
Ask HN: What is your comfort book? - amorphous
The book you read over and over for whatever reason. Mine is &quot;Money: A Suicide Note&quot; by Martin Amis, a book I listened to and re-read several times.
======
mks
Feynman: Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman! - great inspiration for regaining
playfulness. Particularly this quote applicable to many burnt out developers I
believe:

Physics disgusts me a little bit now, but I used to enjoy doing physics. Why
did I enjoy it? I used to play with it. ... So I got this new attitude. Now
that I am burned out and I'll never accomplish anything,...I'm going to play
with physics whenever I want to, without worrying about any importance
whatsoever.

------
IanCal
Pratchett discworld series. Started when I was young and I still enjoy
rereading them all, still spot some new things in them now and again too.

~~~
veddox
Pratchett is a very special author! Though not my absolute favourite, he does
manage to combine brilliant humour with an incredibly observant social satire
and deep, likeable characters.

BTW, if you like Pratchett, do you know the Discworld MUD?
([http://discworld.starturtle.net/lpc/](http://discworld.starturtle.net/lpc/))

------
chatmasta
I’m surprised only one other comment mentions Harry Potter, which is
definitely my answer. I was part of that “Harry Potter” generation that was
right around his “age.” Those books really were incredible for spurring
reading in children, and they definitely stimulated my imagination more than
many activities in my childhood. Reading them now is comforting not because of
the content of the book, but because of the feelings of nostalgia for and
positive associations with my childhood that come with it.

~~~
oh-moses
I'm also in the Harry Potter generation; I was 8 years old when the first book
came out. I remember my grandma recommending it to me at the time. It sounded
like "kid stuff", so I didn't pay much attention to it and went back to
reading Asimov.

I finally read this "kid stuff" years later, in my mid-twenties, and I liked
it very much!

------
robinhoodexe
Douglas Adams "The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy".

I think I've read it 4 times the last 7 years, which may not be _that_ often,
but it definitely has a special place in my heart.

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beobab
The Complete Robot by Issac Azimov.

Well actually, I couldn't decide between "I-Robot" and "The rest of the
robots", but luckily there's a compendium with them both in.

------
criddell
I don't think I've ever read a book twice. My to-read list is so long that re-
reading something doesn't even tempt me.

I'm the same with movies and tv shows. Music, for some reason, is different
though. I play the same albums and artists over-and-over.

------
dri_ft
Poetry's always nice for familiarity and rereadability. Perhaps _Shakespeare
's Sonnets_.

~~~
criddell
What was your entry into poetry?

Because Shakespeare was always presented as _something you should read because
it 's good for you, not because you enjoy it_ when I was in high school, I
don't think I'll ever be able to enjoy it.

~~~
dri_ft
I got into it relatively recently, way after high school. I think I got my
start mostly with Victorians like Christina Rosetti, maybe some of the
Romantics. Far away enough in time to be interestingly different, but close
enough that the language is comprehensible. And prior to all that modernist
experimentation which moved poetry away from poetry as I understand it. (I
don't denigrate that stuff but it isn't a good entry point.)

Shakespeare's sonnets are a bit more accessible than his plays insofar as each
one is a small, manageable, bite-sized chunk. Nonetheless, they do require
fairly slow, relaxed attention in an edition with good notes to get the most
out of them. (When I was reading them, I would read a couple very slowly over
breakfast every day. I miss being able to do that!)

------
golergka
Asimov's Foundation series. I find a story spanning centuries, different eras
and characters to be deeply calming; there's a strange sense of purpose and
meaningfullness when you consider events in a historic perspective.

------
davidarkemp2
I bought Cormac McCarrthy's Border Trilogy on a whim (had seen and loved the
film of No Country for Old Men before). I'm based in the UK, but it honestly
takes you places you can never go. Read the whole three books four or five
times nows.

