Comforting reads for the middle of the night

[Ladybird37]

I've had terrible trouble sleeping for the last year or so and I've been slowly rereading through all the jilly coopers, starting with riders and now on Pandora. They've lasted me a year as I only read in the middle of the night on my kindle when I'm feeling anxious. They're such chatty and fun books, I can read them when I can't focus on anythibg else i would read in the day. I'm worried what I can do next, as I think Jc books go a bit wobbly after pandora. I'm looking for something light and positive, but easy to follow at 2am...and 3am... any thoughts? I've not really been a fan of many of the light 'chick lit' type of books that I've pick up, but I know that's a bit sweeping

Lesley Pearce books are good

When times are really tough, I reread The Wind in the Willows or old Peanuts comic books.
like these

I find Christina Jones very comforting to read. My favourites are the ones set in Milton St John and Tickled Pink. It was very refreshing to have a heroine who was a size 14 who didn't have to diet to have love interests.

Anything by Barbara Pym. Her novels are mostly set in the 1950s featuring women who do the flowers at the local church, and have tea with the vicar, and gossip about their neighbours. Excellent Women is considered her best book.

Another vote for PG Wodehouse.

Also Angela Thirkel, Barbara Pym and Rosamund Pilcher.

These are my "middle of the night" choices. I pop these Audiobooks on, close my eyes and just chill.

I truly recommend Colonel Pettigrew's Last Stand by Helen Simonsen (sp?) It is gentle, witty and wise. Would be perfect for sleepless nights.

Fannie Flag books.

Bridget Jones always cheers me up :)

‘In Farleigh Fields’ by Rhys Bowen is good.

Also her Royal Spyness series.

My middle of the night reads recently have been anything by Maeve Binchey and I just finished A Farmer's Diary by Sally Unwin which is an adorable tale of life on a sheep farm.

Katie Fforde.
Marian Keyes’ earlier novels.
Rosamund Pilcher
PG Wodehouse.
EF Benson - particularly the Mapp and Lucia books.
Joanna Trollope.

The woman who went to bed for a year, by Sue Townsend is my all time comfort read.

The Chalet School is always soothing.

Noel Streatfeild is another relaxing author. I love Thursday’s Child, and its sequel.

I also reread Cue for Treason and The Silver Sword on a fairly regular basis.

Alan Bradley’s Flavia De Luce series.. funny, very well written and “ jolly hockey sticks”

Agatha Christie - nothing like a nice jolly English murder mystery with naice middle class characters...

Millie Johnson and Tilly Tennant here. Nice easy reading, I wake up a lot. This month, I have read Mandy Baggott too, as I had subscribed to kindle unlimited for my daughter and lots of hers were free.

Anything by the fantastic Lucinda Riley.

The Lovely Lane series by Nadine Dorries; such good stories and even though there’s a hint of suspense, everything always turns out well.

Ooh, Santa Montifiore too.

Oh, and how could I forget Gerald Durrel! Wonderful tales about animals (overlooking the very “of its time” aspect of it being ok to capture animals from the wild) and very funny.

James Herriot.
Laurie Lee.

The Stephanie Plum series by J Evonich (Sp?)

There’s lots of them about a female
Bounty hunter, funny, with some sex and there is a minor crime being solved. I dip into them now and then when life is tough.

Camomile Lawn is also a favourite goto for escaping.

Oh and The Shellseakers

Miss Read

The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard. Especially on audiobook read by Jill Balcon. Posh family with mild worries about relationships and whether cook is making plum tart for tea. Cannot recommend highly enough.