Sometimes the only thing we want to do after a rough day is to cuddle up with something familiar and comforting. Instead of watching a new movie or picking something from our TBR list, we tend to gravitate towards stories that we’ve read and watched countless times. These stories give us a sense of comfort and safety akin to a warm hug from an old friend and help us cope during difficult times. We asked the Bookstr team to list books, movies, and/or shows they like to revisit when they need a pick-me-up.
Epic Adventures
I have read The Lost Continent series by Catherine Asaro every year since I received the first book through the Luna subscription box in 2004. It was the first adult “romantasy” book I picked up, and I quickly fell in love with the genre. This book series, in particular, has a coziness that settles in my bones and just sets the world to rights. I cannot recommend it enough. Five books, six main couples, seven countries; each introducing new romances with an overarching plot that ties everyone together and a magic system that is intrinsically enchanting.
I can still remember watching Twister for the first time. I was nine, at the babysitter’s, and a storm was coming in. I quote this movie at least once a week. My mom and I would watch it together, just because. Now, it’s one of those movies I just put on whenever I’m trying to find something. It can be background noise while I’m cleaning or just something to watch to rest and reset. The new Twisters movie was an inspiring new edition, but nothing will take the place of the original.
– Kristi Eskew, Executive Editor
Spirits and Sweets
I love Vespertine by Margaret Rogerson. My friend recommended it to me because she knows I grew up Catholic and thinks more books should explore the inherently dehumanizing experience of sainthood (Shadow and Bone does a really great job). I read it while on a writer’s retreat at a friend’s lakeside cabin last summer and fell in love. It has so many of my favorite tropes packed into one: hurt/comfort, whump, found family, and of course, awesome nuns.
The Great British Baking Show is an obvious answer, but I really do enjoy it a lot. It’s as much about the bakers and getting to know and love them over the season as it is about the food — just generally cozy, wholesome vibes all around.
– Phoebe Pineda, Editorial
Timeless Coming-of-Age
I reread a lot of books, but if I’m looking for something comforting, I always reach for the Anne of Green Gables series by L. M. Montgomery. I also have a soft spot for the Kevin Sullivan TV movies: Anne of Green Gables and Anne of Avonlea, as well as the Netflix series, Anne With an E. Anne Shirley’s journey from lonely orphan to a confident young woman surrounded by love and found family is so beautiful to me. Montgomery’s descriptions of the Prince Edward Island scenery are also especially enchanting. These books give me hope that there is good waiting for me at the end of adversity.
My ultimate comfort show is Gilmore Girls. I’ve always felt remarkably similar to Rory Gilmore (both her good and bad traits) growing up, and watching her succeed and fail helps me feel less alone. Her bond with Lorelai also reminds me of how close I am with my own mother, and our “us against the world” motto we’ve had for years. Also, who wouldn’t want to curl up in a sweater with some of Luke’s breakfast?
– Kaija Strong, Editorial
Relatable and Empowering
Dirk Gently’s Holistic Detective Agency follows an eccentric detective (Dirk Gently) and the very odd cases he finds himself in the middle of. We Are Okay by Nina Lacour follows a girl dealing with the aftermath of her grandpa’s dying and her decision to leave everything and move across the country to attend college in New York.
The show is perhaps my favorite piece of media, ever. I have said on more than one occasion that if you were to split open my chest and see what makes me past the blood and bone, you’d probably find both seasons wedged in there. As a neurodivergent queer person, the world is very hard to navigate, and I think Dirk Gently weirdly gave me the tools I needed to get this far in life. It feels like a warm hug from a friend.
I read We Are Okay when I was in high school, and didn’t really expect to be living out most of Marin’s story. As a Californian living in New York, We Are Okay helps me through homesickness and the inexplicable grief tied to it. I love Nina Lacour’s prose, and her novels also always feel like listening to Scott Street by Phoebe Bridgers while driving through your hometown.
– Nel Aldrich, Editorial
Constant Chaos
I remember watching Ella Enchanted as a little kid and having no clue as to what was going on. My older sister sang along to Anne Hathaway’s rendition of Somebody to Love at the top of her lungs while I giggled at Anne’s dance moves and marveled at the big ogres on the TV. I didn’t need to understand the plot to know that Ella was so cool and Prince Charmont was very, very gorgeous. Now, I absolutely adore the movie and put it on whenever I’m feeling homesick or in need of a good hug.
Taskmaster is a British game show in which five comedians must complete ridiculous and, oftentimes, seemingly impossible tasks with their personal possessions on the line. This show never fails to get me out of a funk because it’s impossible not to laugh at the comedians’ antics. Lastly, That ‘70s Show (specifically its earlier seasons) is such a huge comfort show for me. The sitcom follows a group of friends with totally different personalities as they navigate high school, relationships, and the 1970s. I’ve been watching and rewatching this show since middle school (via old DVDs, so I don’t contribute to the problematic actors), so it almost feels like I grew up with the characters. The Nanny Diaries and Stranger Things season three are also too comforting to leave out!
