I ADORE Frog and Toad! I never knew how “deep” (in a philosophical way) this series was until I read them to my own child. Frog and Toad is Yin and Yang. Toad is grumpy and wants to hide in bed (I can relate). Frog is encouraging. I wish I had a cute little house with a fireplace so I could drink hot cocoa and talk with Frog and Toad.
Definitely. I sat down to reread the first couple of chapters of fellowship just to visit the world again before starting a new book. Next thing I knew a few days had passed and I read the whole thing
Terry Pratchett. You feel like you’re right there with Granny or Vimes or Death. They’re talking to you. They’re talking to Nanny or Carrot or Susan, but they’re also talking to you. Granny’s always got time for you, Vimes always makes room for you, Death is always waiting.
And Gaspode of course. Such a good boy.
Discworld. Every time I reread those books, be it a story of the Witches or the Night's Watch or Death or Tiffany Aching, I feel like I'm in good company. Kinda like I'm watching a play where I know all the actors, or sitting by the sidelines at a party and watching my friends.
https://www.discworldemporium.com/content/6-discworld-reading-order
My suggestion would be to start with one of the books from the 'one book stand' section. Some might disagree but please dont start chronologically. I love terry pratchett but the first couple of books are by far the weakest ones in the series
Going Postal and Small Gods are his more critically acclaimed books. I'd recommend starting there.
Mort and Wyrd Sisters are great, but they are definitely earlier work and are more satisfying once you've bought into Discworld as a concept (IMO).
Once bought in, I think the series of Guards books consist of some of his best work (again IMO).
Yeah. The absolute earliest you should start if you're unsure about Pratchett is *Mort*. Death is an iconic character in the Discworld, and the humour is pretty on-point.
"Mort" or "Guards Guards"
All the books are good, but the first 3 are better when you understand the setting and world.
Going Postal is also a good one to start with.
The Anne of Green Gables series is one of those that feels like catching up with old friends. While it contains a fair few old fashioned beliefs, the story follows Anne throughout her life from childhood to late womanhood, and it hits different each time I give it a read in the different seasons of my own life.
Same for me, but with Little House on the Prairie.
It’s…problematic in retrospect. But I loved growing up with Laura and her family, and I lived on a farm for a while as a kid, so I definitely shared her excitement for things like going to town, or helping deliver a baby animal.
I totally related to her on being jealous of your “perfect sibling”, and then feeling guilty afterwards.
And those descriptions of gingham dresses and handmade dolls! Definitely encouraged me to learn how to be crafty at a young age.
Oh man, yes. I was a big Anne of Green Gables fan and then later in life was introduced to *The Blue Castle*. Great comfort book.
I tend to just read and reread LM Montgomery's short stories.
I don't know if you are aware but it was turned into a netflix series called Anne with an E. It was so so soooooo good. It really touched my soul. I am reading all the books now.
I only watched the first three episodes, as the show seemed to be going for a moodier more dramatic vibe than the books. The broad stokes of the story remained intact but where the book was sometimes sunny and sometimes a light rain, the show was more fully cloud and thunder. The acting was great and the world well-done, but I go to Anne for comfort and the show was lacking in that respect.
I reread the series every few years. Love her mishaps from the earlier books, ie Diana getting drunk from the raspberry cordial, Anne bashing Gilbert over his head with her slate; plus the sweet scenes like Matthew supporting the puffed sleeves. It's almost like comfort food for me.
I always felt like I needed to play cards and drink with Gus to find out more about him. To laugh and chatter about our past slip ups. I always felt like I needed to get Cal to a campfire and slowly trick him into talking more about his life as the silence of the night sneaked in. I always imagined I could never laugh with Cal but just smile and ask more questions. What a wonderful book.
I had a hardback book of the first five (or so) Herriot books. Read them repeatedly over the years.
Few years back, I discovered there were _more_ books to the series, plus a biography written by his son after he passed. Honestly it felt amazing to discover.
That's wonderful! I've discovered favorite authors under pseudonyms before and it feels like finding treasure, especially if the author has passed away.
I love that Becky Chambers books (or the wayfinder series specifically) never really deals with world-saving events. It’s just a group of small people living their lives in space, and having basically mundane problems for the most part.
Just finished the last Wayfinder book and started on the Somaforming one now.
I typed this out and then went to check if someone else already did. Her books are so cozy!! I'm about to finish my second book by her, but she's an author I'm definitely binging this year.
The Perks of being a Wallflower,
I spent a good two months in a mental hospital and I pretended Charlie was writing to me. I felt like he had been suicidal too so he knew how I felt.
Yeah that was one of the only books i had so I read it almost all the time. The other one was "The white oleander" and the Maze runner lol. I only read that because I'd seen the movie.
The Lies of Locke Lamorra and the rest of the Gentlemen Bastards series. I feel like I'm amongst a group of friends that do stupid things, get in trouble, yet have a great time doing so.
“I only steal because my dear old family needs the money to live!"
Locke Lamora made this proclamation with his wine glass held high; he and the other Gentleman Bastards were seated at the old witchwood table. . . . The others began to jeer.
"Liar!" they chorused
"I only steal because this wicked world won't let me work an honest trade!" Calo cried, hoisting his own glass.
"LIAR!"
