bedtime books

Anxiety has gripped me lately - there are life circumstances that have ushered me right into anxiety's living room that's for sure. 

I've found that I need something light for bedtime. I can't bring myself to pick up The Brothers Karamazov after a long day of stressful events. I am making time to read TBK and other extensive novels when the sun is up. After sundown, it's time to unwind a bit.

I accidentally purchased this novel, and I am glad that I did. Late one recent night, I opened it and I have been enjoying it honestly.

happy accidental purchase

Reasons that bedtime books are a good idea

1. It's a great way to unwind at night
2. You don't need a lot of brain power to consume them
3. It "lightens" things up
4. Feels like reading a tv movie/show

It's all about reading for well-being

I said it before and I will always say it. I don't read to impress anyone. I don't read for challenges or numbers. I read because without reading I would have a full on breakdown.

My life is very stressful, and reading allows me to slow down, focus and enter into another realm/world. It gives me pause from my own. That is powerful for me- and for all who experience it.

I will continue to have bedtime books. I'll seek to source them from my digital library (I read on kindle for sure when it is bedtime). I'll make a list of them in my library's "save" feature, and just see what I am in the mood for as I finish or dnf each one.

For now, it's helping me to turn screens off at night and sink into a novel before bed. I'll report back. 💤 

I won't read books that bore me- not sorry about it

I just won't give a second thought to dnfing any book that bores or annoys me. I just won't do it. 

Now, listen. I don't mind enduring with a novel. Hello? I loved all 7 volumes of The Search. What I am talking about is this new wave of half-baked novels that I feel are meant to just push out works at a butter churning rate that nauseates me. 

It goes without saying (though this day it always seems to need to be said) that this is my opinion. MINE. Not everyone shall agree. Okay that's out of the way...

I won't pick on any one novel that prompted this post (cough cough), but I'm looking at you Darling Girls.

I know. I know. People LOVE this book. I don't rag on novels with living authors, because I believe it takes immense skill and talent to write a novel, and just because I didn't like it,  does not detract from it's merit blah, blah, blah.

This book (and so many these days) rely on tropey, attention grabs, that are not very sound. Rather than the story leaning on it's own development, it uses what we know about (child abuse, SA, addiction, etc.) to propel it's story. You as the reader, come INTO the story with tons of information about things, and the author rides the coattails of that info and sends you spiraling towards a sickening end.

Ahhhhhhhhhhh- that's a digital scream. I am just so fed up. I am so busy with academic work, that I want to find something lighter to turn the pages of, but I am just annoyed over and over again.

I will be sticking with cozies for a while and see where that takes me. Alongside my beloved classics of course.

Rant over. Books I've graved recently....

Recent Reads That Kept Me Sane: Spring Edition

Escapist fiction. Nothing wrong with it. I love it. It's keeping me sane. VERY sane.

I love my classics.

I love my literary fiction.

But, I've had to put most of those to the side for now. I never thought I'd say those words, but my brain can barely hold on to what is vital and necessary.

I am burned out. Fully flamed.

Romance novels and cozy mysteries are saving me these days.

My life is HARD right now and I LOVE well-written romance. I've been having a great time reading (and DNFing) a few books lately.

Books I've loved lately

LOVE this series

I normally cannot 
binge read cozies, 
but this series is different!

Another series I binged
I LOVE this one

These books hold up well
being read back to back

I didn't expect to love this
one as much as I did.
AMAZING.
The hero was delicious.

NOT the typical age-gap
TRUST me.
I struggle with those 
and this was romantic.

Books that have been okay-ish

I enjoyed this one. I don't
do a lot of historicals.
This was good.

My first Tiffany Roberts.
It was steamy. I really liked it,
but it felt about 75-100 pages
too long.

What I'm reading right now

This is on KU!

I've heard great things,
and my hold finally
came in from the library
update: DNF

If lightening up my reading has taught me anything, it's that it's all good. It's fantastic to read light novels with ONE or two (maybe) heavier reads to anchor it all down.

As someone who does NOT work in publishing, english lit, and is NOT a grad student in any of those subjects, I've realized just how much bookish content is made by those whose business or work revolve around the more intense novels.

Though it takes me out of the circles and conversations (let's be honest, people have called me crazy for saying I will focus on romance), I am in heaven now.

Happy light reading my slow living friends.

Lightening Up with Kindle Unlimited

I DNF a lot of cozy mysteries and romance novels.

I want to be able to read more of them than I am able, but I have been making progress with lightening up in general and that translates into being okay with a book NOT being life changing. 

As a result, I re-subbed to KU and downloaded a ton of books (20 to be exact!).

I love trying nonfiction from KU, easy (recommended cozies), and some rom-com type of books to help me ease up.

I've been struggling a bit lately with insomnia and bad dreams, and heavy classics and transformative literary fiction has NOT been helping.

Here's what I've downloaded lately. No shame in my game (can't believe I just said that). 

I'm almost ashamed of how difficult this felt. After a zillion years in college/grad school, I remember longing for the ability to read a "light" novel. Now that I am able to do so, I STILL read through classics and literary fiction novels with pretty much ignoring any real genre fiction though it brings me some joy.

I...

Don't work in publishing. Don't work as a professor in English Lit. I'm going to take the advice of a few people and try to lower my stress levels by living through lighter novels that are easy page-turners and allow myself this respite from intense living.

I've started Vacation Wars on audio and while I have to stop dissecting the childishness of the protagonist, I am taking this for what it is... a rom-com that meant for enjoying. I actually found myself laughing out loud :)