Earlier this week over on bookstagram a friend of mine wrote a post asking for comfort reading recommendations. Wonderful human that she is, she was planning to cheer someone going through a hard time with a parcel of lovely things to read. I’m a HUGE advocate of comfort reading, so the question itself and the many and varied responses she received in the comments heartened me enormously.
Perfect summation of the breadth of wonderful comforting reads. I was so impressed with all the suggestions that I’m going to slowly build up a shelf full of reads suitable for those times when I need a duvet day 💞 I especially agree with the need to put aside literary one-upmanship; when down in the dumps, it’s definitely not the time to be trying to ‘impress.’
Oh my god Renie, your own library of comfort reading!! Love it! Thank you so much for putting this idea in my head and encouraging me to run with it. Writing this was essentially putting a gigantic hug into words! And I love how this is a topic that just lights everybody up to talk about <3
SO many wonderful recommendations....and lots of nodding along with you.
I discovered the phrase 'comfort reads' long after I'd been going back to books for precisely that reason and it's such a perfect way to encapsulate how certain books make you feel. My comforts tend to be varied but they all have a theme of gentleness, home and nature. Even if those things are wrapped around a murder :D. Some of my go-tos for comfort are the Miss Read books, anything by Rosamund Pilcher, Austen (always)...a quick perusal of my bookshelf tells me that most of my comfort reads are older books...probably linked to a nostalgia for simpler times. Ah, *happy sigh*...even just looking at them makes me feel more calm.
Congratulations on your one month-aversary....I love getting to read your words! xo
Thank you so much, Mel! I love that you get to read my words and send me such lovely comments!
You're right there's definitely something more comforting about older books––escaping all our modern stressors. Give me a reticule and some pithy put-downs and I'd be more than happy! I've read one Miss Read and very much enjoyed it, so I think I need to search out some more. I love how you just drop 'murder' into your list of lovely comforting things!! I strongly suspect you and Helen have absorbed so much cosy sleuthery by now you could pretty much solve any murder without having to leave your armchairs!
Haha....an armchair sleuth, definitely. Though I'd be the Watson to Helen's Sherlock as I think she's leagues ahead of me in murderous insights. I seem to enjoy the murdery things mostly around Christmas...which is probably something best left unexplored :D.
Domestic details are the cornerstone of my comfort reads -- I was musing on this long after reading your post....because I could think and chat about books forever. As you were. xo
Laughed out loud at the Christmas comment 😂 And can relate, actually that’s the only time I’d read a murder mystery too. Also can relate to be permanently thinking about books and their magical powers 💫
Some of your recommendations I know and love already, but I've added plenty to my 'have a look at' list, so thank you. 😊
My own first choice for a comfort read is my favourite book ever: 'Three Men in a Boat' by Jerome K Jerome. It is LAUGH OUT LOUD funny, but with deeply thoughtful and poignant bits woven into what is essentially witty travelogue meets nineteenth century social history. Every time I read it - which is often - I am newly astonished that it was written in the 1880s. It's remarkably easy to read, and hilarious in a falling-off-the-chair kind of way that is rarely found in a classic.
ALSO: '101 Dalmatians' by Dodie Smith. Such a wonderful, wonderful story - the films (both the animation and live-action titles) bear little resemblance to the text, and I mean that as a humungous compliment to the novel.
Thank you so much, Rebecca! Really glad to hear you enjoyed reading it––it was like writing a big hug essentially!
And thank you, they are both great calls. I have never read 101 Dalmatians, so I'm fascinated to see how it's different. And thank you for reminding me I have a beautiful, as yet unread copy of Three Men in a Boat on my shelves. I bought it after seeing a particularly lovely edition on bookstagram as I have vivid memories of listening to (and loving) the audio version on cassette that my Dad had borrowed from the library in the car one summer holiday as a child. I'll earmark that as one to read in the garden when the weather perks up, thanks!
What a wonderful article Claire! Speaking as one whom just last night finished my umpteenth listen to Bookworm and who recently also read Mrs Harris goes to Paris for the first time, I wholeheartedly agree. Now I just need to go and dig out our copy of Milly Molly Mandy for my daughter’s return from school today, she has a terrible cold...
