Do settle in and get cozy as we share some comforting bookish delights...
Cozy mysteries are our cup of tea in this home. We don't like gory, gruesome scenes and details, nor do we want to be scared out of our wits. But a good cozy mystery is just the ticket. My mom has loved Joanne Fluke's Hannah Swensen series and Leslie Meier's Lucy Stone series for years now. I'm just starting my own collection of these authors and am excited to enter the worlds of these two amateur sleuths as they solve mysteries in their own charming small towns. And a mystery series that I've heard of and am wanting to try for myself is Laura Childs' Tea Shop Mysteries. These come highly recommended by some trusted bibliophiles and they look just wonderful. The best thing about all of these series is that there are *many* books in each series...you can enjoy them for a long time.
Last winter, I discovered the absolute delight of Susan Wittig Albert's Cottage Tales of Beatrix Potter series. I loved the first book of the eight in the series and book two is on my list for this season. The stories are heartwarming and endearing and sweet as can be. The mysteries are fun and not at all scary or gory. And the little critters and pets of the townsfolk even help solve them...along with Beatrix Potter, of course.
Anne of Green Gables and Little Women, along with other books by both L.M. Montgomery and Louisa May Alcott are always on my list for comforting cozy reads. I've not read but just a bit of either author so far, but what I have, I do so love and enjoy. Laura Ingalls Wilder's Little House on the Prairie series is one that is best read on cozy days, in my opinion, too. While I certainly did not like all of the harsh parenting methods in book one, I do have book two on my list for this season and still enjoy the stories. And if you like books set on the prairie, Janette Oke's books can't be beaten if you ask me. I first began reading her Love Comes Softly series as a young teenager and have enjoyed other books and series of hers, too. They always remind me that valuing the important things in life is always worthwhile, good and right.
The Penderwicks is a lovely series with a sort of Little Women feel to it. And the Betsy-Tacy books are some that I am looking forward to delving into for the first time. Then, sometimes you're just in the mood for a sweet children's storybook, and for that, I heartily recommend the Brambly Hedge series by Jill Barklem, which includes four seasonal stories and four other stories with various adventures and such. Beatrix Potter's stories are also on that list of "must-reads". They are ever so adorable and I've just had the best fun reading them for the first time this summer...and I'm continuing on with the rest this autumn.
For a bit of magical fun, I have fallen in love with the magical realism genre. So far, I've only discovered Sarah Addison Allen's novels, but they are some of the best I've ever read. First Frost simply must be read in October, and a couple others I've heard are best read in the wintertime or summer, depending on the story. I always think it's extra fun reading them at their appropriate times as it makes the story come alive even more.
Harry Potter, The Hobbit (and Lord of the Rings), and The Chronicles of Narnia are series that you can totally get lost in. I've read some of the books under these series here, but some of the others are on my list for this season, as well. As with the Anne of Green Gables and Little Women books, these series also have movies that were inspired by the books. And that's always good fun, too!
Some books are based on TV shows, and some shows are based on books. Home Fires is one of my beloved shows, but it only had two seasons. Major bummer! Fortunately, there are a few books that follow and continue on where the series left off. Keep the Home Fires Burning is the first novel starting where the series ended, and I sure hope it's as good as the show. Virgin River is a show I came to really love this summer...and I was elated when I discovered it was inspired by a huge series of books. I just recently got book one and can't wait to dive in! If it's good, it will be a fun, long series to get lost in.
Some other books that I have on that extra special "comfort reads" list include the Paddington series by Michael Bond- perfectly whimsical for any age; The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society- one of my all-time favorites and so enchanting; Jan Karon's Mitford series- charming, heartwarming and also a bit quirky; any books by Miss Read- English villages and sweet stories make for the best combination; Lark Rise to Candleford- one I'm hoping to start soon; the Elm Creek Quilt series- a long series of books by Jennifer Chiaverini- I've only read a bit so far, but so far, I'm loving it; and finally, absolutely any book by Elizabeth Goudge, though I must say Pilgrim's Inn is a great place to start and, in my opinion, best read in the autumn time.
Well, friends, there you have it. All the comfort books that will delight your soul that I personally love or am hoping to read this year. I'd love to hear your favorite comfort books, and even what you're reading at the moment, so do share below!
Happy reading, dear book lovers!
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