MetService is advising those affected by Cyclone Gabrielle to ‘bunker down’ for the day, or two. Being the book nerds that we are, we suggest taking the opportunity to get back into bed with a pile of comfort reads. Here goes our recommendations.
Small Things Like These by Claire Keegan
This book – which has consistently appeared in the weekly bestseller lists – is short, set within the comforting rituals of Christmas, and is basically perfect. The subject matter is serious and disturbing but the writer’s skill is to draw you into the dilemma through the eyes of a protagonist of such honesty, empathy and goodness that you’ll come away with renewed hope for the world.
The Princess Bride by William Goldman
Look, you’ve seen the movie but have you read the book? Now’s the moment. It’s just as delightful, kooky, funny and heart-warming as the hit movie starring Carey Elwes, Robin Wright, and André the Giant. There may not be a better comfort read, in fact.
Persuasion by Jane Austen
Everyone knows that this is the best Austen novel. Heroine Anne Elliot is a calming influence on everyone, including you, dear reader. Get under that duvet and spend some time in this delicate, quietly thunderous love story set in charming beachy holiday spots and spa towns.
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd by Agatha Christie
Is there anything better than a perfectly-formed crime novel? This one by the queen of crime lit is regularly regarded as her best. Hercule Poirot is hauled out of retirement to investigate the murder (by stabbing in his study) of Roger Ackroyd and is quickly absorbed in a complex web of villagey insanity. Perfection.
Better the Blood by Michael Bennett
Want to make some headway on the Ockham’s longlist but not sure where to start? Bennett’s crime novel is on the list for the big fiction prize and is a cracker of a read. Here’s the blurb:
“Hana Westerman is a tenacious Māori detective juggling single motherhood and the pressures of her career in Auckland’s Central Investigation Branch. When she’s led to a crime scene by a mysterious video, she discovers a man hanging in a secret room. As Hana and her team work to track down the killer, other deaths lead her to think that they are searching for New Zealand’s first serial killer.
“With little to go on, Hana must use all her experience as a police officer to try and find a motive to these apparently unrelated murders. What she eventually discovers is a link to an historic crime that leads back to the brutal bloody colonisation of New Zealand.”
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Heard the fuss about Catton’s new novel Birnam Wood but didn’t actually get round to The Luminaries? Now’s your chance to make a decent dent in Catton’s Booker-Prize winning masterpiece. We promise you’ll be entirely drawn in by the first, epic chapter that transports you to an Aotearoa of the past: gritty, spooky, thrilling.
In the Kitchen: essays on food and life (various authors)
Daunt Books publish a series of collections that bring together writers from all over the world to talk about everyday things, so far including food, swimming and gardening. In the Kitchen features Aotearoa writer Nina Mingya Powles, among many other brilliant writers, and is a feast of thought on what cooking, food and sharing meals means to us. Delicious.
Butcherbird by Cassie Hart
With an electric green cover this spooky Gothic novel by Taranaki writer Cassie Hart is gripping from the start. Here’s the premise: “Something is drawing Jena Benedict’s family to darkness. Her mother, father, brother and baby sister are killed in a barn fire, and Grandmother Rose banishes Jena from the farm. Now, twenty years on Rose is dying, and Jena returns home with her boyfriend Cade in tow. Jena wants answers about why she was sent away and about what really happened on the night of the fire. Will, Rose’s live-in caregiver, has similar questions. He hunts for the supernatural, and he knows something sinister lurks in the Benedict homestead. Like Rose, Will has experienced childhood tragedy. Soon, Jena and Will unearth mysteries: a skull, a pocket-watch, a tale of the Dark Man and a tiding of magpies.”
You can try before you buy with our review here.
The Italian Daughter by Soraya Lane
Soraya Lane is crushing it. The Aotearoa writer is a full-time bestselling novelist with her books regularly reaching number one spots on Kindle and Amazon charts. If you’re looking for comforting romance stories with sweeping subplots, vineyards and faraway settings, look no further.
I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith
“When I read a book, I put in all the imagination I can, so that it is almost like writing the book as well as reading it – or rather, it is like living it. It makes reading so much more exciting, but I don’t suppose many people try to do it.” (Cassandra from I Capture the Castle)
This book comes up again and again in comfort reading lists and for good reason. Set in the 1930s, this is the story of an eccentric family, romantic dreams, and American interlopers. It’s a book about adolescent confusions, passions and also about the pursuit of art.
The Changeling by Victor LaValle
Victor LaValle is a genius of thrilling fiction. The Changeling is the story of rare book dealer Apollo Kagwa and his wife Emma Valentine who, after falling in love at the New York Public Library, have a child together. The rest of the book draws on the insane-making days of early parenting, and ancient magic. It is dark, restless and political. Enjoy.