It’s the first Saturday of the month so that means it’s #6degrees of separation time! This month’s starting book is one I loved, Redhead by the Side of the Road by Anne Tyler.
You can find the details and rules of the #6degrees meme at booksaremyfavouriteandbest, but in a nutshell, on the first Saturday of every month, everyone has the same starting book and from there, you connect in a variety of ways to other books. Some of the connections made are so impressive, it’s a lot of fun to follow.
Redhead by the Side of the Road was my first Anne Tyler and it was the beginning of my love for her books. From this one I next read The Clock Winder, which I loved even more than Redhead, and from here I bought about half a dozen of her books to have on hand for times when a little ‘comfort reading’ is required. I recently read Vinegar Girl and enjoyed it a lot, although I do see why others have said it isn’t Tyler at her best.
I’ve always liked to have an author whose books you can go to when you need a little comfort from your reading. In my twenties it was Maeve Binchy, and it all began with Circle of Friends. I read all of Maeve’s books in quick succession but in the end, The Glass Lake became my favourite.
In my late thirties I started reading Kristin Hannah, gravitating towards her contemporary titles for that dose of comfort. True Colours is my favourite out of Hannah’s contemporary backlist.
Jockeying with Tyler for top position in the comfort reading of my forties is Graham Norton. His novels have taken me by surprise but his voice as it reaches out of the page is just sensational and I find I am getting a lot of peace and comfort when I slip into one of his books. Home Stretch is such a beautiful novel of family and human connection, the definition of a comfort read.
So there you have it, a themed chain on comfort reading which all started with my Queen of comfort reads, Anne Tyler.
Theresa Smith Writes 
I love it when you find a good comfort read author! Maeve Binchy was one of mine back in the 80s!
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I daresay she was one for many. I always looked forward to getting lost in one of her novels.
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Circle of Friends is certainly the gateway drug to Binchy! That Graham Norton book looks interesting! Now, I didn’t find either Redhead or Vinegar Girl to be Tyler’s best… my gateway drug into her books was Accidental Tourist – highly recommended!
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I have bought that one! Will make it the next one of hers I read then.
I love that description of Circle of Friends! 🤣
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Comfort reading is a great theme for your chain Theresa. I don’t really have what I call comfort reading – except for Jane Austen that is. But, I do like reading Tyler.
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It’s something I’ve been seeking more and more of late.
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I read Circle of Friends decades ago but I recall enjoying it so much (I remember reading it on holiday) and like you, I read her other books soon after. I usually avoid bingeing authors I love, because I want to keep something in ‘reserve’ 😃
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I’m a bit like that too. I’ve never read Maeve’s last book, even though I have a copy – it’s in ‘reserve’, just for when I really need it!
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Thank you for the notion of “comfort reading”. I love it. And I shall have a browse of your suggestions – we all need a comfort read at some stage.
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We do indeed! Thank you 😊
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