A week ago, 14 of us gathered by Zoom to discuss our winter Read With Us selection, The Secret History. Originally published in 1992, The Secret History was our contemporary literature classic selection for the year, so this was a re-read for many of us (just over half of our group) . . . which means it was a new read for the rest of our group (like Ann Patchett says, “if you haven’t read it yet, it’s new to you. . . ).

And guess what???? We all found the characters pretty darn despicable (although some of us felt a teeny-tiny bit of sympathy for the narrator, Richard). (But not much.) We also tended to agree that the writing was very good (a couple of us admitted it was the writing that kept us reading), and we also appreciated the idyllic college setting. Several of us suggested that the pacing suffered – especially in the middle, and several of us even felt the whole thing could’ve easily been cut by 100 pages. All-in-all, we agreed that The Secret History was a good book worth reading (and several of us mentioned liking it better than Tartt’s more famous novel, The Goldfinch).

At the beginning of our Zoom discussions, we always begin the session with brief intros (what’s your name/where do you live) and a simple ice-breaker question. This time, I asked everyone what books (specific titles or just the genre) they turn to for comfort (y’know . . . like the world is turning upside down). The answers were so good and so heartfelt that I asked to share them here on the blog. I thought that, perhaps, some of you might like to turn to the list . . .  if you’re looking for something to read that might bring you comfort these days (See list below).

Stay tuned . . . we’ll be announcing our spring Read With Us book pick on Tuesday, April 15!

The Read With Us List of Comfort Reads

(As compiled during the March 25, 2025 Zoom discussion.)

  • Childhood favorites like Anne of Green Gables and Charlotte’s Web (from Bonny)
  • Agatha Christie mysteries, especially those featuring Miss Marple (also from Bonny)
  • A good romance, especially those by Abby Jiminez (from Carole)
  • Poetry by Mary Oliver, Billy Collins, Ted Kooser (from Vera)
  • Easy-to-read, not-stressful books like Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer or The Backyard Bird Chronicles by Amy Tan (also from Vera)
  • The Essays of E.B. White or poetry by Mary Oliver or Robert Frost (from Debbie)
  • Darn good stories . . . like The Antidote by Karen Russell (also from Debbie)
  • Good, solid mysteries like Louise Penny’s Three Pines series (from Kat)
  • The Old Ways: A Journey on Foot by Robert Macfarlane (also from Kat)
  • Suspense and crime novels (from Donna)
  • Cozy fantasy novels like We’ll Prescribe You a Cat by Syou Ishida, the Emily Wilde series by Heather Fawcett, and the Monk and Robot series (of 2 books so far) by Becky Chambers (from Jill)
  • Jill also notes that she is working through this list of suggested cozy fantasy titles from the Modern Mrs. Darcy blog.
  • Books I’ve read before so I know I can trust the ending . . . like any (all) of Jane Austen’s novels (from Sarah)
  • Good mysteries, like something by Dorothy L. Sayers or Louise Penny (from Pam)
  • Good Young Adult or middle school books (also from Pam)
  • Mysteries and thrillers from authors like Jacqueline Winspear, Louise Penny, or Robert Osman (from Ericka)
  • Books by authors I know I’ll like . . . Jane Austen or Colson Whitehead (also from Ericka)
  • Anne Morrow Lindbergh’s Gift from the Sea or Rick Rubin’s The Creative Act (from Ingrid)
  • The Lonely Planet’s Offbeat: 100 Amazing Places Away From the Tourist Trail (from Carolyn)
  • Memoirs of people I am inspired by, like Ina Garten, Elissa Altman, Jeff Chu, Judi Dench, Maggie Smith (the poet) (from Kym)
  • Books I loved the first time around, like Still Life by Sarah Winman or Fresh Water for Flowers by Valérie Perrin (also from Kym)