Thursday, November 18, 2010

Sanctuary Reads

I've finally set aside the critically-acclaimed clunker from the remainder bin. While I haven't yet decided what to do with it (I've entertained various destructive fantasies which include but are not limited to burning, shredding, and strapping it to the business end of a Titan IV rocket) I am in great need of a sanctuary read.

I have a shelf of these in the book room, a special collection of poetry and novels that always restore my faith in the work. They're not just keepers and re-readers, they're healers; books that actively repair the damage done by exposure to the truly awful. e.e. cummings has bandaged the spiritual wounds inflicted on me by horrible reads more times than I can count; so have novels by Mary Balogh, Patricia Briggs, Virginia Coffman, Mark Kurlansky, Rosina Lippi, Catherine Nicholson and Nathaniel Philbrick, to name a few.

Mostly I run to them (okay, hobble) when I need to clear my head and remind myself that craft is more important than hype, not all the great storytellers are deceased, and there is always another sanctuary book out there, just waiting to be discovered. To remember that sometimes one must wade through a great deal of manure to find a rose.

Sanctuary reads have another important function, in that they offer a professional challenge. Every one of them murmurs You can do better to me the writer, and that keeps me from stagnating. After you've published enough novels and/or enjoyed a certain amount of success, it's easy to fall into the career complacency trap and believe you have nothing more to learn, and no need to improve. Instead of raising the bar for yourself, you weld it in place -- and that is probably the cause of innumerable clunkers.

Do you have a book that serves as a sanctuary read? In comments to this post, tell us the title and/or the author (or if you're still looking for one, just toss your name in the hat) by midnight EST on Friday, November 19, 2010. I'll draw one name at random from everyone who participates and grant the winner a BookWish*. This giveaway is open to everyone on the planet, even if you've won something here at PBW in the past.

*A BookWish is any book of your choice that is available to order from an online bookseller, with a maximum cost of $30.00 U.S. (I'll throw in whatever shipping costs are involved.)

82 comments:

  1. Endurance... although Dream Called Time may rival it in time.

    And my Nora Roberts Chesapeake Bay books. Sometimes, I need lots of sanctuary, what can i say?

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  2. Books by Kresley Cole or Ilona Andrews. :-)

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  3. I recently read Neil Gaiman's American Gods. It was brilliant and amazing storytelling. I have to admit though, as much as it inspired me, it also depressed me a bit since I don't think I can ever write as well as he does.

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  4. Riccardo12:15 AM

    Mmm... a nice idea.

    I think my go-to books for restoring my faith both in humanity and in the craft of writing are the three books making up the Cornish trilogy by Robertson Davies: The Rebel Angels, What's Bred in the Bone, and The Lyre of Orpheus.

    In fact, I haven't re-read them in at least two years. Probably high time to correct that oversight!

    - R

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  5. Garden Spells by Sarah Addison Allen. I think it's time to pull it down from the keeper shelf and read again while enjoying a nice cup of tea and listen to the rain fall.

    Enjoy your sanctuary read. :D

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  6. I'm afraid my sanctuary read, if it can be called that, is by a dead writer, "Pride and Prejudice". That is, hands down, the book I have reread the most in my life. However, I rarely turn to a santuary read because my shelves are stuffed with authors I enjoy and others I plan to discover when the right mood hits me. C.E. Murphy and Ilona Andrews are two of my always read list (beyond yourself :)), I like Suzanne Brockmann for how she can make a simple story into something wonderfully complex, Michelle Rowen tends to make me laugh...to name a few. I barely have time to keep up with the authors that make words sing in one way or another, so rereading isn't a frequent activity. Rarely do I run into a clunker, and when I do, it's quickly forgotten as I discover a new author who sweeps me away.

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  7. The Lions of Al-Rassan by Guy Gavriel Kay is one of mine, despite the fact that the ending breaks my heart.

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  8. Rebecca12:52 AM

    My current sanctuary reads are G.A Aiken's Dragon Kin series. I know that no matter how many times I read them, they will make me laugh.

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  9. A Wrinkle in Time and A Circle of Quiet by Madeleine L'Engle. There are plenty of current authors that challenge and engage my "not worthy" mindset. However, when I am in a funk? A Wrinkle in Time and A Circle of Quiet always push me forward, regardless of my current angst.

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  10. Mine are usually books that have been read to pieces because they have saved me or pushed me through some personal hell.

