For Comfort While Facing a Storm

Focus for this List: A dear friend of mine asked for a list of books that would be light, fun reads, with minimal romance.  My friend is going through a really challenging time, and so, I also recommended some books that I've found helpful when the world comes crashing down.  E, this list is for you. 

Nonfiction that has Saved My Sanity (more than once):
1.  Laurence Gonzales: Deep Survival: Who Lives, Who Dies, and Why
This is far more than a book on how not to die while camping -- it's a survival guide for life. No, really. In fact, it's a bit of a genre-spawning book, and one that is quite readable. Skip the overly science-filled parts if you wish, but focus on the lessons. They're essential.

2.  Viktor Frankl: Man's Search for Meaning
A small book, it is, in fact, the most truth-filled and helpful guide to living I've ever encountered.  Written by a psychologist who survived the Holocaust, this is a guide to living with meaning, even when it all seems meaningless.
And here's an official recommendation by someone other than me, "According to a survey conducted by the Book-of-the-Month Club and the Library of Congress, Man's Search For Meaning belongs to a list of "the ten most influential books in [the United States]." (New York Times, November 20, 1991)."  Thanks, Wikipedia!

It's a good book, and I think it will help.  Please read it?

Nonfiction that's just fun to read:
3.  C. S. Lewis: On Stories: and Other Essasy on Literature
Yes, I read C.S. Lewis for comfort - don't you?  :)

4.  Jane Yolen: Touch Magic: Fantasy, Faerie & Folklore in the Literature of Childhood
I'm not sure why faery-tales came so strongly to mind, E, when I was making this list for you, but they did.  Thus, my favorite collection of essays by one of my favorite authors.  In particular, I think the essay titled, "The Mask on the Lapel" will speak to you.  Page 53 in my book. 

Fiction for You:
5.  Jane Yolen: Twelve Impossible Things Before Breakfast 
Well, I could hardly let you escape without reading some of her fiction too, eh?  They are short stories for when that's all the time you've got!

6.  Louis Sachar: Holes
Some would say this is a book for teens and pre-teens.  I say that it's a modern fairytale with points to touch us all.  That, and it's set in West Texas.  You'll like it.

7.  William Saroyan: My Name is Aram
Another collection of short stories -- I find Saroyan's writing style to be uniquely calming -- almost a literary balm, at least for me!  You'll enjoy Aram; I think you'll recognize your boys in some of his stories!

8.  William Saroyan: The Human Comedy
This is on my personal top-ten of all-time list. I first read it when wildly homesick as an exchange student in Germany. I allowed myself to read only one chapter a night, and yes, that's how I survived that January. 

9.  Robert Heinlein: The Green Hills of Earth
Short stories to take you away, make you think, change your perspective, and leave you laughing, these are some of the best.

10.  Spider Robinson: Callahan's Crosstime Saloon
If all else fails, read this book (and its friends) until you're helpless with laughter and the light seems brighter.  I've linked it to the Kindle edition for faster access!  Why this book?  Because shared pain is lessened, and shared joy is increased.  Yes, that's a quote.  Go on now, you'll love it!

((((HUGS)))) + A Cup of Tea + A Good Book (or 10) = Better Times Ahead!

Comfort Reading

Focus for this list: When it's all been just too much and I simply want to escape into a book, where do I go? 
Here:

1.  Anne McCaffrey: Freedom's Landing
2.  Robert Heinlein: Friday
3.  Lois McMaster Bujold: Falling Free
4.  Jennifer Crusie: Crazy for You
5.  Linda Howard: Now You See Her
6.  James P. Hogan: Star Child
7.  Tanith Lee: Biting the Sun
8.  Spider and Jeanne Robinson: The Star Dancers
9.  Robert Heinlein: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress
10.  Spider Robinson: The Callahan Chronicals

Bonus for Kindle Lovers (*ahem* Shannon):  Callahan's Crosstime Saloon, by Spider Robinson

Fiction for People Who Love Nonfiction

1.  C. S. Friedman: This Alien Shore
Science fiction, true, but also a fabulously interesting perspective on what we call mental illness.  Oh yes, and a fabulous examination of where the internet may be headed.  *giggles*  You'll have to read the book to get that pun!
2.  Colleen McCullough: The First Man in Rome
History made flesh.  And goodness, those Romans were quite something!
3.  Daniel Pinkwater: Uncle Boris in the Yukon and Other Shaggy Dog Stories
Short stories by an NPR contributor about his experiences with dogs.  I think the stories are wildly amusing, particularly once you've gotten past the halfway point in the book. It's officially a memoir, but I'm not sure.  Some of this just has to be fiction!  :)
4.  Frank Herbert: Dune
It reads like a philosophy / history book.  Oh yes, and it has sandworms!
5.  Jodi Picoult: Plain Truth  Almost all of her books are quite realistic. The characters will grab you, and the issues at stake in the books will make you reexamine what you think you thought.  Be ready for some late nights!  I'm really looking forward to her next book, where the issues will be gay rights, reproductive science and the Christian right. 
6.  Elizabeth Moon: Remnant Population
This unique narrator will win your heart, and perhaps affect how you think about aging, oh, and aliens. 
7.  Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time
Another wonderfully interesting narrator, this one "a mathematician with some behavioural difficulties."
8.  Jennifer Crusie: Bet Me
Laugh out loud funny, this is well-written and I think you'll love it!
9.  Anne McCaffrey: Crystal Singer
As my husband read this one, he kept laughing because he recognized me in this story.  *blush*
10.  Lois McMaster Bujold: The Warrior's Apprentice
So, this is the beginning of a wildly addictive sci-fi series, and yet, because it's protagonist is one of the most interesting out there, I think it would fit under this category.  You may roll your eyes at Miles, but he's not an idiot, and one frequently keeps reading just to find out what wild idea will pop up in his head next!


Focus for this list:
As requested by a friend who loves nonfiction, this list focuses on books with the following:

• Something I can learn from, even if that isn't the central topic of the book.
• Characters I won't roll my eyes at--I'm not spending three hundred pages with a moron. For example, you may have noticed that Tom Sawyer's Aunt Polly is only in sight for a few pages.
• Conversations or letters with wit (not that a lot of people are going to manage a Pride and Prejudice or Much Ado about Nothing, obviously).
• A nice historical setting can be great (Fever 1793).

Mind you, this isn't easy for me, particularly as I'm not much of one for enjoying realistic historical fiction.  *sigh*  Still, I think I've found some winners!  I look forward to hearing feedback.  What would YOU suggest for this category?

Speculative Fiction Starter List:

1. Robert A. Heinlein: The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress
2. C. S. Friedman: This Alien Shore
3. John Ringo: There Will Be Dragons (The Council War)
4. Elizabeth Kerner: Song In The Silence: The Tale of Lanen Kaelar
5. David Drake: Redliners
6. Elizabeth Moon: Remnant Population
7. Spider & Jeanne Robinson: The Star Dancers
8. Lois McMaster Bujold: The Vorkosigan Series
9. Orson Scott Card: Songmaster
10. Anne McCaffrey & S. M. Stirling: The City Who Fought (Brainship)

Focus for this list:
Each of these books is a stand-out in its particular sub-genre, and they're all wildly good reads. Think of this as a variety box of truffles; not all will be to your taste, but they're all high-quality and stand a good chance of getting you hooked!