I am due in April and would love to have a new, fabulous book for those early stages of labor. With my daughter, I was so bored. I was just walking around, sitting in bed, talking to the nurses. I think getting absorbed into a book would make the time go by a little quicker. I would like for it to be one of those books where you read the last page, put the book down and think, "Wow." It would be even better if it wasn't a really depressing read.

I am usually a paranormal fan and while those are great, fun reads, I can't think of any that fit the bill.

Any suggestions?

One book comes to mind is by one of my favorite authors, Anne Rivers Siddons.  Her latest book, "Off Season", stirred up quite a few feelings!  You either loved or hated the ending.  I was VERY surprised but tickled and touched by the ending, but some of my book friends were very unhappy with it.  The whole book is very good, IMO.  Check it out! 

Another book that's short but sweet is 'The Ladies Of Missalonghi" by Colleen McCullough (author of "The Thorn Birds", but this book is totally different).  The book is barely 100 pages long, but the ending is so upbeat it had me giggling after reading it, just because it made me feel so happy. 

You might also like "Garden Spells" or "The Sugar Queen" by Sarah Addison Allen.  The stories were light, fun, happy endings...I refer to these books as fairy tales for adults.  They are a bit on the mysterious side but not as serious, more upbeat. 

IMO all these books have a touch of paranormal, but not scary, just surprising and enjoyable.  I think they'd help with your labor but they aren't too deep, so you can leave them and come back to them without forgetting the details. 

Good luck and congratulations! 

If you're a fan of the paranormal, you may have already read this series ... but I just finished the first book in the Dressden Files Series, Storm Front, and I can't wait to read #2!  Author is Jim Butcher. They are amusing and have lots of action. A very quick read and hard to put down.  The feeling I got at the end wasn't so much "Wow" as, "Where can I find the next book?" I think I'm addicted to the series :-)

Thank you for the suggestions! I will definitely check them out.

I have books 1-3 of the Dresden Files, but haven't read them yet. I may just have to pick them up again.

Courtney - Personally, I can't imagine reading anything while I was in labor, but then mine went pretty fast. If I were you, I'd get hold of a copy of They Shoot Canoes, Don't they by Pat McManus. It is so funny. I laughed til I cried. As a retired RN, I'm thinking that should send your labor time down to almost nothing!!!  Good luck and best wishes on a short labor and a healthy child!

Thank you for the wishes and the recommendation!