Comfort Books

I'm not quite finished with my last September read, so instead of a reading recap, this week we're going to talk about comfort books.

What are comfort books, you might ask?

I define comfort books as "Stories that you have read at least three times and that instantly bring you a sense of calm and coziness". Anticipation is also a part of comfort books; you know this story, and you're excited to re-live it every time you pick it up.

In unfamiliar places or situations, it's good to have a familiar story to fall back on. A story whose characters are your friends and whose landscape you can fall into at a moment's notice.

One of my mom's favorite comfort books is Jane of Lantern Hill, by L.M. Montgomery.

I have at least four comfort books: Ella Enchanted, by Gail Carson Levine; Beauty, by Robin McKinley; How's Moving Castle, by Diana Wynne Jones; and Inkheart, by Cornelia Funke. (You'll notice that they're all fantasy.)

The first few lines of all of these books instantly transport me to the world of the story.

Ella Enchanted

"That fool of a fairy Lucinda did not intend to lay a curse on me."

(This line just randomly runs through my mind sometimes. It's a great line.)

Beauty

"I was the youngest of three daughters. Our literal-minded mother named us Grace, Hope, and Honour, but few people except perhaps the minister who had baptized all three of us remembered my given name. My father still likes to tell the story of how I acquired my odd nickname: I had come to him for further information when I first discovered that our names meant something besides you-come-here." 

(The dry humor! I love it.)

Howl's Moving Castle

"In the land of Ingary, where such things as seven-league boots and cloaks of invisibility really exist, it is quite a misfortune to be born the eldest of three. Everyone knows you are the one who will fail first, and worst, if the three of you set out to seek your fortunes."

(And of course–spoiler alert!–Sophie's story sets out to roundly disprove this decree that the book starts with. I love that.)

Inkheart

"Rain fell that night, a fine, whispering rain. Many years later, Meggie had only to close her eyes and she could hear it, like tiny fingers tapping on the windowpane."

(Chilling. In the best way.)

I used to dislike rereading books. I felt (and still feel) that there are so many books I haven't read yet, why waste my precious reading time on books I've already read?

These days, I take a slightly different approach. While I do read mostly new-to-me books, I keep an eye out as I'm reading for the ones that might enter my repertoire of "old favorites". And I only buy books that I know I'll read again (unless it's 2020 and the libraries are closed and you can't get new books by any means except buying them).

This also shows a benefit of keeping a book list; I tend to forget what I read last month, let alone last year. So it's helpful to have the list to look back on and remember what I liked and what I didn't like!

Would you agree with my definition of comfort books? And do you have one (or several)? 

I'll see you next Wednesday with my September 2023 Reading Recap!