"I only steal," said Jean, "because I've temporarily fallen in with bad company."
"LIAR!"
At last the ritual came to Bug; the boy raised his glass a bit shakily and yelled, "I only steal because it's heaps of fucking fun!"
"BASTARD!”
I really need to give this a reread. I read the first book and got the second and I still haven't gotten around to reading that. I remember the first book was a whole lot of fun though. Hooked me at the very start, and I wish I knew more novels with such a similarly adventurous and 'found family' vibe.
The Vampire Chronicles. I always feel like Lestat is an
old friend catching me up on his shenanigans. LOL.
When I was a kid it was thr Sweet Valley series. I felt like I was growing up with the twins and their friends. Left such an impressiom on my that I've actually made it a mission to collect all of the original books from all of the series. I even still have the ones from my childhood (same with Fear Street). Hoping I have kids who like to read and will appreciate them.
Omg I had forgotten entirely about the Sweet Valley series until this post. I remember being so into the later ones, where Elizabeth goes to England and calls herself Elizabeth Bennet and falls in love with Max.
Wow, I haven't seen a reference to Sweet Valley High in decades! The Babysitter Club series would definitely be my answer for this thread (as a kid), but the SV books were great too!
Baby, can you dig your man?
I strongly second this. Also, Under the Dome, Dreamcatcher, It, The Body (Stand by Me), and certain parts of the Dark Tower. I grew up reading King, and I almost always get the warm fuzzies when I read his work.
Reading the essays of Michel de Montaigne feels like a long late night conversation with a very good friend. I don't think this is specifically what you are looking for, but I think at some point in everyone's life the essays of Michel de Montaigne should be your friend at least for a little while.
I think that The Dark Tower really hits its stride when it becomes this, tbh. The reason why so many people struggle to get into it is because it doesn’t start this way.
Most of the series that have done this for me haven’t been books admittedly, they’ve been sitcoms like *community* or even space operas like *firefly.* I’m also saving this thread because I’m curious.
I came here to comment the Dark Tower. I legit missed the characters like I miss old friends when I was done reading it. The show Scrubs also had the same effect on me
I also came here to say the Dark Tower. I really loved Wind Through the Keyhole for this reason. I told a friend it was nice to be with old friends again when I began reading it.
**The Hitchicker's Guide to the Galaxy** by Douglas Adams. It's like joining Arthur, Ford, Trillian, Zaphod and Marvin on the *Heart of Gold* and then going on a wacky aventure.
This one. When I read Adams' work, I want to be there hanging out with his characters, trying to figure out how to cheer up Marvin or get the poor horse home.
The Raven Cycle books by Maggie Stiefvater. On the first read and my reread, I felt so at home and welcomed among the 4 main characters. I love them all dearly and it was so comforting when I reread them.
Mr King's Dark Tower series (didn't like the ending but loved everything else).
Robin Hobb's books, all the series.. I read these as an adult and it was like reading E.Blyton's 'Five' series as a kid, somehow 😄
Recently I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers, and it had that effect on me. I heard a podcaster defining it as a feel-good novel, and I couldn't agree more.
It was an awesome book for sure! Was sad to learn each book in the Wayfarer series is it's own contained story (more or less) in that universe. Wanted more of the crew from the first book. Was immediately gonna dive into the rest, but not in a rush now, though Im sure I'll enjoy them.
Shogun is an old familiar friend, as are Borges' short stories, Ficciones. With Borges you can get completely lost in the complexity, but the end is always just a few pages away.
To some extent I've come to appreciate the short stories of H.G. Wells in the same way.
The Radiant Way series by Margaret Drabble. The chars are all at least 10 years older than me, and I'm no Brit. But I *relate*, especially to Alix Bowen and Stephen Cox. And then Hattie Osborne in the final(?) volume, I just love her. "I nearly took an overdose, I was in such a rage" :D :D
Everything Diana Wynne Jones wrote has this intimate, emotionally observational tone that is like a very open but matter of fact window into the character's direct and *personal* experience of the story. All of her books meet the op criteria, thanks to that.
Was wondering if I'd see Vonnegut get mentioned. While Breakfeast of Champions isn't up there for me personally (out of his works), reading Vonnegut's writing feels like being among an old friend.
I refer to Kurt as a "literary friend".
I just read this book from recommendations on this sub, and cried four distinct times about it. immediately added it onto the favorite sci fi list. what a wonderful little journey.
I scoured this thread for Martha! I made my own comment about her books of the Raksura. I think those are a more 'part of a group' feeling than Murderbot, but Murderbot gets there in the end, especially in the novel.
I want to read the Raksura books, someone yesterday I saw was recommending the il-rien I think it was? I'd also love to get my hands on city of Bones my Martha, but it's obscure as any to get your hands on it.
I don't think I've ever felt this way about a book. Books remove me from my sense of self entirely. I don't want to think about myself at all when I read a book.
Same here. I can see it with TV shows or move series either animated or live action, just because you don't have to imagine things. As soon as my brain kicks into the imagination, I remove myself entirely from the equation.
The Trainspotting series very much captures this feeling, for better or worse. The characters are written in such a realistic manner that their descent pulls you, the reader, down with them.
I read that trilogy\* and loved it. I wish for the 2nd movie they had just followed the blueprint of Porno. Was a much stronger book than the film, IMO.
