When Wave asked me to guest blog, I was honored. I mean, she has some great reviewers and awesome guests, like Josh Lanyon and Nicole Kimberling. Also, M.L. Rhodes will be making an appearance. Heck, how do I make my post entertaining enough for people to want to read on…lol. I’d like to be asked back at some point.
Then my mind jumped to my up-coming release, Bitter Creek’s Redemption, which comes out this weekend from Amber Allure. It’s an Old West story. I wrote it as a kind of homage to one of my favorite authors, Louis L’Amour. I grew up reading his Westerns and loved them.
As much as I loved the Westerns, that isn’t what my post is all about. I want to talk about comfort reads or books that I like to re-read over and over, because some of them aren’t ‘comfortable’ books.
I have several books that I re-read at least once a month. And even though I know how the book is going to end, I let myself get wrapped up in the struggle of the hero’s life or journey. I love to re-live the story again. Sometimes it’s the way the author describes a scene or a person. In other places, it’s the emotions the author evokes in the dialogue.
Like Magic’s Pawn by Mercedes Lackey. No matter how many times I read it, it still brings tears to my eyes because of the emotions her words evoke. I can feel Vanyel’s pain and his loss, but in the end, his willingness to hope. Louis L’Amour westerns create the feel of the old west, deserts, heat, and the lowing of the cattle.
There are days when I don’t have time to re-read the entire book, but I’ll visit dialogues, scenes, or chapters that I remember. There are books I read when I was young, that I still visit from time to time. Of course, there are those that I won’t ever read again, simply because they’ve touched something in me that won’t let me forget it, but I can’t deal with reading it again. Where the Red Fern Grows is one such story.
Do you have books that you like to visit again and again? It can be any genre. I’d like to check out what other people have as comfort reads. Aside from the
comfort read?
marvelous list Wave and everyone is putting together.
Wave, thank you for inviting me to babble at everyone. I had fun and I hope I didn’t bore anyone too badly.
Great post TA. I do have comfort reads but I don’t get around to reading them as much as I would like or my tbr pile would topple over and squash me :).
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Occasionally, though, I go and ‘hide’ in my keeper shelf and will re-read the AE Mysteries by Josh Lanyon or the Heaven Sent series by Jet Mykles if I’m in the mood for m/m. Sometimes I’ll just pick a book I haven’t read for a while and re-read that and find comfort in knowing what’s going to happen but enjoy the ride anyway.
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If I want to read a classic, I’ll re-read Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen or Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte.
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I have other m/f romance writers, especially regency historicals, which I love to read when I’m in the mood for them or getting fed up of reading exclusively m/m. In particular Mary Balogh or Loretta Chase.
I do have comfort reads. Some in m/m that I go back to but in other genres as well. I love reading Agatha Christie. I think I’ve read them all and of course I know “who done it” but that doesn’t take away from my enjoyment. I also enjoy rereading Arthur Conan Doyle’s sci-fi stuff. Tanya Huff’s Smoke and … series I’ve read many many times.
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I’m not really sure if it’s always the story itself or what was going on in my life at the time I read it that makes it a comfort read, or a combo I suppose. It’s not only fun to revist characters but sometimes it wraps you up in a whole sense of where your life was at when you read it the first time. A bit of nostalgia.
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I don’t keep very many paper books, it’s just not my thing to collect books, I mostly read and then pass on to the charity shop but those few I keep, I keep for a very very long time and go back to over and over.
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Great topic TA.
Hi TA, great topic. Mine is Im Westen nichts Neues / All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque. My go to book on my Muni rides in San Fran.
Great choice of topic, T.A.!
When we moved a couple of months ago, we donated an entire *wall* of books to the local library. In my new little house, I have one little bookcase, so you can be sure that what remains on those meager shelves are my very favorite go-to books. Among them, they include: One on One by Tabitha King (high school basketball and sex!), Outlander by Diana Gabaldon (time travel and a 6’4″ virgin Scotsman!), and Strange Attractions by Emma Holly (m/m! m/m/f! Physics!).
What the three share in common is strong, flawed, big, beautiful heroes, characters I want to surround myself with when I’m looking for some fictional comfort.
Very interesting post! For comfort reads, I’ll go straight back to the SFF I read when younger: The Lord of the Rings by J. R. R. Tolkien, Dune by Frank Herbert, and some Ray Bradbury like Something Wicked This Way Comes.
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Then, like you said, there are some books that aren’t exactly comfort reads but I’ll go back and re-read them because they’re so weird and intricate and kind of compelling like either Insomnia or The Stand by Stephen King or Imajica by Clive Barker or Perdido Street Station by China Mieville.
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In general, though, I don’t re-read much at all. Maybe only every 3 or 4 years. I just can’t make the time for it. But it can be fun once in awhile.
