Sometimes I want to read like an explorer, learning something new and venturing onto every page not knowing if it might be the page where things go wrong. But there are many times when I read for comfort, and then I turn to books I know well. Books I know really well. Books I’ve read over and over and over again because they always make me feel better.
For me, this kind of comfort reading goes beyond escapism. There are lots of books that can give me a temporary escape from reality, but comfort reads give me sustenance. They remind me about the flow of friendship and the reassurance of people who understand. Not only do the characters feel like friends, but specific scenes that I like feel like friends. The jokes that I know are coming are still funny. These books refresh me and leave me smiling at the end.
Even though these books feel like a safe space, they’re not necessarily “cozy” in the genre sense. My comfort reads have a surprisingly high body count, and often deal with serious issues. But the characters, the settings, the wit and whimsy of the prose, and the powerful assertions of resilience, community, competence, and justice leave me feeling strengthened rather than shaken.
As I was coming up with and writing my new novella, The Mimicking of Known Successes, I wanted it to be a comfort read of this kind. Here are five books that inspired—and comforted—me along the way.
Think of England by KJ Charles
Almost every book in Charles’s considerable oeuvre feels like slipping into a perfectly warm bath: the assured writing, the rich characters and historical detail, the moments of hilarity, the ensembles of friends and family who support each other through differences and difficulties. Oh, and the excellent comeuppances for richly deserving evil-doers.
Think of England is a particular favorite of mine (and a good entry point, since it’s more or less standalone). It combines suspense, romance, and sharp social commentary into a superbly paced plot with nods to pulp classics and country-house mysteries. Reeling from emotional and physical trauma, Archie Curtis determines to take advantage of a party in a remote mansion for some espionage that he knows he’s not suited for. Meeting Daniel Da Silva, a dandified poet entirely foreign to Archie’s experience, only confounds him further, even as the hints of conspiracy gets more and more sinister.
While I love the perfectly timed unfolding of the suspense, what really makes this book a comfort to me is the delicious portrayal of a character slowly reassessing his first impressions and discovering easy communion in the place he least expected. The addition of several unexpected new friends and a fine balancing of cleverness and violence—which solves at least one problem nicely—make this a brilliant read, with some equally comforting companion books in the same world if you’re looking for more.
The Best of All Possible Worlds by Karen Lord
This book begins with an apocalyptic disaster and is built around the experiences of galactic refugees trying to integrate—or not—in a new society, but while it doesn’t shy away from the trauma and hardship, it is also a fun, comforting, hopeful read. In part this is because it is set on a planet eager to welcome refugees, and government-employed biotechnician Grace Delarua, is eager to support the process. It’s also because of Delarua’s voice: direct, colloquial, relatable, curious, and warm, Delarua is the perfect narrator to lead us on a picaresque journey through the many cultures of Cygnus Beta, commenting and experiencing adventures as she does.
The novel draws from anthropology and folklore, delves into the ethics of telepathy and the metaphysics of time-travel, and sets the stage for intergalactic intrigue that continues through the sequels. There is action, comedy, and a slow-burn, vastly appealing romance between Grace and her magnetic counterpart, Dllenahkh, along with the growing camaraderie among a whole team of government and academics entirely dedicated to supporting the grieving remnants of a powerful civilization. It’s a beautiful story, but I think the main reason I return to it again and again is to spend more time with Delarua.
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice by Laurie R. King
Sometimes the way we feel about a book is tied to when we first read it. Rereading The Beekeeper’s Apprentice always reminds me of college and long book discussions with roommates, but even without those associations I think I would still find it a comfort read.
Mary Russell is a bereft teenager, alone and traumatized; her neighbor is a cranky, erudite, middle-aged man who happens to be the world’s greatest detective. Through training, early cases, and a cataclysmic confrontation with a vicious enemy, the book follows Russell and Holmes as they evolve into a relationship of equal partners. Along the way we get the classic Holmes paraphernalia—disguises, minute clues, smelly chemical experiments, explosions, unlikely escapes—as well as nineteen-teens London and Oxford.