    HP and the Deathly Hallows got me through my Grandmother's death. The scene at the end where Harry's family descends on him in his time of need makes me cry, but it made her passing bearable-that despite the body being gone, the soul lives on.

    Some of my others:
    Hocus Pocus by Kurt Vonnegut
    Slave to Sensation by Nalini Singh
    Anything by Karen Marie Moning

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  11. I call these kinds of books my comfort reads, and I have a bookcase full of them. Which one I choose depends on the kind of comforting I need. One that springs to mind that I have used to erase a bad read from my mind is Bet Me by Jennifer Crusie, which has a perfect combination of humour, good story, great dialogue, food, characters I would like to have as friends, and lots of delicious sexual tension without long sex scenes.

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  12. Margaret5:36 AM

    Hi
    I have two books which I enjoyed so much and found myself re-reading often. So much so that I bought a second copy of each in case the fist copy broke into bits from wear and tear. They are like visiting old friends.
    They are :
    Celeatial Passions: Brianna by Judy Mays - A human female in space creating mayhem where ever she goes - Don't we always do that according to the men of this world..
    Unleash the Night (Dark Hunter 8) by Sherrilyn Kenyon - An underdog makes good type of story only in this book its an undercat.

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  13. The Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop is mine. I still read all the books she publishes in the Black Jewels world. They are like cheesecake to me! But the original three: Daughter of the Blood, Heir to the Shadows and Queen of the Darkness are pure comfort to me. They have gotten me through some difficult times.

    Some books become an important read, a sactuary, when I just happen to pick them up and a stressful event happens around it. Your Evermore is one of them. The Witchlight series by Marion Zimmer Bradley is another. Some I have been able to go back to and reread and others have not because of the memories associated.

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  14. Anonymous6:26 AM

    huggs - you're more persistent that I would be with the truly awful book. Life is too short for bad books.

    My sanctuary reads include some of the better (older) Nora Roberts, Jayne Ann Krentz (or her alter egos, Amanda Quick and Jayne Castle) and, more recently, Ilona Andrews for UF.

    What did you pick up this time? (from the sanctuary shelf)

    Sue

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  15. The StarDoc series is my newest addition to that group. 'To Kill a Mocking Bird', 'Faking It' by Jennifer Crusie, and the Harry Bosch series by Michael Connelly, are my others.

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  16. If I need to sink into a book, THE SECRET HISTORY by Donna Tartt. I love the POV of the slightly outsider protagonist (he reminds me in the beginning of Nick Carraway) and the strange, but subtle characters. If I want more action, I adore the HARRY POTTER books. The friendship in the series reminds me of childhood. If I need to laugh, I dip into PRIDE AND PREJUDICE or a mystery by Lauren Henderson.

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  17. Peeper by Loren Estleman is the book I re-read most often. Some things are only funny once, but this book is funny every single time. The protagonist is a terrible person, the plot sordid, and the setting dismal, so I can't say that I identify on any level. And yet?

    It's awesome.

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  18. The anti-depressant santuraries in my house are things like Patricia Wrede's Searching for Dragons and Jayne Ann Krentz's Perfect Partners.
    But if I need something with punch then I grab the original Black Jewels trilogy by Anne Bishop. I checked the first one out of the library years ago and the next day I was at the bookstore to buy all three because no way was I going to be caught without book three when I finished two.

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  19. Necole8:16 AM

    I would have to say author Jacquelyn Frank. I have enjoyed all three series and own most of them. I also liked The Host by Stephenie Meyers. I did not get past the first chapter the first time I read it. After some encourging words by a book store sales person I went back to it and loved it. I cry each time I read it.

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  20. I can always count on Spider Robinson's THE CALLAHAN TOUCH when I'm in a pinch. If I have more time, I love WATERSHIP DOWN by Richard Adams.

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  21. Anonymous8:32 AM

    Lynn,
    My comfort book, since it first came out in 2004 is The Fairy Godmother by Mercedes Lackey. It is truly a great read in my opinion. I have reread the book several, several, several times. It is a great story where the girl who works hard is given a life she couldn't imagine, but instead of squandering her gift, she continues to work hard to help other people. And I love the ending where her step-family has to change their ways or forever do real work! I read this book whenever I am bored with what I am reading. The words flow well and every time I read the story, I pick up on something new. Oh, and the girl gets the boy! What more could you ask for!?!
    Tami
    Jacksonville

    P.S. I just re-read through your posts and saw about Jak. My heart goes out to you for your loss. It has almost been a year since I lost my baby (horse) Duke. It still hurts to this day thinking about him.