[https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6163.The_Border_Trilogy](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/6163.The_Border_Trilogy)

~~~
moretai
Blood Meridian is also worth a read. Very comforting.

------
anotherevan
My top three would be:

Dune by Frank Herbert (only the first book, dislike the rest of the series)

Farmer in the Sky by Robert Heinlein

The Crysalids by John Wyndham

I've probably read these three books at least twice a decade since the 80s
when I was a teenager.

The Complete Robot from Isaac Asimov would be a close forth.

The Tripod Trilogy by John Christopher would be fifth on the list. Hadn't read
since a teenager, but about ten years ago tracked down copies of them (and the
prequel) and it was delightful to reread.

------
adamhepner
Actually, the whole Dune series, and risking to be controversial - the
extended universe with the abomination of books by Frank Herbert's son. Yes,
they break the rules, yes, they are rushed and yes some explanations plain
don't make sense, but ohmygod the additional tens of thousands of years added
to the story just put on so much more grandure... But why I like it: I open
random page, and I just enjoy falling back to the epic story and remembering
small details, discovering new ones, pondering upon the small artificial
quotes before the chapters. Those books have so much going on for them, and
thanks to the time spans involved you can actually pretty much jump in at any
moment.

Other one is Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison, those are very
funny and don't attempt to take themselves too seriously, and have the same
principle - you can jump into the story at any moment and just enjoy rapid
pace of events splashed with humorous commentary. Plus the protagonist is a
very much self made man in a world where it doesn't come easily, so there's
that bit of hope for you.

Thirdly - Discworld. I guess it does not need comment, does it?

------
3rdAccount
Not a single book, but The Dresden Files series is really good. The first few
books are a little on the weak side, but the author gets better and better and
the world building is very deep. There's gotta be a zillion characters
interacting to a point where it feels real. Good arc going on too. It's a
wizard detective series set in modern times.

------
asafira
Fantasy Books by Brandon Sanderson.

------
himom
A book? I can’t color between the lines on this one, maybe I can’t read
between them either. Here’s 3:

 _Collapse_ by Jared Diamond

 _The History of the Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire_ by Gibbon

 _Brevísima relación de la destrucción de las Indias_ (English: _A Short
Account of the Destruction of the Indies_ ) by Bartolomé de las Casas

------
shem73
Anything by PG Wodehouse. Perfect antidote to too much seriousness.

Often in spring I read Dylan Thomas 's Under Milk Wood.

~~~
veddox
PG Wodehouse is great. I first saw the "Jeeves & Wooster" TV series (with Fry
and Laurie) and already loved that. Then I read the books, and discovered a
whole new layer of humour in Wodehouse's prose language :D I remember
literally weeping with laughter at some of the scenes...

------
zuzuleinen
Meditations, Marcus Aurelius

~~~
mrtonypino
Couldn't agree more. 99% of the time I feel blocked, frustrated, etc - I pick
it up and read (almost at random) and it also helps reset mindset. This in
particular is one of my favorite passages:

"Never let the future disturb you. You will meet it, if you have to, with the
same weapons of reason which today arm you against the present."

------
gerikson
Used to be the Swallows and Amazon series (when I was much younger).

Then it was the 2 memoirs by Patrick Leigh Fermor: "A Time of Gifts" and
"Between the Woods and the Water".

Lately it's the Aubrey-Maturin by Patrick O'Brian series which I have re-read
multiple times.

------
eb0la
The First $20 Million Is Always the Hardest by PO Bronson.

About the beginning of something very similar to java.

Hope you enjoy it.

------
vstuart
[Zen and the Art of Motorcycle
Maintenance]([https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_...](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Zen_and_the_Art_of_Motorcycle_Maintenance))

------
auslegung
The Bible, Hobbit, LOTR series, Narnia, Catcher in the Rye, 1984, Papa
Hemingway, these are all books that I’ve had to buy multiple times because
they fall apart over the years. Never realized until just now how many comfort
books I have...

~~~
Y_Y
I was wondering how comforting reading The Bible (as a cultural catholic)
could be, so I dipped in to the first book which came to mind:

\---

Satan Takes Job's Property and Children

13 Now there was a day when his sons and daughters were eating and drinking
wine in their oldest brother's house, 14 and there came a messenger to Job and
said, “The oxen were plowing and the donkeys feeding beside them, 15 and the
Sabeans fell upon them and took them and struck down the servants[c] with the
edge of the sword, and I alone have escaped to tell you.” 16 While he was yet
speaking, there came another and said, “The fire of God fell from heaven and
burned up the sheep and the servants and consumed them, and I alone have
escaped to tell you.” 17 While he was yet speaking, there came another and
said, “The Chaldeans formed three groups and made a raid on the camels and
took them and struck down the servants with the edge of the sword, and I alone
have escaped to tell you.” 18 While he was yet speaking, there came another
and said, “Your sons and daughters were eating and drinking wine in their
oldest brother's house, 19 and behold, a great wind came across the wilderness
and struck the four corners of the house, and it fell upon the young people,
and they are dead, and I alone have escaped to tell you.”