It’s a fun ride (and definitely one of the inspirations for my approach to Holmesian elements in The Mimicking of Known Successes), and I think what makes such a comforting reread for me is the sense of Mary growing into her own strength and confidence—with a demanding but stalwart partner there to support her. There’s a scene in which Mary, returning home tired and late, has to decide on the basis of the smallest of hints whether to climb the wall of her building in a snowstorm. It’s a great example of how reading about uncomfortable adventures can make us feel cozier even as we enjoy the thrills—and it doesn’t hurt that afterwards there’s reliably a blazing fire, tea or maybe whiskey, and deductive reasoning as a digestif.
Swordheart by T. Kingfisher
This book is like a perfectly aligned D&D campaign, with exactly the right balance of adventure, travel, snarky companions, surprising creatures, and satisfying victories, with a lovely romance to make it even more fun.
Halla has just inherited a lot of money, making her the target of her unscrupulous in-laws. Fortunately, she learns that she’s also inherited a magic sword, which releases an enchanted man, Sarkis, to protect her. The task doesn’t seem too difficult at first—Halla’s in-laws are not up to the standard of the armies Sarkis has fought before, but as they search for a way to save Halla’s modest inheritance, they end up facing multiple complications, not the least of which is the cultural gulf between them.
Halla and Sarkis—and Zale and Brindle—have top-notch banter skills and a refreshingly practical approach to adventuring. There are plenty of bad people in this book, but there are also a lot of examples of care, community, and thoughtfulness from even brief side characters, not to mention an entire religion based around helping people as efficiently as possible. The entire book is a delight.
All Systems Red (really the whole Murderbot series) by Martha Wells
This last example probably seems like the unlikeliest to be comforting. It’s about a terrifying killing machine and also about not wanting to talk to anyone, ever and… honestly both of those are great? The killing machine part because of a strong sense of retributive justice and also competence porn, and the not wanting to talk to anyone because it’s just so relatable. The Murderbot series deals with capitalist exploitation and surveillance and the question of who gets to be a person, but underlying it all we have the safety net of knowing that Murderbot is very good at its job and that while we’re reading we don’t have to talk to anyone.
Murderbot is a security cyborg who managed to hack its way out of corporate control but is content to keep doing its job while watching lots and lots of media on the side until the researchers it’s protecting are threatened by uncalled-for attacks. Getting them out of the crisis means going beyond its job and, terrifyingly, figuring out that it might want something more than lots of shows to watch. I find Murderbot’s voice instantly comforting in its clarity, humor, and above all, familiarity.
Please share your favorite comfort reads in the comments. I’m always looking for more!
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The Mimicking of Known Successes
Malka Older is a writer, aid worker, and sociologist. Her science-fiction political thriller Infomocracy was named one of the best books of 2016 by Kirkus, Book Riot, and the Washington Post. The Centenal Cycle trilogy, which also includes Null States (2017) and State Tectonics (2018), is a finalist for the Hugo Best Series Award of 2018.
I will have to reread The Best of All Possible Worlds, because I remember reading and liking it but I don’t remember any details. Your other items are all things I love and reread and find comforting as well.
Others on my list are:
Bujold’s Penric and Desdemona stories, for Penric’s growth in knowledge and experience without losing his essential sweetness Plus the development of the partnership between the two of them. Plus the moments of numinous contact with the gods.
The Hands of the Emperor, Victoria Goddard. Work colleagues become friends, government works for the good of the people, the main character learns to balance being true to his cultural heritage against fitting in.
Tuyo, Rachel Neumeier. I like the world building of the two main cultures, the nomadic tribal Ugaro from the Winter Lands and the settled Lau from the Summer Lands. But most of all I like the two main characters, a young Ugaro warrior and the Lau military leader and King’s scepter holder who takes him prisoner. They are good people trying to do the right thing to bring about peace between their peoples and defeat a subtle villain, while stumbling over cultural differences.
MCA Hogarth’s Dreamhealers series. It begins with two alien roommates in a university xenopsychology program , who learn from each other and develop a rare mental connection. Really just a pleasure to watch them come into their own over the series and its connections with Hogarth’s other series.
The Beekeeper’s Apprentice, yes–which makes me think of:
The Pandora Principle, Carolyn Clowes; interestingly, in neither case do I accept in my headcanon a future marriage or sexual/romantic relationship between the young woman and much older male mentor (not that Clowes proposed this herself, other writers did so for Saavik and Spock; but King did, for Russell and Holmes)
A Civil Campaign, Lois McMaster Bujold–which makes me think of :
a few of the Peter Wimsey/Harriet Vane books by Dorothy Sayers, especially Gaudy Night
Remnant Population–Elizabeth Moon
The Goblin Emperor–Katherine Addison
the Murderbot series, of course!
