Feel-good fiction in general

I didn't see a group that fit this topic exactly, but I thought this might be a good bunch to propose it to...

...besides cozy mysteries, what other tea-and-blankie general fiction series/authors would you recommend for a really bad case of the January blahs? (Jan Karon is the first author that pops to mind.)

I am on the fifth title, Dearest Dorothy, Merry Everything! in the Welcome to Partonville series by Charlene Ann Baumbich. Fuzzy, cozy, and there's a grin guaranteed every time you pick them up. Very similiar to the Mitford series, except there's a white-haired, bunco-playing, tank-sized-LTD-driving grandma instead of an Episcopal priest.

What an good question. Elinor Lipman fits the bill for me. (touchstones not working). She's written The Inn at Lake Devine, The Pursuit of Alice Thrift, among others. Of course, Jane Austen is a classic example. I also think Fannie Flagg's books, such as Welcome to the World, Baby Girl fit the bill as well.

I actually think this genre, which I think of as "gentle" reads, is somewhat ignored. I assume that there are many books and authors that fit this category, but they are hard to find.

An older series that I still really like is by Thyra Ferre Bjorn and starts with the book Papa's Wife.

I agree with you, ToRead, about the 'gentle' reads being a neglected category of books. I dare say all of us have what we consider to be comfort reads, whether they would fall into the gentle category or not.

I remember the Papa's Wife books....there was a battered set in our church library when I was growing up and I think my name was the only one on the check out cards...over and over and over!

Another couple of titles that I treasure, most likely out of print and a tetch hard to find are The Tall Woman by Wilma Dykeman (Appalachian mountain woman) and One Basket, a set of short stories by Edna Ferber.

The Elm Creek Quilt books by Jennifer Chiaverini are more contemporary and I think could fall in the "gentle" category, too.

Looking forward to seeing what others add to the list.

The Harmony novels (starting with Home to Harmony) by Philip Gulley are "gentle" books as well. About a Quaker pastor and his flock in Indiana.

I've just read one of Fannie Flagg's books. I liked it so much that I've ordered Welcome to the world, baby girl and a couple of other titles from the library.

I would recommend the Ann B. Ross Miss Julia series which is met in small town North Carolina. They are very funny and are set in modern day rather than the Fifties of Fannie Flagg's books. I would have put all this in one message but had to check the author.

Rather older (pre-war) are Elizabeth von Arnim's books. My mother lent me The Enchanted April, which apparently was my grandmother's favourite book. It wasn't my cup of tea (too mawkish), but I know lots of people still love all her books - and they are certainly cozies.

Jan Karon's Mitford series definitely fills the bill here. I just finished one and wondered if there was a corollary to "cozies" for non-mystery fiction, because that's just what these books are. Perfect for curling up with a cup of tea and a snuggly blanket and a cat or two on a snowy afternoon.

Another nice volume of short stories is The Home Front (tried touchstone and it brought up the wrong title) by Margaret Craven. Again, probably out of print, but a set of very pleasant home-town stories connected with social changes just pre- and post- WWII.

Just flipping back through these posts and realized Alexander McCall Smith and the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series would fit this category perfectly. I'm working on Miracle at Speedy Motors and although they stick them on the mystery shelves at our local bookstore, they're definitely story-first in nature.

I just found, via another threat, a site that's dedicated to cozies: mystery and otherwise. Nicely done:

http://www.cozylibrary.com/default.aspx?id=1

'A Town Like Alice' by Nevil Shute always makes me feel warm inside. Also, 'Cold Comfort Farm' by Stella Gibbons.

The Miss Read series of books are being released in a new edition. They are about a small village in England, but you don't have to be English to enjoy them.
Thrush Green is the village & the books are usually under the author's pseud. of "Miss Read" but I can't remember her real name.

Yes, definitely Cold Comfort Farm - and it's on the 1001 Books You Must Read Before You Die" list so you can get started on the list with a wonderful well-kept secret of a book

I recomend the book Shroud for the Archbishop by Peter Tremayne. It is a great read. It is part of a series and takes place in ancient Ireland.

I just read and reviewed Cut, Crop & Die by Joanna Campbell Slan. This is the second book in her scrapbooking cozy series. There will be a drawing starting June 11th for both her books. Come on over for a visit. I have another contest going on now too. Only 2 more days to enter for Dork Diaries and Nikki's purse filled with all sorts of goodies. Enter here

These cozy mystery groups are great. Thanks for the suggestions. Between TV & mysteries, I'm getting tired of blood/gore etc. Looking for light but interesting books. I enjoy ones like Hot Chill Club Series(4) Nancy Thayer + Stepahnie Plum Mysteries.

Good to see this thread again! Some non-mystery favorites for your consideration:

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society
Letters from Skye
Anything by Rosamunde Pilcher, simply for her sumptuous descriptions of the setting...nobody can do it like she can!
The Forgotten Garden...a little gothic creepiness but not much
The Light Between Oceans