I have a 9 month old and postpartum anxiety. Anything involving tragedy, death, natural disaster, etc. is too difficult for me to handle right now. But I want to read a book that’s actually good, high quality literary fiction. And ideally, it will be somewhat addictive/a page turner. I have trouble focusing so I need something that will really draw me in!
Some books I somewhat enjoyed recently were Trust, Less, and Playground. But they were just meh. It’s hard to find a really good book that is not triggering.
Please help!
by Wide-Food-4310
10 Comments
Maybe…
Jami Attenberg: Saint Mazie
Willa Cather: my Antonia
Nick Hornby: Funny Girl (not super literary but…)
A month in the country by j l carr
The people we keep
Family Family
Pineapple Street
We’re all very good.
Try r/cozyfantasy
Congrats on your little one! For gentle yet gripping reads, try The Hand That First Held Mine by Maggie O’Farrell or The Mothers by Brit Bennett. Both are literary and warm without heavy triggers. Also, check this list for more postpartum-friendly picks: https://bumblebabychicago.com/5-transformative-postpartum-books/#
I’m 11 months PP and I feel the same way. I loved anything by Bill Bryson and “A Gentleman in Moscow”. by Amor Towles.
Not so much a book recommendation, but went through the same thing with mine. Couldn’t watch shows or movies and only read books that I’d read before. Even one of my favorites I stopped reading right before the final part because it was a high point before their world came crashing down. One thing that helped me was reading minor spoilers – knowing the gist of bad things and that the characters would overcome gave me enough control to still enjoy new stories. Second recommendation would be to re-read your own childhood favorites. Kids books pretty much always have the good guys win plus the nostalgia might be nice.
Fanny Flagg books
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry
The Lord Of The Rings trilogy
Stinkbug by Sinéad Stubbins
Greta and Valdin
Glorious Exploits by Ferdia Lennon
Writers & Lovers by Lily King
The Rachel Incident
The Garden Against Time
Tom Lake by Ann Patchett. Relaxed plot (nothing high stakes happens), incredible vibes, interesting character study! It feels like a hug from my mom.
Not a book recommendation but the app StoryGraph has a content warning section for every book that can be pretty helpful.