A People’s History of Heaven–Mathangi Subramanian
The Family Man–Elinor Lipman
Some children’s books: several of the Narnia books; The Barren Grounds (indigenous Narnia)–David Robertson; Island of the Aunts–Eva Ibbotson; Here in the Real World–Sara Pennypacker; Wise Child–Monica Furlong; The Wee Free Men–Terry Pratchett (this one I listen to)
I like very much and identify with your description of what constitutes a comfort read for you. I would say kind humor, kindness generally, community (including “found family”), resilience, justice, feminism (as in, equal justice and respect for girls/women). And yes, good prose! I like your saying that the books provide not just escape but sustenance.
It’s interesting to try to define how these comfort reads are different from novels I love and have re-read at least once but which I don’t think of as comfort reads. Possibly those are more demanding of me in the reading? Gilead by Marilynne Robinson, say, or A Girl Is a Body of Water by Jennifer Nansubuga Makumbi, or Praisesong for the Widow by Paule Marshall. They’re wonderful and sustaining, but I can’t relax into them.
I just reread All Systems Red last month, because I’d read several dark/serious books in a row and needed a palate cleanser. Murderbot understands me.
Patricia McKillip’s The Forgotten Beasts of Eld is a comfort read for me. I never fail to fall as deeply into the story and beautiful writing and the murmured conversations between Sybel and her beasts as I did the first time I read it thirty years ago.
And during the pandemic, Ruth Reichl’s memoir of her time as the Times restaurant critic, Garlic and Sapphires was a sort of comfort read. Between her tales of restaurant meals both glorious and banal, and the inclusion of recipes and fond memories, it gave me hope that I too would eat at a restaurant again with friends.
As someone who’s read Mimicking… it definitely succeeds in hitting this mark.
I would add the Discworld series (especially the Guard, Tiffany Aching and the Death sub-series), Nero Wolfe…
For me, some of the rules are that I have to know there’s an ending (not necessarily “no more story”, but not a wham or cliffhanger) and it can’t end on an anxiety note (turns out the evil is still coming for the MC(s) or they unleashed something worse). Those are valid ways to end a story, but then it’s not comfort. For me, comfort means the big problem is fixed, the mystery is solved, the demon is definitely (at least in this story) defeated etc.
Neil Gaiman said with Coraline that adults found it horrifying, but kids were okay, because their view was that yes, scary things happen, but she would be okay in the end. That’s the implicit deal you have with your aaudience in a story aimed at children. I think the same thing applies to comfort reading: a lot can be jammed in between the start and finish, but the implicit deal in a cozy/comfort book is a satisfying wrap-up where you know everything is ok. We’re all done, everybody can breathe. It’s certainty, in an uncertain universe. Something we can trust will work out.
I like Murderbot, but for a comfort read I go further back to Wells’s previous series, the Books of the Raksura (starting with The Cloud Roads). Maybe indifferently murderous corporations are a little too real for me to relax?
Second The Goblin Emperor, and possibly even more so the Witness for the Dead sequels. (Less terrorism, although there’s still murder mysteries.)
Foreigner and the massive series it started. Sure, there actually are reasons we can’t all *just* get along. But that’s why sometimes we need a professional! There are probably people who actually couldn’t stand 20+ books about a diplomat, even one who lives on an alien planet, but I love them.
I don’t mind there being drama and suspense and people struggling to overcome it, but if it’s as bleak as the Fifth Season books it’s not really a *comfort* read IMO, even though those are really good.
P.S. I didn’t do this on purpose, but I haven’t mentioned a work by a male author all comment. I don’t know whether that says something about me, about the concept of a comfort read, or about the state of the genre. Or maybe it’s just a small sample size.
I would include the Liad series, especially Shan and Pricilla, along with Chanur.
I second the Liaden universe. In particular, I turn to Conflict of Honors. The way Priscilla finds acceptance with the crew of the Dutiful Passage really gives me a warm feeling.
