Wow, double my typical number of comments on that last post. I’ve gotten lots of good ideas for my must-read list. Thanks everyone!
I also was reminded of a few more for my own list:
Yes, of course, James Herriot! How could I forget? I have even been to visit his actual office in Yorkshire.
Susan Cooper: The Dark is Rising. My annual mid-winter re-read. Yes, annual.
P.G. Wodehouse: Blandings Castle books. If you like Gilbert & Sullivan you will love these. Do not eat or drink anything while reading these because it WILL come out your nose as you scream and snort and choke with laughter.
And the mention of mysteries. How could I forget Dorothy Sayers? I will never tire of Lord Peter and Harriet. Never.
11 Comments
Oh, James Herriot! Yes! Those stories are wondeful.
Ahhhh, Dorothy Sayers. That’s what I really need right now: a cool drink, a hot bath, and an old paperback copy of “Gaudy Night.”
James Herriot actually saved me from flunking biology. Having read the books so many times I was at least able to make educated guesses. (”Nephron, nephron, what the heck is that? Oh yeah, the cat with nephritis, that was kidney disease. OK, kidneys.”)
Gaudy Night is my absolute fave! In my opinion it totally transcends the genre and it’s also THE most romantic romance EVER written. I’m not big on romance novels as a rule but Gaudy Night, well. There you have it. :)
All the “Provincial Lady” books are my comfort books. I re-read them all the time - also the “Mapp and Lucia” books. Love those British novels!
Julie, awesome design work at Mimilou. Your work on Suzanne’s blog is beautiful.
May I suggest Dorothy Dunnett’s “The Lymond Chronicles” to add to the rice pudding list? I keep re-reading my favorite bits and finding them better than I remembered.
I have a lot of rice pudding. I love to reread. Not many people get that, you know? There are voracious readers out there that never feel the need to reread a book. Me? I love the comfort of a book I know inside and out. And every time, every time, I find something new to appreciate. I love “The World According to Garp,” and “Gone with the Wind” and “Jane Eyre” and The Chronicles of Narnia and “My Side of the Mountain” and, well, the list goes on and on. I must revisit these old, dear friends again and again.
My all-time favorite is the Emily of New Moon trilogy by L.M. Montgomery. When I was pregnant with my two kiddos, her books were about the only thing I could concentrate on! Also love Watership Down and the Secret Garden.
Mapp & Lucia…those are rice pudding for my brother-in-law too. I had meant to try them too. Thanks for the reminder, Mel.
R2k, thanks. I had a lot of fun doing it.
Ella, welcome. I’ve never even heard of those. Something new to check out.
Nixie, oh yeah. We are totally on the same page (so to speak). I don’t understand how anyone can NOT reread. I also have this total fan/groupie mentality. When I find something I like I must read EVERYTHING by the author and find out EVERYTHING about him or her personally.
Tunia, welcome. I read Watership Down in junior high, and then I lost the (library) book and got in trouble. It colored my feelings about the book and I’ve never been able to go back to it. Bummer.
Ooooh, the Chronicles of Lymond! Those are so delicious. Julie, you are in for a treat.
Just watch out for books 3 and 4 and make sure you have a lot of time around them; I read the series one summer between college years and I would stay up until 3 or 4 and then stagger in to my temp job because I COULD NOT put them down, and the books even END on cliffhangers so you can’t stop even then if you have the next one to hand…
I used to have time to read a few books a wk- sigh. I do use the recommendations here for the list. THx, Julie :)