I have a lot of “favorite” books. My husband swears he can tell my state of mind by the books I am reading. In his opinion, if I am cuddling up with some of my “old” favorites, then I am suffering from insecurity over something. I’m not sure that is always true, but I do have many books I like to re-read. My oldest favorites, as I mentioned in a post in October 2018, are Little Women by Louisa May Alcott and The Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien. I also love to periodically revisit Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë and To Serve Them All My Days by R. F. Delderfield.
In the mystery realm, I have mentioned before that I am a Nero Wolfe fan. The series was started by Rex Stout, then continued after a couple of decades by Robert Goldsborough. Nero Wolfe is not a cozy series, but many of my mystery favorites are. Donna Andrews’ Meg Langslow series is that rare series which have scenes that make me laugh out loud. Other favorites include the Haunting Danielle series by Bobbi Holmes, Debra Goldstein’s Sarah Blair Mystery series, Allison Brook’s Haunted Library series, Carol Perry’s Witch City series and her Haunted Haven series. A new favorite is Julie Mulhern’s Country Club Mystery series. I discovered it sometime in January after E.B. Davis mentioned it in one of her posts and have read all thirteen books twice already. In the interest of fair disclosure, Allison Brooks, who is Marilyn Levinson, Debra Goldstein and Carol Perry are my blog mates; the only reason the rest of my blog mate’s series haven’t made the list is that I just haven’t made it to their books yet. If I didn’t insist on re-reading an entire series when a new book comes out, I might squeeze some more books in, but so far, I haven’t wavered.
In the “guilty pleasures” category, another favorite is a paranormal romance series called the “Leveling Up” series by K. F. Breene, where a 40 year old divorcee discovers that she is the heir to a magical house, the acceptance of which gives her an enormous fund of magic of her own, and enormous problems that go along with it. This series also has a large streak of humor running through it.
I could keep going; I have many favorites I like to re-read. The thread that ties them all together is the element of immersion. When I read these books, I lose myself and become totally submerged in the events I am reading about. Most of the time, there are characters in the book that I would love to be friends with if they existed in real life. Sometimes, there is an element of escapism; for example, in both the Haunting Danielle and the Country Club Murder series, neither heroine worries about where next month’s rent comes from. It’s nice to be submerged in a world where the main character, at least, doesn’t have to worry about where their next paycheck or meal is coming from. And the writing in my favorites is always good writing. Don’t ask me to define what good writing is; I know it when I see it and feel it resonate within me. “Good writing” isn’t simply a matter of style, either, as vastly different styles still constitute “good writing.” My “good writing” favorites have gotten me through many of life’s toils and troubles.
“They” often say when the going gets tough, the tough get
going. I think I’ll amend that to say when the going gets tough, the survivors
start reading. It fits me, anyhow.
Do you have a definition of "good writing"? What are your favorite books to escape to when you need a break from regular life?
Only occasionally will I reread a book because I have too many new things I want to learn (nonfiction) or stories I want to read (fiction). When life gets stressful, my reading falls off because I'm . . . well, stressed. When I am more relaxed, I tend to find time to read.
ReplyDeleteSo reading is an inverse measure of my stress levels.
Just the opposite of me!
DeleteI have a shelf of comfort reads I save to re-read during my annual head cold or inevitable reaction to covid shots: Helen Hanff, 84 Charing Cross Road; WM Krueger, Iron Lake; Ann Cleves, the Shetland books; Donna Andrews, Murder with Peacocks; Martin Walker, the Bruno, Chief of Police books.
ReplyDeleteSomeone else recommended the Shetland books to me; I'll have to give them a try.
DeleteThanks, Nancy, for sharing your list. My winter go-to is The Hound of the Baskervilles. When the first snow starts slashing the window, I make a super hot cup of Earl Grey tea, bundle up in a wooly afghan, and settle in for a re-read. It's my little annual ritual.
ReplyDeleteThat sounds like a fabulous ritual.
DeleteI very rarely re-read a book. My TBR shelves are too full. I may glance back at one if reading a series or doing research on how someone wrote something.
ReplyDeleteMy TBR list is pretty long too, but I need the reassurance somtimes of my old favorites.
DeleteTo my delight, the Dick Francis novels are now available in Kindle form (I like to snuggle up with my Kindle at bedtime. So much easier for arthritic hands to hold than a physical book. And you can make the print bigger.) I often read short stories then, but the Dick Francis books have been showing up on Book Bub for $1.99, and I can't resist them.
ReplyDeleteYes, I love my Kindle too. It is harder to read a regular book once you get used to the Kindle.
DeleteI rarely reread a book, but I have reread "To Kill a Mockingbird," all the Sherlock Holmes stories, and "Snowbound," Whitman's wonderful poem about a snowstorm and a snowbound family. Living in the Midwest, I find the latter perfect around January.
ReplyDeleteThose sound like great choices for re-reading.
DeleteWonderful blog! Yes, I have comfort shelf in my house, too. I'll often re-read PD James's or Margaret Maron. If I'm really stressed, I read the Desiderata or The Little Prince. Yep, comfort reads.
ReplyDeleteHere's to comfort reads!
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