I woke up yesterday feeling like I couldn’t possibly write about books for a while. I really need to process what’s happened with the election, although knowing about facts and statistics doesn’t help me make sense of it. I’m hurt and angry and disappointed in my country. I’m also very afraid for my job. The things that I clung to in 2016 (“but the popular vote” and “but people don’t really know who they’re voting for”) don’t work this time.
I know we’ll all have different coping methods. In 2016, mine were to volunteer more, to donate more to civil rights organizations, to understand more about the views of different people in the U.S. Now, I just want comfort. I want to hide in my “bubble”. I want to be home with Mr. CG and my kitties. I want to bake and garden and watch stupid television. I was listening to something recently about how people with office-type jobs find comfort in making things with their hands. That explains the bread baking craze during COVID, I suppose. Lately I’ve been reading about making my own lotions. Whatever works.
What makes a book a comfort read? That will be different for everyone. For me, it’s something immersive enough to be distracting, without being too intellectually or emotionally challenging. It can be a beloved children’s book, or a book I’ve read a million times. Or a favorite series, where I already know and love the setting and characters. Books that are humorous and sentimental help. And sometimes it’s just a book that’s really, really good.
I try to avoid books that are very violent or dark, but sometimes, it helps to read about times that are much darker than the ones we’re in now (The Stand and Doomsday Book are two good examples). I wouldn’t necessarily recommend The Secret History or Outlander as comfort reads, because they are pretty dark, but for me, they are favorites to go back to. And they are certainly sure to immerse you in another time and place.
In case this helps anyone, here are my recommendations for comfort reads. I came up with way more ideas than I thought I would, so I broke them down by category. That way you can look for whatever meets your definition of a comfort read.
Fantasy:
Gods of Jade and Shadow by Silvia Garcia-Moreno (and her other books too),the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs (first one is Moon Called), the Daughter of the Pirate King series by Tricia Levenseller, and The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches by Sandanna Mangu
Drama:
Plainsong by Kent Haruf, Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout, The Tales of the City series by Armistead Maupin.
Historical:
News of the World by Paulette Jiles, Girl Waits With Gun by Amy Stewart, The Song of Achilles by Madeline Miller (not light reads but great for getting away)
Mysteries and thrillers:
Miracle Creek by Angie Kim, almost anything by Ruth Ware, and historical mysteries like the ones by Karen Odden (for when a darker book feels like what you want)
Romance series:
What’s better than a good romance when you need comfort? A good series! Here are my favorites. The Brown Sisters by Talia Hibbert, The League of Extraordinary Women by Evie Dunmore, The Bromance Book Club by Lyssa Kay Adams, Heartstopper by Alice Oseman
Standalone romances:
The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary, The Hating Game by Sally Thorne, The Bodyguard by Katherine Center, anything by Rainbow Rowell
Children’s books:
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett, Mary Poppins by P.L. Travers, Heidi by Johanna Spyri, the Oz books by L. Frank Baum
Nonfiction:
Furiously Happy (or anything else) by Jenny Lawson
Especially good by audio:
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman, The House in the Cerulean Sea by T.J. Klune, Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt, The Bandit Queens by Parini Shroff
I hope you find something in all this that eases your mind, if that’s helpful right now. What are your go-to comfort reads? Any recommendations?
