Comfort Reads discussion
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Introduce yourself (if you feel like it!)
Lee wrote: "Hi Christina, welcome to another fantasy lover! I will have to search the Dragonlance books out. Can you suggest a good starting place or one of the authors? ..."Yes, easily. The Dragonlance series is a series where there's no discussion what to start with - it has it's core books. The trilogy to start with is The Chronicles: Dragons of Autumn Twilight, Dragons of Winter Night and Dragons of Spring Dawning. The authors of these books are the two creators of the world as well: Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.
I started reading these books when I was about 20 and I've been reading them on-off ever since. If was my first real introduction to fantasy and that's one of the reasons I love them.
They are in no way high fantasy or quality literature - but they are very enjoyable!
Lee wrote: "Ooooh yes, The Secret Garden is one of my all time favourites. Thanks for reminding me Sandi, I will add it to our shelves. You and Lisa are motivating me to bump up To Kill A Moc..."
I've never read To Kill A Mockingbird either but I have it home from the library and I'm looking forward to reading it since I've heard so much good about it.
Btw - is there a difference between comfort reads and favourites? I think there is - whereas The World According to Garp may be my all-time favourite book, it's not one of my comfort reads ... I admit there may be a gray area where a favourite can be a comfort read as well but not always. What do you guys think?
Christina,I definitely think for me there's often a difference between favorite and comfort reads. Some of my comfort reads are also my favorites too.
AND, Definitely read asap To Kill a Mockingbird!!! It was my major comfort read the year I was 12 and is one of my favorite books, possibly my very favorite book.
Make sure to read it as a period piece of a specific time and place: Ababama, U.S. in 1930s era the Great Depression.
I'm kind of answering as I read the many posts so that's the reason there's several posts from me back to back in case anyone was wondering ;-)Lee, I also have Out Stealing Horses on my to-read list and am really looking forward to reading this - and maybe other books by this author.
And thanks to Chrissie for recommending Sacajawea - it looks really good!
Lee, I love And Then There Were None - it's the only Agatha Christie that I read again and again every couple of years or so. I think that is one of my comfort reads too!
Terry Pratchett's Discworld books are also some great books - I need to read more of them though.
Lisa wrote: "Christina,I definitely think for me there's often a difference between favorite and comfort reads. Some of my comfort reads are also my favorites too.
AND, Definitely read asap [book:To Kill a M..."
Lisa, I will read To Kill a Mockingbird soon, I promise :-)
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I think anything you read multiple times even as a teenager qualifies as l..."
Hi Christina, welcome to the group! I'm glad you feel at home because that is my goal. Have a look around, we only been operational for 2 days but there are already loads of great ideas for comfort reads. Feel comfortable diving right in and adding to a thread or bookshelf!
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Welcome Hayes! YA is a favourite comfort genre of mine too. I hope you find some great books to add to your reading list and I look forward to chatting with you.
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You and Lisa are motivating me to bump up To ..."
Christina, I too think there is a big difference between favourites and comfort reads. A lot of my favourites were books that were challenging reads for me like Cloud Atlas and by no means would I call that a comfort read! Some do overlap of course. I think on my favourites shelf perhaps a third I would consider comfort reads.
Hi there, and thank you for the invitation, Lee. I've read through the invite thread so far, and already have a number of books to investigate, as well as reminders of books I read long ago but can remember little more than the title of. My ultimate comfort reads would have to be David Eddings's first 4 series - The Belgariad, The Mallorean, The Elenium and The Tamuli. They are fun, easy reads, and like old friends that you don't have to go to any bother for. I still remember the excitement of reading - or rather devouring - them for the first time, reading 10 books in 33 days, having to ration myself to 5 chapters a day during the week to ensure I got my prep for the following day's classes completed.
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I'm happy to hear you've aleady found something to add to your to read pile. Isn't it exciting discovering new authors especially when you find out they've written several books?!? I love that. I'm not good at rationing though........
Joy wrote: "Hello, I'm Joy and my friend Merry invited me to join this group. We both have Christmasy names :) I also love To Kill a Mockingbird but I also enjoy the Shopaholic series. My favorite book from hi..."HI JOY! You made it to the comfort club! So glad you decided to check it out, there is much "joy" here, and a lot of "merry" people! Welcome to the club!
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Oh Joy! I didn't see your post earlier! Welcome to the group, I hope you find lots of great books and feel right at home among friends.
