Item — HN Reader

Read a really charming and escapist novel. Worst case, you end up staying up too late because the book is so good, but I haven't found anything more reliable for making me disconnect from the world and its churning. Substituting a book for Twitter for the hour before bed has markedly improved the overall quality of my life.

To get yourself into the habit, don't read anything on your "to read someday list of important books." Just pick the most notorious page turner you can think of.

5 comments

Recent reads that I recommend: N.K. Jemison's Broken Earth Trilogy. Alix Harrow's Ten Thousand Doors of January. Madeline Miller's Circe. Murakami's 1Q84.

Although with a little more thought, 1Q84 might be more upsetting now than it was last year.

I just had "Broken Earth" recommended to me from someone else as well. Guess that is going to the top of the list - thanks!

Completely agree. Reading a book before bed slows my mind and removes the days anxieties. I’m currently reading The Lost Fleet sci-fi series. Pure entertainment.

For sci-fi I really enjoyed the Three Body Problem series

Thanks! I have a couple books left in this series, then I'll check our your suggestion.

Anecdotally, I've had much better sleep when reading a book just before bed than anything else. Even just cutting of twitter/ screens before bed didn't get me the same kind of relaxed, gentle sleep as reading, say, 50 pages of sff.

I recommend Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy

Whoa, slow down there, Satan.

?? What?

Blood Meridian has dark moments in the narrative sure, but it’s a beautifully written book and very easy spaghetti western adventure to get lost in before bed. It’s not like you’re dozing off reading The Necronomicon, c’mon.

It's my favourite book but it's hardly easy-reading for many people. It's grim and would challenge a few people I bet. I could read writing like that about the desert forever, but not everyone is so inclined.

I think everyone should read it, but I can also appreciate an "easy there, Satan"-type joke about it!

Yeah, I've read most of Cormac McCarthy's books, but I've never gotten past the first 50 pages of Blood Meridian. Even compared to Child of God, it just hit me in the wrong ways whenever I read it. Still hoping to get to it someday though!

Commit to it. It's sublime.

Last one I read was Suttree while over in the US camping in the South-East.

I never thought I’d hear someone call Blood Meridian a “spaghetti western adventure”. Makes it sound like The Magnificent Seven!

I meant to say spaghetti-ish, but edited it out to fix some grammar and forgot to put it back. So it goes

In the middle of that book now. Deeply calming.

Any good book recommendations? I just finished Red Notice by Bill Browder which was fantastic.

If you're interested in Russia, Revolutionary Russia by Orlando Figes was really good. It's a (brief) history of the Soviet Union.