I’m nearly 9 months pregnant and want to keep up my daily reading habit when my baby’s here. but I’m so tired physically/mentally that I’m wanting books that are easy (yet still good) and I don’t want to have to think about which book I’m going to read next. I’d like a series with many books and/or a list of ~10 books or a solid author or two with many good books. I’d really like any extra mental load taken off and just to download a book on my kindle from a pre-made list.
my favorite books are typically heavy in theme and weight lol. I love lonesome dove, the counte of monte cristo, I’m currently reading shogun but taking a break. stephen king is probably my favorite author and I love horror books. but I want lighter themes that won’t trigger any anxiety or are gross in any way (ex. I really liked the exorcist but it was so disgusting to me). NO suicide/self-injury and NO child/animal death or abuse.
I’ve done all the ACOTAR/fairy porn books except for the throne of glass series. I also went through a jodi picoult and nora roberts phase where I read a bunch of their books- more nora roberts could be good if I had some specific books to get into? also maybe open to john grisham books because I liked the firm (hated the widow though).
not in the mood for beach reads/book tok recommendations because I don’t tend to like short romances with quirky characters. I have liked some of taylor jenkins reid’s books though. but also I don’t think I’ll have the mental capacity for classics or dense language. I need engaging books that I don’t have to slog through parts (ex. currently reading the bee sting which had me intrigued but now that I’m reading from the little brother’s perspective, I’m finding it very dull)
this was way too much info I’m sorry haha. thank you for any and all help from an extremely pregnant person!!
by adult_angst
2 Comments
I’m on mat leave and went through more than 100 audiobooks in the last 6 months. It keeps me intellectually stimulated while caring for baby! Here are my five-star reads in English so far – the styles are varied but I found them all engaging, original, and easy to follow with a tired mommy brain:
– I’m glad my mom died, Jennette McCurdy
– Greenwood, Michael Christie
– The shadow of the wind, Carlos Ruiz Zafon
– I who have never known men, Jacqueline Harpman
– The Accursed Kings book series, Maurice Druon
– The Dutch House, Ann Patchett
– A well-trained wife, Tia Levings
– Of Mice and Men, John Steinbeck
– Never Let Me Go, Kazuo Ishiguro
– All the Light We Cannot See, Anthony Doerr
– Angela’s Ashes, Frank McCourt
– Homegoing, Yaa Gyasi
– Yellowface, RF Kuang
– Demon Copperhead, Barbara Kingsolver
– Convenience Store Woman, Sayaka Murata
– We need to talk about Kevin, Lionel Shriver
– The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro
– Daisy Jones & The Six, Taylor Jenkins Reid
– The Glass Castle, Jeannette Walls
– The Names, Florence Knapp
– The Great Alone, Kristin Hannah
– The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo, Taylor Jenkins Reid
– My Friends, Fredrick Backman
– Atmosphere, Taylor Jenkins Reid
– The Safekeep, Yael van der Wouden
– Pachinko, Min Jin Lee
– Beartown, Fredrik Backman
Enjoy your time with your baby!
Have you thought about rereading any books that you loved but haven’t touched in years? I went through a phase where I did that postpartum, and really enjoyed going through old favorites. Sometimes you wonder why you enjoyed it so much, other times you rediscover why you loved it.
If you don’t like rereading, then my suggestion is a silly mystery book series. Like, the ones with recipes in them. They are written for adults (so no little teeny boppers solving crimes) and often deal with someone being murdered, but aren’t written in a super heavy way; like, you’ll be able to follow along even when heavily sleep deprived and with hormones going haywire. Many of them are written as a series, but I’ve never bothered with going in a particular order, I just grab whatever punny title suits my mood. They’re easy to follow along. Some suggestions that sounded fun:
Krista Davis: The Diva Serves Forbidden Fruit
Debra H Goldstein: Four Cuts Too Many
Maya Corrigan: Gingerdead Man
A less silly but well written series is Real Murders by Charlaine Harris.