– Laura Mariné, Editorial
Friendship Takes Flight
How To Train Your Dragon (2010) follows a Viking boy named Hiccup as he does what no one has in over three hundred years: befriend a dragon. Dragons: Race to the Edge follows Hiccup and his friends as they navigate living with dragons and explore their world in a way they never could before.
HTTYD is the movie that made me fall in love with dragons. I’ve watched it so many times I can almost quote the entire thing. My family and I watched the show together as it was coming out, and in a way, I grew up with the characters. Every time a new season of Race to the Edge came out on Netflix, we would pretty much binge the whole thing. I keep circling back around to this franchise every now and then because it still holds up after all this time. The 2010 animated movie is incredible, and the shows expand on the characters and world in fun ways.
– Kira Dancik, Outreach
Hope and Humor
I don’t reread books very often, but I do rewatch TV shows often, and the two that I will always put on if I need my spirits lifted are Taskmaster and Drunk History. There’s something about the ridiculous humor and just all-around jovial vibes that make me feel like I’m at a party telling stories or goofing off with friends.
However, if I’m in a really dark mood, my go-tos are two documentaries that never fail to give me hope for humanity: Won’t You Be My Neighbor?, about Fred Rogers, and Batkid Begins, a documentary about the day the entire city of San Francisco came together to make a sick kid’s dream come true.
– Cara Broel, Editorial & Outreach
Whimsical Nostalgia
Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper was my favourite thing in the world as a little girl and is still the first film that comes to mind if I’m ever having a bad day or if I feel like I need some comfort. It tells the tale of Princess Anneliese and a peasant dressmaker named Erika, two girls who have never met before but who look exactly alike. Both girls yearn for freedom from their respective struggles and responsibilities, so when a chance encounter brings them together, and an evil plot by the royal advisor to take the throne comes to light, Anneliese and Erika find that they must swap lives if they are to save the kingdom and themselves.
This is such a nostalgic film that I associate with so many fond memories of snuggling down with my sisters under matching pink blankets, and it has never failed to make me feel better. The musical soundtrack to this movie is absolutely unmatched, and the film is also blessed with some of the most adorable feline companions ever to exist in cinema. It was always a girlhood dream of mine to have a cat just like Princess Anneliese’s, and now, as a grown-up, I have my very own Serafina. Now it’s her I cuddle up and watch this movie with — it makes for such a cosy, full-circle moment, it’s honestly impossible to ever stay sad!
– Brooke Deyes, Editorial
Slice of Life
It’s rare that I re-watch or re-read most of what I consume, but Gilmore Girls is a show I love to come back to year after year. Half the time, on my most recent rewatch this past fall and winter, I would let it play while doing something else, knowing it well enough by now to hear the dialogue and envision the scene. Despite this tendency, I’m not always sure what about it I actually like so much. The characters often drive me as crazy as they do each other, getting into ridiculous spats and missing obvious things and acting out of selfishness or reasoning beyond my comprehension. Despite this, it’s a perfect storm of quippy dialogue, enviable fall outfits, cozy small-town vibes, and charming moments of romance or mother-daughter love that I can’t seem to resist. Where Gilmore Girls leads, I follow.
– Clara Johnk, Editorial
Laughter and Heartache
I have never reread a book before, and I rarely rewatch TV shows. The only show I have ever rewatched is Jane the Virgin because it just brings me so much joy. The show is full of laughs, heartfelt moments, gut-wrenching scenes, bittersweet memories, and so much more. You truly feel it all watching this show, but what I love most is how the show feels like home.
It follows multiple families, and you see their dynamics constantly changing with every problem they face. Watching each character overcome their issues, grow from their mistakes, fall in love, and find their true self is something I will never get tired of watching. All the storylines are so unique and fitting for the show; whether I’m happy or sad, I will always find comfort in this show.
– Nicole Vecchia, Social
Melody of Friendship
K-On! was one of the first anime I ever watched, and it’s my favorite TV show by a country mile. It follows the daily lives of the members of a high school light music club, and it’s one of the best slice-of-life shows out there. The show has such a relaxing vibe while still maintaining enough of a structured plot to give the club a sense of progression. The characters are great; each member of the club has a fun and entertaining dynamic with everyone else in a way that makes the main cast feel truly cohesive. K-On! is a cutesy, comfy ride that never fails to put a smile on my face.
– Ethan Cunanan, Social
Sometimes, the best remedy for feeling down is to go back and rewatch something nostalgic and safe. What is your comfort movie/show/book? Let us know on Facebook, Bluesky, Twitter/X, or Instagram!
Want to hear more from the Bookstr Team? Check out what we read in July!
Looking for book recommendations? Browse our Bookstr Team Recommendations collection on Bookshop!
