What are your favourite 'comfort' reads?

[adrianmolesmole]

(Loosely) following on from another thread. What books pick you up and make you feel less down, or lonely? A book that feels like a warm hug to you.. I have a few, mostly faves from my childhood, but I'd like to learn what others turn to?

Some of mine are:

The Dovekeepers, by Alice Hoffman
Kitchen, by Banana Yoshimoto
Sister of my Heart, by Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni
The Mistress of Spices, by Chitra Bannerjee Divakaruni
Narnia - The Lion the witch & the wardrobe and The Magician's Nephew
Any of the Harry Potterses!
And any of the Adrian Moleses!

Any Terry Pratchett, Rivers of London series, Discovery of Witches or Harry Potter.
Or Ian Rankins Rebus, Jeffrey Deaver, Peter Robinson.
Fantasy or gruesome murder .... I don't know what that says about me!

Any of Antonia Forest's, I've a soft spot for Peter's Room (I love to hate Patrick).
The Making of a Marchioness by Frances Hodgson Burnett.

Mary Douglas. Adventures set in attractive places with plucky heroines and often a generous sprinkling of or allusion to mythology.

I had forgotten Rosamund Pilcher, and the Harry Potter books. I’ve probably forgotten many, many more!

I reread my books a lot (the ones I read once and know I won’t read again go to the charity shop), and I definitely get comfort from rereading an old friend.

Mary Stewart. Mary Douglas was an anthropologist.

@CatChant it is possible that you are me, apart from the fact that you omitted Dorothy Sayers and Edmund Crispin.

lots of the ones mentioned!

also love in a cold climate /the pursuit of love etc (Nancy Milford)

PG Wodehouse

Oh and for new "comfort read" books I am enjoying my Feel Good Book club subscription. A feel good book every month along with some small treats, and it raises money for the Samaritans

@MissMarplesGoddaughter

Anything by Noel Streatfeild (except Emma and I) Anything by Rosamund Pilcher

Do you mean the Gemma series?

Emma and I was a series of autobiographies from a lady who had a chocolate brown guide dog.

lots of the above also

Anything by Anthony Trollope but Barchester Towers is a real comfort read.

The Blue Castle by LM Montgomery

The Countess Downstairs by Eva Ibbotson - actually anything by her.

I re-read Susan Howatch Starbridge series a lot.

Ooh I forgot Elizabeth Peters and the Amelia Peabody series. I’m also partial to a regency romance or an MC Beeton too.

PD James
Helen Forrester
Irvine Welsh

Nancy Drew (the original 1940s/50s ones). I read them all as a child and reread some if them regularly now. There are also certain Enid Blyton books that I love to reread.

Echoing Anne of Green Gables and The Blue Castle - that's one I got as a recommendation from MN and is now one of my favourites (hence my username!).

Any of the Jeeves and Wooster books!

@JackieTheFart

Little House on the Prairie books - but not the Long Hard Winter one!

I have The Dovekeepers to read @adrianmolesmole but I haven’t yet, so I will dive in.

I love anything by Fannie Flagg, her of Fried Green Tomatoes fame. My favourites are Daisy Fay and the Miracle Man, Standing in the Rainbow and The All-Girl Filling Stations Reunion. They are just so lovely.

Ooh I hope you enjoy it! It's quite unusual and I fell in love with the characters hard.

Patricia Highsmith and Mutual Spark fit the bill too.

Muriel, obvs.

Anne of Green Gables, every time

The Millennium trilogy by Stieg Larsson, the girl who played with fire, the girl with the dragon tattoo and the girl who kicked the hornets nest

Chalet School by EBD
Enid Blyton’s Famous Five and Adventure series
Antonia Forest (the bit in Autumn Term where the family mock Nicky over breakfast and she suddenly starts crying brings a lump to my throat every time)
Maeve Binchy - it feels as comforting as a hug to read her stories
Arthur Ransome Swallows and Amazons series
Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Marple books.
MC Beaton’s Hamish Macbeth.
Alexander McCall Smith Scotland Street series.
H.E.Bates Darling Buds of May series.

I've got all of those on my audible account and listen to a book a day.

Dark is rising series
Terry Pratchett
Bill Bryson
Anthony Bourdain
Colette
Laurel K Hamilton (truly dreadful but familiar and mindless)

Maeve Binchy books are my comfort reads.

A lovely book called Where Did It All Go Right by the broadcaster & journalist Andrew Collins. It's all about growing up in the 70's with diary extracts & chapters about his life back then. I've read it so many times & still enjoy it.

The Little Lady Agency by Hester Browne- it has vintage clothes, party planning, secret identities, a rich sophisticated man and a rugged male roommate who is always cooking shepherd's pie for the heroine.

James Herriot's Cat Stories - so sweet!

Watership Down but it always makes me cry at the end

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield - gothic mystery with haunted house, creepy twins and lots of books and hot chocolate

Jilly Coopers Rivals .

Any Agatha Christie - I buy several copies and read them tilll they fall apart .

Bill Bryson - but I'm not allowed to read those in DHs presence because I can't read him without descending into immoderate giggles. DH used to work with his son in law , and gave me a copy of his complete Notes with a personal inscription. Very treasured .