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  22. Hmmm - I tend to turn to MM Kaye when I need sanctury.

    When I'm just in search of some cheer, I read her murder mysteries. When I need faith in story, I read Shadow of the Moon, or Trade Wind.

    Apparently I like to be in foreign climes in another time for my sanctury!

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  23. clairecherven8:51 AM

    Ive read THE GARGOYLE by Andrew Davidson so much that it is like visiting an old friend. I've even given paperback versions to friends who I think need the escape. Some "quotes" from the book I have asked an engraver to commit to metal for my refrig door. No more pictures by the kids!

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  24. Hi there!

    I borrowed Lesley Pearce's GYPSY last year from a girlfriend and then returned it, but I keep thinking about it. It had lots of twists of turns, but I really enjoyed the (epic) storyline, so this would be my "sanctuary read".

    Thanks so much!

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  25. Cowboy Feng's Space Bar and Grill by Steven Brust
    Harry Potter and the Sorceror's Stone by J. K. Rowling
    Stranger in a Strange Land By Robert A. Heinlein
    Tam Lin by Pamela Dean

    Those are the books I retreat to when I need a respite from whatever...Which one I pick depends on my mood - Cowboy Feng's is my retreat from love and love stories, Harry Potter when I am sick to death of the "adult" world and it's childishness, Stranger when I feel the need to defend myself from the theocratic onslaught, and Tam Lin when I need to restore my sense of wonder.

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  26. My sanctuary reads include the Long Winter (always restores my faith in people), a Posse of Princesses (girls can band together just like guys, to save the world!), and a big Oxford collection of poetry I got for cheap years ago (it seemed outrageously expensive at the time, I think it was twelve whole dollars!)--I always like to reread the Auden and Yeats, they're like balm to wounds.

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  27. I turn to many of the same authors mentioned above-Ilona Andrews, Mercedes Lackey, Patricia Briggs-and many others such as Jim Butcher,Rachel Vincent and Rob Thurman. These authors have a permanent place on my many shelves.
    I love authors who are willing to torture a character in one scene and then show compassion and humor in another. (This is also why I have been a long time fan of Stardoc) These characteristics inspire me to go to my own writing and create my own tortured, witty characters.

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  28. Pride and Prejudice is a perennial favorite. Recently I pulled a copy of W.B. Yeats poems to re-read. I really enjoy poetry. Also like Amy Lowell particularity "Patterns". Carla Kelly is also a favorite comfort read. Her characters are just so normal.

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  29. For me, it would be Dreaming of You by Lisa Kleypas.

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  30. Anything by Barbara O'Neal. I fall into her words and lose the world.

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  31. if I'm strugling with writing, I've gotten into the habit of pulling Anne Lamott's Bird by Bird and reading a chapter about whatever problem I've had lately.

    If I just want to read something wonderful.... I've read Janet Fitch's White Oleander about 10 times in the past 3 years. I know it by hear but it never loses its glamour!

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  32. Anonymous10:29 AM

    Hi :)
    What an interesting concept: "Sanctuary Read".
    Guy Gavriel Kay's The Fionavar Tapestry
    George R.R. Martin's Song series
    Anne McCaffrey's Crystal Singer
    John Wyndham's - anything by him.
    :)
    All the best,
    RKCharron

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  33. Usually I need a laugh when desperate for a sanctuary read. Kresley Cole's Immortals After Dark series not only fits the laugh-out-loud requirement, but the writing, the characters and the plots are great to escape into.

    The only drawback is I often finish one of her books and spend a week wishing I could write like her. Oh well, a small price to pay for sanctuary, I suppose.

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  34. I must sound like a broken record with the same answer for questions like this ... Rosina Lippi/Sara Donati. The books sit in my bookshelf and the audiobooks on my iPhone.

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  35. Lindsey Rainwater12:09 PM

    I don't have specific sanctuary books yet. I notice the Immortals After Dark keep getting brought up, and those are a fun read.

    But I also have a tendency to retreat into the books of Narnia, and even the Bronte sisters if I really want something classic. :)

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  36. It really depends on my mood but my main sanctuary reads are anything by Catherine Anderson, Hannah Howell, Susan Wiggs or Ilona Andrews.

    The one I've almost wore the lettering off the pages is THE CHARM SCHOOL by Susan Wiggs. Little bit of every thing from drama, humor, romance with an Ugly Duckling bent, and suspense.

