I think those of us who reread books are very familiar with
the comfort read. It’s the book that
gives us comfort when we are feeling down, maybe because we are in a reading
slump, perhaps RL is zapping us, work is more stressful than usual, there could
be many reasons why we need a comfort read.
Romance in general is a comfort genre literature, we know going in that
there will be a HEA, but the comfort read is even more so. We’ve already read it, we have taken the
journey with the hero/heroine already and we want to take it again because the
first time we traveled the road, the trip was so enjoyable. All us rereaders have those books. But I just reread a book I haven’t read in a
number of years and I realized that the author herself was a comfort
author. I’m speaking of Jayne Ann
Krentz. I haven’t read any of her newer
books in a few years now, but I loved her books back in the day and each one
gave me the warm fuzzies when I read them.
Her stories are predictable and I know what I’m going to get and I like
it. There are no surprises, just a
comfort feeling along with the “I just like these people” thought. I recently purchased as couple more of her
back list as ebooks and I know before I even start them that I’ll be feeling
literaturely cuddled after I’m finished reading them.
JD Robb gives me a similar feeling when I reread one of the
In Death books. I know and really LIKE
Eve, Roarke and the gang so it’s a level of contentment when I reread one of
their crimes and how they solve it.
While her novels are all crime related and seemingly not comfort, still,
it’s knowing all the characters so well that makes it so for me.
I’ve been trying to think of other comfort authors but I’m
having a hard time thinking of them in terms of authors and not specific
books. If it were books I was pondering,
I could come up with quite a few, but authors is harder for me.
Anyone have any authors they consider “comfort authors”?
'til later
8 comments:
Funny you should mention the In Death books.
I have been unable to read anything for almost two weeks now (life sucks very, very large)
In desperation,I've been listening to In Death books non-stop, and finding a lot of comfort in 'seeing' these characters again.
I have never been through a reading slump as severe as this one, that I can recall, but generally speaking, Suzanne Brockmann, Linda Howard, Nora Roberts, J. D. Robb, Nalini Singh, older Lisa Kleypas, Justine Davis, Amanda Quick...yeah, I can think of several authors who have comforted me through life's rough spots over the years.
Cheryl St. John. Even when she cranks up the angst in some of her books, I'm always left with that "comforting" feeling. It's something about her writing style, I just sink into her stories.
Lisa Kleypas and Lorraine Heath have those books that I just love re reading, perfect comfort reads!! I always re read certain books when I am in a reading slump and then I am over it lol. Its always fun to re read a story and I just love how romances have that HEA, because I hate bad endings.
I think LJ Smith, Lisa Kleypas, and Elizabeth Peters are definitely my comfort authors.
I have to say Nora Roberts, especially most of her books between 1993 and 2008. More or less. Her really older stuff isn't quite there yet and her most recent things are too polished. But Key trilogy, Three Fates, Born in trilogy, Three Sisters trilogy, and some more always do it for me, always.
:)
S: I can see older Nora being a great comfort author though I tend to go more to her JD Robb incarnation - I think because it's the same characters throughout. Though not so much Naked in Death because in that one Eve is still too much of a loner unwilling to let others in.
Tasha - I haven't read either Elizabeth Peters or LJ Smith before, now you have me curious. There are some books by Lisa Kleypas that do the trick - thinking of Dreaming of You, but enough of her books haven't given me that "comfort" feeling to call her a comfort author. Though I do LOVE a good 90% of her books. Same as Justine Davis' Harlequins. For me, Nalini Singh takes too much thinking to be a comfort author - trying to figure out what the heck the Phys Net is
Lover of Romance - I mentioned Lisa Kleypas already and Lorraine Heath's westerns could qualify her as a comfort author - except for the fact that they are asking an arm and a leg for her ebooks and her print books that I own are packed away in boxes and one the things NEEDED in a comfort author/book is easy accessibility. And I don't have that with her sadly.
AL: I haven't had a bad slump for a while - touch wood -- though I have had some jumping around, not being able to really settle on a book for a while a few times. They are just the worst aren't they? Since we romance readers are the most voracious of readers, when we are in a slump it's like a part of us is missing. At least you are able to listen - not quite as good but better than nothing. And yep - JD is an odd comfort author - but one for me (any you)none the less.
Amanda Quick is as good as Jayne Anne Krentz *chuckle* and I can see the others you list too - though I stopped reading Suzanne Brockman some books ago - but her Harlequins can have that effect. And Linda Howard yes - as long as it's some of her more humorous books.
Oh - and Wendy - yes to Cheryl St. John! I have a number of her books as ebooks now - certainly my fave - Joe's Wife *grin*
Nora Roberts is a comfort author for me. Jennifer Crusie and more recently, Nalini Singh :)
sometimes, it does depend on the mood though. I'll just go back to one book and start binging the author's backlist.
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