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Ask HN: What is your comfort book?

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Re: Ask HN: What is your comfort book?

#81
American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

Not the best book I've ever read. Not even my favorite book I've read. But it's the one I've read the most, and the one I always go back to. It reminds me of my childhood home, my time growing up there, as well as helps diminish my wanderlust when I'm feeling restless.

It also helped me through times of depression and encouraged a love of reading.

Re: Ask HN: What is your comfort book?

#85
post #25

Poetry's always nice for familiarity and rereadability. Perhaps Shakespeare's Sonnets .

What was your entry into poetry? Because Shakespeare was always presented as something you should read because it's good for you, not because you enjoy it when I was in high school, I don't think I'll ever be able to enjoy it.

I really enjoy Ted Kooser. A poet from Nebraska, who was the poet laureate twice. His recent Splitting an Order was wonderful.

Re: Ask HN: What is your comfort book?

#86
post #80
post #62

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Yeah, you chose one of the absolute worst passages for that ;-) I read the Bible every day, a habit that is very important to me. But I don't just "pick specific passages I like", I take a book and read it through sequentially, then move on to the next. I find much of it intensely practical and applicable to my life; it challenges, comforts and teaches me. Of course, some parts are of a more historical interest, yet…

I guess I was just unlucky. Maybe I'll try reading it the way you describe next time.

I suggest starting at the beginning, Genesis chapter 1, and really dig into just that 1 chapter for a while and try to figure out what it's really about. Remember that it was written to a different culture, a different time, in a different language, and not at all for the purposes that a lot of modern readers want.

Re: Ask HN: What is your comfort book?

#87

Meditations, Marcus Aurelius

Couldn't agree more. 99% of the time I feel blocked, frustrated, etc - I pick it up and read (almost at random) and it also helps reset mindset. This in particular is one of my favorite passages:

"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present."

Re: Ask HN: What is your comfort book?

#89
1. Burn down the night By Craig kee strete

A fictional drug trip with Jim Morrison

2. Budding Prospects By T.C. Boyle

A group of friends leave San Francisco in 1983 to start their own marijuana enterprise out in the country

3. Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas By Hunter S. Thompson

"when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro"

Re: Ask HN: What is your comfort book?

#90
post #25

Poetry's always nice for familiarity and rereadability. Perhaps Shakespeare's Sonnets .

Yes, and it's great to combat mood swings :D

I have a fairly extensive and varied poetical library that I regularly go back to for all kinds of reasons. TS Eliot is probably my favourite, you can read him every week for a year without fully understanding him, but every time you understand him just a little bit better and every time you glory anew in his superb control of imagery and language.

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