I need help. I may be requesting too much, but here goes. I’m an avid reader and average reading 50+ books per year. Reading is my safe place. I am also a PhD student researching psychological trauma in my dissertation and I want no CSA, SA,excessive violence etc. I deal with that enough.
My dad died in December and I have not been able to finish a book since. I have put down the following books unfinished over the last six weeks:
Nightcrawling,
The Mistress of Rome,
North Woods,
Almost Surely Dead,
The Wind Knows my Name,
Rebecca,
Tai-Pan,
The new Hunger Games,
Tom Lake
Books I’ve already read but have the feeling I’m looking for:
The Gentleman in Moscow,
Anne of Green Gables,
Emily Oliphant is ok(? I know it’s wrong),
Remarkably Bright Creatures,
The Midnight Library,
Marcus Aurelius’ Meditation,
Shogun (fearless acceptance of how the fates waver),
Zorba the Greek,
Braiding Sweetgrass,
I just want to get lost in a well written book that isn’t full of trauma, and has a positive outlook on life. Thanks in advance!
(Edit: punctuation)
by wildmaja
10 Comments
I would recommend Little women (the entire series is delightful) or Villette (Jane Eyre’s much lesser known, more uplifting cousin).
My condolences about your dad.
Fred Chappell, who recently passed, his “ Brighten the Corner Where You Are” might fit what you’re after. Beautifully written, and very kindhearted, with just enough tension to make you wonder what’s going to happen.
[The Hands of the Emperor](https://app.thestorygraph.com/books/af2bba9c-8f41-4a3e-b87a-8532a44ccb67) by Victoria Goddard. It’s very very long, but extremely worth reading. It’s a really comforting, peaceful, and extremely well written book. I never would have picked it up if I hadn’t seen it recommended on Reddit, and now it’s one of my favorite books.
Try reading Sy Montgomery books, she writes beautifully and transcendently about animals and nature.
I really like Fredrik Backman’s books because they are well-written, tremendously kind and empathetic, and have characters that are just trying their best to be decent human beings.
Definitely think you’ll enjoy What You Are Looking For Is in the Library by Michiko Aoyama
Any book by Fannie Flagg. They helped me a lot when I lost my grandma and again when my dad died.
A Boy of Good Breeding by Miriam Toewes has the sweet safe Canadian small town feeling you get from Anne of Green Gables
And, if you haven’t read them all, there are eight Anne of Green Gables books.
You might enjoy Between the Acts by Virginia Woolf, which is just an account of a single day in a small English village, during which a small pageant play is performed. It was Woolf’s last book and it’s not particularly long. This probably settles neatly into the sweet spot you need of being intellectually engaging but also ultimately non-threatening.
Maybe Piranesi?
The Becky Chambers Robot and Monk books would be perfect (A Psalm for the Wind-Built, and A Prayer for the Crown-Shy).
They’re peaceful and contemplative, and feel kind of like reading a hug for your soul. her dedication on the first book is “For anybody who could use a break,” so the cozy aspect of the read is completely intentional, and very well done.