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  37. Romance novels in general are my sanctuary reads, I read for escape and even when they are utterly implausible they are comforting. I've found I can gauge my emotional well-being by what type of books I've been reading.

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  38. Tammy S1:16 PM

    I also call these kind of books comfort reads. While I have a lot of them, there are 2 that stand out for me, one so much that I had to get a second copy, the first is falling apart.

    Time Shadow Rider by Anne Maxwell (2 copies)
    and
    Summer Sunrise by Lee Damon

    ((HUG)) I still miss my Gypsy, so I know what your going through.

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  39. It's so nice to hear this from a successful writer that I admire; I once asked one of the few readers I know why all critically-acclaimed novels have to either bore you to tears or rip your heart out. I was basically told my taste is obviously so low class that the brilliance is lost on me. It took me years of reading blogs like yours and the Smart Bitches to realize I can like what I like, and the value of a story doesn't hinge on how uncomfortable or miserable that story makes you feel. This realization has also helped me respect other genres I don't read, or even like, as I found genre snobbery much too easy to pass along.

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  40. Any of the Harry Potter books.

    I got addicted to Shana Abe's drakon series (Smoke Thief, Dream Thief, Queen of Dragons...) midway and had to hunt down the first couple second hand because they were out or print.

    I love Jennifer Weiner's voice from Good in Bed and In Her Shoes.

    And, strange as it sounds, some of my kids' board books are just too wonderfully witty and succinct and poeticc. I can recite and/or sing most of our Sandra Boynton collection from memory and it always makes me smile. (Chocolate chip cookies, so high on a shelf, hiding inside of the jar. I'm not tall enough to reach you myself. So near, and yet so very far...)

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  41. I have a couple of books/series that I go to when I want something good that isn't emotionally draining.

    The Deed of Paksenarrion trilogy by Elisabeth Moon

    Cordelia's Honor by Lois McMaster Bujold

    The Protector of the Small quartet by Tamora Pierce

    When I was younger and in need of confidence boosting I would read The Cinderella Concept by Collette Dowling. Outdated now, but when I was a pre-teen it contained a lot of stuff I needed and it never failed to inspire me.

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  42. Robin Hobb's The Liveship Traders Trilogy!
    Mistborn series by Brandon Sanderson, one of the best newer authors out there!

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  43. I always love reading thru the comments on your giveaways b/c I always learn of new writers (or should it be authors?) to read.

    As for a sanctuary read at times like Critically Acclaimed Crud Purchase Errors, personally I go for humor. I re-read PD Wodehouse. I adore him, esp the Jeeves series. The word play never fails to delight me. I also re-read MC Beaton's Agatha Raisin series and the early (and I do mean early) Janet Evanovich. Donald G Westlake isn't bad in a pinch, either.

    Gone With the Wind saved me in high school, I've reread it at least 15 times that I've counted, and it's probably more than that. I STILL don't know if Rhett took Scarlett back, every time I shut the cover with a different answer. But I love the history, the plot, the characterization. And I appreciate the 10+ years it took Margaret Mitchell to finish it.

    Rebecca by Daphne DuMaurier is another classic that I reread. It's so romantic, sigh. And I like The Good Soldier by Ford, too.

    Enough. I'm rambling. And, I just realized I have the new Patricia Briggs now to read over lunch.

    Patricia Briggs: another example of a great writer that I learned about from here, at PBW.

    God bless you all!

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  44. My sanctuary reads are books that aren't deep, but mix good characters with fast, fun plots. Three examples:
    Barbara Hambly: Bride of the Rat God.
    Steven Gould: Blind Waves
    Aaron Allston: Doc Sidhe

    I also re-read Pratchett a lot, or just go reread a book where the main character has stuck in my head and is demanding attention.

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  45. Anonymous4:24 PM

    I don't keep books, once read I share them with the world, so there are no sanctuary books on my shelf. BUT, when I need a book to get lost in, I trust my favorite authors like Nora Roberts and her alter ego, you, Ann Aguirre, Elizabeth Vaughan, Maria V. Snyder and a host of others.

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  46. I have a few, depending on my mood, but my favorite would have to be Don't Knock the Corners Off by Caroline Glyn. It's about the British School system in the 1960's written by a 14 year old genius. Her main character is intelligent and strong, and it's all about maintaining yourself in the face of an institutionalized system that wants you to become "well rounded", knocking the corners of your individuality and creativity off. Often I run to the sanctuary of a wonderful picture book, too, which can be anything -- rain forests, astronomy, insects, sea life, children's books, comics, art reference books, crafting reference books. Pictures take me right out of myself and into the Somewhere Else, and help me see things differently.

