Anxiety Fiction

Parents love to read children a bedtime story that describes a faraway land or a fantastic character. What is that parent doing? They’re shifting their child’s focus from the activity of the day into a more relaxed state. They are refocusing their child’s brain. And it works! Because every night all over the world parents use this technique to help their children fall asleep. Even though you are an adult, you can benefit from bedtime stories too.

“A captivating exploration of gender dynamics, set against a background of the trying and confusing time of adolescence, when identity is in flux and everything in life is unstable and magical.” —Lydia Conklin, author of Rainbow Rainbow A fresh, thoughtful, and always surprising short...

When in love, you tend to take each other for granted, and sometimes, that can cost you a lifetime of togetherness . . . Ronnie knew that his first crush was way out of his league, and yet he pursued and wooed Adira. Shyly and from a distance in the beginning, and more persuasively later. He...

In Shaunta Grimes' middle-grade novel Center of Gravity, a girl loses her mom, and her dad remarries quickly, so she must rebuild her life and friendships. Tessa is an anxious person, but it's become worse since her mother died a few months ago. To calm herself down she cuts out photos of...

Powerful and unfiltered, this fictional account of a teenage boy's addiction to online pornography is equal parts heartbreaking and hopeful. The first time a link to a porn video pops up on his computer screen, Lucas is startled. He was simply trying to stream a superhero movie. Transfixed by...

Kate Merrick takes readers on a journey to drop the distractions and check back into their actual lives, discovering the good, true, and beautiful things God offers when they choose to be present right here, right now. For too many women, life just passes by. They feel a lack, a deep...

A dramatic portrait of the dissolution of a marriage, written with brutal and lyrical precision, and nominated for the Nordic Prize. Jon, who is losing his wife to another man, is trying to understand what happened to his Great Love, by working, painfully, to see the story from her perspective...

The fragile, 1952 postwar tranquility of a young boy’s world explodes one summer day when a leopard escapes from the Oklahoma City zoo, throwing all the local residents into dangerous excitement, in this evocative story of a child’s confrontation with his deepest fears For Grady McClarty, an...

A compact tour de force about sex, violence, and self-loathing from a ferociously talented new voice in fiction, perfect for fans of Sally Rooney, Rachel Cusk, Lydia Davis, and Jenny Offill. “Shrewd and sensual, Popkey's debut carries the scintillating charge of a long-overdue girls' night."...

Sex is such an intimate topic historically wrapped in shame and when someone shares they were sexually abused, we may not know how to respond. With recent #MeToo and #ChurchToo movements, we are learning just how many men, women, boys, and girls have suffered sexual abuse at the hands of a...

Do you have trouble unwinding after a stressful day? Do you lie down at night and spend hours trying to get to sleep? But, it feels like you just can't stop thinking about what you forgot to do today, what you could've done better, what you need to get done tomorrow, or what happens if something unexpected happens. Your brain keeps on going even though you desperately want to rest. Even worse, it feels like you are focused on negative things. And all you want is rest. You want to shut your brain down!

Many adults just not feeling right. They are tired, weak, overwhelmed, and oftentimes in pain. These symptoms are usually the result of a bigger problem. In many cases, they come from being overstressed. It is important to find ways to manage stress, and one of the best ways is to find entertainment in a good audiobook. If you are a stressed-out adult, like so many of us are, then we have some great material in store for you. Bedtime is one of the best periods of the day to unwind and forget about the things that overwhelmed you that day.

How far will a candidate go to become president? Erica Sparks—America’s top-rated cable-news host— is about to find out. Mike Ortiz is a dynamic war hero favored to win the White House. Standing by his side is his glamorous and adoring wife, Celeste. But something about this seemingly...

In this domestic, psychological thriller perfect for fans of The Silent Patient and The Woman in the Window, one woman wants nothing more than to prove her innocence. But those closest to her will do anything to keep the truth from surfacing. Convicted of a crime she didn’t commit, Allie...

Before Audrey was the baker's wife, she was the pastor's wife. Then a scandalous lie cost her husband a pastoral career. Now the two work side-by-side running a bakery, serving coffee, and baking fresh bread. But the hurt still pulls at Audrey. Driving early one morning to the bakery, Audrey's...

Lis Wiehl incorporates her own experience as a TV host and federal prosecutor in this riveting series. Erica Sparks has become a superstar overnight. Is it due to her hard work and talent, or is she at the center of a spiraling conspiracy? Erica Sparks is a beautiful and ambitious reporter who...

Sometimes the truth hides where no one expects to find it.Joanne Weeks knows Baxter Jackson killed Linda—his second wife and Joanne’sbest friend—six years ago. But Baxter, a church elder and beloved member ofthe town, walks the streets a free man. The police tell Joanne to leave wellenough...

Center of Gravity weaves a chilling tale, revealing the unfailing and dangerous truth that marriages—and the people inside them—are not always what they seem. Perfect for fans of The Girl on the Train. Her whole life, Ava Carson has been sure of one thing: she doesn’t measure up to her...

The young girl with the Bohemian style was on the floor where she’d fallen, between Parker's computer case and her file cabinet. She wore a long, flowing skirt—lavender, the color of calm—and camel-colored Uggs. She lay on her back, her long, wavy blonde hair matted with blood. For...

Los adolescentes de hoy se enfrentan a muchas presiones. También, desafíos y obstáculos que parecen imposibles de superar. Puede ser difícil mantener una actitud positiva y estar motivado cuando las cosas se ponen difíciles: acabas sintiéndote atrapado en un ciclo interminable de estrés, ansiedad y depresión.