Do you have a comfort book?

[MarieJeanne]

Do you have a book that you regularly reread or is your literary comfort blanket?
Mine is The secret diary of Adrian Mole - the first one

The Harry Potter Series.

Little Women.

Bridget Jones Diary

The Big Stone Gap books by Adriana Trigliani are my hunker down and ignore the world books

Pg Wodehouse
Bill Bryson
Lindsay Davis

The Chronicles of Narnia
Much of discworld

In times of stress, its Terry Pratchett, or The Grand Sophy/Henrietta/ or Frederica by Georgette Heyer that comfort me and are guaranteed to distract.

Marian Keyes - anything but particularly 'this charming man'. It's about Dv but parts of it are really funny, especially the countryside transvestites
Wuthering heights
Pride and prejudice

Gone with the Windsors by Laurie Graham. A humorous diary by a fictitious friend of the Duchess of Windsor about events leading up to the abdication and beyond.

American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

I was expecting more children's literature

Literally ANY Bill Bryson. His humour is absolutely sport on and cheer a me up instantly. Tragically, I know them all off by heart. Current favourites are Thunderbolt Kid and A Walk in the Woods.

Rachel's Holiday by Marian Keyes. I've read it a million times and I still cry when she goes back to NY.

Little women was my first proper book, so always had a soft spot for it. Might get it on my kindle to re read.

The Forsyte Saga - John Galsworthy.

I don't know how many times I have read this since my first read (1976) but I always feel taken away from whatever shite I am in & always find something new within it.

If I need cheering up Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (and if I'm feeling too stressed to read an actual book, listening to the audiobook works wonders).

Other favourites to re-read - Behind the Scenes at the Museum by Kate Atkinson, all of the Harry Potter books and anything by the much missed Iain Banks.

The Long Winter by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It's one of the Little House on the Prairie books and the theme of endurance is really comforting.

Persuasion by Jane Austen. It's the only Austen where both the heroine and the love interest are attractive characters throughout.

Just William, just about any PG Wodehouse, and any Georgette Heyer also great.

Terry Pratchett, Joanne Harris particularly Chocolat, I love that book.

Legacy by Susan Kay.

P G Wodehouse
Agatha Christie
L M Montgomery

Most Georgette Heyer. Agree with the Grand Sophy and Frederica, also Cotillion.

The Malory Towers and St Clare's books. And Bill Bryson 'Notes from a Small Island'. I re read them all at least once a year, usually more often.

Anything by Jilly Cooper.

The Poldark series by Winston Graham and the Outlander series by Diana Gabaldon. Just love curling up with them especially if a bit down in the dumps.

A Place of My Own by Michael Pollan to calm me down. Sometimes just looking at the cover is enough to make me feel a little less agitated.

Welcome to Temptation by Jennifer Crusie if I need to be cheered up.

Ain't She Sweet by Susan Elizabeth Phillips for the man I would really like to fall in love with.

I forgot Jilly Cooper. But thanks to this thread I've just gone and ordered four Georgette Heyer books for my kindle. Comfort ready to go

In terms of children's literature - I have a cardboard box under the bed full of children's books that I've hung on to. I have a lot of 'Mog' stories (Judith Kerr) that my grandparents gifted to me as a child. When my cat died about 4 weeks ago or so, I sat sobbing at 2am reading them.

There's also a lovely story, I think it's Enid Blyton, about two dolls that gp to catch a train together in to 'toy land' and buy their own wee house. I'm sure one was a fairy? I always loved that story but can't remember what it is!

Adult literature wise, my comforts are Jane Eyre and The Bell Jar (which sounds bizarre, but I heavily relate to it and find the ending very uplifting, I can feel Esther's depression fading as the novel finishes and it makes me feel hopeful, that things can and do get better).

Anne of Green Gables.
The Outlander series (can't wait for the next one RockMummy!)
The Time Travellers Wife.

The enchanted wood (Enid blyton)
The faraway tree
The folk of the faraway tree

Dd is 4 now so we've got her the newer version and it's just not the same without dick and fanny .