Contact Nap Reading List: 4 Book Recommendations for New Moms
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My life has changed drastically in the last decade. Ten years ago, I was single, renting a room in San Francisco, spending my days in the office and my evenings out with friends. I wanted to live as fast-paced as possible, and that truly made me happy at the time. Today, I’m equally as happy with a life that moves at a much slower pace. I am a mom to a beautiful baby boy and a stinky little dog, wife to my best friend, and living in a modest home in the Denver suburbs.
Motherhood has taught me to embrace this slower season more than ever. During long nursing sessions and cozy contact naps with my baby, I’ve spent more time reading than I have in years. Another decade from now, I probably won’t remember exactly how many contact naps we shared or how many chapters I read each day…But I know that every time I pick up one of these books again, I’ll be transported back to those quiet afternoons with my sleeping baby in my arms.
Four particular books have really resonated with me as a new mom, and I’ll always associate them with my earliest months of motherhood. The following fiction and nonfiction books explore the same question from different angles: What really matters when life doesn’t go according to plan? In motherhood, I find myself answering this question every day, in order to prioritize my family in the most meaningful way.
Here’s why each book resonated with me postpartum, and what they taught me during this season of life. (and no spoilers on the fiction books, I promise!)
1. Anxious People by Fredrik Backman
What It’s About
A failed bank robbery turns into a hostage situation at an apartment open house, bringing together a group of strangers who are all quietly carrying burdens of their own. As their stories unfold, the novel explores anxiety, forgiveness, parenthood, and the invisible struggles people rarely talk about.
What It Taught Me
Early motherhood can make you feel like everyone else has it figured out…but this story is a beautiful reminder that they almost certainly don’t. We’re all doing the best we can with what we have, and probably fighting battles that others can’t see. Giving others grace is far more important than expecting perfection, and you may be shocked by the grace and kindness offered to you by strangers. Overall, parenthood is messy, funny, and deeply human.
2. The Midnight Library by Matt Haig
What It’s About
After reaching her lowest point, Nora finds herself in a magical library where each book allows her to experience a different version of her life based on choices she could have made. She discovers that no life is perfect, and fulfillment rarely comes from endlessly wondering “what if?”
What It Taught Me
This book made me think differently about contentment and to stop chasing the “perfect” version of my life. As moms, we really need to let go of comparison and simply be present exactly where we’re at. There’s nothing to gain from imagining a better version of your life somewhere else, because the most beautiful version is already right here. Motherhood has a funny way of making ordinary moments extraordinary, if we’re willing to stop looking somewhere else.
3. The Four Winds by Kristin Hannah
What It’s About
Set during the Dust Bowl and Great Depression, the novel follows Elsa, a young mother who endures unimaginable hardship to protect and provide for her children. It’s ultimately a story about resilience, sacrifice, and the fierce love that drives parents to keep going.
What It Taught Me
You don’t have to experience hardship on Elsa’s scale to recognize that becoming a parent changes what you’re willing to do for someone else. Motherhood reveals strengths you didn’t know you had, and true courage doesn’t always feel courageous. A mother’s love often looks like quiet sacrifice at times when our children become the only reason to keep moving forward. Reading this book while holding my son made Elsa’s sacrifices feel even more tangible than they would have before I became a mom.
(Please note: Trigger warning for accidental pregnancy and miscarriage.)
4. The Let Them Theory by Mel Robbins
What It’s About
The central idea of this best-selling self-help book is simple: stop trying to control other people’s opinions, choices, and behaviors. Instead, let them make their own decisions while focusing your energy on the things you can actually control.
What It Taught Me
The things other people choose to do and say don’t have to become your burden. The more confident I’m becoming as a mom, the easier it is to let go of other people’s actions and opinions. This book really resonated with me when it comes to unsolicited parenting advice, setting boundaries to protect your peace, and trusting yourself to make intentional choices to benefit your own family.
Why I Loved These Book Recommendations For New Moms
These weren’t just books that I enjoyed; they changed how I view being a mom. Long after my son outgrows contact naps, I know these books will always remind me of this season of life. I’ll remember a tiny baby asleep on my chest, quiet afternoons that seemed endless at the time, and the subtle ways motherhood was changing me—one page at a time.
To summarize, if you’re looking for a meaningful book to read during those long newborn feeds or contact naps, I recommend checking out the following titles that really resonated with me:
- Anxious People taught me to extend grace to myself and other moms, because I’m not the only one carrying invisible worries.
- The Midnight Library reminded me to be content with the life I’m currently living.
- The Four Winds encouraged me to appreciate the strength that motherhood has revealed in me.
- The Let Them Theory empowered me to protect my peace while I’m growing confidence in my abilities to be a mom.
I promise these books will be ones you keep thinking about long after you turn the final page. These stories didn’t just entertain me during postpartum; they helped shape the way I think about motherhood, contentment, courage, and grace.