    And a suggestion about the final disposition of that book...? Make an altered art project of it, or give it to someone who will. That way the structure of the book can become something wonderful, even if the words were not.

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  47. You know...

    This would make a great 50-100 books to read challenge list. Bet I'd either have read or would enjoy more of them than I have in most of the other lists :).

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  48. Midnight in Austenland by Shannon Hale. Light, fun, romantic, an Austen spin. Best of all, completely different from what I write or wish to write -- thus neatly avoiding the trap of reading something fantastic and then despairing over how much you yourself fail.

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  49. Don't want to admit to mine, so just throwing my name in the hat : )

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  50. Anonymous7:29 PM

    The Sun Also Rises - Hemingway

    Never seems to get old.

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  51. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Heinlein, Gone With The Wind and anything by Nora Roberts. YUM!

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  52. Anonymous9:27 PM

    When in need of sanctuary I turn to anything by Mercedes Lackey, the Dragonriders of Pern by Anne Mccaffrey, or the classics like Huck Finn and Little Women. Depends on what type of sanctuary I'm after. Mercedes Lackey's Arrows series got me through high school, and is probably the one I turn to most.

    Stephanie

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  53. I find my self rereading Judy Mays Celestial Seasons alien books and I have reread Shelly Laurenston's Pack Challange series. Find myself laughing every single time.

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  54. It probably sounds strange considering the type of novels he writes, but Stephen King is my go-to when I need a sanctuary read. He'll pull me right out of whatever's going on in my head and transport me to a completely different place. Yes, of course it's a *scary* place where lots of bad things can - and often do - happen, but while I'm there I'm no longer consumed w/ the worries of MY life. I'm too busy worrying about the characters! :)

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  55. The Blood Bay Colt by Walter Farley. It's the first one of his I ever read, before I even heard of The Black Stallion.

    I'll also read Harry Potter for comfort. Someone mentioned Patricia Wrede. She's not on my sanctuary list because she's not on my shelf. I'll fix that after the contest, one way or another. :-)

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  56. I love the idea of a "sanctuary" read.

    I think mine would have to be any book by Deborah Smith, Maggie Osborne, or Dean Koontz. (I know, that's an ecclectic mix!)

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  57. Patricia Briggs's Mercy Thompson series. Wen Spencer's "A Brother's Price" and her Ukiah Oregon series. Kipling's Mowgli stories. Gail Carriger's Parasol Protectorate series.

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  58. Amethyst12:12 AM

    The Black Lyon by Jude Deveraux...my copy is old, yellow and falling apart...:)

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  59. I'm another one who calls them my comfort reads.

    Some of them have been listed here already, but I've just discovered a new series (for me) that could become a comfort read. It's the Marcus Didius Falco series set in Ancient Rome by Lindsey Davis.

    It was a review of the first book The Silver Pigs in the series in Carla Nayland's historical fiction blog which first sparked my interest.

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  60. LJ Smith's Vampire Diaries & Secret Circle books are my sanctuary reads (& have been since they first came out almost 20 years ago). They got me through some pretty tough times. When I'm feeling down about writing I turn to my favorite author blogs (yes PW you're on my list) & they help me put my big girl boots on & get back to work.

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  61. This is a hard one because there are so many. There's A Wrinkle in Time and The Hobbit. There's Witchworld. There's Jude Deveroux's The Maiden and Marjorie Liu's Dirk and Steele series. There's Memory by Bujold and Swimmer in the Secret Sea by Kotzwinkle and Kris Reisz' Unleashed and too many to name. The only thing better than revisiting an inspiring book that makes me want to write more and better is finding a new one that does it, too.

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  62. Mine is I Heard the Owl Call My Name by Margaret Craven.

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  63. bluebamboo9:13 AM

    I haven't read it yet, but Laurie Perry's DRUNK, DIVORCED AND COVERED IN CAT HAIR. It's about the author's sudden divorce and how she turns to knitting to help cope.

    Friends I trust tell me it's half hilarious, half poignant, all honest and all relatable. One told me that the main theme (as she saw it) was that knitting shows you that even if you make a mistake, you can go back and make it better.