\*Technically 4 if you count Skag Boys, but I never read that one. It's a prequel, IIRC.
Louis Penny's, Inspector Gamache series. I always feel welcome to and at home in "Three Pines".
Also almost anything by Agatha Christie, have read and reread almost all of her books many times and listen to audio books of her's every night to help me fall asleep.
Harry Potter, Always a warm bath when I return to hogwarts and can still laugh at some of the antics
Weirdly enough ASOIAF, same vibe for some reason, although everybody dies all the time.
Kings of the Wyld, 'recent' discovery and also part 2 bloody rose, the characters and adventures are lovely to go to.
Dutch youth novel 'Koning van Katoren' is a book I reread every so often
Yeah this is r/books but Pirates of the Caribbean also has this vibe for me.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (coincidentally also the author of 101 Dalmatians) has this exact vibe for me. It's an amazing coming of age story with such good characters and the writing is great. It's so much fun to read!
The Picture of Dorian Gray.
There's a lot of longing for a life that almost was, passing moments of beauty, but also a sense of trying too hard to cling to it and getting the raw end of that.
I feel those characters (or Wilde when writing it) have a very similar feeling of life to me at a certain age.
I can feel my younger self in Dorian, the sense of endless possibility, but not knowing how to manifest it, and think "why didn't I have a Wotton to tell me these things?!"
And I can feel a bit of my now somewhat older self in Wotton, seeing younger people and thinking, "good LORD, you don't know what you've got in youth. Go do EVERYTHING NOW!!!"
The Magicians series by Lev Grossman. It's considered as HP for adults. So it definitely has elements familiar for HP fans as well. HP was also my favorite series despite the fiasco with JK.
Somehow I grew up reading a lot of fanfic series that only have a protagonist with maybe one other side-kick or a love interest who goes through events with the MC. Not many has like a group of friends like HP and The Magicians. I'm looking forward to read some recs from this thread.
I got this kind of feeling with "Ready Player One". I am completely in the demographic for this. I was on board with all the pop culture references, and I'm a programmer. Also worked in the game industry for a bit. I related not only to the protagonist themselves, but the person they looked up to, as it could be a substitute for myself in ideal circumstances. So I wanted to be both the person in the story, and the hero he looked up to. It resonated so strongly with me it almost felt like it was written FOR me. Super strange to be so solidly in the target audience. Was a great time.
The lord of the rings and hobbit! But also all Stephen King's book. It's hard to explain but I always feel like I'm with my friends or family. It just feels like hearth.
_The Midnight Club_
_The Velveteen Rabbit_
Both make me oddly nostalgic and I miss lost friends.
Of course, there is the YA fantasy like the HP and Percy Jackson series. LOTR too. The Malory Towers series.
Oooh, you’ll want to read _Six of Crows_. Made me want sketchy friends like Jesper.
IT by Stephen King makes me feel like I’m 11 & I have the greatest friends ever. It’s definitely not a comforting book, but it makes me cry tears of nostalgia over childhood. Highly recommended.
It.
I was born in 1997 but I swear I have more in common with those 50s kids than I have with my own generation.
And before someone says that I "grew up with technology" or something, the first time I could actually access the internet was at age 13-14, before that you literally had to go to an internet café.
Yeah, people forget about those who lived in rural areas or were poor. Internet wasn't really ubiquitous until smartphones had reliable access at affordable prices.
Harry Potter is definitely a comfort series for me, too. I'm still kind of grappling with how shitty JKR is, but I can't deny the impact the series has had on me.
But also, House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune felt like coming home when I was reading it. I thought all the characters were so loveable and unique and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy fantasy.
Seconding The House in the Cerulean Sea, it was an utterly lovely read and I felt very warm and fuzzy! The author has also written Under The Whispering Door, which is a similar book if you enjoyed Cerulean
I think the Twilight series introduced a lot of middle-school aged girls to reading for pleasure. My daughter never really got excited about reading until then but since then? She always has her nose in a book!
Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee
Simon Vs the Homo Saipan Agenda by Becky Albertalli
Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston
The long way to a small angry planet. It has an amazing found family and the way it is written makes you feel like you are right there along for the ride
This is how 11/22/63 felt for me. The length is a factor for sure (more time spent with any character will make you feel more attached), but Jodie feels like the sweetest, quaintest town where most everyone is friendly.
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, such a lovely little book. It’s written in letter form, which makes you feel part of the correspondence between the characters :)
Sherlock Holmes. I read all the novels and adventures in elementary school and many times over since. I’ve comfort read them at difficult spots in my life and I feel safe and cozy like I’m curled up on a sofa in the sitting room of 221B
Imagine me at 10 being confused at how they cut out the opium den scene at the beginning of The Man With the Twisted Lip in my grandmas Readers Digest copy (the opium scene totally being in my schools copy)
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It reminds me a great deal of my three best friends and myself. I would also say It’s Kind of a Funny Story. I read it at a really bad time in my life, where I was very actively suicidal, and it felt so real to me.
I think Narnia. For years I avoided it because of the heavily Christian propaganda, but it’s really engaging taken at face value. I wish I had grown up with those kids.
As far as comics go, the Garth Ennis run on Hellblazer makes me feel like I’m hanging out with old friends at the bar.
