To ask for recommendations for bedtime reading to help me through a dark time

[OlderMummy1]

We have been through a difficult 6 months with serious illness in the family, losing a loved one and coping with a refluxy baby. Mumsnet has helped me so much, answering a lot of questions that I had and giving me support in this difficult time.

I now feel as if we are coming out the other side. Last week I looked at my baby and felt absolute love for him for the very first time. It was a long time coming but completely overwhelming and made me very happy. We are getting a bit more sleep and moving on with life as a family.

However, I am still finding night times hard. When I'm lying quietly in the dark I just start thinking about things and getting upset. I have to read until I am so tired that I nod right off.

Which leads me to my question. Can anyone recommend any books to me. I need something funny, fairly pointless and very easy to read, nothing heavy. I have read all the Karl Pilkington books which I really enjoyed as well as a lot of the 'Confessions of' series. My latest one was In Rude Health which was amusing. But..... I can't find anything else.

Any suggestions gratefully received.

Have you read the Tales of the City books by Armistead Maupin? I have read and re-read them several times and I still love them. Got through the whole lot when breast feeding DD!

Some lovely suggestions on here.

I love the 'Babylon' series by Imogen Edwards Jones. She goes in and grills people who work in various industry's then writes it all up as the goings on of a (particularly hectic!) 24 hour period. I've read them all: Hotel, Pop, Wedding, Beach, Restaurant, Air and I think one other. Very funny and pure escapism.

Not sure if anyone has suggested ger but anything by Maeve Binchy is pretty good.
Phillippa Gregory is also great for a yarn.

Not funny, but beautiful English countryside escapism - 'a month in the country' by J Carr. I love reading this when I need to take myself to another place x

Adrian Mole all the way.

Thanks so much everyone!!! I have downloaded about 20 onto my kindle. Thought I'd get cracking next week when we are at Butlins Just for Tots and will be tucked up by 9pm!! Mumsnet to the rescue again

Has no-one mentioned Joanne Harris yet? Lush descriptions of France, and food, especially chocolate of course. Read Chocolat, Lollipop Shoes and Peaches for the M Le Cure in that order. She writes short stories too. Feelgood stuff.

Donna Leon, for detective stories set in Venice. Much lighter than those Scandi ones (which have their place, just not here).

I'm thirding (fourthing?) HolgerDanske's recommendation of The No 1 Ladies Detective Agency series. I started reading them when I was suffering anxiety and depression. I found them incredibly comforting. Soothing for mind and soul. So much so that I wrote to the author thanking him for helping lift my depression. He wrote back a lovely letter that I still find quite moving.

(Note: The first one touches on a dark theme, but just carry on reading. It's only a touch and you soon lose yourself in book after book of comforting characters and narratives).

Oh, also, I love Louise Penny. She's like a modern day Agatha Christie. Very comforting characters and plots. When I ran out of No 1 Ladies books I turned to her!

I thought of you all this weekend -- at an annual book sale in North Carolina.

Colgan, Delafield, Wodehouse, (more) Benson, and (more) Townsend all came home with me. It's as though you were in the room....