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  64. When I want to be challenged as a writer, I turn to Margeret Atwood. She always reminds me of what I am striving towards. Another book that I just read this year for the first time, but that I plan to turn to next time I need a sanctuary read is Charles De Lint's "Mystery of Grace". Such a beautiful and unique story! Highly recommend it!

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  65. harry potter are definitely my comfort reads--I just pick them up to read pieces here and there.

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  66. It's weird, but sometimes my sanctuary books are the terrible ones. The ones where I think, "This got published. If this did, then my stuff can too..."

    On the other hand, for a good read, I'm likely to turn to Jacqueline Carey, Rachel Caine or Jim Butcher.

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  67. Elsewhere and Nevernever by Will Shetterly. If ever there were a pair of books telling me it was okay to be lost, confused, to make mistakes- if ever there were a pair of books telling me the world is full of magic and wonder, if ever there were a pair that whispered, "Community and imagination are a hundred thousand times more important than ambition," these books are them.

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  68. My current Sanctuary reads include Madeleine L'Engle books (especially A Wrinkle in Time) and The Host by Stephenie Meyer. :)

    Thanks so much for the great giveaway! That's really nice of you. :D

    By the way if anybody's interested, I'm hosting a Mad Lib contest in honor of HP coming out. =)

    ~TRA

    http://xtheredangelx.blogspot.com

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  69. Anonymous1:17 PM

    Carol O Connell's Mallory series.

    I can always read those.

    When I am really fussed about life I read biographies.
    The drama of the past tends to mitigate my real life drama.

    I've been reading some good WW! books lately .

    Rebecca

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  70. I like paradise by Judith McNaught for a good settle down and enjoy and I also like Shadow Heart by Laura Kinsale. I discover something new each time I read it and marvel at the great job Kinsale does on her stories which don't always fit the mold

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  71. My comfort reads seem to include whole series' :D

    There's Mercedes Lackey's Last Herald Mage trilogy and Arrows trilogy. Then there's Anne McCaffrey's Harper Hall books and The Ship Who Sang.

    I also reread Plains Of Passage by Jean M Auel, Deeds of Paksennarion by Elizabeth Moon and The Vorkosigan Saga by Lois Bujold McMasters a lot too.

    To me books are friends in times of trouble and those tend to be my best friends :D

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  72. Howl's Moving Castle by Diana Wynne Jones, Ilona Andrews, Lynn Kurland, JK Rowling and of course Lynn Viehl. I can read these books over and over.

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  73. Deerskin by Robin McKinley. It's like throwing myself into a cold lake of story - I come out gasping for breath half way through, but always feel amazingly refreshed by the end. It's my "inspire" book for writing.

    The Mercedes Thompson series by Patricia Briggs, anything by Tamora Pierce and many of Robin McKinley's other books are my comfort books - more like snuggling up next to a warm fire than aforementioned refreshing lake.

    I think I need both, the refreshing and the comforting.

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  74. Depends on my mood, but anything by Robin Mckinley or Terry Pratchett. For comfort I'll also go back to Georgette Heyer, re-read Crocdile on a Sandbank by Elizabeth Peters, or even Winnie-the-Pooh, or hit the YA section at the library to see if there's anyone new and interesting.

    Christy

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  75. The books I read for sanctuary are The Black Jewel Trilogy by Anne Bishop, Del and Tiger series by Jennifer Roberson and almost any book by Robert Heinlein. If I need deeper comfort I go to the Bible.

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  76. For me, the term "sanctuary read" means romance, and I drown myself in them when relationship issues are getting to me. Usually category romance, but LaVryle Spencer, with Phyllis Whitney for filler, got me through one particularly bad experience.

    For other life troubles, I tend to get lost in epic fantasy. Reading is my sanctuary, my break from life.

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  77. The book series I turn to most often are the Kate Daniels books by Ilona Andrews.

    Love those.

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  78. Anything by Loretta Chase is usually my choice.

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  79. Athena W.7:22 PM

    Patricia Briggs, Lilith Saintcrow or Karen Chance are a few of my fav authors that I like to sit down with after taking in a particularly brutal read. There are many many others but those pop up in my mind first.

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  80. I don't think I have any sanctuary reads. I usually try to find older books or brand new books by an author I love and read them.
    Thank you!
    Jennifer Wofford

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  81. I may be weird, but my sanctuary read is a older non-fiction book called "The Immense Journey" by Loren Eiseley. I love, love, love his use of language.

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  82. Anonymous11:27 PM

    I can't think of anything at the moment but please put my name in the hat. Lauraine D

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