Authors like Annie Dillard or Mary Oliver make me feel like I'm not the only one who obsesses over foxes or pennies or the way light bends in a window frame. It's like intimately knowing a stranger who is also a loudly-thinking introvert.
Indra Sinha's Animal's People. The story is a fictionalized account of an Indian village seeking compensation for the Bhopal disaster, and is narrated by a crippled boy (Animal) who lives there.
While the accounts of starvation, chemical damage, and poverty are grim, the cast are warmly written and feel like actual people you might meet in India's slums. Written accounts of ecological damage don't really bring home the devastation to a Western audience, so Sinha takes the more effective approach and focuses on the everyday folk who are harmed by our greed.
The wording of the question made me think of a specific book, funnily enough. Among Others by Jo Walton: a fantasy story where I loved reading the descriptions of the Sci-Fi books and authors the main character was reading. It was a lot like getting recommendations from a friend!
Am recently loving Dorothea Benton Frank's books. I just really enjoy her characters. She writes fiction set in her home part of the US, the Lowcountry of SC. The setting of the stories, their cultural context, the struggles of the various players in the novel, just so well done. I am determined to read them all.
Lord of The Rings, especially the beginning of Fellowship where we go from Hobbiton to Bree! I just love everything about those first few chapters
Also I’m reading The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman (second book in the Thursday Murder Club series) and it definitely feels like meeting up with old friends!
I agree with The Wind in The Willows! It’s a very comforting book to read
Anne Bishop's Ephemera series - I like her other work, but Belladonna speaks to me. I suppose Witch does as well, from the Black Jewels universe, but I could see myself living in Ephemera.
Frog & Toad. Come at me
Same with The Wind in the Willows.
I ADORE Frog and Toad! I never knew how “deep” (in a philosophical way) this series was until I read them to my own child. Frog and Toad is Yin and Yang. Toad is grumpy and wants to hide in bed (I can relate). Frog is encouraging. I wish I had a cute little house with a fireplace so I could drink hot cocoa and talk with Frog and Toad.
my 1st grade (unmarried, award winning fern planting, short haired) teacher read us frog n toad..... i love u forever ms cole
Lord of the Rings. Meriadoc is my homie.
I almost feel Like I’m traveling with Frodo and Sam as the third person in the team when I read it !
Definitely. I sat down to reread the first couple of chapters of fellowship just to visit the world again before starting a new book. Next thing I knew a few days had passed and I read the whole thing
Terry Pratchett. You feel like you’re right there with Granny or Vimes or Death. They’re talking to you. They’re talking to Nanny or Carrot or Susan, but they’re also talking to you. Granny’s always got time for you, Vimes always makes room for you, Death is always waiting. And Gaspode of course. Such a good boy.
The Hobbit!
Yeah! I felt so immersed all the way trough, like i was part of the group. Such an amazing little book
Discworld. Every time I reread those books, be it a story of the Witches or the Night's Watch or Death or Tiffany Aching, I feel like I'm in good company. Kinda like I'm watching a play where I know all the actors, or sitting by the sidelines at a party and watching my friends.
I got discoworld but I'm really struggling to read it, I didn't know it was a series. Where do I begin?
https://www.discworldemporium.com/content/6-discworld-reading-order My suggestion would be to start with one of the books from the 'one book stand' section. Some might disagree but please dont start chronologically. I love terry pratchett but the first couple of books are by far the weakest ones in the series
Thank you so much!
Going Postal and Small Gods are his more critically acclaimed books. I'd recommend starting there. Mort and Wyrd Sisters are great, but they are definitely earlier work and are more satisfying once you've bought into Discworld as a concept (IMO). Once bought in, I think the series of Guards books consist of some of his best work (again IMO).
Yeah. The absolute earliest you should start if you're unsure about Pratchett is *Mort*. Death is an iconic character in the Discworld, and the humour is pretty on-point.
"Mort" or "Guards Guards" All the books are good, but the first 3 are better when you understand the setting and world. Going Postal is also a good one to start with.
Adventuring with Rincewind and Twoflower for me.
Second this
The Anne of Green Gables series is one of those that feels like catching up with old friends. While it contains a fair few old fashioned beliefs, the story follows Anne throughout her life from childhood to late womanhood, and it hits different each time I give it a read in the different seasons of my own life.
Same for me, but with Little House on the Prairie. It’s…problematic in retrospect. But I loved growing up with Laura and her family, and I lived on a farm for a while as a kid, so I definitely shared her excitement for things like going to town, or helping deliver a baby animal. I totally related to her on being jealous of your “perfect sibling”, and then feeling guilty afterwards. And those descriptions of gingham dresses and handmade dolls! Definitely encouraged me to learn how to be crafty at a young age.
I totally agree! Have you read The Blue Castle? I think it may have even more of the cozy feel.
Oh man, yes. I was a big Anne of Green Gables fan and then later in life was introduced to *The Blue Castle*. Great comfort book. I tend to just read and reread LM Montgomery's short stories.
I don't know if you are aware but it was turned into a netflix series called Anne with an E. It was so so soooooo good. It really touched my soul. I am reading all the books now.
