Comfort books

[madbaker]

I've been re-reading Lloyd Alexander's Prydain books. Each one only takes me 30-45 minutes; partly because they're short, partly because I've read these so many times that I can remember how some of the text is formatted on the page.

(Yes, I am a geek.)
(Line from dinner last night: "I'm a bread geek! I bite the ends off fresh loaves!")

When I was a bibliophiliac youngster, the local library gave me a set of Alexander's five books. They'd been given a batch without covers, and of course, they couldn't keep them. But they couldn't mentally justify throwing them away, so they found someone to appreciate them.

I read and re-read them until the pages fell out. Eventually, I bought a brand new set. I don't need to re-read these books - they are something that I can breeze through without thinking too much. It's like snuggling up to your ratty childhood stuffed animal.

Other comfort books are Heinlein's Starship Troopers (it was the book that started me on SF), and more lately, Bujold's Memory.

Does anyone else do this sort of thing? If so, what?

Comments

[loup_noir]

I used to read Ringworld for comfort and 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea. The last comfort read was the Chanur trilogy. Just love those and they always make me feel, I don't know, comfortable? Calm? At peace?

[tsgeisel.livejournal.com]

When in doubt, I can always pick up "Deadly Silents" by Lee Killough or "Spinneret" by Timothy Zahn, and not have to worry about plot or anything. I can read those books in my sleep...and have, probably.

Others include: "The Fifth Elephant" by Pratchett, "The Armageddon Rag" by Martin and "Dandelion Wine" by Bradbury. A few others as well.

I take great comfort in my books.

[goldenstag.livejournal.com]

For many years it was The Lord of the Rings, often Dream Park, there are others. Like others who have replied, I love my book collection <g>

[ornerie.livejournal.com]

I have a stack of books that I cycle through as well.

like you, Im' a reasonable Lois McMaster Bujold fan ;)
Robert Morrow's Towing Jehova and the rest of the series (Bible stories for adults, etc)
Christopher Moore (kinda Tim Robbins-esque but less tie dye, more space aliens ;))

I tend to go for strong characters in unlikely situations, handling things with grace and dignitiy and wit. I find that comforting...that their worlds are so much more #$%ed up than mine and THEY manage to pull it together....;)

[maestrateresa.livejournal.com]

But of course :)
And the Prydain books have been known to feature in my re-read obsessively pile, as have the (original) Amber series, and a book no one but me seems to have ever heard of called "Turned Loose on Irdra."

[madbaker.livejournal.com]

The original Amber series was one of mine, too. (I still have my signed '80s paperbacks.) But I haven't gone back to it in years.

[goldenstag.livejournal.com]

I sometimes come back and visit them. I have them all in hardback, the first series in two collections from the SciFi book club, back when I was a member. I have three or four of the second series autographed in hardback ...

[callistotoni.livejournal.com]

Ya know, in terms of "comfort function" I turn to movies rather than books. I do, however, have books that I find myself picking up time and time again. Tolkien, of course. Pratchett's Vime's series, Bujold, some of the Pern books ("I wanna dragon! ;-)" ).

But, really, when I want that "curl up with stuffed animals" feeling I turn to movies/DVDs. The ones that I know every line of.

Precisely this sort of things...

[blkeagl.livejournal.com]

..with some of the same books. Alexander, Tolkein, Lewis, Heinlein (juvenile), Kurtz are all part of my very basic re-reads for no reason other than comfort.

I also re-read food science books, how to books, references books (encyclopedias) for comfort. Yeah...

..and I jump back to very simple comfort foods...

a big mezzah... with any of

..bread (duh, it's the utensil and plate)
..many cheeses (feta and cheddar as basics) (LOTS)
..yogurt with olive oil (more like a yogurt cheese - LOTS)
..humus
..baba-ghanuj
..fool madamas (made with canned fava)
..falafel (REAL, not that rehydrated boxed crap)
..kibbeh
..arab version of dolmas with grape or cabbage leaves
..arab version of mini-pizzas with zatar or lamb or whatever...
..honey for dipping
..olive oil and zatar for dipping
..jam/jelly
..scrambled eggs with peppers and potatoes
..pickles and olives
..maybe a tomator/cucumber/mint salad or a tabouleh
..tea and water

[tshuma]

(Line from dinner last night: "I'm a bread geek! I bite the ends off fresh loaves!")

Oh, gods, I can barely see through the tears to type this. That made me snarf my iced tea!

I do have comfort books. When I moved to a college dorm, I had to box up most of my babies and put them in storage. I brought with me a few Madeleine L'Engle, a couple of Charles DeLint, Deerskin from Robin McKinley, The Initiate Brother from Sean Russell, my Complete Works of Octavio Paz (untranslated), Complete Shakespeare, my Vergil, and a few other choice bits. I acquired more while in school.

I remember the formatting on many of them, too.

[albionwood.livejournal.com]

Sherlock Holmes, in print and in the wonderful Jeremy Brett series.

Lord of the Rings has the be the ultimate comfort book, though. Re-reading it is like going to a reunion of old friends.

Less frequently returned to, but still giving something of that feeling:
Verne, Wells, and Poe (the guys who got me into SF/fantasy).
Doorways in the Sand (can you smell me dead?)
C. J. Cherryh doesn't quite fit here - only because I can't breeze through without thinking. But they are definitely the kind of books that bear re-reading.