20 Then Job arose and tore his robe and shaved his head and fell on the ground
and worshiped. 21 And he said, “Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked
shall I return. The Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the
name of the Lord.”

22 In all this Job did not sin or charge God with wrong.

\---

I'm not sure how that made me feel, but I bet this is more effective if you
pick specific passages you like.

~~~
veddox
Yeah, you chose one of the absolute worst passages for that ;-)

I read the Bible every day, a habit that is very important to me. But I don't
just "pick specific passages I like", I take a book and read it through
sequentially, then move on to the next. I find much of it intensely practical
and applicable to my life; it challenges, comforts and teaches me. Of course,
some parts are of a more historical interest, yet others (like the one you
quote) can be really tough to make sense of. But I believe that the Bible is
one of the main ways in which God communicates with people, so I want to read
and think about all of it.

~~~
Y_Y
I guess I was just unlucky. Maybe I'll try reading it the way you describe
next time.

~~~
auslegung
I suggest starting at the beginning, Genesis chapter 1, and really dig into
just that 1 chapter for a while and try to figure out what it's really about.
Remember that it was written to a different culture, a different time, in a
different language, and not at all for the purposes that a lot of modern
readers want.

~~~
veddox
I would actually recommend starting with the New Testament, especially the
gospels. Genesis is fascinating, but you need a lot of background to really
understand its implications and intentions. The gospels are much more
approachable (and relevant).

~~~
auslegung
I used to think so, too, but I’ve been listening to the Bible Project podcasts
and realized that the entire Bible, including the NT, is very Jewish, not
modern or Greek at all, and in some ways the NT is actually more confusing
because it can appear familiar when it really isn’t.

But if someone could only read a small part of the Bible, no doubt I’d send
them to the Gospels.

------
yairhaimo
Teach Yourself Turbo C++ Visual Edition for Windows in 21 Days

------
wildmindwriting
"Les Miserables" by Victor Hugo. That book embodies so much: love, redemption,
justice, perceived justice, human growth, rebellion, religion...it can be a
hard slog of a read at times but Hugo really gives his characters space to
develop and for you to care about. The Bishop, who is given a passing glance
in both the musical and movies, is so much more in the book. Highly recommend
to everyone.

[edit: "revolution" -> "rebellion"]

------
veddox
"Anne of Green Gables" and its sequels. I love the simple, every-day stories
LM Montgomery writes and her philosophy of life that shines through. The first
reminds me of the way I grew up and the second has often inspired me. I also
love the way she sees beauty in everything, and how she conveys that in her
prose.

These are the books I turn to when I am depressed or stressed or just fed up
with life in general :-)

------
protonimitate
American Gods by Neil Gaiman.

Not the best book I've ever read. Not even my favorite book I've read. But
it's the one I've read the most, and the one I always go back to. It reminds
me of my childhood home, my time growing up there, as well as helps diminish
my wanderlust when I'm feeling restless.

It also helped me through times of depression and encouraged a love of
reading.

------
xevb3k
Currently Anatham. Couldn’t tell why exactly but there’s something about the
society described in the novel that I find very comforting.

~~~
arethuza
My hardback copy of Anathem self destructed through continual re-reading of
favourite parts. However, I now also have it on Audible so I can listen to it
on my jeejah... ;-)

------
EvanKnowles
Illusions, by Richard Bach.

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andy_boot
Catch 22. - I can re-read that over and over laughing at the silliness of
their situation.

Also If you enjoyed Catch I recommend Vernon God Little

------
cjoelrun
The Count of Monte Cristo.

~~~
shpx
I was hoping someone would mention this book. I think the less you know about
it before you read it the better.

It's free to read on Project Gutenberg

[https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1184/1184-h/1184-h.htm#linkC...](https://www.gutenberg.org/files/1184/1184-h/1184-h.htm#linkC2HCH0001)

------
zgniatacz
A Canticle for Leibowitz

~~~
hardlianotion
I keep coming back this book and I think it's wonderful, but calling this a
comfort book seems wrong somehow.

