From the first chapters of The Good Earth, to the part in Pillars of the Earth where Prior Phillip takes over Kingsbridge priory, to the protagonist taking care of Mr Bowditch in Fairytale… I have always found these portions of books to be soothing and eminently re-readable during tough times.
I don’t know if there’s a better term for what I am describing. I hope this makes sense. It’s the literary equivalent to those rug washing videos lol.
What are your favourites?
The introduction to Merlin’s study in The Once and Future King
Judge Dee The Chinese Maze Murders, by Robert van Gulik. The magistrate Dee comes to his new post to find the town taken over by hoodlums. He has to solve many mysteries and get the town and government working correctly. Can you say ‘Marshall Dillon!!’ - this judge is shrewd and does not jump to conclusions.
I definitely got this vibe with parts of A Gentleman in Moscow.
oh gosh. Any time Zale shows up in T. Kingfisher’s books. They are an extremely efficient clerk/lawyer and just so good at what they do. Absolutely love them as a character.
Also, really enjoyed The Goblin Emperor by Katherine Addison. The world-building up front is a little heavy, but once you get into things, it’s so nice to see someone who was always perceived as an outsider really getting to know the job and becoming adept at their role.
The Little House series has a lot of this. I found the process of melting lead to make bullets for hunting in Little House in the Big Woods especially satisfying.
River of Doubt is non-fiction, but the way the author goes into detail about how the rainforest was formed over millions of years of evolution was really captivating.
The Life of Pi is probably about half this kind of content. Boy is lost at sea for months with a lifeboat and a handful of supplies (and animals).
Robinson Crusoe is similarly an isolation/survival story where the protagonist has to build a bunch of stuff.
The Secret Island by Enid Blyton, where the kids make the island into their home.
Especially the construction of Willow House.
There’s a part of Moby Dick where he goes through the steps of what they do once they manage to kill a whale.
It’s fascinating, well-detailed, and just something I never thought about before. If I remember right, they can’t even get it up on the deck but instead have to tow it behind them while they drain the oil. Really fits the book too.
There’s also some very satisfying passages of checking and fixing a motorcycle in Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintanance. Makes sense, I know, but again, it fits the purpose of the book.
Morning Glory by LaVyrle Spencer, a sweet old romance novel from the late '80s. Will, a drifter, works on Elly’s farm in exchange for room and board. It’s the start of two lonely souls falling in love. The care Will shows the farm, the animals, the kids, and Elly is just the sweetest.
The Forest of Boland Light Railway. By BB. Building and running the railway. A delightful 'children’s ’ book from an age of innocence and whimsy. An older rural England. All gone now.
Zen and then Art of Motorcycle Maintenance by Robert Persig is basically this from cover to cover.
I don’t remember what chapter it was, but there’s a section of Elizabeth Gaskell’s Wives and Daughters, toward the end, where the main character is recovering from an illness and her stepsister shows up out of the blue to see her. The whole thing is just so lovely and kind, and shows all the characters in a great light. All of Gaskell’s work is very soothing to me (even when it’s dark!), but that section takes the cake.