Thank you so much, Sarah! Oh now listening to Bookworm ... that sounds next level lovely. Genius plan, thank you for sharing!
Vicarious MMM joy––absolutely love it! I never read it as a child, but picked up the paperbacks when Em was small and she goes back to them over and over. Only lovely things happen at the nice white cottage with the thatched roof <3
Also Lucy Mangan reads 'Bookworm' herself. I absolutely love audio books when they are read by the author - it seems even more personal. 'Dear Reader' by Cathy Rentzenbrink is also brilliant. I really enjoy 'books about books' recommendations.
Such a beautiful piece Claire. I arrived on the doorstep of reading later on in Life and can't seem to get enough of it now as there are never enough hours in the day so therefore not a great rereader but I get the sentiment.
Thanks so much for reading Olatomi, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was comforting even to write this one! I love the phrase 'arrived on the doorstep of reading' and however late in life it feels, I'm so glad you got there and are now happily surrounded by piles of books! x
I loved reading this - comfort read in itself! It also made me want to pick up The Secret Garden (and other children's classics like Peter Pan). . . and I'm a lover of Mary Oliver's Blue Horses and other poetry for comfort reading.
Thank you, Jess. It was comforting to write too! Peter Pan is a great call to add to the list of comforting children's classics. And I love that you love Blue Horses too. It was my first Oliver and I really want to expand my collection.
A great read Claire and so many brilliant suggestions. Anne of Green Gables got me through the early days of leaving University and I have revisited her so many times since. I love anything Persephone and especially Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Mariana, Diary of a Provincial Lady and The Fortnight in September. I am also a big Miss Read fan and regularly turn to her for some countryside companionship. Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series is also a favourite. I picked up one of these yesterday to escape into after having to read a 'thriller' - which was everything but comforting, for a book group I am in!
Thanks Angie. It was an absolute delight to put this one together! Anne really is a special book. I've read it a couple of times since 2020 and gone on to read more of the series (I got a bit stuck by about the fourth or fifth, maybe time to return). I'm almost envious that Em has discovered it as a girl! Definitely want to read more Miss Read (have read one about the school) and added Daisy Dalrymple to the list, thank you. I looked them up and the covers are gorgeous! I love how you've used a comfort read as a post-thriller palate cleanser! Perfect.
What a terrific article, Claire! You’ve recommended such wonderful reads (hurrah for The Enchanted April!) and I immediately ordered a copy of A Gentleman in Moscow! Can’t wait to see what delights you share with us next week! Xxx
I am absolutely over the moon you've gone for A Gentleman in Moscow, Kathryn. It's clever and interesting, warm and uplifting. Count Rostov is one of my favourite fictional characters of recent times. Really look forward to hearing what you think. Glad you enjoyed the newsletter, it was a joy to write! xxx
Thanks for sharing Claire, what a lovely list of books this is. I have heard lots of good things about A Gentleman In Moscow, but it hasn't made its way onto my book pile as yet. A Man Called Ove had a lot of hype but sadly it just didn't do it for me. I guess a comfort read for me would be something lighter and fluffier than I would normally read that doesn't tax the brain too much. I read a couple of Emma Kennedy novels last year that were perfect for that, The Never Ending Summer and The Things We Left Unsaid. Lianne Moriarty has also been good for that too. Maybe a step too far are the novels of Veronica Henry which are total fluff and I discovered them at Christmas when it was an effort to even get up and face the day (this was when the anxiety after my accident was at its height). They got me through even though I knew their limitations it was just what I needed at that time. 🌻
You are very welcome, Luisa! Happy to provide the service of a little injection of booksta joy, without you having to disappear off down that rabbit hole!
I'm adding both those books to my list, thank you. I haven't read either, but did recognise the cover of the Copenhagen Trilogy when I looked up 'Childhood', so I may have read a review of it along the way.
Perfect summation of the breadth of wonderful comforting reads. I was so impressed with all the suggestions that I’m going to slowly build up a shelf full of reads suitable for those times when I need a duvet day 💞 I especially agree with the need to put aside literary one-upmanship; when down in the dumps, it’s definitely not the time to be trying to ‘impress.’
