poor concentration span, can you help me get back into reading please? I miss it.

[yoink]

The baby years (and pressures of studying) have totally messed with my concentration span. The last thing I read all the way through was The Goldfinch, but it was so good that everything to follow it seemed so boring or poorly written by comparison!

I keep picking up books to read at bedtime and then get distracted by my phone (damn you MN!).

So please, any gripping and/or fascinating books to get my concentration span back up to strength?

I've enjoyed non-fiction like David Sedaris and Jon Ronson too btw. Oh and I enjoyed I Am Pilgrim but I generally avoid things with lots of violence against women like the scandi thrillers.

I'd really appreciate any suggestions from you expert lot.

Where'd You Go Bernadette is great.

I take it you've read the Secret History by Donna Tarrt?

Kate Atkinson - I really liked Behind the Scenes at the Museum but Life After Life and it's follow up are good too.

The Luminaries is excellent, clever and well written, intriguing plot.

I read and liked True Grit earlier this year, which might not be your usual cup of tea, but was short and sweet and compulsive. (Also Donna Tartt's favourite book, she wrote the intro to my version)

Thank you Satsuki

You're right, I LOVED the secret history, and that would be exactly the kind of read I'm after.

And True Grit could be a good call - something I would never have picked up without a recommendation.

Where'd You Go Bernadette also looks like a nice light read that could work.

Do you like psychological thrillers? They can be pacy and fast moving and easy to read-might get you into reading again?

Have you read We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves? I found it really unputdownable. I also read A Thousand Splendid Suns in about two days, but it made me cry - which I hardly ever do at books.

Yes Bernadette is very easy reading but sharp and funny and a bit more to it than the cover would suggest.

Also I just finished Slade House by David Mitchell, creepy and a short page turner. His Bone Clocks is also quite easy reading if looking fir something different.

I'm not into police procedural type crime, but enjoyed the Shardlake historical detective novels by CJ Sansom. Very easy to read, but well written and researched, been much passed round the family as well.

A psychological thriller could be just right (not gory though). Can you recommend any?

I was enjoying We Are All... until, you know, The Thing and then it lost all value for me. A Thousand Splendid Suns made me cry too (post-natal, what was I thinking??)

I'm compiling a wish list with all these suggestions - thank you!

I've started the burning air this week and I'm looking forward to bed time now to read !!!
Anything by Sabine durrant, mark Edwards...others will come along and help me

American Housewife by Helen Ellis is a collection of short storiessome only a few pages longthat is often deeply satirical. It runs the gamut from creepy book clubs to beauty pageant contestant "rescue" programs.

Satsuki is absolutely right about Bernadette; it's great on many levels. Semple just published another book, Today Will Be Different, but I've not yet read it.

The same thing happened to me, though illness not pregnancy related, and I really struggled for 12 months.

The book that got me back in was Miss Peregrine's Home For Peculiar Children and I've since read a further 4 books. Yay!

I second the Shardlake series. Not too gory, intriguing plots and well written enough not to make them feel too scuzzy

That is such a good description of them, boisderose, @ well written enough not to make them feel too scuzzy

Can't wait to read the new Semple, Vanderley enjoyed the sample, but 7.99 on the Kindle is a bit too dear for me at the moment.

I hear you, Satsuki. The hardback is $35 and the ebook is $17.99 here!

yoink - by "the thing" do you mean the twist about Fern's identity? That's what makes the book so brilliant! Or have I misunderstood?

I totally agree with yoink about 'We are Al....' and Fern's identity, I completely lost interest in it and didn't bother to finish the book.
I too seem to be unable to settle with a book at the moment, I've start eight and not completed any 😟
Will certainly try some of the ones recommended here, thank you.

It does seem like the twist was a very dividing moment, loads of people seemed to have chucked it at that point - not sure why though? It was quite interesting after, I just carried on reading... I did have a feel that all was not as it seemed through the build up, so maybe I was less pissed off?

Not the best book ever, but a good read and a bit different.

Watching with interest.

TheOnlyLivingBoy - Yes! That's what I mean! I was so disappointed I ditched it shortly after the reveal. I had no interest after that. But I know loads of people who loved it, so I know I'm in the minority.

Guys, this is making for a great wish list

I should make a contribution for others following.

I've just started Remarkable Creatures which a friend recommended ages ago and I'd forgotten about. I've read for three nights on the trot, just a few pages at a time, but this is more than I've read for a year or two!

It's about some Edwardian fossil hunting women and so far I'm interested enough to want to pick it up again.

I was going to post a very similar thread asking what I've missed in the past 5 years.....

The past five years have been the leanest of my life book wise. I've gone from at least a book a week to a book a month. Like you I can't entirely blame my 4 and 2 year old as some of it is distraction caused by my phone.

I really want to turn this around and get back into reading almost as frequently as I used to.

I got off reading in my second pregnancy, was in a lot of pain during and after, couldn't walk, and not getting any sleep and my concentration just went. I read four books the year of my pregnancy, four the year after, but then 20 last year and so far this year I've read 60, so you can get it back.

Mind if I tag along please? Also struggling to read anything as concentration level has fallen off a cliff

I can no longer read. Too tired.

However, I've got through about 600 novels in three years since joining Audible.

I listen while I walk the dog/shop/do housework.

I really recommend it!

Audible is brilliant but I find I often struggle to find uninterrupted listening time - a few hours during school time but not at weekends, evenings or school holidays.

I think another problem I have is that I wait for time to read when I just need to grab what time I have.

E.g. Just had 15 minutes sat down with a cup of tea after DC's dinner and decided it wasn't worth getting my book for 15 minutes so browsed mumsnet instead.

When I was younger I would sit and read a book cover to cover and I think I need to remember those days are gone and 15 minutes to read a chapter or two is fine and better than not reading!

Have you read the 'Book of Life' trilogy by Elizabeth somebody (maybe Hunter)?? I absolutely loved them. If you like fantasy/sci fi, then the Mistborn trilogy is also excellent (have got DH on to these and he only read non-fiction normally). There is also the excellent Carnivale trilogy (but to call them detective fiction would do them down). I seem to have a thing for trilogies .