Are there any particular books -- or particular sorts of books -- that you read when you're in low spirits or feeling out of sorts? I've been unwell lately and could use some recommendations.

I usually read 19th-century novels when I'm in need of cheering up. Strangely enough, a happy end is not necessary; for example, I find Anna Karenina extremely comforting. I think it's because of the structure, the symmetry, and the scope of novels like that... there's so much life in them.

When I'm really low, there's no author who can make me giggle and feel so thoroughly comforted as Georgette Heyer. Her books are like brain chocolate, and she's got enough of a sense of irony to keep the taste from becoming sickly sweet.

Lastly, there's Fanny Burney. I adore her, though she isn't necessarily a writer to read when one is sick, as I usually end up reading on till 4 a.m.

Fanny Burney.

Please tell me that you just made that up, before my sides explode.

Jeremy Clarkson. His utter frustration at the monumental stupidy of the world around us cracks me up every time.

Colin M

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And Shadowmancer. That just cheers me up because it's so badly written. Gives us all hope :)

IB: No, she was quite real, I assure you! I do prefer to call her Frances Burney (nobody ever speaks of 'Tommy Hardy' or 'Billy Thackeray', after all), but I didn't want to come across as precious

If you're interested, look here: http://dc37.dawsoncollege.qc.ca/burney/

May just take a look. I can't mock someone for having a name like a medieval venereal disease, and then not take a closer look!

When I'm really low, there's no author who can make me giggle and feel so thoroughly comforted as Georgette Heyer. Her books are like brain chocolate, and she's got enough of a sense of irony to keep the taste from becoming sickly sweet.

Yes! Brain chocolate - that's the best term I've ever met for Heyer's appeal. She's my comfort read too, along with PG Wodehouse, EH Young (especially Miss Mole) and the female detectives like Kinsey Milhone and Kate Brannigan.

Emma

Mm, good thread. Maeve Binchy, as she's gently spiteful occasionally about certain aspects of traditional life, but also does a lot of description, and Rosie Thomas, for the same reason- and there's just enough lightly challenging issues in there to stop me feeling guilty about reading rubbish.

Every six months or so, I re-read Mapp and Lucia, by EF Benson, which is the lit equivalent for me of eating mashed potato, macaroni cheese and chocolate pudding all at the same meal. Yum.

Any Dirk Pitt novel by Clive Cussler. Good page turners sweeping me away into a James Bond world with the added advantage of terrible written dialogue to make me feel better about my own attempts.

Jon

Georgette Heyer - definitely!

I find Terry Pratchett can get me through most things.

Gong back to the nursery - you can't beat Winnie the Pooh!

The Hobbit is always fun if you haven't read it for a while.

Recently read "The Red and the Black" which I enjoyed a lot.

Tristram Shandy?

optimist

Anna, I'm so gad you mentioned Mapp and Lucia - those books are my ultimate comfort read. Also Maigret books and my favourite children's book from my own childhood - The Swish of the Curtain by Pamela Brown. Others iclude short stories by Katherine Mansfield, Saki and Maupassant. Also a big family trilogy like Elizabeth jane Howard's one about the Cazulet family - forgotten the name of it and Daphne du maurier. I could go on but that's a start!

I literally don't have a comfort read. That's really bad isn't it???!

Day of the Jackal, by Frederick Forsyth

Joe

It has to be books that make me piss myself with laughter: Either Time For Bed by David Baddiel or New Boy by William Sutcliffe.

Or books I read when I was younger: the original Adrian Mole books, and I recently stole a Judy Blume anthology from my neice, which is a brilliant comfort read and brings back loads of memories.

Cath

Comfort reading for me either involves going back to my childhood with Dianne Wynne Jones, The Hobbit or The Swish of the Curtain, or something that makes me laugh like certain Pratchett's or anything at all by Stephen Fry.

I also like a good romantic comedy and Jenny Crusie is my current favourite escapist/comfort writer in that genre...

Ooh, and Mary Wesley. I loved reading her when I was in my teens and I like dipping back into her extremely well-spoken world whenever the real one seems a bit too, well, real.

JennyWren

1. Raymond Carver's story collection - Where I'm Calling From (makes me feel inspired and that I've along way to go...)

2. Quite ugly one morning - Christopher brookmyre (easy fun read, and one of the only books to make me laugh out loud on the train.)

3. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - (fantastic mind, belly laugh lines...and no I'm not a geek.)

3. Anything by Michael Marshall Smith (great writing, funny, fantastic original ideas)

Phil