Of challenges, comfort reading and realisations...

 

Recently my brother set me a challenge. Sending me the article by Neil Gaiman where he offers 5 comfort reads to turn to in difficult times. My brother challenged me for my 5.

Easy peasy methinks - I'm an avid reader, have loads of books - how hard can it be?? 

Hmmm - not so. It would seem that I rarely read "one off" books preferring to be in it for the long haul with trilogies, or even more, in a series. I hadn't ever considered this - but clearly I want to really get to grips with the characters and their worlds and one book often won't often do this for me.

I have of course read many of the "classics" - Austen, Dickens, Hardy, Brontes but would I offer any of these as a comfort read? As a book I go back to again and again for comfort in difficult times? 

I would also not be offering a complete picture if I didn't admit to reading "chick-lit" especially the paperbacks sold at supermarkets with a Christmas theme on the cover - but again once read there is nothing that pulls me back to read again. Not much comfort there then - although good escapism as a one off.

Much of my reading over the last 20 years has been for academic purposes, _certainly_ not much comfort there! More recently I am revisiting my reference books on folklore, herbs, fairy tales etc - but again not sure I could recommend these as a "comfort read" tending to be more of a dip in /dip out kind of experience.

So, all that said, I struggled, but I have here those that I definitely love to escape into and would do so an infinite number of times. In no particular order:

#1 The Nightwatch by Terry Pratchett

I would actually say that any book by Terry Pratchett could stand as a go to comfort read. His ability to make you laugh with, and at, characters (and possibly yourself) and to subtly facilitate lightbulb moments in  the very clever way he draws parallel with the political environments and contexts of our world today is astounding.

 One of my favourite characters is Sam Vimes, a gnarly, world-worn policeman with an ironic wit and bucketful of sarcasm. The Nightwatch sees him accidentally fall back through time to meet himself as a rookie recruit and ending up as his own mentor and hero, having to teach himself the lessons he idolized his mentor for all through his career - keep up! 

The plot twists and turns, as Sam not only has to quash a rebellion and re-enact his mentor's behaviour in order to save future Sam's memories of his hero,  but he also has to find a dangerous criminal who travelled back with him to the past. And, as much as the characters are not all human - a zombie, wizards, clay men, dwarves and Nobby Nobbs- (no one knows quite what he is!) you find yourself easily inhabiting this world.

The humour can be dark and has been described as the humour that arises from dark situations, but all in all there are moments of extreme poignancy, high drama and laugh out loud moments. The story telling is vivid and you could almost be there protecting the Guard House in the People's Republic of Treacle Mine Road.

This is most definitely a book I have read again and again and may often help me make sense of my own thoughts about who the good guys are in my own world. 

“One of the hardest lessons in young Sam's life had been finding out that the people in charge weren't in charge. It had been finding out that governments were not, on the whole, staffed by people who had a grip, and that plans were what people made instead of thinking.”
― Terry Pratchett, Night Watch

#2 CrossStitch (Outlander) by Diana Gabaldon

This is the first book in the Outlander series - and I am avidly awaiting the publication of Book 9. The series (books and tv)  is my obsession - but this first book is _truly_ the book I wish I could un-read so that I could experience the joy of reading it again for the first time. It has been extremely hard to attach  a specific genre to this series and is still in debate, containing history, romance, time travel, action, war,  drama, witchcraft, bodice- ripper and much, much more - as a book and now tv series it has even done more for the tourist trade in Scotland than shortbread and The Fringe.

It involves Claire, a nurse in WWII, visiting Scotland with her husband at the end of the war for a second honeymoon. She falls through some standing stones and ends up in 1743. As a Sassenach - an outlander, during the build up to the Jacobean rebellion in the Scottish Highlands -  with Culloden looming, she is in a rather vulnerable position. Her medical knowledge both as a nurse and as an amateur user of herbs and plants comes in useful (and an occasional hindrance with superstitious, witchcraft believing populations)  as she tries to return to her own time. 

There are plot twists, danger, unexpected passions and humour all wrapped up in the political and cultural contexts of the time - not always an easy thing to accept from a 21st century perspective- but then you remember that Claire is from mid 20th century from a time of war- makes you think, most definitely. It is certainly not written with rose-tinted spectacles and there are many moments that are unexpected,  hard to read or difficult to be immersed into- but that's what makes it all the more unique.

Diana Gabaldon's writing style is atmospheric and immersive (and I am in awe - she has certainly spoiled me for other writers), her research of the history is extremely thorough (her early life was as an academic and scientist) and informs the reader well without over-egging or labouring a point. Her characters are well formed, believable and completely real and even what may be considered as "minor characters" will have a major impact on the story and the reader. 

......And then there's Jamie Fraser, my not-so-secret crush. He is brave, loyal, educated and passionate with a high moral code (but not too pompous to break this for good reason). He is tone deaf, gets seasick in 2" of water and is unable to wink. He is human, with human flaws - but over-riding all this he has an immense sense of duty, loyalty and is not afraid of true love <sigh>. It helps that has physicality is also extremely attractive.

Apparently, in her own "how hard can it be" moment Diana Gabaldon decided to have a go at writing a novel with no intention of ever showing it to anyone - and this is the result!! She has said her choice of era was influenced by having watched an old episode of Dr Who with Fraser Hines as a kilted Dr Who companion called Jamie. She didn't intend it to be a time travel piece but Claire (the female protagonist) kept requiring language and behaviour that did not belong in the 18th Century - so she made her a time traveller from the 1940s. 

