I have read some absolutely AMAZING books. Books that sweep me off my feet, hold me tight in the grip of the adventure, or on the edge or my seat. Books that will stay with me for a long, long time. But, and interesting thing I’ve found is that the books I come back to, time and time again, the books that I pick up when I just want something to settle down with for a quiet read, are not necessarily these epci adventures, and they’re not even usually the author’s most popular books.
For example, many, many people, myself included, have read and loved the Anne Of Green Gables series. It was certainly a huge part of my childhood. I’ve read all the books multiple times, and have the whole series sitting on my shelf. But the books that I come back to when I want a familiar read to settle down with, and that I have, quite literally read ragged, are actually The Blue Castle and Jane of Lantern Hill, both amazing books by L. M. Montgomery, but certainly, by far not her most popular or well loved.
Then there’s Jane Austen. Pretty much every single one of her books is genius. I’ve read all of them at least once, and some of them many, many times. But while I absolutely LOVE Pride and Prejudice and also Sense and Sensibility, probably her two best known books, if I’m looking for something to reread, most often it’s actually quiet little Persuasion that I love. It’s such a sweet little book, but for some reason I feel it just doesn’t get the love it deserves.
Looking at my reading habits with these books, and some of my other most popular rereads, or favourites, I have noticed a bit of a pattern here, however. It’s not always the big books with sweeping storylines and earth shattering consequences that grab my attention. Oh sure, I have a lot of favourites that are like this. The Illuminae Files, for example, have all of this and more. But some of my most well loved and often reread books are small and gentle and sweet. They’re stories of individuals and their personal lives, people trying to find happiness, and struggling through everyday problems.
And that’s a really encouraging thing to me. Because if my reading habits are anything to go by, it proves that there is a place in the world for these little stories. Stories that don’t threaten the fate of the universe if the characters don’t do the thing. Stories don’t always have to be the biggest, with the largest body count, or the tightest pacing. Sometimes they can be small in focus, gentle in tone, one person’s life instead of the fate of universes. There’s a place for all kinds of books, and I love that.
What’s your favourite quiet read? If you’re in the mood to snuggle down for a while, do you prefer an epic adventure, or something a little more fluffy or slow paced? Have you preferred one of an author’s less popular books to their most famous ones?