Oh my god Renie, your own library of comfort reading!! Love it! Thank you so much for putting this idea in my head and encouraging me to run with it. Writing this was essentially putting a gigantic hug into words! And I love how this is a topic that just lights everybody up to talk about <3
SO many wonderful recommendations....and lots of nodding along with you.
I discovered the phrase 'comfort reads' long after I'd been going back to books for precisely that reason and it's such a perfect way to encapsulate how certain books make you feel. My comforts tend to be varied but they all have a theme of gentleness, home and nature. Even if those things are wrapped around a murder :D. Some of my go-tos for comfort are the Miss Read books, anything by Rosamund Pilcher, Austen (always)...a quick perusal of my bookshelf tells me that most of my comfort reads are older books...probably linked to a nostalgia for simpler times. Ah, *happy sigh*...even just looking at them makes me feel more calm.
Congratulations on your one month-aversary....I love getting to read your words! xo
Thank you so much, Mel! I love that you get to read my words and send me such lovely comments!
You're right there's definitely something more comforting about older books––escaping all our modern stressors. Give me a reticule and some pithy put-downs and I'd be more than happy! I've read one Miss Read and very much enjoyed it, so I think I need to search out some more. I love how you just drop 'murder' into your list of lovely comforting things!! I strongly suspect you and Helen have absorbed so much cosy sleuthery by now you could pretty much solve any murder without having to leave your armchairs!
Happy weekend <3
Haha....an armchair sleuth, definitely. Though I'd be the Watson to Helen's Sherlock as I think she's leagues ahead of me in murderous insights. I seem to enjoy the murdery things mostly around Christmas...which is probably something best left unexplored :D.
Domestic details are the cornerstone of my comfort reads -- I was musing on this long after reading your post....because I could think and chat about books forever. As you were. xo
Laughed out loud at the Christmas comment 😂 And can relate, actually that’s the only time I’d read a murder mystery too. Also can relate to be permanently thinking about books and their magical powers 💫
I loved reading this - thanks, Claire!
Some of your recommendations I know and love already, but I've added plenty to my 'have a look at' list, so thank you. 😊
My own first choice for a comfort read is my favourite book ever: 'Three Men in a Boat' by Jerome K Jerome. It is LAUGH OUT LOUD funny, but with deeply thoughtful and poignant bits woven into what is essentially witty travelogue meets nineteenth century social history. Every time I read it - which is often - I am newly astonished that it was written in the 1880s. It's remarkably easy to read, and hilarious in a falling-off-the-chair kind of way that is rarely found in a classic.
ALSO: '101 Dalmatians' by Dodie Smith. Such a wonderful, wonderful story - the films (both the animation and live-action titles) bear little resemblance to the text, and I mean that as a humungous compliment to the novel.
Thank you so much, Rebecca! Really glad to hear you enjoyed reading it––it was like writing a big hug essentially!
And thank you, they are both great calls. I have never read 101 Dalmatians, so I'm fascinated to see how it's different. And thank you for reminding me I have a beautiful, as yet unread copy of Three Men in a Boat on my shelves. I bought it after seeing a particularly lovely edition on bookstagram as I have vivid memories of listening to (and loving) the audio version on cassette that my Dad had borrowed from the library in the car one summer holiday as a child. I'll earmark that as one to read in the garden when the weather perks up, thanks!
What a wonderful article Claire! Speaking as one whom just last night finished my umpteenth listen to Bookworm and who recently also read Mrs Harris goes to Paris for the first time, I wholeheartedly agree. Now I just need to go and dig out our copy of Milly Molly Mandy for my daughter’s return from school today, she has a terrible cold...
Thank you so much, Sarah! Oh now listening to Bookworm ... that sounds next level lovely. Genius plan, thank you for sharing!
Vicarious MMM joy––absolutely love it! I never read it as a child, but picked up the paperbacks when Em was small and she goes back to them over and over. Only lovely things happen at the nice white cottage with the thatched roof <3
My desire to replicate Milly Molly Mandy's little storeroom bedroom has never left me. A sloping bedroom ceiling warms my heart even now!!!
That's one of Em's favourite stories. The little yellow bedroom makeover!
Yes, yes, yes!