It's a long book - about 900 pages which for me is good as it means that there is time to contextualise, to get to know the characters etc - and none of this seems too long or too laboured for me. Her ability to write relationships that are believable and real is astounding and you are right there with them. 

I am completely immersed into the worlds of the book, I feel, I learn, I rage  and I fall in love - every time I read it and I yearn to fall through those stones too........

Warning....the story of Claire & Jamie was always going to span across more than one book - so some of the plots are set up for later significance. You may be led further into the Outlander universe - if that's the case you may find yourself booking a one way ticket to the Highlands of Scotland and searching for those Standing stones - guess what I will be doing next Beltane or Samhain!!......

“I had one last try.
"Does it bother you that I'm not a virgin?" He hesitated a moment before answering.
"Well, no," he said slowly, "so long as it doesna bother you that I am." He grinned at my drop-jawed expression, and backed toward the door.
"Reckon one of us should know what they're doing," he said. The door closed softly behind him; clearly the courtship was over.”
― Diana Gabaldon, Outlander

#3 Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

Tigana is a land struggling to be free from the tyrant Brandin,  a sorcerer, who hates them so much (he has his reasons)  that he crushed them and lay a curse that their name, Tigana, can only be heard or remembered by those who lived there before the invasion, thus destroying the soul and the will of the people he rules over. 

A rebellion is planned.

It is a book from the fantasy genre about loss and memories, about heroes and villains, bravery, treachery, weakness and magic. However, nothing is  two dimensional, the writing draws you in and shows you all sides of the situation. Each character lives and requires you to invest emotion in their story. There are many threads to the plot which keep you on your toes with some surprises and some secrets. I particularly like the way that a whole history and folklore have been given to this land and throughout you are painted such wonderful pictures of the landscape and what it once was like to live there -  you begin to feel like a native of pre-tyrant Tigana and want to join the rebellion.

The notion of impact of past on present is strong through the story which resonates strongly with me.

“There are no wrong turnings. Only paths we had not known we were meant to walk.”
― Guy Gavriel Kay, Tigana

#4 The Mirror of Her Dreams by Stephen Donaldson

 It was Stephen Donaldson that introduced me to the fantasy genre with the Thomas Covenant Chronicles many years ago. For this slot I could easily have chosen anything from the Belgariad, Mallorean or Elenium series by David Eddings or Raymond E Feist's Riftwar Cycle, I would recommend any of those - but prepare to commit to the full series and be in it for the long haul.

However, I chose this that makes up the Mordant's Need series with one other book (A Man Rides Through It). Donaldson himself explains that the story starts off as a fable with a damsel in distress in remote self-isolation, young callow hero with heart, evil but seductive villain etc... 

But...it is much more than that. Terisa (the heroine) is from "our" world but experiences loneliness with many insecurities attributed to abusive parents- so much so that she surrounds herself with mirrors to remind herself of her own existence. One day, Geraden crashes through one of the mirrors, convinced that that she is the prophesied champion of his world and persuades her to go back with him. In his world mirrors are used for other things than to reflect an image and only an Adept can make them and use them to spy on an area of the Kingdom, or travel  to a place in space and/or time- but never to reflect an image - for if you see yourself in the mirror you will go insane. Terisa can then be seen as a strong mage in this world.

It is a book of political and court  intrigue, danger, mystery, plot twists and often it is hard to see who is the good guy and bad guy.  It is the clever concepts around the use of mirrors that appeal to me, there is romance but this is sub plot really. The two main protagonists are not your usual heroine and hero, they have flaws (which can irritate sometimes) but these only go to serve a more realistic approach. It is a book I've read a few times now and each time I see something new (especially as my own life changes). Would I class it as a comfort? Only in so much as whatever is happening in real world can't be as bad as what is being experienced through the mirror.

“I can’t spend my whole life just sitting on my hands and wondering when I’m going to fade. I can’t. That’s worse than doing something wrong. Isn’t it?”
― Stephen R. Donaldson, The Mirror of Her Dreams

If you have made it this far - thankyou! However, those eagle-eyed will see that I have only chosen 4 books. In the process of attempting to meet the challenge I have realised a few things

Realisation #1: The concept of comfort is subjective

Realisation #2: I do not turn to books for comfort. I want a book to immerse myself in, to help me to  live a different life, to make new friends, to identify and verbalise issues I may have or be facing and help me work through them - to draw parallels - or even to escape completely. What I do not turn to a book to do is to help me switch off - I turn to tv, films and music for this.

Realisation #3: I am clearly drawn to time travel, fable, war and political intrigue (of worlds not my own!- sick of it in my own world) and of finding bravery and strength in unlikely places. Good triumphs over evil, happy endings are the order of the day!

Realisation #4: Whilst I will still wear the mantle of "avid reader" I find I am picking up a book less and less. Kindle and now Audible mean that my bookshelves are dwindling - and I'm not too sure I like that.

Realisation #5: I may need to set myself a task of reading a new author/genre occasionally.

So, if any of you have any recommendations you think I should read I would gladly take a look.

Thanks again for reading my musings......