Comfort reading

[starchildareyoulistening]

Which books do you find yourself returning to when you want to snuggle in something familiar? The book version of stew and dumplings? :)
Mine is Terry Pratchett's Discworld series, particularly the City Watch storyline. While despairing over the whole Brexit fiasco I found myself thinking "Sam Vimes should weigh in on this" and ended up re-reading them all.

Yes, read all The Cazalets first!

Yy to Diary Of A Nobody and also the Diary of a Provincial Lady. Plus Bridget Jones. There's a fab feminist appreciation of it in the Times today.

Also the Railway Children. Great Expectations. Frost in May

Oh and The L Shaped Room. Some dodgy bits but basically lovely

Agreeing with those who said The Cazalets (God, I love those books), The Crimson Petal and the White and Jane Austen - as well as Thackeray.

Also, Nancy Mitford.

I first read In The Pursuit of Love, as a teenager, and still adore that and Love in a Cold Climate.

My closest friend in the world is very much a Linda Radlett, so I now think of her whenever I read it, and identify with the narrator's concern, love and exasperation.

Also, there are several really uncomfortable themes in the Cazalets (The Edward/Louise one is disturbing and there is also suicide, the aftermath of the holocaust, cancer and several other terrible things.) One of the characters has an illegal abortion, and it is very close to the bone, but these all make it more real and believable.

An old lady in the library where I work said 'you should read Liz Jane Howard, you think she's all lovely pastels, but ah, she has bite.'

I remember that, and think this is a good summation of the Cazalet Novels, very soft and lovely, then 'what the hell was that?' But this does not detract from them as books, it adds to them and I think they are incredible. I love Polly, Louise and Clary, and they are still some of my favourite characters to spend time with.

Agatha Christie is always perfect comfort reading especially with tea and toast. I also love to re-read Antonia White, Philippa Gregory,Susan Howatch and Norah Lofts. I re-read favourites from my teen years and childhood as well including Antonia Forrest, Lorna Hill, Mary Stewart and Noel Sreatfeild. I like re-reading two Harry Potter books as well(Prisoner of Azkaban and Goblet of Fire) plus Rick Riordan's books.

My best comfort reading is Jilly Cooper - particularly the early ones (Imogen, Prudence etc)

I do love the Cazalets, and have to read them all if I start one, but find them quite uncomfortable in a lot of ways. I'd love a spin-off focusing on Polly and Gerald but I guess it's a bit late for that!

Anything by Joanne Harris, particularly the ones set in France, like 'Chocolat'.

The Anne Of Green Gables series too.

Spike Milligan's war memoirs.

MotherofPearl - I love Frederica/The Reluctant Widow almost bestest :)

The Adrian Mole Diaries.

Oh yes definitely Joanne Harris - specially Blackberry Wine and Coastliners. Actually I want to re-read Peaches for M Le Cure while it's still summer!

P G Wodehouse
Bill Bryson
Lindsey Davis

OverAndAbove, I've just started re-reading Peaches this evening! Great minds...

Ooh lovely! If it's sunny tomorrow I might sit in the garden for an hour and do the same

Definitely Adrian Mole series. Sue Townsend was a genius and I was devastated when she died.

Either Harry Potter or the Gillian Flynn's books (esp. Gone Girl)