For me, the key to comfort reading is wanting to spend more time with the characters and world, even when I know the plot, and an overall sense of hopefulness, even if bad things are happening. Most of the time the story has an emphasis on positive relationships between people.
One author who I love and reread but can’t really regard as comforting (or even more so, cozy), is Terry Pratchett. I think it’s that deep down, under the story and the humour, is a slow burning anger that comes from the conflict between idealism and realism, that hasn’t turned into cynicism. It’s part of what makes the books so good, but it’s not comforting.
I totally agree regarding Bujold, Swordheart, Murderbot etc. I might add Janet Kagan—particularly her collection—“Mirabile” to the list.
Comfort reads also include Tamora Pierce, especially the Kel books, Andrea Host’s Stray series and Pyramids of London, and Kingfisher’s Paladin/Saint of steel books.
some books have characters that allow one to fantasize about competence and worlds where people make a difference in kind ways.
Well I was going to say The Hands of the Emperor by Victoria Goddard, but I see I was beaten to it. And Bujold. And the Liaden series. And Tamora Pierce. And The Goblin Emperor. And Remnant Population (because you know when you’ve borrowed the book three times from the library it’s time to buy your own copy).
When things are at their worst though I break out the big guns and read Robin McKinley. The Blue Sword, Sunshine, Chalice. So please add that to your comfort reading lists.
Loved the Murderbot series, but not sure I’d classify it as comfort read. My go to for this category is Becky Chambers’ Wayfarers series, starting with The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet. Intricate, crafted worlds with colorful characters dealing with a myriad of situations.
I needed some comfort so I just reread The Kaiju Preservation Society for the 4th time. I’ve already reread all of Becky Chambers a couple of times, but I’d forgotten Remnant Population! I had the book, but it disappeared so I’ll get the ebook. And yes to the Dorothy L Sayers’ books. I reread them yearly. I will look at the Murderbot books, they sound appealing.
If you loved Chambers Wayfarers series, her other series that begins with A Psalm for the Wild-Built is just as awesome and also a great comfort read.
I’ll second Kaiju Preservation Society. That was one of my favorite things that I read during the pandemic, and I made my husband read it too. (He liked it.) It was just so much fun!
Finally, I think Legends and Lattes by Travis Baldtree belongs on this list. I can’t wait to see the characters again like old friends in the upcoming sequal. (I figure I get to re-read the first one again before I read that too, in case I forgot anything, yeah, that’s why…)
Agree to Martha Wells’ Cloud Roads!
My go-to comfort reading recently has been John Michael Greer’s Weird of Hali series and associated spinoffs. A fun, often quite sweet clap-back to Lovecraft in which the tentacled hybrids and Old Gods are the good guys and a bunch of armed Illuminati types the bad guys. There are 7 in the primary series and four others, so not a cheap pleasure, and worse, they’re currently out of print though apparently soon to be re-issued by a less incompetent publisher.
Murderbot and Pratchett are totally my comfort reads. I often fall asleep listening to one or the other.
I agree with others about Becky Chambers books, also anything by Sarah Pinsker, especially A Song for a New Day.
I studied voice for several years, so I find books that deal with music very comforting. I especially love The Harper Hall Trilogy and Uhura’s Song. They’re my comfort reads when I’m feeling down.
I am gobsmacked. All 5 are comfort rereads for me, though Beekeeper, Murderbot, and England have been reread a dozen times at least. Other “Dozen-ers” are already referenced Goblin Emperor and Bujold (though Vorkosigan and Challion and Paladin for me). I will see your Pratchett (Night Watch and Tiffany esp) and McKinley (Chalice, Sunshine, and Hero esp) and raise you Anne Bishop’s Others series starting with Written in Red, Ben Aaronovich’s Rivers of London starting with Midnight Riot, and newly found (but already reread) Iron and Gold by Alexandra Rowland. It was an amazing pleasure to wait for and buy on opening day A Mimicking of Known Successes and it is definitely on my reread list. Thank you all for the new recs! Michele
Murderbot is definitely a comfort read for me! And a different KJ Charles, the Sins of the Cities trilogy. Also the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers, which several people mentioned.
I’d like to add Marie Brennan’s Memoirs of Lady Trent, Ten Thousand Doors of January by Alix Harrow, and just about anything by Robin Mckinley.
