It’s often the steady rhythm of reading, familiar and soothing, that helps people unwind. Scientific evidence backs this up: a 2020 survey by Penguin Random House found that reading books before bed got an average of 25 more minutes of rest per night than those who didn’t.
Two-thirds of bedtime readers noted that reading was more effective in helping them fall asleep than other relaxation techniques, over sleepy teas or white noise. (penguinrandomhouse.com).
This calming effect stems from the brain function necessary to immerse yourself in your chosen literary bliss. Vision, language, and memory functions operate in a unique circuit — a process that demands just enough mental focus to quiet the noise of the day, without overstimulating it. (dreams.co.uk).
You’ve got to be a bit picky with your bedtime reads. Fiction with a calm tone, low stakes, and rhythmic language is preferred. Standalone sections make it easier to read, with short digestible chapters being ideal. The perfect wind-down ritual.
Keeping this in mind, we have five selections to help you start creating your ideal dozy library, brimming with diversity in tone, genre, and story.
Intermezzo, Sally Rooney (2024)
Sally Rooney’s latest novel is, by far, her most suitable for a bedtime reading. It deviates from the typical archetype of inducing ongoing existential angst. Instead, she employs her deft touch in a story that explores both coming of age and fraternal discord amid crisis.
The story follows a young chess prodigy and his older brother, a corporate lawyer, and their antagonistic patterns of grief after the loss of their mother. Navigating professional life and grappling with two distinct challenges in forming new relationships.
What makes Intermezzo is the simple yet elegant prose and digestible structure, which are highly sufficient but not overly stimulating. With chapters alternating between the brothers, both are endearing but infrequently overlap, allowing for breaks. This makes it perfect for shorter reading stints, aligning more closely with our predetermined criteria.
While some emotional weight remains — this is Rooney, after all — it’s gentler and more contained than in her earlier work.
Leonard and Hungry Paul, Rónán Hession (2019)
Hession’s debut novel is best described as a take on modern, yet unobtrusive, male friendship, following Leonard, an encyclopedia writer, and Paul, a part-time postman who is broadly content with the simplicity of his life.
Hession is not focusing on a vast world-building experience. Instead, he employs his engaging style and emotional appeal to help the reader appreciate the unappreciated. Concentrate on the unremarkable and highlight its value if you want to get the most out of Hession’s work. I understand that it may be a hard sell from this perspective, but I highly recommend it.
Reviewing our checklist, the tone remains gentle and emotionally safe. The chapters are similarly digestible, and the tale of two unremarkable, almost ordinary men who are not seeking anything is a riveting comfort read.
Popco, Scarlett Thomas (2004)
A more intellectually demanding but deeply rewarding bedtime read. Popco blends cryptography, consumerism, and ongoing internal conflict through the eyes of Alice Butler, a semi-odd genius working at a toy corporation.
As Alice questions the purpose of her role during a corporate retreat, her grandparents’ past as WWII codebreakers surfaces as a counterpoint to her present-day apathy. The novel mixes mathematical frameworks, memory, and mystery in ways that seem infinitely less challenging than they sound.
While Popco is the least “dozy” in form, its alternating structure and unconventional subject matter make it ideal for readers who want to stay engaged without emotional overload. It’s a great way to stretch your brain — gently — before bed.
The Last Girlfriend on Earth, Simon Rich (2013)
A collection of short stories, witty and slightly offbeat, all revolving around the dating world and young love, but in a highly imaginative lens. From gods in therapy to awkward first dates in the afterlife, Rich’s stories are brief, clever, and often hilarious.
Rich curates 30 stories, ranging from around a dozen pages to some that are solely one or two pages, meaning it quite comfortably fits into that 20-minute window.
A note: bear in mind that before purchasing, if you are not a sex-positive individual, or perhaps more conservative in your reading preferences, this is not for you. There are no vivid depictions of lust overcoming our main character’s stories, but it is key to the humour of the book.
Harry Potter, J. K. Rowling (1997 – 2007)
Though now a well-worn classic, the Harry Potter series remains one of the most immersive and comforting bedtime reads available. Its rich world-building, gentle humour, and episodic pacing make it especially suited for night-time reading, particularly if you’re revisiting it.
Despite ongoing controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling, the books themselves continue to stand out for their intricate detail, memorable characters, and absorbing structure. If you’ve only seen the films, there’s a wealth of quieter, more reflective moments in the text that make them ideal for winding down.
On a personal note, I have read the series several times and listened to it multiple times to pass the time during several mind-numbing summer jobs. It stands alone as the ultimate light fantasy, and if you aim to dissociate in a series of scenarios, this is it.
Each chapter feels satisfyingly self-contained, especially in the earlier books, offering a perfect dozy dose of light fantasy before sleep.
