logo
Ask a Book Critic: I want a book that won't stress me out before bed

Ask a Book Critic: I want a book that won't stress me out before bed

Vox02-04-2025

Welcome to Ask a Book Critic, a members-only feature packed with personalized book recommendations from senior correspondent and resident book critic Constance Grady. To get your own recommendation, ask Constance here, and subscribe to the newsletter here.
I need a book for my family book club — it's my turn to pick. The only rule is that the author has to be Black. I try to recommend sci-fi/fantasy or magical realism to my family when it's my pick since that's outside their comfort zones.
I am going to assume you already know about Octavia Butler. (If not, she should be your first stop.) But let's not end our overview with the great Ms. Butler and what she accomplished with Kindred. A lot of talented new Black writers have been making waves in the fantasy-science fiction world over the last 10 years, and right now, there's a lot of exciting work happening in that space.
N.K. Jemisin won a historic three Hugo awards for her Broken Earth trilogy, which tells the story of a mother and daughter waging war against each other on a furious, exploited, somewhat sentient planet that may be our own, far in the future. It's an absolutely titanic achievement, and it will keep your family busy should you choose to read through all three volumes.
Akwaeke Emezi writes in a lot of different genres (they once told me in an interview that they started with literary fiction to make sure they would be taken seriously once they veered off into romance and science fiction), but always with incredibly precise, ferocious, electric prose. Their debut novel Freshwater uses Igbo cosmology to dramatize its protagonist's gender dysphoria and manic depressive personality, telling the story of a young girl who is ogbanje: She houses a spirit in her body, and she was born only to torture her mother by dying. Only instead of dying, she lives, and torments her mother in other ways.
Victor LaValle writes fantasy with a strong edge of horror, fairy tale, and social commentary. His most beloved work is probably The Changeling, about a man whose wife abruptly begins to claim that their baby isn't really their baby, to unsettling and unearthly results. The Changeling is a good primer on what makes LaValle such a cult favorite: It blends a deeply evocative portrayal of what it's like to be a parent with creepy, spine-tingling horror, plus some choice commentary on American politics. It's also a love letter to books themselves: Our hero is a rare books dealer, and a lot of the mythology here surrounds Maurice Sendak's classic Outside Over There. The whole thing is incredibly fun to read.
Finally, Nana Kwame Adjei-Brenyah's debut novel Chain Gang All-Stars was one of the big hits of 2023, and boy is it easy to see why. Chain Gang All-Stars imagines a near-future United States in which prisoners have the option of leaving jail to fight to the death in nationally televised gladiatorial games. If they survive three years on the circuit, the prisoners are free, sentence served. Almost no one ever lives that long. Across this propulsive, scathing novel, Adjei-Brenyah kaleidoscopes into the minds of people at all levels of complicity and victimization among the Chain-Gang All-Stars: spectators, organizers, and fighters alike. Almost no one he shows us is wholly innocent, but redemption is possible, if you have imagination enough to strive for it.
Hope in the current age. I often read fantasy and sci-fi, but I feel like a more grounded fiction (or nonfiction) story that can encourage me to look towards hope through human stories in a more modern setting will help my mental health.
One of the contemporary novels I've been thinking about lately is Lessons by Ian McEwan. McEwan writes a lot about how a single horrible catastrophe can warp a person's life forever (remember Briony in Atonement, who spends the rest of her life making up for a mistake she made as a child?). But Lessons is about a man who lives through several horrible catastrophes, and yet somehow manages to build a life worth living anyway.
Lessons spans the whole life of a man named Roland, from adolescence through old age. Roland experiences tragedies both personal (childhood sex abuse, spousal abandonment) and political (the Iron Curtain, Thatcherism, Covid). Yet as dark as things can get for Roland, he still has a life full of love and warmth and companionship, and it only becomes more so as he keeps surviving each catastrophe in turn and learning what he can from it.
I do most of my reading before bed and tend to fall asleep quickly; I average about five pages a night. I'm looking for something that is interesting/thought-provoking but won't make me too anxious. Something that's easy to pick up and put down but still maintains a story/theme.
In your shoes, I think I would like a book short enough that I could finish it over a few weeks, even five pages at a time — I always get disoriented if I try to do a larger novel in little chunks. So you might like Small Things Like These, a brief and lovely novel by Claire Keegan.
Small Things Like These tells the story of the thoroughly decent Bill Furlong, a coal merchant and father in a tiny Irish village in 1985. Making his rounds one day, Bill comes across a shocking scene in the town's Magdalene laundry, a Catholic-run institution for unmarried mothers. The Catholic Church in 1980s Ireland is immensely powerful, but Bill, with his stubborn goodness, isn't quite willing to back down from a fight.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Blue Ivy Carter reclaims her title, wins BET YoungStars Award once again amid Beyoncé tour
Blue Ivy Carter reclaims her title, wins BET YoungStars Award once again amid Beyoncé tour

