What do you read when you’re struggling to read what you usually read?
Or to put it another way, what’s your junk food/comfort read?
I’m all in on Terry Pratchett or Hitchhiker’s Guide when I need a break. Pratchett especially is just good high fantasy and some humor mixed in.
Agatha Christie is queen of fun, quick reads. Terry Pratchett is also perfect.
Something like Hitchhiker’s guide to the Galaxy
Fun, feel-good fantasy stories, like Legends and Lattes. Bonus points if there’s a heist, a fun group of quirky characters, or well-built romance story.
This makes me sound like a total wanker but I reread my favorite Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. I find them both very comforting because generally nice people end up happy in the end.
Definitely with you there on Jane Austen. I like that ultimately everyone gets married and is happy (even if that’s not my idea of a happy ending necessarily)
Love Jane Austen! I feel a pleasant coziness when I re-read her works as well. I recently found annotated editions of Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey at a second hand bookshop that were really interesting. It offered a bit of historical context, explanation of games or dances the characters would do, insight into the daily life of people of that time, etc. I highly recommend grabbing a copy if you find one.
Anything by Stephen King, for me. I also like quick-paced techy/sci-fi novels for when I’m in the mood for something easier. I’m a re-reader, so I will sometimes pick up something I’ve already read and enjoyed before.
I usually go to short stories, or old sword and sorcery novellas. For the former my go to stories are Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, Robert E Howard’s Conan, and Isaac Asimov’s Robots. For the latter I prefer Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné, Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, and Jack Vance’s Dying Earth. If I’m feeling uninspired or experiencing a block, knocking out a few of these stories always sets me straight. They take next to no time to read and are great fun. I don’t get tired of rereading them.
The Last Unicorn by Beagle is word candy. Absolutely beautiful prose and imagery. But it is also a quick read, perfect for two days. Can’t go wrong.
The Lies of Locke Lamora is such an easy read, it’s impossible to pick up without getting engrossed.
Not mine but this YouTube video has a good list of books for getting out of a slump: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QWAmcg_V6JA&pp=ygUTTWVycGh5IE5hcGllciBzbHVtcA%3D%3D
Trashy romance novels, particularly fantasy or occult (I normally read sci Fi and fantasy so this is the “I want to read but I can’t focus” side of that). Are they well written? Uh, no. Are they entertaining and easy? Yep.
Kurt Vonnegut was one of the easiest writers to read for me. I’d recommend starting with Slaughterhouse-5.
My actual comfort reading, though, is William Gibson, but he is not easy to read.
Sci-fi short stories
Comfort maybe, def not junk:
Your local library probably has a subscription to the first, maybe even to the $econd. Granta’s a quarterly and I can’t say I’ve ever seen it in a library but its been around a long time and back issues are readily available @used bookstores.
I had written a reply but the site went down and ate it!
I read almost exclusive sci fi but when I feel like something else I really enjoy something like Steve Berry’s Cotton Malone books or Dan Brown’s Langdon books.
I love getting sweeped away in modern day indiana jones like stories about secret societies, myths and historical facts intertwined with fiction.
Extra credit to Berry for always ending his books by telling you what was real and what he embellished.
