Crib Notes: Books to Stay Up Late With

Succinct book reviews for new and busy mothers.

In September my youngest son turned one. I feel nostalgic reminiscing about the early days of babyhood. Or rather, nights. After all, the nights are what I remember: bathed in the backlit glow of my kindle as I cradled my first born and, later, listening drowsily to audiobooks with my second child. Reading was a means of staving off sleep and feeling less alone as I sat in the dark, but I did also come to love those moments alone with a baby and a book. I remember reading (the aptly titled) Nightwaking as I breastfed my eldest and wishing he would feed a little longer so I might remain immersed in Sarah Moss’s writing. As a tribute to those nights, the theme of this Crib Notes is ‘Books to Stay Up Late With’. The books in this issue are engrossing, entertaining and – crucially – easily readable. Regardless of whether you are keeping vigil with a newborn or reading at the end of a day spent placating a pre-schooler, I hope you find something here that keeps you up well past bedtime. 

How To Buy Your Books: I recommend purchasing your books from family-run, indie bookshop Storytellers Inc. Click here to shop or email Katie and quote ‘cribnotes’ to receive free postage on singles orders and 10% off orders of more than two titles.

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The Page-Turner

Circus of Wonders by Elizabeth Macneal

Elizabeth Macneal’s second novel is as wondrous as its title suggests: another satisfying slice of Victoriana! Nell is a young woman who, since birth, has been shunned by her coastal community, owing to the speckled markings on her skin. When Jasper Jupiter's Circus of Wonders arrives in town, she is poached as a ‘leopard girl’ for his troupe of travelling performers. Once in the lamplit pleasure gardens of Victorian London, Nell soars to dizzying heights of fame. Macneal skillfully conjures the breathtaking spectacle of the circus; but shows us its dark counterpart, too: the exploitative culture of the Freak Show. Nell soon discovers that her existence as a ‘living wonder’ is a dangerously precarious one. This is an atmospheric novel, full of glitter and shadows.

When to Read It: I read Circus of Wonders when I was ten weeks pregnant, sluggish with nausea and struggling to pick up a book. Whilst nothing would shake the sickness, Circus of Wonders cured me of my reading fatigue. It swept me up, entranced and thrilled me! With its pacy plotline and alluring setting, this is a pleasingly readable treat for tired minds.

How To Read It: Circus of Wonders is available in paperback published by Picador (buy it here). If you are reading in cradle-hold, try this fabulous 375-pager in the audio edition, read by Tuppence Middleton.

What to Read Next: I adored Elizabeth Macneal’s equally moreish debut The Doll Factory. You can read my review here.