USA Today

time2 hours ago

  • USA Today

Blue Ivy Carter reclaims her title, wins BET YoungStars Award once again amid Beyoncé tour

Blue Ivy Carter reclaims her title, wins BET YoungStars Award once again amid Beyoncé tour Blue Ivy Carter is a young star indeed, reclaiming her title once again at the BET Awards. The 13-year-old daughter of Beyoncé and Jay Z took home the Young Stars Award for a second year in a row at the 25th BET Awards. The awards show, dubbed culture's biggest night, took place at the Peacock Theater in Los Angeles on June 9. The YoungStars Award honors young entertainers who have had an impact in television, film, music or sports. Akira Akbar, Graceyn 'Gracie' Hollingsworth, Heiress Harris, Melody Hurd, Thaddeus J. Mixson, Tyrik Johnson and VanVan were among those nominated. Last year, Blue Ivy also took home the prize. Beyoncé also received two nominations at this year awards. She was up for album of the year for her eighth studio album, "Cowboy Carter." Her song "Blackbiird," featuring Tanner Adell, Brittney Spencer, Tiera Kennedy and Reyna Roberts, also received a nomination for the BETHer Award. The song is a cover of the Beatles' 1968 tune, which was inspired by the Civil Rights Movement. The category honors motivational and empowering songs that center women. The 35-time Grammy-winning singer didn't take home any awards this year. As fans know, Beyoncé first released the eighth studio album in March 2024. It has since made history and broken multiple records. As Beyoncé's first country album, she deliberately featured country legends and emerging Black country artists alike. She became the first Black woman to win best country album and album of the year at the 2025 Grammys. She kicked off her "Cowboy Carter" tour — a spectacle filled with fashion, multiple music genres and cultural commentary — April 28 in Los Angeles. Blue Ivy has been blowing fans away with her stellar dance moves and has taken a lead role on her mom's Cowboy Carter and Rodeo Chitlin' Circuit Tour. Many have been raving online about her performances, and her she's certainly shown that she has what it takes to step up to the plate — even approving the title manager Blue. Beyoncé is currently on the international leg of her tour. The nine-city tour will span the U.S. and Europe with the grand finale taking place in Las Vegas on July 26. Follow Caché McClay, the USA TODAY Network's Beyoncé Knowles-Carter reporter, on Instagram, TikTok and X as @cachemcclay

Cynthia Erivo crowned best actress at BET Awards
Cynthia Erivo crowned best actress at BET Awards

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Cynthia Erivo crowned best actress at BET Awards

