10 Book Recommendations for a Rainy Day

I can think of fewer things cozier than curling up on the couch on a rainy day and reading a good book, a hot drink by your elbow. Sadly, one’s duties do not usually stall on rainy days, and one does not always have the time to indulge in such a pursuit. For those happy occasions when one does, however, I have compiled some books that seem like fitting “rainy day” choices – either light and comforting reads, or books that quickly catch your interest and pull you into their world. (Nothing too mentally taxing. No one wants to do something hard when they’re curled up on the couch on a rainy day.)

1. The Story of the Trapp Family Singers by Maria von Trapp

This is the real story behind The Sound of Music, written by Maria herself. It’s interesting to see how much of the movie was based on fact, and how much was Hollywood-ized. Maria has a very fun writing style, as well, and even if you are one of that rare breed who’s never seen The Sound of Music, it’s simply an interesting and entertaining story in its own right. (We also get to see much more than what we see in The Sound of Music. Here’s a snippet about Maria’s learning English, after they’ve come to America, to get your interest): 

“I invented a method all my own, in which I wanted to apply what I had learned about one word to as many like-sounding words as I could find. This proved later to be fatally wrong, and it still haunts my English of today. For instance, I had learned: freeze-frozen. I wrote underneath in my precious little notebook: “squeeze-squozen,” and “sneeze-snozen.” Proudly I talked about someone being a “thunkard,” explaining wordily that I had thought if drinking much makes a person a drunkard, so thinking much, like that professor I had in mind makes him a “thunkard.” When I admired the tall “hice” in New York, I got quite offended because they seemed to overlook the logical similarity between “mouse-mice” and “house-hice.” I talked about the “reet” of my teeth, feeling perfectly correct in doing so. Wasn’t it “foot-feet,” after all?”

(Warning: there is a Certain Chapter near the end which is extremely sad. The only time I can think of that I may have cried more reading a book was during Rilla of Ingleside.)

2. The Scarlet Pimpernel by Baroness Orczy

   

   By 1792, the idealism of the French Revolution had degenerated into a Reign of Terror. Ruthless mobs ruled the streets of Paris; and each day, hundreds of royals were executed by the guillotine, with hundreds more condemned to follow. Their only hope lay in being rescued by the Scarlet Pimpernel (whose nom du guerre derived from the scarlet wild-flower he employed as a calling-card), the daring leader of an English faction that spirited aristocrats across the Channel to safety. 

This one isn’t quite as light as some of the others – it is set in the French Revolution, after all – but it’s easy to read and will definitely pull you in. The first couple chapters are a little slow-moving, but stick with it. It’ll be worth it.

(Also, if you haven’t read this one before, I implore you not to look up anything about this before reading it. There’s plot twists in it that you don’t want given away.)

3. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien

Considering that it’s chock-full of trolls, goblins, dragons and such, maybe it’s a little strange that I think of this as a cozy book. It really is, though. It’s written in a very laid-back, whimsical, light-hearted style – quite different from The Lord of the Rings (which is awesome, don’t get me wrong, I just wouldn’t call it exactly cozy).

4. Very Good, Jeeves! by P.G. Wodehouse

Pretty much guaranteed to make you laugh or smile. This book consists of about a dozen short stories, which follow the misadventures of Bertie Wooster (a very good-hearted fellow, but not quite the brightest bulb in the box) and his model gentleman’s gentleman, Jeeves. Bertie narrates the stories, and does quite an entertaining job of it. Here’s a sample for you: 

“What with one thing and another—having been at a school where they didn’t play it and so forth—Rugby football is a game I can’t claim absolutely to understand in all its niceties, if you know what I mean. I can follow the broad, general principles, of course. I mean to say, I know that the main scheme is to work the ball down the field somehow and deposit it over the line at the other end, and that, in order to squelch this programme, each side is allowed to put in a certain amount of assault and battery and do things to its fellow-man which, if done elsewhere, would result in fourteen days without the option, coupled with some strong remarks from the Bench. But there I stop. What you might call the science of the thing is to Bertram Wooster a sealed book.”

(Bertie and I have rather similar thoughts on this particular subject. Heh.)

5. Tom’s Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce

I love this book. The whole vibe of it is just so..ugh, it’s perfect. I don’t want to give anything away, so – just read it. It’s good.

6. The Great Divorce by C.S. Lewis

In The Great Divorce, the writer finds himself in Hell boarding a bus bound for Heaven. The amazing opportunity is that anyone who wants to stay in Heaven, can. This is the starting point for an extraordinary meditation upon good and evil, grace and judgment. Lewis’s revolutionary idea is the discovery that the gates of Hell are locked from the inside. In Lewis’s own words, “If we insist on keeping Hell (or even earth) we shall not see Heaven: if we accept Heaven we shall not be able to retain even the smallest and most intimate souvenirs of Hell.”

Okay, so this one requires a little more brain power. But it’s so, so good. This is one of my favorite books. It has some really powerful insights about good and evil, and it really is presented in quite an engaging and interesting way. You don’t have to work that hard.

7. Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott

When Rose Campbell, a shy orphan, arrives at “The Aunt Hill” to live with her six aunts and seven boisterous male cousins, she is quite overwhelmed. How could such a delicate young lady, used to the quiet hallways of a girls’ boarding school, exist in such a spirited home? It is the arrival of Uncle Alec that changes everything. Much to the horror of her aunts, Rose’s forward-thinking uncle insists that the child get out of the parlor and into the sunshine. And with a little courage and lots of adventures with her mischievous but loving cousins, Rose begins to bloom.

A light, easy read. Louisa May Alcott isn’t my favorite author – she’s just a bit lacking in subtlety for my taste at times – but this is still a fun, sweet book. My feelings on the sequel, Rose in Bloom, are a little more mixed, but another day for that.

8. Secret Agents Four by Donald J. Sobol

Little did Ken and his buddies – Orv, Horseshoes, and Bo – know just how exciting their summer was about to become. Who would ever have pictured their joining forces with the good guys, Mongoose, in a heroic attempt to foil Cobra’s latest nefarious plot? It is not long before V.A.C.U.U.M. (Volunteer Agents Crusading Unsteadily Under Mongoose) is officially born. Add one “Beautiful Assistant Gangbuster” Mary Evans (full title, V.A.C.U.U.M. B.A.G.), a modest fleet of vintage cars and a World War I De Havilland and the fun is about to begin.

I know, I know, this is a bit different than the other books on this list. Give it a try, though. It’s a very fun, cute book, and hard to put down once you get into it.

9. Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen

Do you really need any reasons from me to read Pride and Prejudice?

10. The Borrowers by Mary Norton

Beneath the kitchen floor is the world of the Borrowers — Pod and Homily Clock and their daughter, Arrietty. In their tiny home, matchboxes double as roomy dressers and postage stamps hang on the walls like paintings. Whatever the Clocks need they simply “borrow” from the “human beans” who live above them. It’s a comfortable life, but boring if you’re a kid. Only Pod is allowed to venture into the house above, because the danger of being seen by a human is too great. Borrowers who are seen by humans are never seen again. Yet Arrietty won’t listen. There is a human boy up there, and Arrietty is desperate for a friend.

Erm, what adjectives are there that I haven’t used already? Here: this is a diverting, pleasant, and lively book. (Thank you, thesaurus.com.)

Have you read any of these? What are some of your favorite “rainy day” books?