I see a lot of favorites – Pratchett, Wells and Addison. And I’m going to add one: P.C. Hodgell’s Godstalk. The scenes at the Resbatyr are warm and comforting.
For those crawl-under-the-covers days, I still go back to a Narnia book, usually Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Gaiman’s Ocean At The End of The Lane is good for the slightly better days. I’m rereading some of Ngaio Marsh’s Inspector Alleyn books and take great comfort in reading something so well written it’s OK if I know the plot. I want characters I like well enough to spend time with them.
Two of the original five that I really enjoy, though I’m not sure how ‘comfortable’ I find the Murderbot books. The one I’m wholly onboard with is The Beekeeper’s Apprentice.
I would also second the recommendations in comments for Becky Chambers and Dorothy L Sayers. I’ve just done a piece for my own author blog/newsletter and I’ve mentioned both of them. But my ultimate comfort read would have to be Jane Austen.
@@@@@5 Chris Foreigner by whom?
@@@@@15. shajara I heartily second the recommendation for the Weird of Hali! JMG’s writing is a deliberate throwback to an era when there were still jungles on Venus and the like. In that spirit you might also like the collected short stories Vintage Worlds which he edited and which are still available, at least in digital form.
@24 I suspect by CJ Cherryh, because no one does humans being the alien species as well as Cherryh.
I agree with the suggestions of Murderbot, Beekeeper’s Apprentice (and the excellent Locked Rooms!), and McCaffrey’s Harperhall series. I also love Cherryh’s Chanur series and Heinlein’s novel Friday. And Tea With the Black Dragon is delightful. And The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle is wunderbar. And Watership Down is sumptuous. And Little Fuzzy is warm and fuzzy. And Nerilka’s Story because it’s one of my favorites by McCaffrey.
“The novel draws from anthropology and folklore, delves into the ethics of telepathy and the metaphysics of time-travel, and sets the stage for intergalactic intrigue that continues through the sequels”
Just purchased Karen Lord’s The Best of All Possible Worlds and am now trying to find these sequels you mentioned.
Can you provide titles?
Also, thanks for this list! I, too, have found Murderbot very comforting over the past 2 years and have read all of the diaries at least twice. Maybe more. Those pandemic years are kinda hazy . . .
Hear, Hear! for Becky Chambers and her hopepunk.
I read Gaudy Night by Dorothy L. Sayers once a year. Since 1979. Call me stuck in a rut, but that book gives life.
I love Kage Baker for comfort reading with her funny and smart writing, love of California and chocolate, and interesting characters and situations.
I’ll repeat above suggestions I like and then add some I haven’t seen yet. I’ve just gone through the comments putting holds on library books recommended by people w overlapping tastes.
Lois McMaster Bujold: any and all of them
CJ Cherryh Foreignor series
Katherine Addison: Goblin Emperor, The Witness for the Dead; Angel of the Crows
Robin McKinley: Blue Sword and Sunshine
Uhura’s song
Dorothy Sayers
Ngaio Marsh
Rex Stout (Nero Wolfe)
Adding books not above:
William Duquette: Very Truly Run After (Regency steampunk. for comfort skip 1st book in series)
Brandon Sanderson: Etlantris, Mistborn Wax and Wayne series, Warbreaker, Rithmatist, Legion
David Weber: Oath of Swords and War God’s own
Guy Gavriel Kay: Lions of Al Rassan and Song for Arbonne
Larry Correira Hard Magic series
Orson Scott Card: Lost and found
Patricia Wrede and Caroline Stevermer: Cecilia and Kate books, staring w Sorcery and Cecelia
S.M.Sterling: The Peshawer Lancers
Jane Lebak; Pickup Notes, Honest and For True, The Boys Upstairs and writing as Maddie Evans: The Brighthead Running Club Romances starts w A 5k and a kiss]
Mary Stewart: any and all
Charles Todd: Bess Crawford mysteries
Elizabeth Peters: Amelia Peabody books
Louise Penny: Inspector Gamache series
Meg Cabot: Heather Wells Mysteries
Andy Weir: The Martian
Books I’ve found recently I expect to be join this list
Camelot West Virginia by Cyn Mackley w Emma Jackson (I expected not to like it but read it as was a gift
R. Allen Chapell: Navaho Nation Mysteries starting w Navajo Autumn
Ok, who wants to be showrunner for SANCTUARY MOON, Murderbot’s favorite soap? <>G
I’m LOVING all of these suggestions – many of which would have made the list if I’d been allowed more than five! I almost put on the Sherry Thomas Lady Sherlock series – it references some terrible crimes but leans hard into each of the characters being allowed to be themselves, as well as being a fascinating reconfiguration of the Holmesian dynamic and involving lots of wonderful food.
