Top Ten Tuesday: Comfort Reads

My favorite books are usually realistic, sometimes even a bit on the dark and heavy side: think The Hunger Games, Steven James’ The Pawn, Charles Martin’s The Water Keeper, etc. But sometimes I need a break. Sometimes life itself gets heavy and I need something lighter—I need comfort reads. There are certain genres and specific authors I’ll usually reach for when I need a comforting book. Here are my favorites.

Royalty Romance

I’m a sucker for a great royalty romance. From Rachel Hauck’s True Blue Royals and Royal Weddings to The Selection to Toni Shiloh’s newest, I love a good romance involving princes and princesses. There’s something about a Royal falling in love with a commoner and fairy tales coming true—plus the guaranteed happily ever ending is perfect when I’m stressed.

Heart’s Bend, Tennessee Books

Heart’s Bend, Tennessee, is a fictional town featured in many Rachel Hauck books, including her Wedding Dress series and the brand new series from Sunrise Publishing. I love this town so much I wish it was real so I could go visit! Once again, these books deliver the happily ever ending I crave when I’m stressed.

Childhood Favorites

Childhood favorites—the books that made me fall in love with reading in the first place—are such comforting reads. In recent years, I’ve started re-reading many of those favorites, and I find them just as, if not more meaningful, to me as an adult. Stand-outs include A Wrinkle in Time, Little Women, and The Chronicles of Narnia.

Classics

Some classics fall into the category of childhood favorites, but others I didn’t discover until adulthood. (How did I get through college without ever reading Jane Austen? I missed out for so long!) I love the comfort of reading a classic that’s been enjoyed for generation and after generation.

Do your reading habits change when you’re stressed? What are your comfort reads?