Bedtime Stories for Adults

I’ll admit, I side-eyed the concept of ‘bedtime stories for adults’—most I’ve tried either put me to sleep out of sheer boredom or kept me up with clunky metaphors about ‘inner peace.’ *This* collection, though? It’s the first that actually *worked* for me, and I’m picky. Fuller’s narration is the star: his voice has this lived-in roughness that feels like a trusted friend reading aloud, not some ASMR performer whispering into a microphone. The pacing is masterful—slow, but with enough rhythmic variation to prevent your brain from latching onto the words. My favorite story, *The Night Watchman’s Log*, unfolds like a slow-dance with insomnia itself, using repetitive yet evolving details (the same hallway described at different hours) to mimic the hypnotic pull of exhaustion. That said, it’s not perfect. A few stories (*The Garden of Forgotten Keys*, I’m looking at you) lean *too* hard into abstract imagery—at times, the prose feels like it’s trying to be poetic but lands as vague. And while the ambient sounds are mostly tasteful, the ‘ocean waves’ track in *The Last Letter* clashes with Fuller’s voice, creating an odd echo effect that pulled me out of the moment. Still, for anyone who’s ever lain awake resenting the chirpy voices of most sleep apps, this is a godsend. It’s the rare audiobook that respects your intelligence *and* your need to check out—no small feat.