Why hello dear Reader. I now have finished my (partly self-inflicted) double dose of nightshift hell I feel like sharing some of the things that I’ve read and enjoyed during my two weeks of sleep deprivation and brain fade. I’ve written about the effects of nights on my reading habits before and I can confirm that I’m still irrational, prone to tears and incapable of making decisions while I’m staying awake all night. This set of nights I’ve been ever so restrained, and haven’t bought any books – which is a minor miracle as my nights the week before Christmas saw a mini ebook spree and the ones before that saw nearly a dozen books turning up the following week!
Romance
In many ways romances are perfect nightshift reading for me – you know what you’re getting. The hero and heroine will get a Happily Ever After (or at least a Happily For Now) and if you know which tropes you like and which keywords to look out for you can pick books which should tick your boxes. I know I don’t do well with angst and trauma when I’m on nights, so I’ve been picking out Enemies to Lovers stories like Lucy Parker’s Pretty Face (this week’s BotW) and a couple of new releases from favourite authors. In fact I saved (waiting two weeks to read it counts as saved in my book) Eloisa James’s latest book Seven Minutes in Heaven especially for nightshifts.
Detective
I’ve already mentioned The Ballad of Sean and Wilko and I was luck enough to get an advance copy of Duncan MacMaster’s new book Hack which was fabulously entertaining – if you haven’t read A Mint Condition Corpse yet, I highly recommend it. Henery Press are one of my regular suppliers/purveyors of cozy crime and I read the first Zoe Chambers book Circle of Influence as well, which is a little darker than their usual crime, but very good – I’ll be keeping an eye out for more in the series.
Children’s Books
Fortuitously for me, an order of Girl’s Own books arrived just before I started nights. This – combined with a couple of Middle Grade novels from NetGalley meant that I had plenty of school girl antics to read about. Although not all of them were school girls. I now know more than I ever thought I needed to about pedigree Cocker Spaniel care in the 1950s (Elinor M Brent Dyer’s Kennelmaid Nan) and a lot more about the trials of being a nursery teacher in a deprived area just after the war.
Hate reading
I wrote about hate reads only a few weeks ago. My tendency to irrationality when on nights and shortness of sleep means I have a habit of losing my temper with Him Indoors at these sort of times. So to avoid that, I channel my anger and rage in a good (you know what I mean) hate read. I’m not naming names here* because this is a positive space but I’ve hate read (or ended up hate reading) at least one book each week of nights.
So there you have it – a bit more detail on What I Read On Nightshifts. Hopefully it’s amused you to see how my brain regresses when I haven’t had enough sleep and may be there’s a few there that might appeal to you, I’m happy to be enabling your book purchasing decisions this weekend.
Happy reading!
*But if you follow me on Goodreads or Litsy you’ll know (or be able to work out) exactly which books I’m talking about!
Verity Reads Books (lots of them) 
Thank you for all your recommendations and today or loan of “Angel” by Elizabeth Taylor. You know she is one of my favourite 20th century authors. I started this by thinking I’d be disappointed this time, but not at all. She never disappoints and in this one where she is writing with amazing perception and some self mockery, I have come to think it one of her best. The language is beautifully formed but without a trace of pretension. Thanks and the book in its lovely cover await s in the usual place.