Book/reading drought.

I felt exactly the same when I started maternity leave! I used to read on my commute and suddenly I didn't quite know when I was supposed to read. Before I had DD I just could not concentrate on anything - I had planned to read some classics that I thought I might never get the chance to read once DD arrived... War & Peace, maybe have a crack at Ulysses, but that just didn't happen. I watched trash tv, a lot of the Olympics and slept. It's only really now (DD turns 1 next month) that I am getting around to reading again. I've read a few books over the last 12 months, but on the whole they have been easy reads - crime/detective/historical fiction. I did feel a bit like I had just got out of the habit and reading a few 'easy' books helped me break that. I'm now about to settle down with Claire Tomalin's Dickens biography...

Have you read Curtis Sittenfeld's Prep? That's a bloody good read, whilst being light and easy to read too.

I've had a copy of Prep on my shelf for about 2 years and it's never felt the 'right time' to read it. I actually put it on a pile for charity last week, but might have to just give it a go - so many people have recommended it! I think I'm worried it'll be like Donna Tartt's Secret History, but not as good.

I've not tried Hunger Games - not sure it's my kind of thing (although I guess you never know until you try). Books I read were things like Sophie Hannah, Elizabeth Jane Howard (The Cazalet series) and currently loving Barbara Pym.

A trip to the bookshop might be a good idea - there's nothing quite like a brand new book!

The Hunger Games isn't worth it. The first one is readable, the second is ridiculous and the third is positively unreadable.

Have you read Barnes' Arthur and George? 'Flaubert's Parrot' is great fun too.

My favourite Allende is, 'Paula' and then her one about Chile, 'My Invented Country.' Both vastly superior to her novels imho.

All Quiet On The Western Front - very, very well written and very moving, but short and gripping so can be read quickly.

Evelyn Waugh - A Handful of Dust / Scoop / Vile Bodies = all v short but well written.

Bill Bryson is v funny and interesting, but v easy.

I quite like the Ladies' Detective Agency books for mindless escapism.

Or these little non-fiction books are good, for interesting and intelligent but not needing too big an investment of time because they are short. They are perfect for a train journey, for example.

Try short stories to get yourself back in the mood.

Or essays. I've just re-read Orwell's, 'Decline of the English Murder and other essays' and really enjoyed it.

Iain banks - the ones in black and white covers - you may like - but some of the are very rude

american gods - Neil gainman

Stephen king - the dome

David Mitchell - cloud atlas

all based around the fact you liked Atwood

Okay - other things I love include:

Lolita
A Clockwork Orange (but you have to steel yourself for it)
A Heartbreaking Work Of Staggering Genius
Jane Austen (Persuasion maybe?)
The Perks of Being a Wallflower (but be warned that the ending spoils it imho)
Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day is v sweet and light
Have you read, 'I Capture The Castle' before, or revisited as an adult?

Short stories - gotta be Conan Doyle!

Oh and if you liked A&G, you'll probably like This too.

Another really interesting non-fiction book
And this but it is v long

You like a lot of the same authors as me

With that in mind, try Ann Patchett. Bel Canto, Run and State of Wonder are particularly good.

For something a bit lighter, I'd recommend Sue Gee. She's a writer who really deserves to be more widely known. The Mysteries of Glass to start with, and Thin Air. Earth and Heaven is excellent but very sad (child-related) so might not be a good one at the moment.

Oh, and because you liked Birdsong try My Dear I Wanted To Tell You by Louisa Young. Looks like chick-lit but it isn't - the cover does it a disservice IMO.

Also That Summer by Andrew Greig, WW2 and the Battle of Britain related. Very good.

I went through a long period of not reading after DD was born - I worried I'd never get back into it. But nother friends with children a couple of years older reassured me I remember!

I would choose novels with strong characters and themes which interest you. I got back into reading with Sarah Dunant's historical novels and felt I was learning from her research as well as great characters and storylines. Then there is Rose Tremain or Sharon K Penman.

My read of the year is The Light Between Oceans - it is so emotional and fascinating details about a different era and life in a lighthouse - this completely swept me to a different world.

I also think writers like Maggie O'Farrell or See Gee can challenge you but it's not like ploughing into a 700 or 1000 page book that may daunt you when you have a little one!

Reread an old favourite maybe?