What's your 'comfort' book?

[northwest monkey]

BlackST said:

Harry Potter. First books I started reading 13-14 years ago.
Take me back to when I was a young child, when there was quite a bit of change in my life.

Another vote here for the Harry Potter books. I wasn't even aware of them until the 3rd book came out & someone lent me the 1st one & I loved it. I was a rep at the time and got them on cassette (Stephen Fry) to listen in the car as I drove about all day!

The Hobbit is also one I've been back to a lot (although I dislike LOTR immensely) and for something completely different, The Stand by Stephen King. I find a lot of Stephen King to be a bit "marmite", but I picked The Stand up on holiday when we were stuck indoors because of some sort of hurricane. Couldn't put it down!

[Cmann]

For me, the one book I would always be happy to read again and again is the first Jurassic Park novel. I read it first when I was a young lad, after seeing the film, and I loved the more visceral and gruesome nature of the book. I also love dinosaurs and always have done so that helps. I can't put my finger on what it is that really means this book is so enjoyable but I can revisit it countless times.

[OllieC]

Treasure Island
Paddy Clarke ha ha
Hobbit / LOTR

most of all probably Papillion, even if most of it is not true

[firemunki]

running blind by Desmond Bagley - my copy is old, very old, with the tech in it and attitudes you can really date it but I'll re-read it in a day fairly often. I pretty much know the sory of by heart now but who cares?

[Joey Ramone]

A Season With Verona, by Tim Parks. It's about football, and I don't even like football, which gives some idea of how good a writer he is.

The complete MacAuslan series by George MacDonald Fraser. Hysterically funny

The Gorky Park/Polar Star/Red Square trilogy by Martin Cruz Smith. Moscow detective Arkady Renko might just be one of the best fictional characters ever invented. Up there with George Smiley.

[Halmyre]

firemunki said:

running blind by Desmond Bagley - my copy is old, very old, with the tech in it and attitudes you can really date it but I'll re-read it in a day fairly often. I pretty much know the sory of by heart now but who cares?

Haven't read that in years, used to love Bagley's works - Landslide, The Spoilers, Flyaway, The Freedom Trap. I've started re-reading them when I (rarely!) come across them in the library.

[T1berious]

Use of Weapons - Iain M Banks
Dune - Frank Herbert

I'm hard pressed between the two but if someone was holding a chainsaw to the car I'd go Dune

[firemunki]

Halmyre said:

Haven't read that in years, used to love Bagley's works - Landslide, The Spoilers, Flyaway, The Freedom Trap. I've started re-reading them when I (rarely!) come across them in the library.

I've got every single one of them in very loved condition. You don't see them very often now. Hell all my copies are considerably older than me!

[Mutley]

Spike Milligan - Adlolf Hitler, My part in his downfall (and Monty). Were the first 'grown up' books i remember reading.

For other books, Shoeless Joe comes to Iowa and MASH

[singlecoil]

Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen. I listen to it as a talking book, free from Librivox.org, read by Karen Savage. She is a volunteer reader and she is superb.

It's version 3 in this list if anyone fancies giving it a listen

https://librivox.org/search?q=pride%20and%20prejud...

[Moley RUFC]

Joey Ramone said:

A Season With Verona, by Tim Parks. It's about football, and I don't even like football, which gives some idea of how good a writer he is.

The complete MacAuslan series by George MacDonald Fraser. Hysterically funny

The Gorky Park/Polar Star/Red Square trilogy by Martin Cruz Smith. Moscow detective Arkady Renko might just be one of the best fictional characters ever invented. Up there with George Smiley.

A season with Verona is quality. Some fantastic tales which would amuse even the biggest hater of the beautiful game.

[Stu R]

Sherlock Holmes

[Stuart70]

Ian Banks - Complicity
William Boyd - Any Human Heart
Haruki Murakami - Kafka on the shore.

I read quickly and re-read quite a lot.

One which I used to read was On the Road, but as I get older I find it self absorbed rather than involving.
If I have to choose one, it would be the Murakami. Very calming, reflective feel to it, which helps me in times of stress.

[Spiffing]

Any of the Famous Five series. Used to adore them as a kid.

[Ace-T]

firemunki said:

running blind by Desmond Bagley - my copy is old, very old, with the tech in it and attitudes you can really date it but I'll re-read it in a day fairly often. I pretty much know the sory of by heart now but who cares?

That is a GREAT book! Made me want to go to Iceland (the country not the shop!)

[TwoLeadFeet]

Depending on my comfort 'need' it's either

Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance or

Hitchhikers guide to the Galaxy

Edited by TwoLeadFeet on Sunday 11th January 14:38

[curlyks2]

Comfort book? That'll be Soul Music by Terry Pratchett.