Read to Sleep

a kitten asleep with its arms out stretched on a book.

Sleep is something that comes really easily to some, while completely evading others. Hopefully, sleep doesn’t evade you, but if it does below are a couple of books to read while you lie awake at night. Who knows, one might even help you fall asleep?

Let’s start with short stories, essays, and poems in the hopes that a little light reading helps with insomnia:

First up, Fiona and Jane by Jean Chen Ho

Fiona and Jane Book Cover, a painting of two people.

“A witty, warm, and irreverent book that traces the lives of two young Taiwanese American women as they navigate friendship, sexuality, identity, and heartbreak over two decades”– Provided by publisher.

If you’re anything like myself, reading in bed has one of two results. The first being that it knocks me out and sends me into a goodnight’s sleep or one where I wake up with my limbs in awful positions to have slept in. The second option, is that it keeps me up all night reading and if it’s a part of a series, the sleep deprivation will continue out onto the rest of the day too. These collections of stories has the potential to grab my attention for one cinematic moment at a time (per night) and feels like a good option for something to read just before drifting into sleep each night for a couple of days.

Next up, Filthy Animals by Brandon Taylor

In Taylor’s linked stories he focuses on the tensions among friends and family, lovers and others. The stories, set among young people in the American Midwest, provide a portrait of the fierce longing for intimacy, the lingering presence of pain, and the desire for love in a world that seems, more often than not, to withhold it. — adapted from jacket.

This one might not be so light, but the writing style is nice and they are interconnected short stories, some may resonate.

Next up, Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong 

Book Cover Time is a Mother by Ocean Vuong
“Ocean Vuong’s second collection of poetry looks inward, on the aftershocks of his mother’s death, and the struggle – and rewards – of staying present in the world. Time Is a Mother moves outward and onward, in concert with the themes of On Earth We’re Briefly Gorgeous, as Vuong continues, through his work, his profound exploration of personal trauma, of what it means to be the product of an American war in America, and how to circle these fragmented tragedies to find not a restoration, but the epicenter of the break”– Provided by publisher.
Another, not quite so lighthearted read- although, I don’t necessarily think, us, readers tend to run away from these types of reads. There’s something nice about being deeply moved by human experience and seeing just how similarly or differently we feel about or perceive our own experiences.
Do you know Margaret Atwood? Have you read, Burning Questions: essays and occasional pieces 2004-2021?
Book Cover of Margaret Atwood's Burning Questions Essays and occasional pieces. 2004-2021.
From literary icon Margaret Atwood comes a brilliant collection of nonfiction — funny, erudite, intimate, impassioned, and always startlingly prescient — which grapples with such wide-ranging topics as: Why do people everywhere, in all cultures, tell stories? How do we get rid of the immense amount of plastic that’s littering our seas and lands? How much of yourself can you give away without evaporating? Is science fiction now writing us? So what if beauty is only skin deep? What do zombies have to do with authoritarianism? Is it true? And is it fair? In over fifty pieces, taken from lectures, autobiographical essays, book reviews, cultural criticism, obituaries, and new introductions to her own body of work (including “The Handmaid’s Tale” thirty years after its initial publication) as well as that of other writers, we watch Atwood aim her prodigious intellect and impish humor at the world, and report back to us on what she finds. From asking what society’s youth expects from its elders (2004), to pondering the philosophical underpinnings of debt (2008, not surprisingly), to encountering a mysterious new platform called Twitter (2009), to asking if it is, in fact, too late to save the planet (2015) or what forces have been unleashed in the age of Trump (2016), and culminating in a breathtaking meditation on grief and poetry in the wake of her own loss (2020), Atwood provokes, probes, delights, surprises, and rewards the reader at every turn” — Provided by publisher. 

This next one is written by a songwriter. Feel Your Way Through: a book of poetry by Kelsea Ballerini  

book cover of feel your way through by Kelsea Ballerini

“I’ve realized that some feelings can’t be turned into a song . . . so I’ve started writing poems. Just like my songs, they are personal and honest. Just like my songs, they have hooks and rhymes. Just like my songs, they talk about what it’s like to be twenty-something trying to navigate a wildly beautiful and broken world.” Deeply felt and candid, Feel Your Way Through grapples with the challenges and celebrates the experiences Kelsea faces as she navigates the twists and turns of growing into a woman today. She addresses themes of family, relationships, body image, self-love, sexuality, and the lessons of youth. The poems speak to the often harsh-and sometimes beautiful-onset of womanhood. Honest, humble, and ultimately hopeful, this collection reveals a new dimension of Kelsea Ballerini’s artistry and talent”– Provided by publisher.  

For those who might be curious about the thoughts of a songwriter and the difference between poetry writing and song writing.

If short stories, essays, or poems aren’t quite your type of reading material, what about romance?

Here are a couple of recommended romance novels:

The Love Hypothesis by Ali Hazelwood   

book cover of The Love hypothesis has a couple kissing in the foreground and science lab equipment in the background.

“When a fake relationship between scientists meets the irresistible force of attraction, it throws one woman’s carefully calculated theories on love into chaos.” – provided by publisher.  

If you’re anything like myself, you probably also love a fake-turned-a-little-too-real-relationship. There’s just something about a story where two characters have put themselves in a situation. It’s especially fun when someone feels a specific way about love or doesn’t believe in love. This story features one grumpy character and one sunshine character. 

Fun fact about this one – it was inspired by Rey and Kylo Ren from Star Wars.

While We Were Dating by Jasmine Guillory    

book cover of While We Were dating features a couple at a red carpet event“Two people realize that it’s no longer an act when they veer off-script in this sizzling romantic comedy by New York Times bestselling author Jasmine Guillory.” – provided by Publisher. 
This one reminds me of when you take a “bit” to far and instead of staying a joke, it begins to become a reality. In this book. a little harmless flirting quickly becomes more than either of the two characters bargained for.

The Heart Principle by Helen Hoang  

Book Cover of The Heart Principle

“A woman struggling with burnout learns to embrace the unexpected–and the man she enlists to help her–in this sizzling new romance by USA Today bestselling author Helen Hoang.” – provided by Publisher.  

 This one is about a violinist who struggles with burnout and perfectionism, it explores topics that are a little bit heavier like anxiety, depression, and caregiving, but it also balances it out with romance and fun.

The Son of Mr. Suleman by Eric Jerome Dickey 
book cover
“Professor Pi Suleman is a black man from Memphis and proud of it. Still, he has to endure a lot as an adjunct professor at the city’s prestigious University Along the Nile, a hard-earned career that is crushing his spirit. Pi is constantly forced to bite his tongue in the face of one of his tenured colleague’s prejudice and microaggressions. At the same time, he’s being blackmailed by a powerful UAN professor who threatens to claim he has assaulted her; he is unable to reveal that she is actually sexually violating him, trapped in a he-said-she-said with a white woman that, in this society, Pi knows he will never win”– Provided by publisher.  

Lease on Love by Falon Ballard 

book cover“Beach Read meets The Flatshare in this warmly funny and delightfully sharp debut rom-com about a down-on-her-luck young woman who turns an innocent mix-up between a dating app and a roommate app into a new chance at love”– Provided by publisher.  

 

Have a great sleep and happy holidays!