I sleep pretty well, most of the time. But lately, I’ve found myself waking up at 2 a.m. with lots of ideas on my mind. I recently read an article that recommended powering down all electronic devices and going into another room of your apartment or house when you have a hard time falling asleep. I usually go to my spare bedroom where I keep all my books, write down all of my ideas on a notepad and then grab a book I’ve already read and go through my favorite chapter. Why a book I’ve already read? Because then I won’t stay awake anticipating what will happen next. I learned my lesson when I read Game of Thrones for the first time. I stayed up reading until 5 a.m. because I couldn’t put it down. So, here are few ideas for all of us out there with a touch of insomnia. Whether these are right for you or not, perhaps they will inspire ideas on how to ease your mind back to sleep!


Goodnight Moon • Margaret Wise Brown

One of my friends swears that there is something so soothing about reading this book, no matter what age you are. I still have my original copy from when I was a kid. I’m sure if you had this book, you have your own memories. She says that after she reads, she just feels ready to sleep. If this is too silly for you, you can always download the Samuel L. Jackson version, which definitely has more of an adult language feel to it. However, that version is pretty hilarious, so you might run the risk of waking up your own kids when you laugh out loud.
The Alchemist • Paulo Coelho

I have read this book twice and the epilogue is a lovely way to re-set the mind before sleeping. Also, it has a happy ending which is always something nice to have on the mind before sleep. The Alchemist is an excellent adventure! If you haven’t read the entire book, it’s a short read. Almost all of Paulo Coelho’s books are good to read when you can’t sleep. They all have a nice combination of fiction, storytelling and spiritual or personal reflection.

The Marvel Encyclopedia
I wouldn’t be a true Bookmans blogger if I didn’t include some kind of a geek out book. But let be serious for a sec, I don’t own an actual encyclopedia anymore. Besides, the most interesting parts of the encyclopedia are usually pictures. Also, If it’s 2 a.m., I probably will not retain very much information anyway. So, this is perfect for that easy, non-serious read you need to fall back to sleep.
A friend of mine suggested going through encyclopedias or movie guides to fall asleep. One of my coworkers said they used to sit and read books to their kids. Really? How sweet! And it does make sense – story time, in most households, is before bedtime.
What do you read when you can’t sleep? Let us know and we might have more suggestions or great additional reads to compliment your routine. Don’t have a solution yet? Stop by our stores and I’m sure we can help you come up with something. Until you find your groove back to the snooze, I hope you get some good rest! Goodnight moon, goodnight mush, goodnight Bookmans customer, goodnight bookstore, goodnight bookie blog…
*Bookmans is your store to explore. We can’t guarantee stock, so if you are interested in one of the albums mentioned, please give us a call and we’ll check our orange shelves for you.