Val
This is so strange. I was reading your list and several of them are MY comfort reads – e.g. Dune and anything by Frank Herbert, Lord of the Rings (I watch the movie over and over again more than I re-read the books), I also love The Stand, Firestarter, and anything by Stephen King. Agatha Christie books are great comfort reads for me even though I know the ending.:) The Front Runner is another one, Always by Trevor Meldal-Johnsen – a story about reincarnation.
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I could go on but you get the message – I have no life outside of my little world of books.*g*
It’s funny that I was just discussing Lord of the Rings with my daughter last night. She has to pick a novel for her big final project in English and that was on the list. I mentioned that so many people I know love it and her reply was “I’d never finish it, I couldn’t even get through the first movie!” LOL But then I’ve never read either and fast-forwarded through the battle scenes in the movies as well. Sacrilege huh? *blush*
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Considering I mostly watch the Space Channel at home I rarely read SF and never read it as a kid.
Heh. My eldest son fast forwards through the ‘mushy bits’ to get to the battle scenes :).
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I liked LOTR but I’d rather watch the films than read the book. The films cut out some of the ‘slow’ sections from the book.
*ducks and runs from the Tolkien fans*
Wave, I also watch The Lord of the Rings movies as my all-time-favorites! OMG! That hive-mind that Kassa and I share seems to be extending to encompass you!
Great post TA! My comfort reads are your cowboys and Tabloid Star along with JL Langley’s cowboys and With/Without series.
You know what my comfort reads are! lol Your books TA. I can read those over and over again and never get tired of them. Right now I’m re reading your first dragon book! 🙂
Another author that keeps me wrapped up even in a re read is Carol Lynne.
There are a couple others, but for the most part it is your stories. I have each of them on my PDA so I can read them anytime. I don’t think I’ve read anyone’s books as much as yours. lol
Great topic TA! Congrats on your upcoming release!
Great topic. Some of my comfort reads are your Home books, Outlander by Diana Gabaldon, The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis, The Dragon Lords by M.L. Rhodes and my favorite all time book To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee. Books are my main source of comfort and escape. They have seen me through the worst times in my life.
Great post TA!
The book that I read again and again is The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton.
I just discovered m/m this year so I have a lot of catching up to do but in my list of books that I will read again I have Josh Lanyon, JCP, M.L. Rhodes and your books Love of sports, Tabloid star, Allergies and Death or life.
A new book from you this weekend that’s good news congrats on the release.
Great reads, everyone. Comfort reads are kind of like those books you’d want to take with you if you’re going to be stranded on an island without a book store handy…lol.
Wow…LOTR is a great re-read…though like most, I tend to watch the movies more than read the books..lol. And to be really bad, I fast-forward through the parts that have to do with Frodo and Sam taking the ring to Mount Doom. I like the other story lines better. 🙂
I’ll admit I haven’t read much by King, mostly short stories that some movies are based on. I’m not big on ‘horror’ books. I might have to grab The Stand off of C’s shelf. That’s one of his favorite books.
Yes…take The Stand off of C’s shelve. That is a GREAT book!
Wow, great topic! I like a lot of the list that I have seen. My comfort books range from sloppy romance to history. The Ukiah Oregon series by Wen Spencer, A Brothers Price-also by Wen. Any Louis L’Amour, Agatha Christie. The Lord Darcy stories by Randall Garrett. They are alternate fiction where magic is well accepted.
The one book that I go back to again and again is called “The Mortal Immortals” by Cristabel. I read is in the1970’s while in nursing school and located a copy 20 years later.
Then there is ALWAYS you T.A., Christine Feehan’s Dark series,Sean Michael,Carol Lynne,B.A Tortuga, etc… The list seems to be endless.
It may be strange but there is a WW2 book about the Battle of the Atlantic called “Bloody Winter” that is absolutely amazing.
Sorry for rambling
Love this post! When I was little, my favorite comfort read was Little Women. I probably read it a thousand times! Then when I got older I shifted to anything by Jane Austen, and when I discovered romance, Susan Elizabeth Phillips was my gal. But really, any good romance novel is a comfort read to me. It’s that guaranteed happy ending that does it for me!
Hey TA!….this was a great topic! I have so many authors whose books I go back to over and over….Suzanne Brockmann is one of my absolute favorites and I have re-read everything of hers at least 10 times:)…I also enjoy re-reading Anne Rice’s first three books in the Vampire Chronicle series…as for e-books, I tend to do the same as you TA, sometimes I will just go to favorite dialogue or chapters. Among my favorite m/m authors and books I HAVE to re-read constantly are: Sean Michael (everything and especially his Jarheads) Cameron Dane, Lynn Lorenz, Chris Owen and of course you TA! Angels Evolution is one that I constantly have to re-read, in fact, I started re-reading it immediately after reading it the first time. Reading used to be my way of escaping life, but I read more as an adult for relaxation and a little time out.
