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Over the years I have often been asked, “Why do you read?” At Bookflurries, I have answered that question with the words because I learn and grow, I see solutions to problems, it is important to compare ideas, for inspiration, for entertainment rather than watching TV, and because I am curious about things.
But many times when I look at my pile of “To-Be-Read” books, I choose one for comfort. There is so much that goes on in life that is hard and that causes anxiety, fear and anguish that being able to read a book and get involved in a different world is life saving. Holding a baby or a pet is wonderful. A nap can help. But for getting my mind off things so that later I can make a wise decision or do the work that has to be done, a comfort book is a big help. At the end of a long day, it is easier to pick up a comfort book to relax with and it is something to look forward to.
Different kinds of books are comforts to different people. Some readers seeking comfort like a “good” trashy book and admit to a guilty pleasure in not reading a literary work. Some find that classical literature is a comfort and the beauty of the writing calms their spirits. Some people prefer having to dig deep while others want a superficial treat. Some readers like to re-read favorite books.
One reason that I have a challenge list of twenty books each year is to be sure I don’t neglect harder books that really are important. It sometimes seems that my life is always in chaos so that without the challenge books, I might only read comfort books.
Some books that I think of as comfort books might be very uncomfortable reading for others.
I asked myself, today, why I haven’t started my new Guy Gavriel Kay book River of Stars, yet. I waited for it for a long time and I know I will enjoy reading it, but I also know that I will have to give it my best and deepest attention. I respect Kay for that. So, it may be a while, yet, before I choose it from the pile. I am sure it will be a comfort book for its creativity, beauty and interesting characters when I do start it.
Some of my comfort books:
1. The Bear Went Over the Mountain by William Kotzwinkle. I could read it fast, it was funny and it pointed out some truths about the writing world. It was perfect for my state of mind these past few days.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/...
William Kotzwinkle, the esteemed author of The Fan Man and E.T.: The Extraterrestrial, is in top comic form in this outrageous and uproarious parable featuring Hal Jam—a big black bear who finds a manuscript under a tree in the Maine woods, dons a suit and a tie, and heads off to the big city to seek his fame and fortune. What follows is a riotous magical romp with the buoyant Hal Jam as he leaves the quiet, nurturing world of the forest for the glittering and corrupt world of humans. New York and Hollywood and all that lies between serve as an expansive palette for Kotzwinkle’s wickedly funny satiric brush. The Bear Went Over the Mountain skewers our age’s obsession with money and fame in a delicious bedtime story for grown-ups.
2. The Cat’s Table by Michael Ondaatje. This story put me on a ship so I was traveling and it added a mystery through the eyes of a young narrator. I stayed interested in the other passengers as well.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/...
…By turns poignant and electrifying, The Cat’s Table is a spellbinding story about the magical, often forbidden, discoveries of childhood, and a lifelong journey that begins unexpectedly with a spectacular sea voyage.
3. The Night Country by Loren Eiseley. It had been a long time since I first read it and I remembered that I identified strongly with these essays and with his outlook. The re-read was equally wonderful and his words were magical.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/...
Toward the end of his life, Loren Eiseley reflected on the mystery of life, throwing light on those dark places traversed by himself and centuries of humankind. The Night Country is a gift of wisdom and beauty from the famed anthropologist.
4. The Spencer Quinn mysteries with Chet the dog as the narrator. I have mentioned these several times, but they did not fail me when I needed an easy, but poignant read that could make me smile and laugh out loud.
Dog On It
Thereby Hangs a Tail
To Fetch a Thief
The Dog Who Knew Too Much
A Fistful of Collars
5. Code Name Verity by Elizabeth Wein. This book was an emotional read, but I cared so much about the characters and I got so involved in what was happening to them that I forgot my daily grind and that is why I call it a comfort book.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/...
A Michael L. Printz Award Honor book that was called "a fiendishly-plotted mind game of a novel" in The New York Times, Code Name Verity is a visceral read of danger, resolve, and survival that shows just how far true friends will go to save each other.
Winner of the 2013 Edgar Award for Best Young Adult
A 2013 Michael L. Printz Honor Book
A 2012 Boston Globe-Horn Fiction Honor Book
6. The Illegal Gardener by Sara Alexi. It took me to another country…Greece. The lady protagonist loves the country and is trying to start a new life. The Gardener is able to listen to her and to share. There are cats, too. It is a beautiful story.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/...
Sara Alexi weaves an entrancing story of the burgeoning relationship that develops between two people from very different backgrounds and cultures, an English woman living in Greece and the Pakistani illegal immigrant who becomes her gardener and house boy. Each comes with their own problems, their own past baggage, and she explores these with sympathy and understanding as well as the many nuances of the differences in cultures as they become more and more dependent on each other.'
7. The Devil’s Cave by Martin Walker. There is a map of St. Denis in the book this time which adds to the fun. I like this series because it is set in France and because Bruno is a comfort as a character. People in the town like him and in the first book he stopped to visit with them on his way to work. I was hooked from that moment. He reminds me of Cadfael in Ellis Peter's mysteries. Her books were also comfort stories to me in years past.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/...
With the enchanting backdrop of France’s pastoral heartland, a cast of local characters as vibrant as their surroundings, enough sumptuous repasts to satisfy any literary gourmand, and a hero winningly capable of balancing the good life with a dogged dedication to solving the crimes that threaten it, The Devil’s Cave invites readers to raise a glass and turn the page.
The series:
Bruno, Chief of Police
The Dark Vineyard
Black Diamond
The Crowded Grave
8. Blade Reforged by Kelly McCullough. It is comforting to come back to a character in a series that I like and wish good things for. It is like coming home even though the plot is not a comfortable cozy one by any means. It is seeing that Aral cares about people enough to risk his life for them that interests me as well as the fact that he is learning about himself that keeps me reading the series.
http://www.barnesandnoble.com/...
After the fall of the goddess of justice, temple assassin Aral Kingslayer lost his purpose in life and turned to the bottle. That might have been the end of him if luck hadn’t given him a few people to help him get back on his feet—notably the irresistible Baroness Maylien Dan Marchon, who once sought his aid in claiming the throne that’s rightfully hers. Reluctant to resume the role of an assassin, he turned her down.
But now Aral has learned that one of the few people willing to help him in his darkest days has been imprisoned by Maylien’s uncle, King Thauvik. Aral knows he can’t let an old friend die, but the alternative is to return to the life he left years ago. It was the death of Thauvik’s half brother that earned Aral the name Kingslayer, and now he is thrust into a war that will see no end until he lives up to his name.
Broken Blade
Bared Blade
Crossed Blades
Diaries of the Week:
Write On! A likable character...
by SensibleShoes
http://www.dailykos.com/...
R&BLErs: Birth Announcement for "What's on Your e-Reader?"
by Limelite
http://www.dailykos.com/...
Robert Fuller says:
Chapter 15 of "The Rowan Tree" is now online. If anyone at Daily Kos is reading it, I hope they feel free to comment or even drop me an email about the book. In many ways "The Rowan Tree" is the culmination of my life's work, and many of my thoughts on politics and society eventually get woven into the narrative.
http://www.rowantreenovel.com/...
The current Goodreads Giveaway just conclude, but another one will probably start next week. I wonder if any kossacks were among the previous winners?
NOTE:
plf515 has book talk on
Wednesday mornings early