I only watched the first three episodes, as the show seemed to be going for a moodier more dramatic vibe than the books. The broad stokes of the story remained intact but where the book was sometimes sunny and sometimes a light rain, the show was more fully cloud and thunder. The acting was great and the world well-done, but I go to Anne for comfort and the show was lacking in that respect.
I reread the series every few years. Love her mishaps from the earlier books, ie Diana getting drunk from the raspberry cordial, Anne bashing Gilbert over his head with her slate; plus the sweet scenes like Matthew supporting the puffed sleeves. It's almost like comfort food for me.
Lonesome Dove.
First book that I thought of
I always felt like I needed to play cards and drink with Gus to find out more about him. To laugh and chatter about our past slip ups. I always felt like I needed to get Cal to a campfire and slowly trick him into talking more about his life as the silence of the night sneaked in. I always imagined I could never laugh with Cal but just smile and ask more questions. What a wonderful book.
All Creatures Great and Small One of Us is Lying
I had a hardback book of the first five (or so) Herriot books. Read them repeatedly over the years. Few years back, I discovered there were _more_ books to the series, plus a biography written by his son after he passed. Honestly it felt amazing to discover.
That's wonderful! I've discovered favorite authors under pseudonyms before and it feels like finding treasure, especially if the author has passed away.
A gentleman in Moscow
First book I thought of
What a beautifully written, comforting novel.
Anything by Becky Chambers. Her stories are so warm and inviting.
Definitely first book that came to mind was her *Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.*
I love that Becky Chambers books (or the wayfinder series specifically) never really deals with world-saving events. It’s just a group of small people living their lives in space, and having basically mundane problems for the most part. Just finished the last Wayfinder book and started on the Somaforming one now.
I typed this out and then went to check if someone else already did. Her books are so cozy!! I'm about to finish my second book by her, but she's an author I'm definitely binging this year.
I came here to say this. I would love to hang out with those guys. New book is out now 😀
Little women!
Same! The love that family shared is so comforting.
Six of Crows!
I only just found out about this the other day. Currently reading Storm and Siege with my daughter and really can’t wait to get to this
Harry Potter and Six of Crows duology. Both are fantasy and it feels as if I’m in their world, experiencing everything with them.
The Perks of being a Wallflower, I spent a good two months in a mental hospital and I pretended Charlie was writing to me. I felt like he had been suicidal too so he knew how I felt.
This is beautiful. This book got me through a really tough time when I was a teen. I hope you’re doing better now, friend.
Yeah that was one of the only books i had so I read it almost all the time. The other one was "The white oleander" and the Maze runner lol. I only read that because I'd seen the movie.
The Expanse.
You got it big man
I feel like a lot of YA has had that effect on me, like Percy Jackson and stuff. Any sort of well written group of friends can be really comforting
Cannery row feels like hearing your buddy tell a story at 4 in the morning but in a sweet way
Well said!!
The Lies of Locke Lamorra and the rest of the Gentlemen Bastards series. I feel like I'm amongst a group of friends that do stupid things, get in trouble, yet have a great time doing so.
“I only steal because my dear old family needs the money to live!" Locke Lamora made this proclamation with his wine glass held high; he and the other Gentleman Bastards were seated at the old witchwood table. . . . The others began to jeer. "Liar!" they chorused "I only steal because this wicked world won't let me work an honest trade!" Calo cried, hoisting his own glass. "LIAR!" "I only steal," said Jean, "because I've temporarily fallen in with bad company." "LIAR!" At last the ritual came to Bug; the boy raised his glass a bit shakily and yelled, "I only steal because it's heaps of fucking fun!" "BASTARD!”
I really need to give this a reread. I read the first book and got the second and I still haven't gotten around to reading that. I remember the first book was a whole lot of fun though. Hooked me at the very start, and I wish I knew more novels with such a similarly adventurous and 'found family' vibe.
I really, really hope this series gets finished... it's one of my all- time favorites...
The Vampire Chronicles. I always feel like Lestat is an old friend catching me up on his shenanigans. LOL. When I was a kid it was thr Sweet Valley series. I felt like I was growing up with the twins and their friends. Left such an impressiom on my that I've actually made it a mission to collect all of the original books from all of the series. I even still have the ones from my childhood (same with Fear Street). Hoping I have kids who like to read and will appreciate them.
Damn you put it in words. I’m trying to catch up but Lestat always feels like that one friend that’s doing crazy stuff
LoL! Yes!!
Omg I had forgotten entirely about the Sweet Valley series until this post. I remember being so into the later ones, where Elizabeth goes to England and calls herself Elizabeth Bennet and falls in love with Max.
Wow, I haven't seen a reference to Sweet Valley High in decades! The Babysitter Club series would definitely be my answer for this thread (as a kid), but the SV books were great too!
Stephen King’s The Stand
Baby, can you dig your man? I strongly second this. Also, Under the Dome, Dreamcatcher, It, The Body (Stand by Me), and certain parts of the Dark Tower. I grew up reading King, and I almost always get the warm fuzzies when I read his work.
Reading the essays of Michel de Montaigne feels like a long late night conversation with a very good friend. I don't think this is specifically what you are looking for, but I think at some point in everyone's life the essays of Michel de Montaigne should be your friend at least for a little while.
I ran across Tolstoy's spiritual essays last week. That was like talking to myself.