Lisa wrote: "Kelly, which is the first book in the Tamar Myers series? It sounds as though it's one I will want to add. (I knew this group would be big trouble and would wreck havoc with my to-r..."In her Pennsylvania Dutch series, the first one is Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth.
In her Den of Antiquity, the first one is Larceny and Old Lace. I like the Amish series better but both are funny.
I posted this in another discussion but I get series info about mysteries from http://stopyourekillingme.com/ which has everything in order plus readalikes and genre lists.
Lee, it sounds like you keep similar hours as I do.
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Are you one of the night owls? I seem to remember a post about you watching a movie in the middle of the night. I used to be able to that, but I usually wake up very early, so I tend to hit the hay by around 1:00 a.m. (not last night though, because my electricity went bye-bye, I was actually reading with a flashlight).
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I actually usually get really tired in the late afternoon or early evening. I had a few really tedious classes in the late afternoon at university and I routinely fell asleep in them (that was quite embarrassing, as one of the classes only had about five students). If your daughter keeps on being a nighthawk, she will likely have no problems pulling all-night study sessions for school or university.
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Kelly wrote: "In her Pennsylvania Dutch series, the first one is Too Many Crooks Spoil the Broth. In her Den of Antiquity, the first one is Larceny and Old Lace. I like the Amish series better but both are funny."
Thanks, Kelly! Onto the shelf they go!
Hi, and thank you to Lee for sending me an invitation! This looks like a great group. I'm Christine, I'm from the Chicago area, and I currently homeschool my autistic son. I am drawn to heavy books for the most part so comfort reads to me are breaks from the serious stuff.
My comfort reads tend to be in the chick lit genre (like Sophie Kinsella), but I especially enjoy chick lit based on cultural clashes. An example would be
.
My comfort reads tend to be in the chick lit genre (like Sophie Kinsella), but I especially enjoy chick lit based on cultural clashes. An example would be
.
Hi Christine! Nice to see another person from the Chicago area :) Hope the snowstorm is being kind to you!
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Hi Paula! I'm out in the far west suburbs so I think we got a little bit less. Are you buried?
Lee, I love India and China. I read a lot of sad and serious books about both, but I also love the lighter type. Arranged marriages can make for funny reads.
:)
Lee, I love India and China. I read a lot of sad and serious books about both, but I also love the lighter type. Arranged marriages can make for funny reads.
:)
Moderately buried - enough to prompt my mgr to send me a note saying I should work from home. I'm actually in southern Wisconsin, about 3 miles from the Illinois border, but only a block or so from Lake Michigan, so we always get a little more.
Thanks for the invite Merry! I'm Shelley from Ottawa, Ontario - a mother of two children in their 20s, and two crazy middle-aged dogs. I am at that wonderful stage in life where I can find time for myself to enjoy reading.
My favourite comfort reads are books about travel. In particular if the travel books involve a lot of food and red wine!
My favourite comfort reads are books about travel. In particular if the travel books involve a lot of food and red wine!
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Yes, you've got me thinking that I may need to create a new thread or folder. We haven't had a lot of comfort reads mentioned yet with this particular theme.
Shelley wrote: "Thanks for the invite Merry! I'm Shelley from Ottawa, Ontario - a mother of two children in their 20s, and two crazy middle-aged dogs. I am at that wonderful stage in life where I can find time for..."Yeah! Shelley you made it to the comfy group! I must say I love the way you read, books accompanied with food and wine! I knew there was a good reason we are friends! You will love Lee the moderator - she is Canadian like you!
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Yum, travel books about food and wine! Sounds awesome!
Lee wrote: "Welcome Shelley! Yum, travel books about food and wine! Sounds awesome! "
uh Lee, I wonder ..... are they travel books about food and wine? Or are they travel books with food and wine!!!!! Yum either way Shelley!
Hi! I just found this group, what an excellent idea! I've already been skimming suggestions & finding lots of unknown books to read.My favorite comforts that spring to mind are E.M. Forster's Howards End, Agatha Christie (specifically any Miss Marple, small village type) & the early Harry Potters.
I look forward to meeting you all.
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My favorite comforts that spring to mind are E.M. Forster's H..."
Welcome Laurie! How wonderful that you've already found some unfamiliar books! That's music to my ears. I absolutely adore Howards End by E.M. Forster. I will pop that suggestion down into the classics section. Thanks for joining and I too look forward to chatting with you more.
