Warm and Fuzzy

If I don't post anything over the next few days it's because I've taken to my bed, like those heroines in old-fashioned books. This third pregnancy of mine is really taking its toll. I am permanently tired, and suffer from bad nausea, dizziness and fainting spells.

Anyway, on the bright side, I hope I will find some time to read while I lounge in my bed. In fact, I spent much of the past weekend in a horizontal position and enjoyed re-reading a favourite Agatha Christie (By the Pricking of My Thumbs) and Little Town on the Prairie by Laura Ingalls Wilder. Both are on my list of comfort books, which I read when I feel ill, sad or just when I want to feel molly-coddled.

What are your comfort books? When do you read them? And how do they make you feel? Post a comment, send me your recommendations, write a review even and email it to me.

In the meantime, these are my Top 10 Comfort Reads:

1. Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder

I'm very fond of all the Little House books and have read and re-read them countless times since I was about eight. I love the descriptions of the close-knit Wilder family and how they share everything and always support each other. Life is simple and full of hardship, but this makes the few joys they experience all the more precious.

2. The Family Feeling by Susan Ebel

I've searched high and low for other books by this author, without success. She's not even available in the dustiest, mustiest libraries in England; not even in the large-print section! Anyway, I found this book at a bookfair when I was 17 and on holiday in KL, and I have read it at least once a year ever since. It's a love story and also a story of friendship and family relations. The central figure is this girl-next-door type who has to compete with a glamorous sexy actress for the affections of her handsome, childhood friend. Sigh ... I feel a re-read coming on ...

6. The Dark is Rising Sequence by Susan Cooper

The five-books-in-one make a nice, fat, exciting read. I devoured the lot in the course of one rainy day 15 years ago and it's still the first book I reach for when I want something to curl up with on a stormy night.

4. End of Term by Antonia Forest
Antonia Forest is my all-time favourite writer. Her books about the Marlow family are set in boarding school as well as in the family home during the holidays. This one is my favourite because of the detailed descriptions of a school Christmas play and a moonlit horse ride.

5. Persuasion by Jane Austen

When I think about it, Anne Elliot is exactly the sort of girl that would irritate me to death in real life. I mean, talk about wishy-washy! But I do like the way true love triumphs in the end. Definitely top of my list of favourite love stories.

6. Vilette by Charlotte Bronte

In my opinion, a miles-better read than Jane Eyre. I love Lucy Snowe's courage, no-nonsense attitude and sarcastic wit.

7. Moment of Love by Denise Robbins

Love, glamour, beautiful women, clothes and houses. This is the book I turn to when I want a nice, fluffy escapist-read. They just don't write them like this anymore.

8. Little Women/Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott

I'm sure being one of four sisters has a lot to do with this being a favourite book of mine. This is such an easy read, and I like the optimism and spirit of the Marches; their innocence and their sense of fun.

9. Tales from the End Cottage by Eileen Bell

A magical book about a fat old lady and her pets. The illustrations are half the joy, as they capture perfectly the characters of the animals and the comfortable routine of life in a quiet country cottage. This title is a must when I'm ill.

10. Possession by A.S. Byatt

This book is often called a literary whodunnit, and I think that is a very apt description. Reading it, I enjoy the same sense of excitement and suspense that I would get from a murder mystery, plus the pleasure of beautifully written poetry and prose, and the fulfilment that I can only feel when I read a truly romantic, rather tragic love story. I take this book with me when I have to stay at the hospital and on train rides.
BTW, just in case you've been put off by the film, starring Gwyneth Paltrow, which I've heard is really bad, I've also been told that it is nothing like the book.

Comments

[Ariel]

Congrats on your pregnancy! And do get well soon.

[Messy Christian]

Get better, okay, Daph? :)

[Lee Moore]

Surprised to see Persuasion in there. I found it quite disappointing but then I think it was a mistake to read it *after* Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility. Now P&P a bit intense in my opinion, but S&S is surely a decent 'comfort' book? There's nothing better than picturing Willoughby rescuing poor Marianne on a rainy day. ;-)