I think that The Dark Tower really hits its stride when it becomes this, tbh. The reason why so many people struggle to get into it is because it doesn’t start this way. Most of the series that have done this for me haven’t been books admittedly, they’ve been sitcoms like *community* or even space operas like *firefly.* I’m also saving this thread because I’m curious.
I came here to comment the Dark Tower. I legit missed the characters like I miss old friends when I was done reading it. The show Scrubs also had the same effect on me
I also came here to say the Dark Tower. I really loved Wind Through the Keyhole for this reason. I told a friend it was nice to be with old friends again when I began reading it.
Oh how I miss the Ka-tet. Reading the Gunslinger Born graphic novels has helped some but finishing the series feels like leaving home everytime.
**The Hitchicker's Guide to the Galaxy** by Douglas Adams. It's like joining Arthur, Ford, Trillian, Zaphod and Marvin on the *Heart of Gold* and then going on a wacky aventure.
This one. When I read Adams' work, I want to be there hanging out with his characters, trying to figure out how to cheer up Marvin or get the poor horse home.
Louise Penny’s books - the Three Pines crew are like a second family
Agree! i was going to say this but now I don't have to.
Wrote this one too before I saw your comment!
Same, Harry Potter.
Harry Potter is like comfort food to me!
The Raven Cycle books by Maggie Stiefvater. On the first read and my reread, I felt so at home and welcomed among the 4 main characters. I love them all dearly and it was so comforting when I reread them.
Wheel of Time and Dresden Files.
The Dresden Files for sure. So many characters I felt so close to. Michael, Thomas, Bob, Sanya, Butters... even Marcone
Mr King's Dark Tower series (didn't like the ending but loved everything else). Robin Hobb's books, all the series.. I read these as an adult and it was like reading E.Blyton's 'Five' series as a kid, somehow 😄
Tamora Pierce. I was going to say any of the books in the Tortall 'verse, but honestly, the Circle books do the same for me.
I just want to be friends with ALL her characters!
It’s the Kel books for me. I reread them every year or two and I love them so much.
ACOTAR. Very comforting series.
Recently I read The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet, by Becky Chambers, and it had that effect on me. I heard a podcaster defining it as a feel-good novel, and I couldn't agree more.
Loved it! I wanted more adventures with the crew.
I'm waiting for a bit before starting the next one in the series, _A Closed and Common Orbit_, because I don't want it to be over too soon!
A Closed and Common Orbit is sooo good.
It was an awesome book for sure! Was sad to learn each book in the Wayfarer series is it's own contained story (more or less) in that universe. Wanted more of the crew from the first book. Was immediately gonna dive into the rest, but not in a rush now, though Im sure I'll enjoy them.
Any Redwall book
Hitchhikers guide
Mistborn series.
Shogun is an old familiar friend, as are Borges' short stories, Ficciones. With Borges you can get completely lost in the complexity, but the end is always just a few pages away. To some extent I've come to appreciate the short stories of H.G. Wells in the same way.
Shogun for me too.
Shogun had me so attached to the characters the ending was emotional.
The whole trip to Osaka was like a beautiful poem. The final revelation at the end amazed me when I read it as a young man.
Lonesome Dove
David Eddings, Belgariad and the Malloreon has that feel for me.
I love those series. I reread them almost yearly. The books are starting to come apart now.
I have them digitally and hard back with various covers. Eddings is easily one of my favorite fantasy authors.
The Radiant Way series by Margaret Drabble. The chars are all at least 10 years older than me, and I'm no Brit. But I *relate*, especially to Alix Bowen and Stephen Cox. And then Hattie Osborne in the final(?) volume, I just love her. "I nearly took an overdose, I was in such a rage" :D :D Everything Diana Wynne Jones wrote has this intimate, emotionally observational tone that is like a very open but matter of fact window into the character's direct and *personal* experience of the story. All of her books meet the op criteria, thanks to that.
A Song of Ice and Fire, I live in Winterfell in my mind.
Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut feels like you're sat opposite Vonnegut in a coffee shop and he's telling you a story
Was wondering if I'd see Vonnegut get mentioned. While Breakfeast of Champions isn't up there for me personally (out of his works), reading Vonnegut's writing feels like being among an old friend. I refer to Kurt as a "literary friend".
Project Hail Mary, reading it feels like a big, warm hug!
Jazz Hands!
Fist my bump!
I just read this book from recommendations on this sub, and cried four distinct times about it. immediately added it onto the favorite sci fi list. what a wonderful little journey.
The Murderbot Diaries.
I scoured this thread for Martha! I made my own comment about her books of the Raksura. I think those are a more 'part of a group' feeling than Murderbot, but Murderbot gets there in the end, especially in the novel.
I want to read the Raksura books, someone yesterday I saw was recommending the il-rien I think it was? I'd also love to get my hands on city of Bones my Martha, but it's obscure as any to get your hands on it.
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alice in wonderland for me especially as a child :)
I don't think I've ever felt this way about a book. Books remove me from my sense of self entirely. I don't want to think about myself at all when I read a book.
I don't think I've ever felt that way either, though I wouldn't mind it.
Same here. I can see it with TV shows or move series either animated or live action, just because you don't have to imagine things. As soon as my brain kicks into the imagination, I remove myself entirely from the equation.
