Comforting Books - What to Read During {Insert Chaos Here}

I’ve hesitated writing this blog post because when the COVID19 pandemic started, I wasn’t sure anyone wanted to hear from me.

What do I have to tell people? I have no medical recommendations, I’m a mom who’s pretty darn happy letting her kids watch TV, and…. well, I’ve been figuring all this out, same as everyone.

But I’ve had many of you asking for book recommendations right now, so…. yeah. I’m pretty good at that. That’s what I have to give to my country so, that’s what you’ll get!

Here are my ultimate comfort book recommendations to help you get through a time when you need an escape…

Mysteries

Because nothing gets your mind off your problems like someone else’s fictional problem of a dead body…

Her Royal Spyness series - Rhys Bowen - Set in the 1930s, a distant cousin to the Queen solves mysteries. Lighthearted, cozy historical mysteries with just enough royalty and romance to keep it escapism. If you like the first, there are 13 more books in the series to keep you engaged!

The Kit Holloway Series - Jennifer Ashley - Another historical mystery series set in England (this one in Queen Victoria’s day), the main character is a cook so you not only get a mystery, another century, a pinch of romance but you also get lots of comforting cooking scenes and comfort food. A four (soon to be five) book series for you to dive into.

Rom -Coms

These were very hard to narrow down, but I’ll explain…

Who Rescued Who -Victoria Schade- There are SO MANY good rom-coms out right now! But I picked this one because it has the ultimate feel-good ingredients (for me, at least)- England and dogs.

Hear me talk to Victoria on Women With Books podcast.

Waiting For Tom Hanks - Kerry Winfrey - And this one because we were ALL waiting for Tom Hanks to recover from COVID-19. In his honor, read this sweet, funny rom-com.
Also, at the time of this blog, this e-book is $2.99

Hear me talk to Kerry on Women With Books podcast.

The Royal Runaway -  Lindsay Emory

And if you want the ULTIMATE ESCAPE, try my book! A princess who gets left at the altar on her royal wedding day goes on an adventure to uncover what happened to her groom with a spy who has secrets of his own…

Women’s Fiction

Also very hard to narrow down, but I have my reasons…

Things You Save in a Fire - Katherine Center - I just discovered this book last month and honestly, if I could rewind time and save this book for my shelter in place time, I would. You can read my thoughts on it here.

The Coincidence of Coconut Cake - Amy E. Reichert - Okay. This book has a failing restaurant in it. I felt I should say that up front. BUT - it’s a great, cozy book that reminds us of the things that hold us together - and sometimes that’s food and cake and stuff, okay? Don’t judge.
Hear me talk to Amy E. Reichert on my podcast Women With Books, here.

Coming Home - Rosamunde Pilcher - OH. What can I say that hasn’t been said about Rosamunde Pilcher books when the world is nothing but a huge dumpster fire. I love love love The Shell Seekers, I’m currently re-reading September, but Coming Home is my ultimate comfort read recommendation. It always makes me cry and it’s set during World War II but you can escape into 1940’s Cornwall and that’s an awesome place to be.

Urban Fantasy

Um, Lindsay. Hold up. You call these comforting??? You know these have vampires, monsters and bloody fight scenes, right?

Sure, but as I explained in a recent Best Books to Read Now blog post, Urban Fantasy novels can still be comfort reads. I picked both of these for the same reasons. Alternate time-lines, magic and paranormal creatures can take you out of this world and mentally drop you into another one. But these specific series stand out for me as comfort reads because of the strong (reassuring) relationships between family and friends.

The Black Dagger Brotherhood is a completely unrealistic other-world but they are also filled with tight bonds and passionate relationships and maybe that’s exactly the recipe some of us need to read right now.

Burn For Me - Ilona Andrews (Book 1 of the Hidden Legacies Series)

Dark Lover - Book 1 of the Black Daggerhood Series by JR Ward

Those are my recommendations for comfort reads, but I’m well aware that my favorite ingredients may not be yours. The good news is, I’ve been doing this awhile. If nothing on the above list strikes your fancy, here are some other lists I’ve compiled. Go explore and see what you find!

Royal Book Recommendations

Nonfiction/ Writing/ Creativity Book Recommendations

Favorite Swoony Historical Romance Books

Favorite Mystery Series

Are You Ready for some Football Romances!

BUT WAIT! There’s MORE!

If you sign up for my newsletter, there are TWO freebies waiting for you.
1) A link to the free Drieden Christmas story that was exclusive to my newsletter in 2020, and
2) A handy dandy list of ALLLLLLLLLL the books I recommended in 2019 (with buy links, of course.)

Now. You have no excuse. Go forth and get lost in a book.