Ten Soothing Books To Read During a Pandemic

Hi, bookish friends! These are trying times for everyone worldwide. Here in the U.S., more than half of us are in some form of lock down. If you're anything like me, it's been a struggle to get through most of your regular reading - virtual stacks of ARCs, books for book tours, and all the March new releases you had been looking forward to. I've been turning to what I call my forever reads - books that I read when I'm having a bad week, or just whenever I need the bookish equivalent to a nice bowl of vegetable soup.

I am a Maggie Stiefvater fangirl, and the Raven Cycle books are one of my favorites. If you haven't read it yet, I highly recommend it! And even though it's a soothing read (for me), there is a lot of adventure and supernatural events going on.

This is one that had to grow on me, slowly, over many years. I was forced to read this in high school, and then three or four times for my bachelor's degree in English. Every time I finished the course, I sold Jane Eyre back to an used bookstore, just because I loathed it so much! That Jane! I fumed over her personal choices, with dumb Rochester, with everything! I also ended buying approximately six copies of the classic, ha ha on me. 

Sometime during grad school, Jane started to grow on me. I began appreciating the gothic qualities of the novel, and even Rochester didn't grate on me that much. 

Just recently, I found myself missing the story that I am now very, very familiar with. I know exactly what to expect on the grounds of Thornfield, and I'm looking forward to delving back into that world. If you enjoyed Jane Eyre, also read Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys, and Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier. Rebecca isn't related to the Jane Eyre world, but the gothic vibe is definitely similar. 

In general, middle grade books are soothing to me. Even the most hard-hitting tearjerkers warm my heart. When You Reach Me is a middle grade novel about time travel, A Wrinkle in Time, and friendship. It's absolutely haunting, and there are scenes that make me cry every time I read it. This might not sound soothing to you, but it's one of my go-to books whenever I need comforting. 

Wishtree is another middle grade novel that means so much for me. It's about a tree - I know, that sounds weird, but it's not. Anyway, the whole novel is from the point of view of this tree, from which people literally hang their hopes and dreams. 

This was a favorite when I was first read it as a child, and I still return to it when I'm feeling nostalgic. Meg and Charles Wallace's interstellar adventures cemented my love of reading when I was ten, and was my first introduction to science fiction. There are some scary things that happen in this middle grade classic, but it all ends well. 

This was another of my childhood favorites, and I still have my very loved, worn first copy. It's a quiet book about a girl trying to figure out her place in life, while also worrying about her progress as a cellist. It was a perfect book for me, because I was also trying to figure out my place in the world, while worrying about my progress as a violinist. Anyway, Patricia MacLachlan's novels are all gems, and this one resonated with me. 

Another quiet book with aspects of magic realism. A young woman grasps with her special, unwanted talent. The relationships within her family are complicated, and there are characters dealing with depression. But I also think it's a book shot through with hope, and I love to revisit it from time to time. 

This is perhaps Murakami's most straightforward book, and one of my favorites. It's a coming-of-age story about boys, girls, and the nuances of love. Depression (and suicide) does play a major role in this novel, so I wouldn't advise reading it if these topics are triggering. And yes, you may have noticed from previous books on the list: I sometimes find sad books to be comforting. 

This graphic novel is not at all sad! I promise! It's about working with your best friend at a pumpkin patch, on the last night of the season. It's sweet and fun, and so very cute! 

This is the first book of a manga series, and it's sooooo chill! There are a group of girls who enjoy camping. They have a camping club at school, they talk about camping equipment and what they'd like to cook, and then they go camping. That's it! The simplicity of it (and the lovely scenes of Japanese camping locations) delighted me so much. I look forward to reading the next volume. 

What books do you find comforting? Let me know in the comments!