When you’re trying to relax or wind down from the day, reading a good book before bed is better for your brain than watching TV or playing with your phone.
Whether you read for fun or to learn, what you read before bed is far more enjoyable and stays with you longer. The best book to read before going to bed is light and enjoyable, and sends you into dreamland happy and at peace.
This list will take to you other places, other times, and other peoples viewpoints.
TIP: Printed books are better than digital e-readers for helping you to sleep. Research from Harvard Medical School says e-readers, like phones and TV’s, can interrupt your body’s natural cycle, making you more tired in the morning. So save the e-reader for the train and snuggle up with a relaxing story on paper.
1. The Shepherd’s Life by James Rebanks
James Rebanks has captivated readers worldwide by showing us the world he grew up in: a farm in the Lake District of rural England. This memoir shifts between his personal upbringing and the history of his culture. Rebanks takes the reader through his childhood journey whilst sharing his love for his life-long work as a shepherd. Relax in bed and learn what it’s like to live a life in a place still ancient in both practice and landscape.
2. The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
In what some consider Hemingway’s greatest novel we follow young American and British men from Paris to Spain the 1920’s. At the heart of the story is Lady Brett Ashley, a young promiscuous woman adored by our main character Jake. Known for his masterful writing style, this gripping story takes us on a journey of heartache and youthful angst in the post World War I era, now known as “The Lost Generation.”
3. Walden by Henry David Thoreau
Also known as Life in the Woods, this classic book takes us through the author’s experiences while living in a cabin by a lake in Massachusetts over the course of two years. We discover the author’s philosophies as he lives his life independently and in an unconventional way. We learn how to break a new boundary in this famous book that has had a profound influence on many great men including Gandhi.
4. Dr. Seuss’s Beginner Book Collection by Dr. Seuss
This light read is fun for anyone, especially children. It covers five classic Dr. Seuss stories, The Cat in the Hat, One Fish Two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish, Green Eggs and Ham, Hop on Pop, and Fox in Socks. These rhyming tales follow unforgettable characters in wild scenarios. If you want to have a little fun before bed or read to your children, this collection should be on your bookshelf.
5. The Thorn Birds by Colleen McCullough
This fictional epic novel follows three generations of life in the Australian outback from 1915 to 1969. The story focuses mostly on the only girl in the family, Meggie, who feels unloved by her mother and is in love with a man she cannot have. This forbidden love is only a part of this family story for they all have dark passions and big dreams in their struggling life on a sheep farm. Escape to another world before going to sleep.
6. Story People by Brian Andreas
Brian Andreas has brought joy to many with this national best seller. This collection of short stories and drawings about the amazing world we live in will make you laugh, smile and leave you seeking wonder. Some keep it by their desk or bed at all times. When a chuckle before bed is needed, Story People will do the trick.