Hello everyone. My name is Kathy, and I came across this group at just the right time. I am stuck in comfortville right now, reading some great cozy mysteries. I have so many more complex reads awaiting me, but I wanted to finish out the Hamish Macbeth mysteries by M.C. Beaton. I love the Scottish setting and have become quite ensconced in the village of Lochdubh and the life of Hamish. With the cold weather and now snow, comfort reading is just what I need.
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Hi Lee,Thanks for inviting me to join! And hello, other members.
Some of my favourite comfort reads include A Wrinkle in Time, To Kill a Mockingbird, A Summer Birdcage (Margaret Drabble), Bridget Jones' Diary and the Adrian Mole Diaries.
The authors of many of my comfort reads have a kind, life-affirming tone and are generous towards their characters.
Looking forward to learning more about group members' comfort reads!
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Hi everyone! My name's Sarah and I live in Vancouver, BC. Thanks for the invite Lee.My comfort reads are the books that I turn to time and time again, especially when I'm feeling under the weather or stressed out. Several that I love have already been mentioned, A Wrinkle in Time by L'Engle and Jane Austen, especially P&P and Persuasion. Generally, I read a lot of children/teen books. I added a few to the bookshelf that I thought were "comfy" - the Alice books by Susan Juby (an awesome BC writer) are bound to make you giggle out loud (I did anyway). I'm looking forward to adding some new books to my TBR pile!
Cheers!
Hey, Sarah! (Peregrine waves from Winnipeg)
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Hi, my name is Louis and I am from Montreal.I find most books comforting as long as I can get lost in their world.A few that stand out are 1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
2. The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
3. Great Expectations
4. Most works of Dickens and Zola.
5. The Peter Mayle Provence series.
As for Historical fiction Sharon Kay Penman can do no wrong.I love everything she has done.
Hi Louis! I was in Montreal for work twice last year and loved the city!We're reading Penman's The Sunne in Splendour for The History of Royals group right now. Have you read it?
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1. A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
2. The Guernsey Literary and..."
Hi Louis and welcome to the group! I think you will find a lot of friends here. I adored A Tree Grows in Brooklyn too. Please make yourself at home and chime in on any of our ongoing threads.
Sarah, I love Susan Juby as well (I also adored the television series, too bad it's not running anymore). Louis, I too love Peter Mayle's Provence books; they make you want to buy a house in Provence and move (well, I have to admit that Marcel Pagnol already did that for me)
Paula wrote: "Hi Louis! I was in Montreal for work twice last year and loved the city!We're reading Penman's The Sunne in Splendour for The History of Royals group right now. Have you read it?"
Paula, I have that one on my to-be-read-very-soon list. I became interested in Richard III after reading Josephine Tey's The Daughter of Time. I wish I was ready to read it right now with you all.
Lee wrote: "Welcome Kathy! Winter is the perfect time to cozy up with a good mystery isn't it? I don't think anyone's mentioned M.C. Beaton's work yet but I've been wanting to read the firs..."Thanks for the welcome, Lee. I'm going to finish up the Beaton series tonight. She has a lot of books she's written (and several different pseudonyms, too). Another of her mystery series is Agatha Raisin.
Agatha Raisin! I *knew I'd heard of M.C. Beaton before! I've read only the first book, and admittedly all I can remember of it is references to fairy cakes, but yeah, comfortable.
Peregrine wrote: "Agatha Raisin! I *knew I'd heard of M.C. Beaton before! I've read only the first book, and admittedly all I can remember of it is references to fairy cakes, but yeah, comfortable."I haven't read the Agatha Raisin ones yet, just the Hamish Macbeth series, but I will probably give the AR ones a try, too. Fairy cakes huh, well, that does sound interesting.
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Hello all. I joined due to Lisa's kind invitation, but I rarely look in on groups because I'm lazy. Home with stomach flu this morning, I thought about how I have been casting around for something comforting to read, and here I am! Thanks, Lee, for organizing this group.
Comfort Reads
Books mentioned in this topic
The Hunger Games (other topics)Winter Solstice (other topics)
The Hunger Games Trilogy Boxset (other topics)
The Secret Garden (other topics)
The Forgotten Garden (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Rosamunde Pilcher (other topics)Lillian Beckwith (other topics)
Barbara Kingsolver (other topics)
Chuck Palahniuk (other topics)
D.E. Stevenson (other topics)
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I'm from NYC originally, but I have lived in Rome (Italy) for the last 23 years. Am looking forward to chatting with you.