Sometimes when I wake up in the middle of the night I'll read to lull myself back to sleep. Of course, I need to pick the right sort of reading material or else I'll wake myself up even more. It can't be too thrilling or disturbing, but it also has to be engaging enough that I won't feel bored or annoyed. Ideally, my late-night reading will be something which is beautifully written, soothing and pleasurable. It's a bonus if the prose discusses the strange state of being conscious at night when almost everyone else is asleep or has a dream-like quality to it. Here are some suggestions of books which have been especially pleasurable to read at night and I'd love to hear if you have any of your own.
A deeply thoughtful novel with absolutely gorgeous prose is Marilynne Robnison's “Housekeeping” which follows two sisters that are raised by a series of relatives in the Mountain West area of America. It's such an atmospheric story with deep wells of complex feeling. “Piranesi” is a novel with so much beautiful imagery. Its protagonist inhabits and navigates through a strange enormous structure whose upper levels are filled with clouds and lower levels with ocean water. Meanwhile its infinite halls are populated with large enchanting statues and the story gradually explores his unique psychological state. A luminous novel I read recently is “Orbital” which follows a group of astronauts in a space station as it circles our planet. It describes their observations about our world from this unique vantage point and stories of their pasts as well as their connection to each other and the Earth.
One of my favourite novels of all time is Anne Tyler's “Ladder of Years” which follows a woman who literally walks out on her life to spend an extended period of time in a space of her own just reading. I like how its plot neatly mirrors the nighttime state of being removed from everyday life and reading in peace. A childhood story which continues to delight is Lewis Carroll's books on “Alice's Adventures in Wonderland”. This tale is hallucinatory, absurd and hilarious – as much in its tricksy prose as the weird scenes which sensible Alice navigates through. A great classic series of novels to read at night is Anthony Trollope's 'Chronicles of Barsetshire' which begins with “The Warden”. These follow a range of social, political and romantic manoeuvrings amongst the clergy and the gentry in this fictional English county. His prose are such a delight as he deliciously skewers many of his characters while also showing real affection and tenderness towards them while frequently going on amusing tangents.
An excellent anthology literally designed to be read in the middle of the nights is “Night Walks” edited by Joyce Carol Oates. This includes fiction, essays and poems by authors such as Charles Dickens, Robert Penn Warren, John Updike, Emily Dickinson, Mary Oliver, Walt Whitman, Elizabeth Bishop, Paul Bowles, Jean Rhys and many more. These pieces meditate on being awake in the middle of the night and the bizarre state of sleeplessness. A wonderful memoir which evokes a bygone era is Edmund White's “Inside a Pearl” which fascinatingly describes the several years he spent living in France with much socialising, amorous meetings and artistic stimulation. It's a dream life for anyone who comes from humble small town beginnings. A selection from a decade of Joyce Carol Oates' journals fill a volume which I love to reread for its charming descriptions of the natural world, witty reflections on life and acute observations about the craft of literature. Finally, Edith Hamilton's wonderful book gives many insights into great Western mythology from the vein and squabbling Olympians to a Norse god's attempt to postpone the final day of doom. Reading these tales keys the reader into stories that have enraptured people on the brink of sleep for centuries.
Another difficulty about reading at night is finding adequate lighting. The reading lamp in this photo is from Serious Readers and they've kindly sponsored this blog post. I've been using this light for almost two years and never had any issues with it. It's great at illuminating the pages of my book as overhead lighting is too harsh. Serious Readers replicate the daylight spectrum as closely as technically possible with what they call Daylight Wavelength Technology. So the light feels warm and natural. I have a High Definition Table Light in White with the Lightweight base. Its neck is very easy to manipulate and angle so it shines exactly where I want it. Additionally, there's a dimmer switch so I can easily make the light brighter or weaker. And I can also adjust the beam width so more or less space is illuminated. If you're looking for a good new reading light I'd recommend this one. Have a look on their site at their range of lamps here: https://try.seriousreaders.com/pages/eric/
If you decide to buy one be sure to enter the Offer Code Eric24 when you're checking out as this will save you £100 on a High Definition Light and it will give you free delivery within the UK.
Please let me know if you've also enjoyed any of these books and recommend some of your favourite night time reads!
