October 05, 2019

Blogtober | Are You Ready for Sweater Weather?: Hot Chocolate


Recently Jenn, over at Jenniely.com, posted an original Are You Ready for Sweater Weather? Tag.. I really love this tag, and how she tied in all the things that I closely associate with Autumn and Hallowe'en to the questions she chose. But you will notice, I won't be answering every question in this particular blog post. Instead, for Blogtober, I will be using each question as a prompt throughout the month.
1. Hot Chocolate - What is your comfort book?
I am a big comfort reader. So much so, that I've written two previous blog posts on how I define comfort reading and a few of my favourite comfort reads, which you can find here and here.

For me, a comfort book is one that I have already read and associate with a particularly good memory or moment in my life. These are the books I reach for or crave when life hits me and reality needs to take a hike.


A Feast for Crows (A Song of Ice and Fire #4)
George R. R. Martin
Goodreads
Review
Previously, I mentioned A Game of Thrones and how bizarre something that is so heavy in the content, and I'm not just talking about trying to hold it long enough, somehow brings me a great amount of contentment and soothes my soul.
I wanted to briefly mention my favourite book in the series. I always find myself picking it up off my shelf and flicking through to reread my favourite core moments. This book isn't completely about the Lannisters, but more about the rippling tide effect across the continent Westeros and how the events in A Storm of Swords affect the characters that are integrally tied to the Lannisters.
It's no secret that I consider Jaime Lannister as one of my all-time favourite literary characters. A Feast for Crows is the book that really got under my skin and continued to show the depth of his flawed character. I don't want to spoil the book, but there is a scene where Jaime does something to defend someone (it's not in the show, so I'm trying to be vague) that I still think about, five years later.
Also, Jaime really doesn't get enough credit for his one-liners, and I would go as far to say he's the funnier of the Lannister brothers.
Sorry.
Not sorry.


The Ninth Rain (The Winnowing Flame #1)
Jen Williams
Goodreads
Review
During my first year of university, I wasn't doing so well. I felt isolated, alone, and my life back in London was falling through my fingertips and there was nothing anyone could do about it. I threw myself into writing, my blog - anything productive I could do to take my mind off my situation. In doing so, I received an advanced readers copy of this book gave me the escape I needed when I felt like I couldn't leave the flat I inhabited.
I fell in love with the way Jen writes her characters, the way she blends genres of biological science-fiction and high fantasy... and don't get me started on the craftmanship of the dialogue.
I've only reread this book once, two months before The Bitter Twins was released. It felt like coming home. I was warm and cozy, lost to a world of large flying bats (truly, there are large bats that characters can use to travel). I am yet to pick up a copy of The Poison Song (although, I do own a galley from NetGalley), but I am waiting to repurchase a copy of The Bitter Twins and the small paperback to be released in January 2020 before I revisit these old friends, and possibly say some goodbyes.


The Bloody Chamber and Other Short Stories
Angela Carter
Goodreads

I feel like I mention, or make some mention of this particular short story collection all the time. Particularly because Angela Carter has followed me in my academic study of Creative Writing and English Literature, and has since cemented herself as not only one of my favourite authors of the 20th Century but one of my core writing influences.
The first time I came across this collection was by a Waterstones seller briefly mentioning that I might be interested in the title. But, for some reason I didn't bite, perhaps because I was 16 and *knew* what kind of books I was interested in. Boo me, for being so closed-minded.
Then I had to study it for my A2 exam, and somehow memorize quotes for a closed-book exam. My B in that exam is solely due to how much I loved how Carter spun the Gothic genre, and exploring the text through a Feminist Critici lense. That thrill of success of another fantastic essay is what I associate is what I find comforting. Knowing something went right and I am a capable human.

There we have it. Three more books that I find it comforting to read. Do you have a book you reread when you need something comforting?

1 comment:

  1. What an excellent way to do this tag!
    I'm the same with comfort books - something I've read before that I know I'll enjoy. No wonder my TBR gets no smaller haha.
    Cora | http://www.teapartyprincess.co.uk/

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