Following on from yesterday's post, a little piece on comfort reading in this morning's paper puts it rather well, I think. The writer, talking about the death of Robert B. Parker says she has often turned to his books "because they represent a world where I absolutely know what to expect ... a world where good can triumph." She goes on, "Reliability, grace and moral certainty are, I think, the secret of all comfort reading. You need to know, before you turn a page, that the book you have chosen will distract you from whatever is worrying you - and that everything will turn out all right in the end."
She puts children's novels such as Noel Streatfeild's Ballet Shoes in the comfort read category, and also cites Terry Pratchett, Trollope and Thackeray - "all are endlessly engrossing and strangely wise." That in itself is a comforting thought.