Also Lucy Mangan reads 'Bookworm' herself. I absolutely love audio books when they are read by the author - it seems even more personal. 'Dear Reader' by Cathy Rentzenbrink is also brilliant. I really enjoy 'books about books' recommendations.
And thank you, forgot all about Dear Reader and have immediately added it to my library reservation list! Superstar!
That’s the one we have too! With red text on the spine and the gorgeous original map and illustrations !
This little exchange has made my day! And demonstrates exactly the hold a childhood book can have over our hearts. Now I'm welling up a bit!!
Definitely no apology required! I've loved reading this!! x
Such a beautiful piece Claire. I arrived on the doorstep of reading later on in Life and can't seem to get enough of it now as there are never enough hours in the day so therefore not a great rereader but I get the sentiment.
Thanks so much for reading Olatomi, and I'm glad you enjoyed it. It was comforting even to write this one! I love the phrase 'arrived on the doorstep of reading' and however late in life it feels, I'm so glad you got there and are now happily surrounded by piles of books! x
I loved reading this - comfort read in itself! It also made me want to pick up The Secret Garden (and other children's classics like Peter Pan). . . and I'm a lover of Mary Oliver's Blue Horses and other poetry for comfort reading.
Thank you, Jess. It was comforting to write too! Peter Pan is a great call to add to the list of comforting children's classics. And I love that you love Blue Horses too. It was my first Oliver and I really want to expand my collection.
A great read Claire and so many brilliant suggestions. Anne of Green Gables got me through the early days of leaving University and I have revisited her so many times since. I love anything Persephone and especially Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Mariana, Diary of a Provincial Lady and The Fortnight in September. I am also a big Miss Read fan and regularly turn to her for some countryside companionship. Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series is also a favourite. I picked up one of these yesterday to escape into after having to read a 'thriller' - which was everything but comforting, for a book group I am in!
Thanks Angie. It was an absolute delight to put this one together! Anne really is a special book. I've read it a couple of times since 2020 and gone on to read more of the series (I got a bit stuck by about the fourth or fifth, maybe time to return). I'm almost envious that Em has discovered it as a girl! Definitely want to read more Miss Read (have read one about the school) and added Daisy Dalrymple to the list, thank you. I looked them up and the covers are gorgeous! I love how you've used a comfort read as a post-thriller palate cleanser! Perfect.
What a terrific article, Claire! You’ve recommended such wonderful reads (hurrah for The Enchanted April!) and I immediately ordered a copy of A Gentleman in Moscow! Can’t wait to see what delights you share with us next week! Xxx
I am absolutely over the moon you've gone for A Gentleman in Moscow, Kathryn. It's clever and interesting, warm and uplifting. Count Rostov is one of my favourite fictional characters of recent times. Really look forward to hearing what you think. Glad you enjoyed the newsletter, it was a joy to write! xxx
High praise indeed, Claire! Xx
I enjoyed this so much. Thank you Claire 😊
Thank you so much! I really enjoyed writing it too––a great big hug of a newsletter <3
As always a very inspirational read Claire ....... my reading list lengthens!! Thank you.
Thank you ❤️ I loved writing this one ... like putting a hug into words! Pretty much this whole list I could just read over and over.
Thanks for sharing Claire, what a lovely list of books this is. I have heard lots of good things about A Gentleman In Moscow, but it hasn't made its way onto my book pile as yet. A Man Called Ove had a lot of hype but sadly it just didn't do it for me. I guess a comfort read for me would be something lighter and fluffier than I would normally read that doesn't tax the brain too much. I read a couple of Emma Kennedy novels last year that were perfect for that, The Never Ending Summer and The Things We Left Unsaid. Lianne Moriarty has also been good for that too. Maybe a step too far are the novels of Veronica Henry which are total fluff and I discovered them at Christmas when it was an effort to even get up and face the day (this was when the anxiety after my accident was at its height). They got me through even though I knew their limitations it was just what I needed at that time. 🌻
You are very welcome, Luisa! Happy to provide the service of a little injection of booksta joy, without you having to disappear off down that rabbit hole!
I'm adding both those books to my list, thank you. I haven't read either, but did recognise the cover of the Copenhagen Trilogy when I looked up 'Childhood', so I may have read a review of it along the way.