Top Ten Tuesday: Comfort Reads


Hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl

These are all cozy stories from a variety of genres that I’d recommend to anyone looking for a comfort read.

My definition of a comfort read is a story that is compelling but gentle. That is to say, you can read it without worrying about anything horrible happening to the main character. They might break an ankle or temporarily get lost in a swamp, but everything will always end on a happy note and most of the scenes will be ones filled with conflicts that are lower stakes. Death or serious bodily harm are rarely a genuine threat for these characters. They are far more likely to be facing something like social embarrassment from saying the wrong thing or having a comical adventure instead.

A rainbow hammock hanging between two trees over a lush blanket of thick green grass. 1. The Rosie Project (Don Tillman, #1) by Graeme Simsion

2. Anne of Green Gables by L.M. Montgomery

3. The Art of Racing in the Rain by Garth Stein

4. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe by Fannie Flagg

5. Heidi by Johanna Spyri

6. The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster

7. Little House in the Big Woods (Little House, #1) by Laura Ingalls Wilder

8. Good Omens: The Nice and Accurate Prophecies of Agnes Nutter, Witch by Terry Pratchett

9. The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

10. The Princess Bride by William Goldman

What is your definition of a comfort read? am so curious to see how our understandings of that term might line up.

82 Comments

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82 Responses to Top Ten Tuesday: Comfort Reads

  1. I think that’s a good definition of a comfort read. And I’ve read every book on your list and I agree that every book is a good comfort read.

  2. Anita@seriesbooklover

    Snap, I have Good Omens too!

  3. I loved Anne of Green Gables as a kid, I should give it another read one day.

  4. Lack of worry is a great comfort read quality!

  5. That’s a great definition of a comfort read and I love your list!

  6. Great list and interesting definition of what comfort reads are for you. Intrigued by Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe’s synopsis, I just added it to my June TBR.
    Thank you for visiting HerSerialLife.

    Here is my TTT: https://herseriallife.com/top-10-comfort-reads-books-escape/

    Have a great week 😊

  7. I’m always wary of books with dogs in them. It good to know that Art of Racing in the Rain is a comfort read.

  8. It’s funny I’ve seen Good Omens on a number of people’s lists today. I loved Heidi when I was younger.

  9. Excellent List. I’ve read all but #8.

  10. The Phantom Toll Booth! That book is one of the great things I remember about 4th grade.

  11. I just loved The Art of Racing in the Rain.

  12. Fried Green Tomatoes and The Art of Racing in the Rain are both such great books. Love the Little House series, too. I might have told you this before, but I still have the complete collection my mother gave me for Christmas when I was 10.

    Here is our Top Ten Tuesday. Thank you!

  13. Ive not read The Princess Bride but the film is definitely a comfort watch.

  14. Aah, Wind in the Willows! It was such a sweet book, but I don’t remember much of the story now, definitely time for a reread.

  15. Oh, some really great books.

  16. Oh yes, The Rosie Project is such a wonderful read. Even though I read it years ago and generally struggle to remember things I read, I still remember the feeling this book gave me. All the warm fuzzies 😍

  17. Jo

    For me comfort reads are generally either childhood favourites for the nostalgia factor, or more recent favourites: I find familiarity very comforting!
    My TTT: https://jjbookblog.wordpress.com/2022/05/31/top-ten-tuesday-370/

  18. I’ve had Good Omens sitting on my shelf for months now – maybe it’s time to give it a read!

  19. Definitely need to read The Wind In The Willows soon!

  20. I love Anne of Green Gables. I haven’t read any of the other books on your list, but many of them are on my TBR.

  21. Anne of Green Gables seems like it would be such a comfort read. The Princess bride, the Wilder books… those are so nostalgic.

    I loved the Fried green Tomatoes movie.

  22. Anne of Green Gables is such a cute story

  23. OMG, yes. Gentle reads are a must for comfort books. (Though admittedly I do have one or two on my list where the stakes are a little higher.) The Phantom Tollbooth is a perfect choice. I could easily have added it to my list as well.

    My TTT: https://bookwyrmknits.com/2022/05/31/top-ten-tuesday-comfort-reads-2/

  24. This is a great list. I love Anne of Green Gables and Rosie Project!!

  25. Looks like a great and varies list! Good Omens is a book I’ve been meaning to try for a while – I heard so many good things and seeing it on a list of comfort reads only makes me want to read it more

  26. A good definition of a comfort read! My list skewed a little bit darker than yours, that’s for sure. I think I went more with some of my favorite groups of characters that I wouldn’t mind spending time with (i.e. rereading).

  27. Love the definition you provided. Gentle is something I look for in a book a lot of the time.

  28. I have read a couple of these.. great list.

  29. I agree with your comfort book definition. Some good looking books on your list.

    Have a great week!

    Emily @ Budget Tales Book Blog

  30. AW, love that you have some classics like ‘Anne’ or ‘Little House’ on the list. Both feel like they’d be ideal kind of comfort reading and I’d agree. Comfort reads, in general, should ultimately mean there’s happiness. 🙂 Thanks a bunch for visiting Finding Wonderland.

  31. Nice list! Anne of Green Gables and Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe are perfect comfort reads for me as well.

  32. Good Omens and The Princess Bride are a couple of my favorites – and their adaptations too!

  33. Anne of Green Gables is such a perfect example!

  34. Why didn’t I think of Little House in the Big Woods? I adored that book so much growing up, it’s a tie between that and On the Banks of Plum Creek for being my favorite of Wilder’s books.

  35. Anne of Green Gable is the perfect comfort read. I love that one so much.

  36. Thanks for the visit! And you’ve really got a wide range of books in your comfort list! I’ve read about half of them and agree with you.

  37. Ah I adore good omens!!
    That’s a great list 😀

  38. Good list. I have read numbefs 2, 5, 6, and 7 but heard of all the others. I can see them all as good comfort reads.

    Thanks for visiting my TTT this week which is a little different.

  39. I love your definition of a comfort read, it’s probably one of the best descriptions I’ve heard!
    I have Good Omens on my TBR shelf, and it’s making me think I should start reading it soon 🤔 Also heard a lot of good things about The Phantom Tollbooth, even from people who read it when they were older, so I might need to pick that up!

  40. Huge yes to Anne of Green Gables and the Little House books as comfort reads. I read and re-read those so many times when I was younger.

  41. Heidi is such a good one, I read that when I was younger!

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