Jonelle Patrick--Let's Talk Comfort Reads

DEBORAH CROMBIE: What fun to have the lovely Jonelle Patrick visiting us all the way from Tokyo this morning! I have no idea what time it is in Japan, but Jonelle is a treat any time of day. She has a new coming out on April 21st, THE SAMURAI'S OCTUPUS. 

I can't wait to learn the significance of the title, but today she's here to chat about something else. Here's Jonelle!

LET’S TALK COMFORT READS

 

Good morning, Reds and fellow Readers! It’s me, Jonelle, waving at you from Tokyo.

 

The divine Deb kindly invited me here today because I have a new book coming out in April, but first there’s something else I’ve been dying to ask the Reds and Readers about.

Did you open your email this morning and save Jungle Reds for last, knowing it’ll be a welcome antidote to whatever fresh outrage just screamed at you from the headlines? Like me, do you top up your cuppa and come here to be reassured that smart, thoughtful people still care about books and writing and each other? That there are still kind people on this earth who listen to each other, offer condolences in times of loss and sadness, encouragement to those with health woes, and joy at every new book release and award? I don’t know about you, but for me, Jungle Reds is one of those safe havens and islands of goodness I’ve come to rely on in this weary world.

But what do you do in the middle of the night when you need something more to whisk you away from your cares and worries? That’s what I’m here to ask about today.

 

Reds and Readers, what do you look for in a comfort read?

 

 

Sometime during covid I stopped reading thrillers—a genre I used to consume by the truckload—and started seeking out the kind of books that will gently but firmly lure me away from staring at the ceiling at 3:00 a.m. and worrying about test results or fretting over the problems of the world. I’m pretty sure the Reds and Readers are world-class experts on comfort reads, because so many of you write them and we so often recommend them to each other.

 

So…what defines a comfort read for YOU?

 

What must-haves do you look for in a comfort read?

 

What no-fly zones must a comfort read absolutely avoid?

 

What are your favorite comfort reads (and why)?

 

To get us started, want to hear mine?

 

Must-haves: Writing and plot so immersive I need to set a timer if I’ve got somewhere to be; a setting/situation that’s very different from the reality I’m escaping; a satisfying ending (everyone gets what they deserve, good or bad)

 

No-flys: Graphic violence or cruelty; evil triumphing over good in any lasting way

 

Favorite comfort reads: Mysteries have always been my all-purpose comfort read—especially if they take place elsewhere and elsewhen (i.e. not in the present-day USA)—because puzzling over a crime I know is going to be solved in 350 pages stops me from obsessing about the problems that are tougher to solve in real life. I’ve also started reading more historical fiction, because whatever dire straits and evil leaders and wretched conditions the characters have to endure, I know for a fact we survived that era. That the pendulum always swings, humanity lurches forward, and evil goes out of style again.

 

My latest go-to comfort reads:

 

The Wine of Angels by Phil Rickman

The Mists of Avalon by Marion Zimmer Bradley

A Letter of Mary by Laurie King

In the Bleak Midwinter by Julia Spencer-Fleming (this whole series, to be honest. Eek, have I developed a vicar fixation?)

Matrix by Lauren Groff

 

So tell me, Reds and Readers, what about you? What do YOU look for in a comfort read?

 

Jonelle Patrick writes what she reads. Her new mystery, The Samurai’s Octopus, takes place in Japan’s Yoshiwara pleasure quarter in the 1780s, where the shōgun rules with an iron fist but women hold all the cards. It’s a place where those with the most power must beg favor from those with the least, and one resourceful girl growing up at the House of Treasures just might bring down a high-ranking murderer if she manages to find the mother she’s never known. If you’re my long-lost twin when it comes to comfort reads, here’s where you can find out if The Samurai’s Octopus checks all your boxes too…

DEBS: Wow, what great questions! Thank you, Jonelle. I can't wait to see what everyone answers! 

Oh, and Jonelle, just wanted to add that your cover is gorgeous! I can't wait to dive into this book!