I was mulling over the other day what makes my “comfort reads” comforting and why I love reading them over and over again, and I came up with a few parameters that seem to encompass all my favorite comfort reads:
* even if there are some struggles or some tragic events, the ending of the book is satisfying and/or positive
* there are some distinct humorous moments in the book, or the tone itself is humorous (my general philosophy is that it’s much harder to write good comedy than tragedy, so a truly funny book or writing truly funny bits in a novel is a sign of a very talented writer)
* at virtually no point in the book do I feel bored by any of the descriptions or happenings, I am constantly engaged
* the characters are memorable, and often very relatable
* the settings are ones I find fascinating, whether it’s a Tudor court, a ballet school or an old manor house in the countryside
* there’s an element of resourcefulness and independence among some or all of the characters
* the dialogue never feels superfluous, everything a character says either moves the plot along or is just really well-written
by WerewolfBarMitzvah09