Motherhood, and adult life at large, often make us feel like there is no time to read. I used to subscribe to this mentality, until I embraced the magic of audio books. Audio books mean that reading can happen while I do chores, make dinner, drive alone, or decompress after the kids are in bed. This has meant an enormous spike in the number of books I can take in.
As a result, I have a constant stream of escapism. I can pop into different worlds, feel a wide array of feelings that have no bearing on my real life, and enjoy some great writing while I’m at it. Listening to audio books has made chores and driving more fun. And reading several (75 in the last year!) books has opened up a new topic of conversation with a bunch of different friends, turning some of my text chains into accidental low key book clubs.
All this to say, consuming a parade of different literature over the course of the last year has brought a bunch of joy to my life and fun to my routine. Whether you get on board with audio books like I did, grab some paperbacks from your local small book store, or load up your e-reader, I’m here to say that putting reading into your routine can brighten up the life of a busy parent.
Since there are millions of possible tastes for books, and since there are infinite books to select from, I’m choosing to share with you a handful of books I loved and the moods they cater to. In no particular order, are some great books to read as a busy parent, with hopefully a little something for everybody:
Murder/Mystery/Thriller, But Make it Funny and Weirdly Relatable
The Finlay Donovan Series by Elle Cosimano
Come for the hilarious dry humor and big laughs about the antics of being a parent. Stay for the compelling mysteries. Book one starts with an author and single mother accidentally getting into contract killing. The series (six books + one novella and counting!) follows Finlay, her accountant and nanny, and their lives navigating several mysteries and adventures that stem from that original misunderstanding. If you like to lightly suspend disbelief, laugh a lot, and follow the threads of a compelling mystery, these books are for you.
The Hawthorne Murder Series by Anthony Horowitz
Start with Book One: The Word is Murder. Give these a try if you like who-dun-it murders, dry humor, and meta-self-awareness. These fictional stories are told as if they are the real-life tale of the author himself trailing a disgraced cop-gone-private detective, as the two try to solve murder mysteries. The mysteries are all intricate, and the formula of a murder mystery writer trying to solve a real murder while chronicling a detective’s investigation has kept me hooked for six books and counting.
Romances that Feel Like a Summer Vacation
Part of Your World by Abby Jimenez
This love against the odds, princess and pauper tale takes you on mini vacations to a charming small town. It’s a feel-good romance balanced with the main character overcoming some realistic life struggles that give the story some meat. It’s book one of a three book series of interconnected standalone tale. If you’re jonesing for a summer setting, skip to #3, Just for the Summer. Though, despite being standalone tales, I think the books are best enjoyed in order.
Happy Place by Emily Henry
Escape to a gorgeous Beachside mansion in Maine with a group of longstanding friends. This story takes you through a second chance romance set inside a larger group of old friends who are facing growing up while also reveling in nostalgia.
One Golden Summer by Carley Fortune
This one takes you on a lake vacation in rural Canada. A vacationing woman and a local man – each working through some recent traumas – go from butting heads, to friends, to romance. It’s a charming book with lovable characters that also invites you to ponder the part the past should play in shaping your present. This one is also a standalone in an interconnected series. I read it out of order, but friends assure me the order is less consequential here.
Witchy/Whimsical/Romantic- But Not Spicy
The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches and A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping by Sangu Mandanna
Both of these are standalone magical stories set in cozy cottages in England. The Very Secret Society of Irregular Witches follows an adult witch who has always been tasked to hide her powers that stumbles upon a well-kept-secret trio of young witches. It’s a book about found family and self-actualization, set in a magical tale full of charming juvenile spell mishaps and enchanted gardens.
A Witch’s Guide to Magical Innkeeping follows a powerful witch who has lost most of her powers and her experience managing an inn with an eclectic collection of quirky tenants while trying to get her powers back from a domineering leader. It is another tale of found family and also deals in second chances.
Both are charming, cozy, low-stakes stories with lovable characters, a setting that feels like a warm blanket, and heart-fluttering romance that won’t make you blush too much.
Horror
The Broken Girls by Simone St. James
This book follows two timelines: a modern-day woman pursuing a cold case that hits close to home; and young girls at a neglected boarding school experiencing a very frightening haunting. The modern-day story happens in and around the grounds of the now abandoned school, tying the haunted story line together with the cold case. This book was equal parts riveting and chilling. I could not put it down.
The same can be said for all of Simone St. James’ books—of which there are ten, plus a novella. If you enjoy historical fiction as well there are several set in interwar England, my favorite of which is Silence for the Dead. The Sundown Motel is a modern set one and one that I found the scariest.
Don’t Let the Forest In by C.G. Drews
If monster-style scares are more your taste, then definitely check out Don’t Let the Forest In. A teenage boy at a boarding school writes dark fairy tales that his best friend illustrates. Soon, the monsters from his stories begin to come to life and cause havoc on and around campus. Don’t let this book’s YA tag turn you away. On top of some very heart-pounding scares, characters grapple with high stakes emotion, all gorgeously written with rich description and a style that borders on poetic. Drews’ writing hurls you into the world of the story with imagery so vibrant you can practically see, hear, and smell what the characters are experiencing. I read it in less than 2 days.
Fantasy/Romantic; Thrilling and Heartbreaking
An Ember in the Ashes Series by Sabaa Tahir
I read this series nearly five years ago and it still rents space in my head. The series is set in a Roman Empire-esque kingdom with corrupt leaders and a social hierarchy that leaves large swaths of the population in squalor. The first book follows a young woman from one of the lower classes trying to rescue her brother, and a soldier from the elite military class who hopes to defect. The series has four books in total that take the reader on an intense journey with mythical creatures, scheming leaders, brave resistance fighters, and sweeping romance. The writing is delectable and the gripping story will devastate you just as deftly as it makes you feel joy and triumph.
