What makes a comfort read?

[sartorias]

rushthatspeaks has a nifty post about what makes a comfort read. Especially when a book that, at least first time through, was far from being any kind of a comfortable read. Her point about comfort reads cannot be first reads really struck me as true--but is it true for others?

Comments

[jonquil]

Sometimes I read a book and think "OH, my God, this is the book I wanted all my life." The Blue Sword, The Hero and the Crown, Swordspoint, The Privilege of the Sword.

Hmm. Sensing a theme here. Anyway, all of those books were comfort reading the first time I ever found them.

[sartorias]

Ah yes. Totally understand!

[writegirl23]

Haha. All of those are my comfort reads too. I think I read the Hero and the Crown at least once a week for about a year when I was eleven or twelve and I could recite whole passages of it and it's still one of my favorite books.

[scribbler91]

The Blue Sword (and Rose Daughter) is one of my ultimate comfort reads! The Hero and the Crown not as much, but still so.

[jaunthie]

I think it depends. For me, if I'm really drawn into a book, there's an intensity to the first-time reading of it that precludes comfortableness, if that makes any sense. There's nothing comforting or comfortable about "eyes-must-move-faster-must-absorb-must-finish-wow-is-this-good!!!", no matter how exhilirating and cool it is, or how much it will be a comfort read for you the next time around (or five).

However, if you're encountering a really well-done example of a very familiar, very comfortable genre book - say the English tea-cozy style, just for example - then yes, I think it might be possible for a first read of such a book to be a comfortable read, simply because the whole genre is *designed* to be comfortable and you have a general idea of expectations and events.

[sartorias]

That makes a lot of sense, yes.

[pjthompson]

I'd have to concur with this. For me, comfort reads have to do with the predictability of the genre or sub-genre. If I've read too many tough books or life is toughish, I'll pick up a romance by a favorite author (i.e., intelligent romance) or certain fantasy authors I expect will have everything turn out all right in the end. I don't usually reread for comfort, although sometimes I do. And some of those can be rather gorey: less-than-cozy mysteries, stories with battles, whatever, but worlds I just love hanging out in for awhile.

[dichroic]

That's true. Nancy Atherton's Aunt Dimity's Dead and anything by Miss Read were comfort reads for me the first time through.

[padawansguide]

Comfort reads for me are almost always rereads. But I also find authors like Victoria Holt comforting, even if they are ones I haven't read. Maybe because her Gothic-esque novels all have similar enough elements that they are familiar - but I always enjoy seeing where's she's going to take each particular one. I kind of think her books are like candy. I like her other pseudonym's books too. Same goes for Barbara Michaels/Elizabeth Peters. :-)

[rosefox]

I was going to say this about some fantasy novels. For example, if the Belgariad is comfort reading for you, the Malloreon will be too, since they're essentially identical.

[mayakda]

A new book can be a comfort read for me, as long as it's predictable. My last round of comfort reading had me reading historical romances exclusively.

[sartorias]

True--one knows what lies ahead...most of the time. Sometimes they can surprise you. (Legend of the Seventh Virgin surprised me, at least.)

[mayakda]

Geeze. Now I have to go find that one.
(Checks library's catalog -- oh, Victoria Holt! Well, I mentally classify gothics differently from historical romances ...)

[sartorias]

I hadn't, but hey.

My favorite historical romance of all time has a bittersweet ending--Frenchman's Creek I consider that one a damn near perfect book.

[aberwyn]

Very interesting post, indeed. Thanks for the tip, sartorias !

[sartorias]

*g*