@leahkrevit The sequels to The Best of All Possible Worlds are The Galaxy Game and The Blue, Beautiful World, which comes out in August!
Always and forever, the Chanur books by CJ Cherryh because Pyanfar.
40,000 in Gehenna also by Cherryh. It is a rather dire read, but it has great heart in it.
Queen of Iron Years by Sharman Horwood & Lyn McConchie. A historical fantasy novel that features Boudicca. Horwood is a Canadian writer & artist. McConchie is a Kiwi who’s won the Sir Julius Vogel award for fiction several times, worked with Andre Norton and has been publishing her own works for decades. This book makes me cheer, cry, smile and want to thrust it into the arms of everyone I meet. Yes, it really is that good. Please find a copy and read it.
The Rifters trilogy by Peter Watts. This is what I turn to when I feel like my brain is getting lazy. Challenging, fraught with dark humor, laced with pessimism as well as light, scientific as all get out but peopled by characters who follow you out of the books. I wish I could write half as well as he does.
There are more, but that’s a good start. :-)
#22’s mention of Kage Baker reminded me of her standalone novel, The Bird of the River, which definitely belongs on this list. It’s about finding your place in the world when you have no family left, or when your family is poisonous. All on a river barge that clears snags in a beautifully realised world with its many hierarchies and theology. How can you miss with a happy ending that involves a severed head?
These days my TBR pile is meassured in meters, but sometime I just want something familiar! Here is what I have tended to grab when that mood comes on.
Summers at Castle Auburn (Shinn)
Paladin of Souls (Bujold)
Oath of Gold (Moon)
Any of the first five Honor Harring novels (Weber)
The Thousand Names (Wexler)
Kushiel’s Dart (Carey)
I haven’t read any of the books highlighted, yay added to my TBR list, plus many from the comments.
@19 Love both the Harper Hall Trilogy and Uhura’s Song!
Current favorite comfort reads are:
Anything by Ilona Andrews, but especially the Innkeeper Series and the Hidden Legacy Series.
Nalini Singh’s Psy-Changeling Series
Honor Raconteur’s Case Files of Henri Davenforth
I agree with so many of these suggestions, but no one has mentioned my all time favorite comfort read series: the Queen’s Thief books by Megan Whalen Turner. Breeze through The Thief to get started but make sure to immediately follow it with The Queen of Attolia.
Most of the ones I’d suggest are already here, so I’ll simply add the Astreiant Series by Melissa Scott. Great lead and side characters as well as excellent world building. They’re mysteries with non-obvious outcomes, and are also not grim.
Barry B Longyear Enemy mine
Bujold the Vorkosigan books yes
James White the General Hospital books
C Willis Bellwether
M Leinster the ones about the doctor travelling in space with his support/vaccine production “monkey”… Murgatroyd?
Joseph R. Lallo the Big Sigma series (the speed crazy driver with his cat) and the Free-wrench series (steam punk)
R. Heinlein The door into summer, and Double star
E. Flint The philosophical strangler
Piers Anthony Prostho plus
Agree with Kat. Addison
In the last few years my reading habits have changed markedly; while before I sought out mostly the challenging, experimental and unexpected, nowadays I tend to read much more of these kinds of books. Ten years ago I would have probably only mentioned the Aubrey-Maturin novels, the Dalziel & Pascoe Mysteries, the Chalion novels and A Civil Campaign.
I stand by these and add:
An emphatic yes to Melissa Scott’s Astreiant books. Too bad there’s so few of them!
The same cannot be said of the Maradaine novels by Marshall Ryan Maresca: with four different series following differents sets of characters, all set in the city of Maradaine, they represent quite an investment, which is possibly why they have been dropped by their publisher. The worldbuilding (which has a bit,in setting and magic, of the flavor of the Astreiant novels) is extraordinary, with multiple cultures, agendas, and viewpoints and a slew of interesting characters. Maybe not cozy, but chock-full of people trying to do the right thing in difficult situations.
