolutely! Anyone who thinks Montgomery's books are all happiness and light hasn't read any of them.

Shoot, in the very first book there's a comment about Marilla reading between the lines of Anne's account of her life -- and what Anne actually said was pretty bad.

[queen of the caramels]

David Eddings's Belgariad, Malloren, Elenium and Shining ones series.

[Dasla]

Originally Posted by Lainie

Oh yes, I read several of the Anne books to pieces, too.

Maybe I should buy some stuff in hardcover.

ETA: Also some cozy mysteries. There are particular series that I enjoy.

I have my mum's hard cover copy of "Anne of Avonlea"* but when I read most of them the first time they were borrowed from the school library (I still remember discussing them with the librarian, she actually preferred "The Story Girl" series) Since then I have got most of the "Anne" series in pretty descent hardback editions, a few in cheap hardback and some of L.M. Montgomery other series in good hardback or paperback. I want the get them all in good hardcover.


*I went to check my copy of "Anne of Avonlea" and realised that it hadn't been returned to the shelves after the new carpet was installed. I eventually found it but well when (or if) we do the book repair class in my library course, well let's just say I have a candid.

I also have a few cozy mysteries books I reread.

Editing to add that while I love the Anne books, I think my favourites to reread are the two stand alone books, "The Blue Castle" and "A Tangled Web"

[AmISam]

Originally Posted by queen of the caramels

David Eddings's Belgariad, Malloren, Elenium and Shining ones series.

And the really comforting thing about these ones is that they are all the same story

[queen of the caramels]

Originally Posted by AmISam

And the really comforting thing about these ones is that they are all the same story

I know...I've been half way through The Elenium before I realised Silk wasn't in it...

[kitap]

Originally Posted by Sue

I always loved the Melendy books by Enright (I really really wanted to be a Melendy for a few years there - hmm, still do ) but I never read any other of her books, I shall hasten to the library and do some requesting!

I love MacDonald's books but I think my favourite is Onions in the Stew. Have you read her other titles? They're all good IMO.
!

Yep, I've read all of Betty's books except, if I am correct, Nancy and Plum.