Sleeplessness comes in flavors. Some nights your mind is a tidy room, other nights it is a train station at rush hour. The right book depends on which. Choose the line that sounds like you.
If you are tired but not sleepy: calm
Wintering by Katherine May (2020) is a gentle memoir about resting during hard seasons. Braiding Sweetgrass by Robin Wall Kimmerer (2013) mixes plants, people and patience in short essays you can read one at a time. Neither asks anything of you.
If your head is too loud: absorbing
You need a story with a firm hand. Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier (1938) pulls you in on the first line and does not let go. Piranesi by Susanna Clarke (2020) is strange enough to silence the other thoughts.
If you are worried about tomorrow: funny
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams (1979) is quick, silly and quietly wise. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman (2019) is kind about the exact thing keeping you awake.
If you just want to be looked after: comforting
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911) is a classic for a reason. The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman (2020) is a mystery with warm tea and no nightmares.
A few small tips
- Choose paper if you can, or turn the screen brightness low and the warm filter on.
- Read until your eyes complain, not until the chapter ends.
- If you are awake most nights for weeks, talk to a doctor. A book is a companion, not a treatment.