Another macroseries spanning multiple series which has been dropped recently but will continue through the self-publishing route is the Essalieyan Saga by Michelle West (Sagara). She has been reviewed here on Tor a few times, but never for these novels, which imho are head and shoulders above everything else she has written (The Sun Sword series especially).
In keeping with my fondness for a pre-industrial low level magic setting, my Martha Wells of choice are the Ile-Rien novels.
And yes also to Victoria Goddard, KJ Charles, and of course the Penric novellas.
I’d also like to mention the novels of AJ Demas, set in a non-magical alternate Mediterranean; they are romances, m/m and sometimes m/f, but also stories about people learning to rise above their prejudices. I’m sure people who like Goddard and Bujold would enjoy them.
Another m/m series I return to fondly is Whyborne & Griffin by Jordan L. Hawk.
The Dalziel-Pascoe novels I mentioned earlier are well-written, witty, and have wonderful characters, but I wouldn’t really call them cozy. The exception is the Austen-inspired Pictures of Perfection, which is utterly wonderful.
What a great list, originally and in the comments. I don’t think I have seen anyone suggest Patricia C Wrede’s Enchanted Forest books, which are a comfort fallback for me.
My comfort reads are the first two Nightrunner books by Lynn Flewelling (LUCK IN THE SHADOWS and STALKING DARKNESS) and also its prequel trilogy (The Tamir Triad) that begins with THE BONE DOLL’S TWIN; the entire Alpennia series by Heather Rose Jones (first one is DAUGHTER OF MYSTERY); Bujold’s World of the Five Gods novels (and now the ongoing novellas, but I ALWAYS return to dear Cazaril in THE CURSE OF CHALION first–it’s really a note-perfect novel IMHO), and everything by Tamora Pierce. I don’t think a year goes by that I don’t reread all of these. Which makes mine a very good life indeed!
SO many good books! I will add my weight to recommending MCA Hogarth’s DreamHealers series as probably my number one comfort read. I also reach for Hogarth’s Twin Kingdoms romances Thief of Songs and Cantor For Pearls- as with another commenter the music in the books is part of why they’re comfort reads (competency porn for musicians?! Yes please). The world-building is glorious, the characters a delight, the stakes relatively low, and the resolutions satisfying.
The books I reach for next are the Inkeeper series by Ilona Andrews (the first is Clean Sweep). Wonderful characters, witty banter, laugh out loud moments, kicka$$ women, plus a great premise (Earth is the Atlanta Airport of the Galaxy and Humans don’t know it, the Inkeepers are magical guardians who get to ignore physics within their Inns to keep their intergalactic guests safe). I just love spending time in this world with these characters.
Duane, Spock’s World. Vulcan Brexit, anyone? With intentional multicultural families, allies in unexpected places, and the power of data analysis with a good computer and an angry man with a highlighter. Would you like to see a condescending windbag get bitten while bloviating during a public comment session? A word of caution to T’Pring fans, she doesn’t come out looking particularly good.
Cherryh, Cyteen. I picked it up because I thought it might be about being a cyber teenager, back when “cyber” meant “extremely online” or technological enhancements. Cyteen is actually the name of the planet, but nonetheless it’s about differentiating yourself from your predecessor when the odds are stacked against you, growing up under surveillance (we do have cameras that small on every cellphone now), a type of experience of being neurodivergent, having enough book smarts to be extremely unhappy among your school selected peers, and how to construct a system of ethics from first principles. Contains eugenic slavery, roofieing, mentor rape of a late teenager, badly counseled PTSD, murder, people who could legally shoot a guy in the middle of 5th Ave, deliberately terrible parenting, surveillance states, mind control, excerpts from in-universe literature, consensual underage drinking-and-sex, blatant misuses of authority, assassinations, company towns and their janky justice systems, mention of war crimes, but hardly any homophobia. Except in Novgorod. Not an exhaustive list.
Ann Leckie’s Provenance looks like it will become another for me. Ingray Augskold looks wildly ambitious from an outsider perspective, but she’s driven by uncertainty and inadequately treated anxiety into a situation with an escaped enemy of the state and deep secrets about national treasures that quickly goes over her head as she struggles to not lose absolutely all of her hairpins.