Wonderful topic. I often reread my books and their covers often tell the tale. The Lord of the Rings Trilogy, Rebecca (“Last night I went to Manderly again..”), and Jane Eyre all come to mind immediately. And there are m/m books that are never completely consigned to my bookshelves. JL Langley’s My Fair Captain and The Englor Affair, The Tin Star, (ok and her wolf series too!). I love No Going Home and Home of His Own (by TA Chase of course). Collision Course by KA Mitchell, the Heaven Sent books by Jet Mykles and so much more. And as soon as I sign off…all the others I forgot to mention will come flooding back!
Great topic. I have alot of comfort books depending on my moods.
I am currently reading JL Langley’s Tin Star, L Baumbach’s Details of the Hunt, Stealing Life( Speaking of, do we get more books on the other assasins? love that book..) also V Flynn’s Mitch Rapp series concurrently… and yes I manage to keep the stories straight and having a good time. Not that I don’t have a huge TBR list, but I am just not in the mood.
Again great topic.
Suzi
Speaking about The Tin Star – I have that book near my bed so that I can read it every week.*g*
Thank you to everyone who said that my books are comfort reads for them. I appreciate hearing that. 🙂
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As for Stealing Life, I’m not sure if there will be any other stories about the other assassins, but I do have another sci-fi story I’m working on that is set in that ‘universe’. We’ll see how that goes.
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I re-read JL’s books all the time…lol. She can’t write fast enough for me.
hmmm comfort reads ehh, not so sure I can call them that since both you and JL Langley, both have series I keep waiting impatiently on but I reread yours and her books all the time. There are others too of course, way to many to mention them all lol. Used to love just about any Star Trek book. The Pern Series by Anne McCaffrey, Mercedes Lackey’s Valdemar series, Vanyels story was sooo sad. David Edding’s The Belgariad and the Mallorian. Tanya Huff’s Smoke series. Steven Brust’s Vlad series [new one coming up]. Laurell K Hamilton’s 2 series I still get as soon as a new book comes out [new one soon] Now I’m trying to to decide what to reread next, just finished Tabloid Star again lol now thinking either His Convenient Husband or Dreaming of Dragons 🙂
Boy’s Life by Robert R. McCammon. LOVE that book. In the last decade or so, it’s become even more of a comfort read for me than Lord of the Rings was in my growing-up and young adult years. I guess if I can ever get through the last page without becoming all happy-weepy, I’ll stop reading it. But I don’t see that happening 🙂
When speaking of comfort reads the Heaven Sent series (minus book 2) spring to mind immediately and the Assignment.
There are more books that I re-read several times like anything from JL Langley, Dune, some Mary Balogh novels, JR Ward.
BTW how can LOTR be a comfort read? It is so awfully long that it will take days to finish and then the need to read something for comfort will have passed ages ago.
This is a great topic. I’ve enjoyed seeing what everyone’s listed as their comfort reads.
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I’m also an Agatha Christie fan. I’ve read all of her books, most of them several times over.
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Over the years, my choice of comfort reads has changed quite a bit. Back in the early days, I loved Jane Eyre, and Rebecca, then I discovered Georgette Heyer. I also loved Mary Stewart’s books, and all my paperback copies are worn and well read.
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In the last few years I turned to fanfic, and I have heaps of folders full of stories I love and read many times over.
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After I discovered gay fiction I found Mary Renault’s stories, and “The Charioteer” is a particular favourite, along with Joseph Hansen’s Dave Brandstetter series.
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I also re-read M Chandler’s Shadow of the Templar series over and over, plus Josh Lanyon’s books, and Jordan Castillo Price’s stories. I can add Charlie Cochrane’s “Lessons” series too, now, because I can see them being stories I’ll read over and over.
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I seem to do nothing but read!
Hey there, TA, nice post.
When I’m in need of comfort I turn to Fumi Yoshinaga. Especially her “Ichigenme” series, or her new one, “What did you eat yesterday?”
Great post TA!
My teen years – that would be every book Mary Stewart ever wrote.
Then I jumped to S. King and Koontz – into horror but stopped reading King after IT. That book sucked. His best for me were The Stand, Christine, and The Shining. Scared the crap out of me!
Once I got married, I started reading some of my DH’s sci-fi…loved the Vorkosigan series. I still re-read Civil Campaign if I’m looking for something.
Now…jeez, so many great m/m authors (most of what I read now) – and I won’t name any but you as my fav comfort reads. lol!
All time favorite book – To Kill A Mockingbird. Hands down.
The Dark is Rising and The Westing Game are two of my fave comfort reads.