I think I would say Consider Phlebas. Flamboyant space opera.

~~~
arethuza
What is the term for something you keep revisiting because you find it
profoundly disturbing?

 _Threads_ and _A Colder War_ both belong to this category for me.

------
ranic
Either Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell or The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and
Clay by Michael Chabon.

------
G0NZO3
1\. Burn down the night By Craig kee strete

A fictional drug trip with Jim Morrison

2\. Budding Prospects By T.C. Boyle

A group of friends leave San Francisco in 1983 to start their own marijuana
enterprise out in the country

3\. Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas By Hunter S. Thompson

"when the going gets weird, the weird turn pro"

------
pdxgene
I go back to "Winter's Tale" by Mark Helprin once or twice a decade. It has an
uncanny combination of page-turner pace and sheer stop-and-savor-it writing
beauty that makes it a sheer joy every time.

------
oh-moses
I don't read fiction much anymore, but when I was a teenager, I reread both
The Hitchhiker's Guide and Youth In Revolt a few times

------
ColinWright
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman.

I found the book after I saw the film, and it was a revelation that even the
action sequences are better in the book.

------
imdhmd
the prophet by khalil gibran

------
minikomi
Pinball 1973 by Murakami Haruki. It's written before he really consolidated
his style, but has a clunky charm all of its own.

------
FranzFerdiNaN
Pride & Prejudice. There is something extremely silly about the squabbles of
nineteenth century British upper class people.

------
stratosgear
"Nine princes in Amber", by Roger Zelazny. Read the whole series multiple
teams and the Corwin Cycle some more...

------
yesenadam
Emerson's Essays. SARK's first 4 or 5 books. _The Sirens of Titan_.
Stevenson's essays.

------
maneesh
Antifragile by Nassim Nicholas Taleb

~~~
l5870uoo9y
> Taleb introduces the book as follows: "Some things benefit from shocks; they
> thrive and grow when exposed to volatility, randomness, disorder, and
> stressors and love adventure, risk, and uncertainty. Yet, in spite of the
> ubiquity of the phenomenon, there is no word for the exact opposite of
> fragile. Let us call it antifragile. Antifragility is beyond resilience or
> robustness. The resilient resists shocks and stays the same; the antifragile
> gets better". Hormesis is an example of mild antifragility, where the
> stressor is a poisonous substance and the antifragile becomes better overall
> from a small dose of the stressor. This is different from robustness or
> resilience in that the Antifragile system improves with, not withstands,
> stressors, where the stressors are neither too large or small. The larger
> point, according to Taleb, is that depriving systems of vital stressors is
> not necessarily a good thing and can be downright harmful.

Source:
[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifragile](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Antifragile)

It is an interesting observation.

------
zrail
The Diamond Age by Neil Stephenson.

------
murrayb
Terry Pratchett- I've re-read Thief of Time the most but they all work.

For poetry, Mary Oliver.

------
mindcrime
There's a few:

 _The Mysterious Island_ by Jules Verne

 _False Memory_ by Dean Koontz

 _Neuromancer_ by William Gibson

------
ydnaclementine
the lion the witch and the wardrobe

was recommended by my mom at a young age (1st grade?), read it a bunch of
times in grade school (went to same school K-8 so had access to the same
library).

I should probably reread that whole series as an adult

------
RickJWagner
The Holy Bible. Especially in times of stress, bereavement, worry, etc.

------
yread
The Good Soldier Švejk

------
el_cid
CS Lewis for me (his non fiction stuff) and Tolkien (LOTR).

------
jyriand
VALIS by Philip K. Dick and Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann

------
ljw1001
Travels with Charlie, Blue Highways, The Little Prince.

------
knight-errantry
Letters to a Young Contrarian by Christopher Hitchens

------
peter3731
bros. karamazov

------
godelmachine
Barking up the Wrong Tree by Eric Barker

------
lorenzo20002
In a Sunburned Country by Bill Bryson

------
formatkaka
Harry potter. First and the last part

------
0b01
To Stay Alive by Michel Houellebecq

------
harperlee
Ficciones from Jorge Luis Borges

------
deepaksurti
The Gospel of Selfless Action

------
eddd
Wiedźmin (The Witcher)

------
teilo
The Dresden Files.

------
ratsimihah
As A Man Thinketh

------
whoelseismwr
Egil's Saga

------
spieglt
The Zhuangzi

------
spinchange
The Odyssey

------
hungerstrike
The Bhagavad Gita translated by Jack Hawley