I am also a big fan of M.C.A. Hogarth, and she is my primary comfort author, in part because in the midst of incredible found family stories with loads of personal transformation, often combined with space opera (Earthrise), or long-term non-sexual partnerships (Dreamhealers), and terrific epic fantasy (Blood Ladders), her values nudge me to think in news ways (Black Blossom in her Kherishdar series).
Another book I didn’t see mentioned here is Zen Cho’s Sorcerer to the Crown. I was gobsmacked about a third of the way through when I suddenly got that I was reading an homage to Georgette Heyer’s regency novels set in an epic fantasy. And like much of Heyer’s work, I thought the beginning was a bit slow, but SO worth getting past that to the hero’s romance with a woman not afraid to stand on her own, and lead him in a merry dance.
I check the Bujold Facebook page on a frequent basis in hopes of a new Penric and Desdamona book–then usually go and re-read either one of the published ones, or another of the Five Gods books. The audiobooks for these are marvelous, BTW. But I very much like Katerina and Miles as well.
I go back to Ilona Andrews again and again, although which series I start with always depends on my mood. World building, fun characters and dialogue, and good fights scenes are a great way to win me over. When I want quieter, more introspective comfort I reach for Goblin Emperor or MCA Hogarth’s Dreamhealers books. And if I want nostalgia comfort, it’s Redwall and Pern.
I’ve seen several favorites (and lots of unknown-to-me’s) go by, so I’ll just add two I haven’t seen.
The Silver Metal Lover, by Tanith Lee. I first read it when I was 14 or thereabouts, which is probably the perfect age to find it. CW: relationship between a teenager and a robot who “reads” as fully adult though technically is just a few months old; gaslighting; some suicidal ideation.
For the T. Kingfisher fans, if you like her stuff then please please please check out her webcomic Digger, published under her real name (Ursula Vernon) long before she started using a pen name for her adult-targeted works. I’m not sure how well Tor likes links, so I won’t add one, but it’s free to read at diggercomic dot com. It’s absolutely a comfort read for me, but also it absolutely won’t be that for everybody, but also also it’s good enough that it won a Hugo. CW: domestic violence; religious zealotry; scary supernatural presences and influences; one scene of ritual cannibalism, not (IMO) visually gross.
@29/excessivelyperky: Wells once mentioned in an interview that all of Murderbot’s favorite shows are based on real-world ones, and The Rise and Fall of Sanctuary Moon is… wait for it… How to Get Away with Murder.
@30/Malka Older: I had no idea there was a third book coming out, so now I am even more excited that I happened to read this article and comment thread. Also, it’s hard to imagine you haven’t, but have you also read Lord’s Redemption in Indigo? It’s one of the most genuinely wholesome books I’ve ever read, in terms of things that even on the first read feel like slipping into a warm bath of comfort. (Also also, I will confess I haven’t read any of your books yet, but you’ve been in my queue for a while, and learning more about your influence and tastes here definitely pushes you up to the top… as soon I finish my current comfort re-read of The Broken Earth, ahahaha.)
@10 Vik – big yes to Andrea Host’s Stray series (including the Gratuitious Epilogue and the short story Snow Day). When I was down with post-flu fatigue a few years back I read through all the Stray series 3 or 4 times.
The Interior Life, by Katherine Blake, a domestic quest fantasy, is a long-standing comfort read for me.
Stranger at the Wedding by Barbara Hambly is another Heyer-style Regency romance in a high fantasy setting. Hambly isn’t always a comfort read for me, but I definitely go back to the Don Ysidro series when I need to settle in.
In addition to the above, any of the queer friendly books by Laurie Marks, especially Dancing Jack, which includes fights on a stolen steamboat, a toymaker and a long delayed romance. All of the Patricia Briggs non-urban fantasy books (before she started the Mercy series), including Dragon’s Blood, Raven’s Strike and When Demons Walk. Gail Carriger’s quasi-victorian series, especially the YA series that begins with Ettiquette and Espionage. Also nominally YA, Garth Nix’s Abhorsen trilogy.
I find Murderbot comforting in the same way as The Doctor and Miss Fisher — they’re absolutely reliable and if there’s any way in hell they can save you, they will.
I’ve been reading my way through Laurie King’s Russell-Holmes series, and all are a joy.