Comfort reading - best authors

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I am having a tricky time at the moment and I always find anything by Fannie Flagg ridiculously comforting, and was pleased so see a new book by her since I last checked. Always gently funny, strong US Southern women, feminist but sentimental.

Who are your best 'comfort' authors?

Norah Lofts and Elizabeth Goudge. Both unfashionable, so my copies are often gleaned from charity shops.

Angela Thirkell! Love them. Also old fashioned but so well observed.

Interesting! I hadn’t heard of any of these. I will look them out.

I think Fannie Flagg is probably unfashionable too.

Miss Read....reading her stuff is like sitting under an eiderdown wearing flanelette PJs with a mug of cocoa.

PG Wodehouse.
Alice Munro.
Laurie Graham.
Matt Haig.
Stephen King.
Neil Gaiman.

Agatha Christie

Jane Austen.

A little known author called Margaret Penn. Autobiographically based early C20

Ethel Mannin - one particular book I dip into now and then and read chapters.

Pp's list has reminded me
Ray Bradbury

YY to Agatha Christie. And if you like Agathas, you'll like Patricia Wentworth.

And for really bad times, Malory Towers/St Clare's/Famous Five.

For shame.

Margaret Forster
Kate Atkinson
John Irving

@ChinkChink I thought I was the only adult who reads Malory towers for comfort reading.

Kate Saunders is good too.

Oh yes, no shame at all in reading the old childhood favourites!

Ohhh - nice to know other people have comfort reads.

John Buchan's Richard Hannay novels. Or Dorothy L. Sayers' Peter Wimsey (preferably with Harriet Vane). And Narnia of course.

I agree with Gruach.

@ChinkChink thanks for op - will try Patricia Wentworth.

Great idea for a thread - going to try out some of the authors.

I just read Mariana by Monica Dickens and could imagine turning back to that again in future.

Otherwise my go to is Jane Austen or James Herriot.

Another Enid Blyton reader here. I love The Secret Island and The Valley of Adventure.
I also re-read Back Home by Michelle Magorian.

I don't re-read many adult books but I do go back to several on CD if I feel the need.
Chronicles of Narnia
Rebecca
A short history of nearly everything -Bill Bryson
Northanger Abbey
Toms midnight garden
Harry Potter
Agatha Christie

Monica Dickens
Daphne du Maurier
E M Forster

Also Anne of Green Gables, Ballet Shoes and the Little Women series.

Pratchett and Bill Bryson for me.
Notes from a small island is like pulling an old favourite blanket over me in the sofa...

I love Fannie Flagg! Welcome to the World Baby Girl is so comforting! All those lovely descriptions of her childhood home!

Oh how did I forget Bill Bryson? Wonderfully readable. My omnibus edition is very well thumbed. It sits next to my equally well read copy of Jerome K Jerome's Three Men in a Boat.

So many of these are on my comfort list as well! Also love Nancy Mitford and E M Delafield, the Mapp and Lucia books and Noel Stretfeild from the children's section. Had forgotten all about Fannie Flagg, and will definitely give some other suggestions here a try.

Reggie Perrin books - David Nobbs
Adrian Mole - Sue Townsend
Alan Bennet
Under Milk Wood - Dylan Thomas
Enid Blyton
Bill Bryson
Philip Pullman
Dickens

Adrian Mole has reminded me of Diary of a Nobody, another good cheering comfort read (agree also Jeeves and Wooster)

OMG yes! How did I ever forget Adrian Mole - the ultimate comfort read.

Lovely to see everyone's comfort reads.