I'm a stay-at-home mom of several kids. My husband is gone for a few months for military training. I'm feeling overwhelmed. Book have historically been my escape when things are stressful but I'm in a reading slump. It's probably not a coincidence that this reading slump is coinciding with my husband being gone. I like pretty much any genre other than horror. I love a good classic as much as a modern book, fiction as much as non-fiction. I typically won't shy away from a Russian novel but I also won't turn my nose up a romcom.
Right now I'm finding it hard to have the attention span for a meatier book. My go-to genre when I feel spread too thin is romance, but every time I pick one up I find myself bored and unable to get into the story. I feel like I'm teetering on the edge of a bout of depression, so focusing on anything is a little tricky.
So, I'd love a book that sucks me in but isn't too heavy. As much as I love a book that devastates me, I need to be at 110% for my kids when they need me so I can't be 1) struggling to sleep (for context, while I loved it, In the Woods by Tana French did this to me), 2) emotionally destroyed (ex. The Kite Runner). I would LOVE to find a series that I could get sucked into for the next few months.
Books I've really enjoyed that maybe hit close to what I'm looking for:
- A Gentleman in Moscow
- read the Lincoln Highway and definitely didn't enjoy it as much
- Ordinary Grace by William Kent Krueger
- Project Hail Mary
- read all Andy Weir except Artemis (I heard it wasn't worth it)
- Blake Crouch books
- have read all of his already
- Mhairi McFarlane books
- already have read all of hers too, but this is the type of romance book I'd prefer…closed door and women who aren't dumb and with some depth to the story
- Maybe a little heavier than what I'm looking for right now, but really enjoyed
- Red Rising Series
- Under the Banner of Heaven
- The Secret History
- Tana French's books
- Maybe a little fluffier than what I'm looking for right now, but really enjoyed
- Finlay Donovan series
- The Maid
- Everyone in My Family Has Killed Someone
Non-fiction books I've read recently that I loved but are maybe not quite as engaging as I'm looking for (but maybe a good baseline for more engrossing non-fiction books suggestions)
- The WEIRDest People in the World
- Dominion by Tom Holland
- Mistakes Were Made (But Not by Me)
- 1491
My husband has been begging me to read Brandon Sanderson, but I struggled to get through the first two Mistborn books. He swears the next series is better. Would skipping to the Stormlight Archive be a good or bad idea? I'm looking at my list and I'm kind of surprised at how many mysteries I have. I've read the first book in Louis Penny's detective series and it didn't really pull me in, but are the later books better at that? Also not above a decent YA book. I really enjoyed the An Ember in the Ashes series.
Looking forward to the suggestions! This sub always has great recs 🙂
by jemat1107
4 Comments
Girl in the Train or The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo.
Slow Horses series by Mick Herron. Funny spy series that will keep you reading
Sending you a big hug – I’m a military kid, and the separations are hard. You will get through it, and the experiences your kids will have will stay with them for a lifetime (in the best way)!
I love Sanderson, but stepping into Stormlight is heavy when compared to Mistborn. It’s very good but it features characters struggling with their mental health.
You might like his Skyward series. It’s compelling, but not overly complicated. It is YA but not immature.
If you don’t mind crass humor, you might enjoy Dungeon Crawler Carl. It is absurd at times and it will move you to tears at times. The audiobooks in particular are fantastic.
Becky Chambers is another wonderful writer. I love her series that starts with A Long Way to a Small Angry Planet.
Naomi Novik is another favorite. I love the Temeraire series, as well Spinning Silver and Uprooted, two stand alone retellings of fairy tales.
For non fiction, Dark Tide, the Great Boston MolassesFlood of 1919. Reads like fiction but is sadly true.
I really loved Demon Copperhead – it’s emotional but ultimately uplifting. And I had to keep reading – needed to know what would happen next.
Fat but light books by Ken Follett – the Kingsbridge series is really fun and interesting. It follows a town and several families through the centuries. It starts with The Evening and the Morning. He writes these really broad characters but there’s always someone to root for and again…he’s a page turner.
Light but not stupid – Remarkably Bright People. That is a really charming book! It was a book club pick and I didn’t think I’d like it, but I did. Great characters.