The Rec League: Bedtime Books

The Rec League - heart shaped chocolate resting on the edge of a very old bookThis Rec League comes from longtime commenter, Kris Bock on Shana’s Greener Pastures review. Thanks, Kris!

“It’s built for bedtime reading; sweet enough to give you happy dreams, and quiet enough to let you fall asleep easily.”

I feel like this could be a whole marketable category of books.

Sarah: Mmmm sleepytime books. A Psalm for the Wild Built, though it has some emotional moments, is very soothing for bedtime reading. I also often re-read Murderbot (quelle surprise) because while there is action and combat, I know when it’s happening so I don’t react emotionally as much. Grumpy Murderbot is often very soothing to me. I also re-read Act Like It before bed when I’m really stressed out.

In terms of romance: Holiday Sparks by Shannon Stacey ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) is one of my all time favorite novellas, and I love re-reading it. The tension is low, based on whether one character will stay in town or go back to their life in a city, but there are, as the title suggestions, sparks.

Her Big City Neighbor
A | BN | K | AB
Jackie Lau’s books are perfect bedtime reading for me, because the writing leans into very familiar tropes and the emotional and sexual tension builds slowly but steadily. There are no jump scares! Her Big City Neighbor was a lovely before bed read, especially because the characters’ growth comes from a lot of quiet revelations.

Ok I have one more: Destiny’s Embrace by Beverly Jenkins ( A | BN | K | G | AB | Scribd ). There’s a lot (A LOT) of competence porn, which I love, and Mariah is one of my favorite of Jenkins’ heroines. I have re-read the section where Mariah is making the train journey from Philadelphia all the way to the west coast a whole bunch of times.

Lara: I have no ideas but this is EXACTLY what I’m looking for! Im going through an uncharacteristic bout of insomnia and my brain needs soothing. Thank you, Kris, for writing in! It’s probably time for me to take the financial bull by the horns and read Murderbot…

Amanda: I feel like some of the books recommended in our Cozy Fantasy Rec League could work!

Shana: Well, I certainly recommend Greener Pastures by Aurora Rey, since it was the book who inspired this rec league. Honestly, any Aurora Rey book is a good bedtime pick. The Last Place You Look is a similarly quiet and chill contemporary.

The Last Place You Look
A | BN
Annabeth Albert’s Portland Heat series is super duper cozy. Literally, in the case of Knit Tight’s soft sweaters.

Clean Breaks by Ruby Lang ( A | BN | K | G | AB ) could work too. I remember that that book being a series of fun summertime dates.

Oh, and Just Like That by Karin Kallmaker would be nice. It take place on a winery, and while there’s a clash between the wine owner’s daughter and the out of town consultant, it doesn’t take long for things to simmer down so they can picnic in Napa together.

What books would you recommend for some calming, before bed reading?

Comments are Closed

  1. Emily C says:

    I feel like this could be very subjective, because what’s soothing to one person might not be to someone else. But I reread Susannah Kearsley’s books for quiet comfort, especially The Winter Sea, A Desperate Fortune and The Rose Garden.

  2. PamG says:

    Celia Lake’s Albion books might be a soothing and satisfying choice for anyone who enjoys altered history with a paranormal theme. She has several interrelated series all set in a magical version of Britain from the turn of the century though the post-WWI era, The books stand alone, but I would pick a series and start with book 1 as an entry point. The magic doesn’t feature stringent rules or extreme consequences, nor is there a ton of violence or gore. What they do very well is portray adult relationships and conversations in a world that is both mellow and a little melancholy. As a bonus, if you like your first taste, there are a lot of these books & they’re moderately priced.

  3. SB Sarah says:

    @PamG – this is such a great recommendation I’m almost annoyed at myself for not thinking of it. I know Catherine would have said this one first (and about 9935 other books, too). Thank you for mentioning this series!!

  4. chacha1 says:

    For M/M readers, ‘Secrets on a Train’ by Nell Iris is a perfect bedtime story. Short, sweet (no on the page sex), have read it about eight times already. 🙂

  5. DonnaMarie says:

    I have a different perspective on bedtime reading, as previously noted in the FLESH AND STONE review comments. Books I love are rarely a good choice because, even if I’ve read them before, I will end up reading waaaay too late. I’ll set it aside to go to sleep and five minutes later admit I’m not going to sleep unless I read just one more chapter. Rinse. Repeat.

    Now a cold rainy afternoon with potential for a nap? Something by Sarah MacLean or maybe one of the numerous historical mystery with romance elements that have become my catnip, but most probably you’ll find me under an afghan with MAJOR PETTIGREW’S LAST STAND. It is one of my desert island books. It is so warm and comforting and there’s such a stuffy sweetness to the Major that you can just hear all the flustered harumffing Mrs. ALI is going to be causing in their future. Not too mention the perfectly romantic book cover.

  6. EJ says:

    I suggest The Flatshare by Beth O’Leary. The subject matter isn’t always cozy (recovering after emotional abuse, incarceration) but almost everyone is a nice person.

  7. drewbird says:

    Another M/M reader here – Agree that Annabeth Albert (Portland Heat and Gaymers) and Nell Iris are good cozy reading, and I get a lot of Nell’s books through Hoopla from my library. I also adore Amy Lane – she has such compassion for neurodivergent/societal outcast characters that I find the approach very empathetic and comforting (good bedtime reads are Clear Water, Summer Lessons, Christmas Kitsch, Homebird, Late for Christmas). I also adore Mary Calmes (specifically Frog) and N.R. Walker (literally anything of hers), and One Giant Leap by Kay Simone.