Yeah, I like the complete escape and it's probably a factor in why I prefer 3rd person narration (even though the 'I' is not technically me).
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society! Poison Study series The Faerie Chronicles
The Trainspotting series very much captures this feeling, for better or worse. The characters are written in such a realistic manner that their descent pulls you, the reader, down with them.
I read that trilogy\* and loved it. I wish for the 2nd movie they had just followed the blueprint of Porno. Was a much stronger book than the film, IMO. \*Technically 4 if you count Skag Boys, but I never read that one. It's a prequel, IIRC.
Louis Penny's, Inspector Gamache series. I always feel welcome to and at home in "Three Pines". Also almost anything by Agatha Christie, have read and reread almost all of her books many times and listen to audio books of her's every night to help me fall asleep.
A Gentleman In Moscow
The Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson always made me feel like I'm there on the red planet among the events and intrigue
Theft of Swords. Always feel like I’m hanging with Hadrian and Royce
{{Tales of the City}} by Armistead Maupin
Harry Potter, Always a warm bath when I return to hogwarts and can still laugh at some of the antics Weirdly enough ASOIAF, same vibe for some reason, although everybody dies all the time. Kings of the Wyld, 'recent' discovery and also part 2 bloody rose, the characters and adventures are lovely to go to. Dutch youth novel 'Koning van Katoren' is a book I reread every so often Yeah this is r/books but Pirates of the Caribbean also has this vibe for me.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith (coincidentally also the author of 101 Dalmatians) has this exact vibe for me. It's an amazing coming of age story with such good characters and the writing is great. It's so much fun to read!
Shel Silverstein (I know it’s weird) but it is what it is.
The Picture of Dorian Gray. There's a lot of longing for a life that almost was, passing moments of beauty, but also a sense of trying too hard to cling to it and getting the raw end of that. I feel those characters (or Wilde when writing it) have a very similar feeling of life to me at a certain age. I can feel my younger self in Dorian, the sense of endless possibility, but not knowing how to manifest it, and think "why didn't I have a Wotton to tell me these things?!" And I can feel a bit of my now somewhat older self in Wotton, seeing younger people and thinking, "good LORD, you don't know what you've got in youth. Go do EVERYTHING NOW!!!"
The Magicians series by Lev Grossman. It's considered as HP for adults. So it definitely has elements familiar for HP fans as well. HP was also my favorite series despite the fiasco with JK. Somehow I grew up reading a lot of fanfic series that only have a protagonist with maybe one other side-kick or a love interest who goes through events with the MC. Not many has like a group of friends like HP and The Magicians. I'm looking forward to read some recs from this thread.
I absolutely love the Magicians, but if that’s the case you’d have some REALLY toxic fictional friends.
The Wheel of Time...increases my friend count significantly lol
I got this kind of feeling with "Ready Player One". I am completely in the demographic for this. I was on board with all the pop culture references, and I'm a programmer. Also worked in the game industry for a bit. I related not only to the protagonist themselves, but the person they looked up to, as it could be a substitute for myself in ideal circumstances. So I wanted to be both the person in the story, and the hero he looked up to. It resonated so strongly with me it almost felt like it was written FOR me. Super strange to be so solidly in the target audience. Was a great time.
The lord of the rings and hobbit! But also all Stephen King's book. It's hard to explain but I always feel like I'm with my friends or family. It just feels like hearth.
For me it's the Lord of the Rings-Series and the Witcher-Series. Both have been comfort-reads for half my life.
Stormlight archives — bridge four
The slice of life bridge four chapter in oathbringer is literary comfort food for sure
The Raven Cycle. Feels just like home.
_The Midnight Club_ _The Velveteen Rabbit_ Both make me oddly nostalgic and I miss lost friends. Of course, there is the YA fantasy like the HP and Percy Jackson series. LOTR too. The Malory Towers series. Oooh, you’ll want to read _Six of Crows_. Made me want sketchy friends like Jesper.
Miss Peregrine’s Peculiar Children. Millard and Emma specifically.
IT by Stephen King makes me feel like I’m 11 & I have the greatest friends ever. It’s definitely not a comforting book, but it makes me cry tears of nostalgia over childhood. Highly recommended.
Anne McCaffreys Dragonriders Series. My Go To since I was 11.
The House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune. Such an joy to read and the characters felt like extended family!
It. I was born in 1997 but I swear I have more in common with those 50s kids than I have with my own generation. And before someone says that I "grew up with technology" or something, the first time I could actually access the internet was at age 13-14, before that you literally had to go to an internet café.
It is one for me too. A lot of Stephen King feels comforting. I would add Salem’s Lot and The Shining as well.
I'm sure plenty of us "Constant Readers" feel that way. I'm gonna hurt when he kicks the bucket.
Yeah, people forget about those who lived in rural areas or were poor. Internet wasn't really ubiquitous until smartphones had reliable access at affordable prices.
Harry Potter is definitely a comfort series for me, too. I'm still kind of grappling with how shitty JKR is, but I can't deny the impact the series has had on me. But also, House in the Cerulean Sea by TJ Klune felt like coming home when I was reading it. I thought all the characters were so loveable and unique and definitely recommend it to anyone looking for a cozy fantasy.