British singer and actress Cynthia Erivo was crowned best actress at the Black Entertainment Television (BET) Awards in Los Angeles. Hosted by Kevin Hart, Monday's BET Awards celebrated the work of black people in music, entertainment, film, sports and philanthropy. The London-born star, who rose to worldwide prominence last year for her role in Wicked, was also nominated for the BET Her Award — which recognises empowering songs that focus on women — for her rendition of Defying Gravity. Grammy Award-winning rapper Doechii used her acceptance speech to sharply criticise US President Donald Trump's handling of protests in Los Angeles. The Swamp Princess takes her crown again! Standing ovation please for the #BETAwards Best Female Hip Hop Artist, @officialdoechii 👑 In case you couldn't tell, we're your biggest fan! — #BETAwards (@BETAwards) June 10, 2025 Collecting the award for best female hip-hop artist, she accused the president of 'creating fear and chaos' in his response to demonstrations against Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) raids, which sparked days of protest across the city. 'I do want to address what's happening right now, outside the building,' she said. 'These are ruthless attacks that are creating fear and chaos in our communities. In the name of law and order, Trump is using military forces to stop a protest, and I want you all to consider what kind of government it appears to be, when every time we exercise our democratic right to protest, the military is deployed against us.' Mr Trump announced plans to deploy 2,000 National Guard troops to California to quell the protests, which began on Friday. White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt said the move was 'essential to halting and reversing the invasion of illegal criminals into the United States'. The decision drew sharp criticism from Democratic politicians, including California Governor Gavin Newsom, who called the move 'purposefully inflammatory'. London-based girl-group FLO missed out after picking up nominations for best group and the Bet Her award for their track In My Bag, featuring GloRilla. Fellow UK artists Bashy and Ezra Collective earned nominations for best international artist, while multi-genre artist Odeal and R&B singer kwn were shortlisted for best new international act. Kendrick Lamar, who led the pack with 10 nominations, took home awards for album of the year and best male hip-hop artist. He also won video of the year and video director of the year for his hit Not Like Us, as well as best collaboration for Luther, his track with SZA SZA won best female R&B/pop artist, while Chris Brown took home best male R&B/pop artist. The evening featured a star-studded cast, including actor Jamie Foxx, with performances by Ashanti, Mariah Carey and GloRilla. Foxx, Carey, gospel star Kirk Franklin and Snoop Dogg were honoured with the ultimate icon award for their contributions to community, entertainment, and advocacy. Miles Canton, Luke James and Lucky Daye delivered an R&B tribute to Quincy Jones, who died in November.

WWE star R-Truth breaks silence on return after release
WWE star R-Truth breaks silence on return after release

Yahoo

time3 hours ago

  • Yahoo

WWE star R-Truth breaks silence on return after release

The post WWE star R-Truth breaks silence on return after release appeared first on ClutchPoints. Following his surprise return at Money in the Bank, former WWE 24/7 Champion R-Truth thanked the fans for leading to him being brought back after his release. Advertisement A fan on X, formerly Twitter, praised the #WeWantTruth movement for bringing R-Truth back to WWE. 'Wrestling as a collective, fans and wrestlers TOGETHER, used their voices to help get a Black man's job back in less than a WWEK!' the post began. That's why the 'how' is important to ME. 22 million views and broken hearts… Change was made. Period.' R-Truth responded to the post, saying, 'No [cap, We Want Truth] was seen, heard, felt, and understood…. Believe me when I say this, I love EVERY ONE of y'all to death [smiling face with tear emoji.] We made history together.' Son of WWE's R-Truth responds to his return After Money in the Bank, Paul 'Triple H' Levesque addressed R-Truth's surprise return. He called it 'All part of the show,' which does not appear to be the case, at least according to R-Truth's son, Christopher Killings. Advertisement He took to his Instagram Stories by reposting WWE's video of the post. Killings simply said, 'Stop the [cap],' in response to Triple H's comments. That was not his only post. Killings also reposted a video of his father's return, saying, 'Congrats on the new deal[,] dad [two money bag emojis]! Last run [loudly crying face emoji].' R-Truth announced that WWE was not renewing his contract on June 1, 2025, meaning he was released. This led to an internet uproar, and the WWE Universe began chanting, 'We want Truth,' beginning with the following edition of Monday Night RAW. The movement made an impact, as WWE rehired him ahead of Money in the Bank. He came back during the main event tag team match between the team of Cody Rhodes and Jey Uso against John Cena and Logan Paul. Advertisement Towards the end of the match, Cena began using his WWE Championship belt as a weapon against Rhodes. Just when it appeared he was going to cheat his way to another win, a hooded figure attacked him in the ring. He unmasked himself to reveal R-Truth, which received a loud response from the crowd. It is unclear in what capacity he will be involved in the company moving forward. For now, he is back and will likely resume his program with his 'childhood hero,' Cena. Related: Groundbreaking WWE Worlds Collide shatters viewership records Related: Kourtney Kardashian, Travis Barker hit with boos at WWE Money in the Bank

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store