  8. Emily C says:

    I looked at my own nightstand and thought of another bedtime suggestion- Austen! I have been slowly reading my way through Emma and since I know these characters so well it’s a comfort to return to them time and again.

  9. RoseRead says:

    I enjoy the Sleepy Bookshelf podcast. It’s great for when I want the lights off and to rest my eyes as I slip into sleep. Narrator Elizabeth Grace reads very calming classic fiction in a lovely English accent. Each episode is timed to about the amount of time it takes to fall asleep. And so a book can be many episodes, but they’re stories we’re all pretty familiar with (e.g, Anne of Green Gables, Alice in Wonderland, Secret Garden) so we can listen with just a part of our brains. Highly recommend. https://sleepybookshelf.com/

  10. Jeannette says:

    If I really need to get to sleep, I know I have to have both short and sweet. That will ensure even a bad decision book night isn’t so bad.
    My M/M recommendation is: Granddad’s Cup of Tea by Amy Durreson. Slow and sweet like a summer afternoon.

  11. gracef says:

    i HAVE to recommend the tea dragon society series by kay o’neill!!!!! they are graphic novels and the world is beautiful, extremely low conflict, and queernormative and inclusive. they are so peaceful and soft!! also there are tiny dramatic dragons. so what more do you really need

  12. Taylor says:

    @DonnaMarie, I love Major Pettigrew’s Last Stand. The year I read it everyone got a copy for Christmas. It’s such a lovely read.

  13. HeatherS says:

    “Tommy Cabot Was Here” by Cat Sebastian. It’s a “second chance romance” novella and so quiet and cozy that I really want a sequel that shows them living together, doing all the day-to-day stuff.

  14. Crystal says:

    I think the L.M. Montgomery books from my youth tended to be very comforting, particularly the Anne books and The Blue Castle. I also tend to run right at historical romance, particularly with a comedic bent, when I need soothing (read it a lot when sick, for example), and When A Scot Ties the Knot by Tessa Dare and Devil’s Daughter by Lisa Kleypas were very soothing for me. Also, on the SFF front, Hail Mary by Andy Weir. I just love the relationship between Ryland and Rocky so much, and there’s something comforting about two such different organisms learning to communicate, establishing this beautiful friendship, and literally moving the heavens and the earth to help each other. And Star Wars: Bloodline by Claudia Gray, because it’s competence porn on steroids (viva Leia Organa).

  15. Mzcue says:

    Several of Penny Watson’s books are sweet favorites of mine for winding down with just-right levels of plot and warmth. My favorites are Taste of Heaven, Apples Should be Red, and Lumberjack in Love. They’re well written, engaging and less than $1 each in ebook form.

  16. Gab says:

    I prefer rereading over reading at bedtime, otherwise I stay up too late! And now that I think about it, at bedtime I tend to gravitate towards authors I’ve been reading since I was a teenager: Georgette Heyer, Mary Stewart and occasionally M.M. Kaye.

  17. kkw says:

    Not romance, technically, supposedly, although I am nevertheless certain it is: the Master and Commander series. It’s like Temeraire but (alas) no dragons. Fantastic bedtime reading. I find them genuinely interesting historically, they’re engaging, and I desperately ship Jack and Stephen – which is hilarious to me since, y’know, actual ships. Because that’s the thing, you can’t read very long before getting to a passage, which will last for several pages, about rigging and sails and whatnot, in this amazing soporific detail, it’s all xebec mizzen bosun zzzzz.

  18. Kris Bock says:

    Oh, hey! I said what now? Oh, that’s right, I did.

    I’m reading the Magic in Manhattan trilogy by Allie Therin again. I Love how sweet the characters are together, so it feels like a comfort bedtime read. But there’s also lots of action, danger, magical murders and so on, so I suspect it wouldn’t be as comforting the first time. Maybe rereading opens up new categories, because you can trust how things are going to end. Off to bed now, but I’ll bookmark this to study more thoroughly later!

  19. Zana says:

    I’ve really liked Lyn Messina’s Beatrice Hyde-Clare historicals for a light, fluffy read…not gory murder mysteries, slow burn but fun romance, and lots of humor. The set of 10 is available on Kindle unlimited.

  20. PamG says:

    I also like Rosalind James Rugby/New Zealand series as a pre-bedtime read precisely because they are not short. You know from the outset that you’re not gonna finish that bad boy in a night. Also the pacing is steady and solid though not soporific. There may be danger or tension in the background but it rarely ratchets up to the level of high drama. Characters are generally both likeable and good people. There is something fundamentally comforting and admirable to me in James’s descriptions of New Zealand culture and values. I suppose this is very much a case of ymmv, but I figured I’d put it out there.

    One exception: I have never been able to get past the first book in her Not Quite a Billionaire series. Hemi may be redeemed by book 3, but I have never had the patience to stick around for it.

  21. Anne Marie says:

    Ilona Andrews! I reread Kate Daniels or start from Burn for Me. Their world building is without compare. I can read just a bit each night and go to bed in a great place.

  22. Caroline says:

    Not to be too cliché, but Pride and Prejudice with the obligatory cuppa tea is my coziest for-to.

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