Ever since I declared 2026 to be a year of comfort reading, I have been gorging myself on the October Daye series by Seanan McGuire. I’ve been reading so much that my reading glasses are making my ears sore. I’m not sorry. Not in the least.
I’m currently on book six, Ashes of Honor, and I’m starting to slow down a little. To savor more than gulp the words. I’ve needed this way of unplugging for a while. Picking up books I’d put down did not relax me like rereading old books has.
There is a certain sense of joy in the familiarity of the work mixed with the joy of rediscovery of forgotten details. It’s been long enough that I only remember bits and pieces of stuff and the end result. So, I know what’s going to happen, I just don’t remember how we get there. It’s the best of both worlds.
This means that I’m not looking for the big mystery. My mind is not trying to solve the problem of what happened and whodunit. My mind can relax and enjoy the small details the author put into their work. To know what is to come and compare it to what is happening on the page. To really see character arcs and relationship arcs as they happen and recognize them for what they are.
It’s like taking a walk from home to the store. The first time you do it, you’re more interested in getting to the place and not getting lost. You don’t really see details. Just big changes/turns. By the third or fourth time you take that walk, you know where you’re going so you have the bandwidth to notice the wildflowers along the road and to greet the dog that always barks at you. To notice the subtle decorations on the red door that you keep passing or, if you walk by at the same day/time, the habits of those along the walk.
Comfort reading lets your brain relax and just go along for the ride. I think that’s needed in today’s society of hyper-stimulation. At least, I know I need it. This was a good goal for me. So, I’ll be over there with my nose in a book and a smile on my face.
