Books that scratch a very specific itch.

July 29, 2020 10:45 PM

I discovered James Herriot in June and quickly inhaled all five books in the series (my understanding is that there's no more after the fifth one, though the American and British books are named and organized differently, which makes it confusing). Herriot has been the absolute perfect pandemic reading - his work has animals, is restful, set in simpler times but still pleasantly recognizable, and sweet, and funny ,and kind. What can I read next that ticks all or a majority of the same boxes? Otherwise I'm going back to the first book and rereading, heh. Thank you!
posted by Nieshka to Sports, Hobbies, & Recreation (33 answers total)

I love James Herriot.

The series that scratches the same itch for me is The No 1 Ladies' Detective Agency.
I read the first sentence and fell in love.
posted by M. at 11:06 PM on July 29, 2020 [5 favorites]

Not as many animals, but Lark Rise to Candleford or Cranford Confessions ?
posted by clew at 11:42 PM on July 29, 2020 [1 favorite]

The series of hilarious memoirs by naturalist Gerald Durrell might hit the spot? My Family and Other Animals is the first of them. For fiction, P.G.Wodehouse? (Fewer animals though.)
posted by Coaticass at 11:57 PM on July 29, 2020 [14 favorites]

Trumpeter
posted by vrakatar at 11:59 PM on July 29, 2020

Response by poster: I should've mentioned that I've read all of Gerald Durrell, PG Wodehouse and Douglas Adams as well. Woe.
Thank you for the suggestions so far!
posted by Nieshka at 12:11 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]

Maybe Donna Andrews's series of bird-themed mysteries. They start with Murder with Peacocks, but I think she takes a while to get into her stride - maybe start with the fourth one, Crouching Buzzard, Leaping Loon. Animals get more prominent as the series goes on (they have a hobby farm in later books). Obviously there are deaths but they are generally warm-hearted books set in a small town.

There was an earlier question about vet books specifically, Vet Fiction That Isn't James Herriot, But For Real Now.
posted by paduasoy at 12:47 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]

Fewer animals, but Bill Bryson's travelogues tend to scratch that "funny and kind" itch - Bryson paints himself as something of a grumpy guy, but I've always found his books to be hilarious without being mean-spirited. Plus you learn so much. He has written many, my particular favourites are Notes from a Small Island and The Road to Little Dribbling.
posted by unicorn chaser at 2:29 AM on July 30, 2020 [7 favorites]

If it's been a while since you've read E.B. White's Charlotte's Web, treat yourself to a re-read.
posted by MonkeyToes at 4:53 AM on July 30, 2020

Also middle grade fiction: Elizabeth Enright's Melendy books, starting with The Saturdays.
posted by Flannery Culp at 5:08 AM on July 30, 2020

Cleveland Amory's cat books
posted by brujita at 5:16 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]

I enjoyed Some Experiences of an Irish R.M. very much; the characterisation of rural life and its inhabitants (human and animal) has the same charm as in Herriot's writing.

There's a wonderful bit I remember where the protagonist goes shooting, and watches in dismay as his borrowed spaniel retrieves the shot duck, sits down with it on a tussock in the bog, and just eats the whole thing.
posted by vincebowdren at 5:28 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]

No animals, but Fannie Flagg’s books hit everything else on your wish list.

Also, if you’ve never read the Anne of Green Gables series, you’re in for a treat.
posted by Mchelly at 5:49 AM on July 30, 2020 [5 favorites]

I don't remember any animals, but Elizabeth von Arnim's The Enchanted April seems spot on, otherwise. Also, perhaps, Diary of a Provincial Lady by E. M. Delafield.
posted by dizziest at 6:53 AM on July 30, 2020 [4 favorites]

I grew up on both James Herriot and Gerald Durrell and they're still my favourite comfort reads.
posted by nerdfish at 6:55 AM on July 30, 2020

I too love books like this. If you haven't watched the 1970s television adaptation of All Creatures, you should. Other books that I've enjoyed due to similar vibes include:

