Comfort Books
I like chocolate and Cheetos as much as the next gal, but when things get tough my deepest hankerings are not for food, but for books. Not challenging books, or even new books, but tattered old friends that have been with me so long that the spines have turned yellow and the pages have gone soft.
It’s perfectly respectable to re-read things. When digesting dense literary texts, it is mandatory. But that’s not what I’m talking about. What I do is much more akin to the comforting ritual of the young child, asking to hear the same story again and again…and again.
Most of the books I turn to have good old-fashioned morals–gentle lessons on how to be strong and live a good life. So I like to think that when I visit them, I do it in the same spirit that people bring to their study of religious texts. They reassure and anchor me in times of trouble and remind me to face the day with a smile.
Before I get too starry-eyed here, I will admit that there’s also a big dose of pure escapism. Many of my favorites kept me company in girlhood, and burying myself in them lets me detach from the world in a way that now feels like a luxury. They hearken back to times when my worries and responsibilities were much simpler. Though these books are deeply familiar, I am different every time I read them. I identify with different characters and scenes, and new passages linger with me.
Sometimes I am a little bit sheepish about this habit–it feels slothful and vaguely immature. But I suppose that on the scale of guilty pleasures, escapist reading doesn’t even register. And I confess that as my young daughter begins to show an attachment to particular books, I am cheering inside.
In no particular order, here are a few comfort books that I could not live without. If you have your own, please share them!
Little Women, Louisa May Alcott
Anne of Green Gables series, Lucy Maud Montgomery
Animal Dreams, Barbara Kingsolver
All Creatures Great and Small series, James Herriot
Lord of the Rings trilogy, J.R.R. Tolkien
Harry Potter series, J.K. Rowling
Having just finished rereading for the umpteenth time one of my favorite books (The Far Pavilions by M. M. Kaye), I’m in complete agreement. I also have the good fortune of being able to forget a storyline after only a short time, so it is almost like reading a new book each time.
Another of my favorites is Illusions by Richard Bach.
Thank you, Liz! I am always looking for new books to add to the list. Summer is such a great time for pleasure reading.
Animal Dreams. Perhaps I’ll pick that one up again. One of my all time favorites. I’ve never been much of a rereader. It’s surprising, really, considering that I’m an extremely finicky reader and tend to leave more books unfinished than finished. So you’d think that the ones I couldn’t put down the first time would draw me back again and again. I’ve tried it, but I’ve found that I am often disappointed. They never seem to thrill me or touch my heart in quite the same way as they did the first time. Hmm. I wonder what that says about me?
Thanks for writing Julia. Keep it coming. Love. Erin.
Oh. Have you read The History of Love by Nicole Krauss? Probably you have, but if not, I highly recommend it. Beautiful book.
I’m secretly jealous of people who don’t re-read–think of how many more books you will experience over your lifetime than I will. Enjoy it!
And, yes, I liked History of Love very much.