Seconding The House in the Cerulean Sea, it was an utterly lovely read and I felt very warm and fuzzy! The author has also written Under The Whispering Door, which is a similar book if you enjoyed Cerulean
I just picked up both of these! Yay!
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I think the Twilight series introduced a lot of middle-school aged girls to reading for pleasure. My daughter never really got excited about reading until then but since then? She always has her nose in a book!
Gentleman's Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzie Lee Simon Vs the Homo Saipan Agenda by Becky Albertalli Red, White and Royal Blue by Casey McQuinston
The long way to a small angry planet. It has an amazing found family and the way it is written makes you feel like you are right there along for the ride
The Old Kingdom series by Garth Nix. Some of my favorite books.
In no particular order: Harry Potter, The Dark Tower, Perks of Being a Wallflower, Lonesome Dove, Dresden Files, and The Wheel of Time.
This is how 11/22/63 felt for me. The length is a factor for sure (more time spent with any character will make you feel more attached), but Jodie feels like the sweetest, quaintest town where most everyone is friendly.
anything by Fannie Flagg
Tales of the City, by Armistead Maupin.
Mine is Harry Potter as well
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society, such a lovely little book. It’s written in letter form, which makes you feel part of the correspondence between the characters :)
Sherlock Holmes. I read all the novels and adventures in elementary school and many times over since. I’ve comfort read them at difficult spots in my life and I feel safe and cozy like I’m curled up on a sofa in the sitting room of 221B Imagine me at 10 being confused at how they cut out the opium den scene at the beginning of The Man With the Twisted Lip in my grandmas Readers Digest copy (the opium scene totally being in my schools copy)
Have you read Sherry Thomas’s Lady Sherlock series? I highly recommend them!
A tree grows in Brooklyn
The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants. It reminds me a great deal of my three best friends and myself. I would also say It’s Kind of a Funny Story. I read it at a really bad time in my life, where I was very actively suicidal, and it felt so real to me.
I think Narnia. For years I avoided it because of the heavily Christian propaganda, but it’s really engaging taken at face value. I wish I had grown up with those kids. As far as comics go, the Garth Ennis run on Hellblazer makes me feel like I’m hanging out with old friends at the bar.
Authors like Annie Dillard or Mary Oliver make me feel like I'm not the only one who obsesses over foxes or pennies or the way light bends in a window frame. It's like intimately knowing a stranger who is also a loudly-thinking introvert.
The Lord of the rings.
I haven’t reread them in a while now, but the Chronicles of Pyrdain series had that feel for me.
Indra Sinha's Animal's People. The story is a fictionalized account of an Indian village seeking compensation for the Bhopal disaster, and is narrated by a crippled boy (Animal) who lives there. While the accounts of starvation, chemical damage, and poverty are grim, the cast are warmly written and feel like actual people you might meet in India's slums. Written accounts of ecological damage don't really bring home the devastation to a Western audience, so Sinha takes the more effective approach and focuses on the everyday folk who are harmed by our greed.
Earth's Children series
Princess Diaries. The books take me back to my high school days
The Thursday Murder Club. I’m not a pensioner, but I envy their adventures.
Discworld.
A Little Life
Maeve Binchy
The wording of the question made me think of a specific book, funnily enough. Among Others by Jo Walton: a fantasy story where I loved reading the descriptions of the Sci-Fi books and authors the main character was reading. It was a lot like getting recommendations from a friend!
Am recently loving Dorothea Benton Frank's books. I just really enjoy her characters. She writes fiction set in her home part of the US, the Lowcountry of SC. The setting of the stories, their cultural context, the struggles of the various players in the novel, just so well done. I am determined to read them all.
The Dragonlance chronicles by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis can invoke this.
The Dragonlance Chronicles for me. Flint, Tanis, Tasslehoff... All of them are old friends.
All Louise Penny books. I feel like I’m standing there right alongside Armand while he goes about his investigations.
Lord of The Rings, especially the beginning of Fellowship where we go from Hobbiton to Bree! I just love everything about those first few chapters Also I’m reading The Man Who Died Twice by Richard Osman (second book in the Thursday Murder Club series) and it definitely feels like meeting up with old friends! I agree with The Wind in The Willows! It’s a very comforting book to read
The Losers in IT. Apart from the sex bit obviously.
Recently started rereading the septimus heap books for this reason
IT. Ive read it every year since i was 14 ( i'm now 42). Still cry at the end, still consider them friends
Last book I read was The Last True Poets of the Sea, and it gave me those vibes. A very comfy read.
I've only read a couple of them so far, but the sense of comradeship in Patrick O'Brien's Aubrey-Maturin books really hits me where I live.
Anne Bishop's Ephemera series - I like her other work, but Belladonna speaks to me. I suppose Witch does as well, from the Black Jewels universe, but I could see myself living in Ephemera.
The House on Mango Street by Sandra Cisneros I am not your perfect Mexican daughter by Ericka Sanchez the rest of us just live here by Patrick Ness
Looking for Alaska
100% percy jackson solely because ive read it so muchhh from the last 8 years so im so used to the characters and the development
ACOTAR. I could legit go have dinner and party with the character. Some characters have trauma i could relate to
Super Powereds by Drew Hayes has a very good group of college friends feel. Legends and Lattes also has this vibe.
percy jackson & the olympians but def the heroes of olympus series