• Little Heathens by Mildred Armstrong Kalish — life growing up on an Iowa farm during the Great Depression
• The Friendly Persuasion by Jessamyn West (no, not Mefi's Jessamyn West) — Quakers in Indiana during the 19th century (this book has a sequel)
• My Antonía by Willa Cather — Bohemian immigrants on the Nebraska plains in the 1900s (I haven't read the other two books in the "trilogy")
• The Egg and I by Betty MacDonald — woman marries and moves to remote chicken farm in Washington state during 1920s
• Life with Father by Clarence Day — life in 1890s NYC for a family wanting middle-class respectability (despite its sexist stereotypes, my feminist ex-wife LOVES the story "Father Tries to Make Mother Like Figures")...this book inspired one of the longest-running stage plays of all time and a fun film version
• Meet Me in St. Louis by Sally Benson — family life in St. Louis around 1904 (this book is apparently hard to find)

These books are not animal-centric. The thing that unites these books (for me) is that they're all kind and optimistic and full of hope. There's no cynicism. Plus, they're mostly episodic and if they're not actually real life, they're based on real life. And they're often funny funny funny. (Willa Cather isn't funny but most of the rest have a similar humor to James Herriot.)

Other books that carry a similar nostalgic feel but contain a touch of darkness include To Kill a Mockingbird and True Grit, both of which are superb. True Grit is probably my favorite novel ever. I evangelize it all the time. So good.
posted by jdroth at 7:10 AM on July 30, 2020

What about the Mitford series by Jan Karon? You do need to read them in order--the first one is At Home in Mitford. The main character is an Episcopal priest living in a small North Carolina town. You get a lot of genuine kindness, many quirky, funny, small town characters, and simpler times. Also a few animals! As the series goes on, the books become more spiritual, which may or may not be your thing. The first several, however, aren't nearly as heavy handed in that way. I find these books very restful and calming.
posted by bookmammal at 7:19 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]

If you're open to non-fiction I recommend Robert MacFarlane's Landmarks and Peter Wohlleben's The Hidden Life of Trees.

I also asked a similar-ish question a couple months ago and got some great answers.
posted by mostly vowels at 7:26 AM on July 30, 2020

Imagine James Herriott as a stereotypical Italian-American who specialized in cats, and you would get Dr. Louis Camuti, who wrote a delightful little book called All My Patients Are Under The Bed. It's set in mid-century New York City as opposed to a rural setting; but that just means that some of his clients are famous actors like Talullah Bankhead or James Mason. Also there's New York sass instead of Yorkshire practicality. But it's very similar - at least, similar enough that James Herriot-loving tween me loved it when I came across it.
posted by EmpressCallipygos at 7:30 AM on July 30, 2020 [5 favorites]

Not as charming, but deeper, Robert Sapolsky's Primate's Memoir.
posted by theora55 at 7:50 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]

Response by poster: I've read everything by Bill Bryon as well (except The Body). Ditto LM Montgomery (I love Anne but I think The Blue Castle is her best by a mile, so #TeamValancy). Clearly I should've made my question more descriptive.
All My Patients Are Under The Bed is not locally available (I live in India). Sigh.
But all the recommendations are amazing! And paduasoy, thank you for directing me to that question. I'll definitely look some stuff up from there as well.
Stepping back from the Ask now and will not chime back in, but again, thank you.
posted by Nieshka at 8:01 AM on July 30, 2020 [2 favorites]

yes yes yes to All My Patients are Under the Bed! and if you can get a hard copy from the library, it has THE MOST AMUSING picture on the back cover.
posted by misanthropicsarah at 8:02 AM on July 30, 2020

I remembered one more. Again, not about animals but gentle, humorous and wholesome stories about a simple minded Catholic priest and his archenemy and best friend the leader of the local Communist party.
The Little World of Don Camillo
posted by M. at 8:32 AM on July 30, 2020 [4 favorites]

