What do you read when you’re struggling to read what you usually read?

Or to put it another way, what’s your junk food/comfort read?

  • IrritableOcelot@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I’m all in on Terry Pratchett or Hitchhiker’s Guide when I need a break. Pratchett especially is just good high fantasy and some humor mixed in.

  • TimTheEnchanter@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Anything by Stephen King, for me. I also like quick-paced techy/sci-fi novels for when I’m in the mood for something easier. I’m a re-reader, so I will sometimes pick up something I’ve already read and enjoyed before.

  • SybilVane@lemmy.ca
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    1 year ago

    Fun, feel-good fantasy stories, like Legends and Lattes. Bonus points if there’s a heist, a fun group of quirky characters, or well-built romance story.

  • Seeker of Carcosa@feddit.uk
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    1 year ago

    I usually go to short stories, or old sword and sorcery novellas. For the former my go to stories are Lovecraft’s Cthulhu Mythos, Robert E Howard’s Conan, and Isaac Asimov’s Robots. For the latter I prefer Michael Moorcock’s Elric of Melniboné, Fritz Leiber’s Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, and Jack Vance’s Dying Earth. If I’m feeling uninspired or experiencing a block, knocking out a few of these stories always sets me straight. They take next to no time to read and are great fun. I don’t get tired of rereading them.

  • lagomorphlecture@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Trashy romance novels, particularly fantasy or occult (I normally read sci Fi and fantasy so this is the “I want to read but I can’t focus” side of that). Are they well written? Uh, no. Are they entertaining and easy? Yep.

  • AlexRogansBeta@kbin.social
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    1 year ago

    The Last Unicorn by Beagle is word candy. Absolutely beautiful prose and imagery. But it is also a quick read, perfect for two days. Can’t go wrong.

  • NoraReed@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    I go to YA when I don’t want to be challenged. I love The Old Kingdom by Garth Nix in particular.

  • altz3r0@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Kurt Vonnegut was one of the easiest writers to read for me. I’d recommend starting with Slaughterhouse-5.

    My actual comfort reading, though, is William Gibson, but he is not easy to read.

  • FirstCircle@beehaw.org
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    1 year ago

    Comfort maybe, def not junk:

    Your local library probably has a subscription to the first, maybe even to the $econd. Granta’s a quarterly and I can’t say I’ve ever seen it in a library but its been around a long time and back issues are readily available @used bookstores.

  • funnyletter@lemmy.one
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    1 year ago

    This makes me sound like a total wanker but I reread my favorite Charles Dickens and Jane Austen. I find them both very comforting because generally nice people end up happy in the end.

    • marketsnodsbury@lemm.ee
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      1 year ago

      Love Jane Austen! I feel a pleasant coziness when I re-read her works as well. I recently found annotated editions of Pride and Prejudice and Northanger Abbey at a second hand bookshop that were really interesting. It offered a bit of historical context, explanation of games or dances the characters would do, insight into the daily life of people of that time, etc. I highly recommend grabbing a copy if you find one.

    • wildeaboutoskar@beehaw.orgOP
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      1 year ago

      Definitely with you there on Jane Austen. I like that ultimately everyone gets married and is happy (even if that’s not my idea of a happy ending necessarily)