| Robin's books as Comfort Reading [message #50188] |
Thu, 07 June 2012 21:24  |
 librarykat
Messages: 566
Registered: October 2008
Location: Redneck Riviera |
Senior Member |
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There's a discussion thread going on at YALSA-BK, the listserv for YA librarians about Comfort Reading. Interesting note: I was the first to mention Robin's books as my comfort reading (the books one turns to for rereading pleasure over and over again, especially when one needs to assuage whatever ills are happening in one's life), but quite a number of librarians have also mentioned her. One said Chalice was particularly comforting because she read it while something very troubling was happening in her life and the book helped her get through it. I think most, if not all of us, here in the Forum think of Robin's books that way; it's just nice to see that there are others out there who think the same thing.
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| Re: Robin's books as Comfort Reading [message #50216 is a reply to message #50188 ] |
Sat, 09 June 2012 13:50  |
Mockorange
Messages: 163
Registered: January 2012
Location: England |
Senior Member |
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Robin's response on 'Mostly Kes, All Forum' to my comment about re-reading Kes set up a train of thought in me about re-reading in general. For me, comfort reads have to come from that category of books that I re-read regularly, whether I am in particular need of comfort or not. And in amongst them are some particular favourites that I latch onto when I'm sick or tired.
There are many books that I genuinely and thoroughly enjoyed that I have no particular desire to re-read, although I may sometimes do so anyway if the book is part of a series and a new book in the series inspires me to take a look back at the earlier book. Alternatively, a conversation on a blog (or in real life) may pique my interest in a book again and cause me to re-read it. However, regular re-reads are in a different category.
Reviewing the books I regularly re-read I am struck by the variation of genre and author. For example, some of my regular re-reads include Georgette Heyer, JRR Tolkien (Lord of the Rings only), EMDelafield's Provincial Lady books, Alistair MacLean (mostly the earlier books), Dorothy L Sayers, George MacDonald Fraser's Dand MacNeill books, Miss Read, Agatha Christie (the better ones), a whole batch of children's books, as well as Robin's books. There are also some books that used to be regular re-reads but that seem to have fallen off the list more recently.
It's hard to see what all those books have in common. Some of them I regularly re-read for the humour. Some for the author's worldview. Others for the sense of world (time and place) evoked. Others for the pleasure of watching the plotting twist and turn so satisfactorily (Christie and MacLean mainly here). As for The Lord of the Rings, I have no idea why I've read it so many times (at least 20). I note that many of these favourites are by female authors, although not all. Many have good female characters, although again not all, and I've never been conscious of picking books specifically for good female characters (who knows what my subconscious is up to however).
Overall, however, I think there's just a certain something, an indefinable flavour to the author's writing. There's just something in the author's narrative 'voice' that draws me in and allows me the 'full-immersion' experience that is what I really love when a book is able to provide it. The narrative voices of my favourite authors are really quite different, but they are all providing something that pulls me right in. And I can't analyse it at all.
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