May Sarton's The Fur Person gave me a lot of comfort recently. What could have been treacle in a lesser writer's hands is instead wry, emotional, and wise.
posted by minervous at 8:44 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]

I'll think more on this, but throwing out one rec you might like, since our tastes seem similar: Kingsley Amis "Lucky Jim" is one of the funniest books I've ever read, and one that I return to again and again. It isn't "kind" exactly, as much of the humor involves poking fun at particular stereotypes of academics; but it is low stakes; nobody is terrible, just often ridiculous; it's SO funny and intelligently written; and there's an inspiring "don't worry, everything's gonna work out" feeling at the end.
posted by fingersandtoes at 8:49 AM on July 30, 2020 [3 favorites]

"The Trumpet of the Swan" by White always makes me happy.

And "Where the Red Fern Grows" by Wilson Rawls is beloved but makes me sad at the end. Still, i owe it a re-read since we have gotten our first dog. :7)

Have you read any of Peter Mayle's books about moving from the U.K. to the south of France, starting with "A Year in Provence"? It's pretty relaxing to watch him putter about and fuss over his contractors. :7)

Have you watched the BBC series of All Creatures Great and Small?
posted by wenestvedt at 8:59 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]

If you'll take stuff for young readers, you might like Hilary McKay's middle grade/YA series about the Casson family. And anything by Dick King-Smith!
posted by ferret branca at 9:34 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]

The book "The Unprejudiced Palate" by Angelo Pellegrini is an Italian-American immigrant writing about the plants and foods of his California garden, and what it reminds him about growing up in Italy:

First issued in 1948, when soulless minute steaks and quick casseroles were becoming the norm, The Unprejudiced Palate inspired a seismic culinary shift in how America eats. Written by a food-loving immigrant from Tuscany, this memoir-cum-cookbook articulates the Italian American vision of the good life: a backyard garden, a well-cooked meal shared with family and friends, and a passion for ingredients and cooking that nourish the body and the soul.

- Goodreads
posted by wenestvedt at 10:41 AM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]

There's a series of those Provincial Lady books. Agree that they are in the same comfy niche.

Barbara Pym might work? Tons of those, too.

True Grit is not without blood and violence, so it doesn't really match the others in the group, but I agree with jdroth about it. It is hilarious and fantastic, and if you like that one, there is a whole Charles Portis rabbit hole of equally hilarious and far less violent stuff to hurl oneself down.

Maybe Allison Lurie and maybe Iris Murdoch. And maybe Jane Austen. But also maybe those are too serious novel-ey.

And if you resolutely put out of your mind that it's supposed to be "classic literature," you can read Melville's seafaring memoir stuff. I remember lolling about for a whole summer dipping in and out of Typee and loving life.
posted by Don Pepino at 10:47 AM on July 30, 2020

Gervase Phinn is a bit like Herriot (same part of England) but for schools.
posted by altolinguistic at 12:17 PM on July 30, 2020 [1 favorite]

You might like Stuart McLean's Vinyl Cafe series. You can try listening to one of his performances first to see if you like the flavour of the stories. He worked on them from 1994 until his death a couple of years ago so there are many to get through.
posted by Cuke at 2:19 PM on July 30, 2020

I really enjoyed The Nothing Girl and The Something Girl by Jodi Taylor. They're a little odd but sweet and lots of animals on a farm.
posted by See you tomorrow, saguaro at 6:53 AM on July 31, 2020

Tom Cox! His more recent non-fiction books are somewhat undefinable memoir/nature/history/rambling/swimming/animals/family/spookiness. Funny, kind, but very grounded and yet willing to consider the supernatural along with the natural... Not free from swearing if that is something that bothers you (it doesn't me, but a few people seem to not appreciate it). Read some things on his site and then buy his books.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:39 AM on August 1, 2020

Also highly recommend Charles Portis. :) But... not sure I'd put him in with Herriot. Love his writing though.
posted by oneirodynia at 11:40 AM on August 1, 2020