There’s nothing like falling into bed and closing your eyes for a restful night’s sleep after a busy day. In an ideal world, your mind would be at ease, and you would fall asleep in 10-15 minutes, but this isn’t always the case. Five minutes of looking through Facebook turns into an hour of watching Friends blooper videos, and while they’re entertaining, falling asleep after having a device in your face for so long is significantly more difficult. Read or listen to bedtime stories before going to sleep to relieve stress and relax your thoughts, so you may easily fall into a deep slumber as you did as a child.

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In General, Tips, and Tricks for Telling a Good Bedtime Story

To keep your audience captivated and on the edge of their seats, keep these criteria in mind when delivering a story, whether you’re reading from a book or making something up off the top of your head.

Keep it simple: You don’t want to go overboard with many characters and a confusing plot unless you want the listener’s eyes to glaze over. Establish the setting, introduce a few well-rounded characters, and keep the story in the future.

Change your voice tone – no one likes a storyteller who recounts the same story over and over again. Change the tone and tempo of your voice to fit the points in your account. If anything frightening is about to happen, slow down and lower your voice. If the environment is hectic, speak fast to set the tone and mirror your characters’ emotions. Also, don’t forget to have fun!

Pause for dramatic impact: This is a tried-and-true method for building suspense and keeping your audience on the edge of their seat.

Face expressions: If the character is upset, pucker your brows and frown to immerse yourself in the story. If they’re happy, keep reading the story with a smile on your face.

Maintain eye contact: You are the story’s catalyst, regardless of who you’re telling a bedtime story to. Maintaining eye contact with your audience ensures that they are completely focused on you and your subject. Your audience will be so absorbed in what you’re saying that they will be transported from their world to the one you’ve imagined.

Now that you have the skills to tell a good story, let’s look at our top-rated list. We’ve included links to Amazon and other sites for your convenience (highlighted in green).

Inspiring Bedtime Stories for Your Girlfriend

The Princess and the Pea by Kolanovic Dubravaka – Make your princess feel real before bedtime by reading this short fairy tale about a delicate princess who is put to the ultimate test by her prince’s parents. When she stumbles onto a lovely prince’s palace in the pouring rain and claims to be a royal in need of a place to stay, the Queen is cautious about trusting her. So, what exactly does the Queen’s role entail? She puts a pea between each of the princess’s 20 mattresses, as is customary. If the young woman detects the pea, she is telling the truth. Because it is short and accessible, this story will appeal to your girlfriend. An innocent princess who must pass a series of absurd tests to prove herself to her boyfriend’s mother? It isn’t a far-fetched idea.

Time Traveler’s Wife by Audrey Niffenegger – A Time Traveler’s Wife is a story about a man who was given the ability to travel through time and uses it to experience the most important moments in his wife’s life before he met her. Reading this story to your lady love will encourage her to open up and reflect on some of her most significant life experiences. The best-case scenario is that she will believe you care about who she is as a person (we’re trying to earn brownie points here).

Read some stories for baby boomers before going to bed.

To the Moon and Back, a Bedtime Story for Baby Boomers by Phila Vocia — Phila Vocia wrote A Baby Boomer’s Bedtime Story with you in mind if you were born between 1946 and 1964. You may laugh or cry as Vocia recalls the iconic moments of the Baby Boomer age, but you will undoubtedly feel nostalgic. What could be better for a bedtime story than a detailed account of some of your fondest memories? There aren’t many that can hold a candle to it.

Wisdom at Work: The Making of a Modern Elder by Chip Conley – This is the story of a 52-year-old guy who sold his 24-year-old company and was immediately offered the opportunity to help Airbnb grow into the global company it is today. When navigating the digital world, he fell short of his younger colleagues, but his senior businessman qualities and knowledge that only comes with age prove to be better. This story about valuing your skills and repurposing them for today’s world is one we think you’ll like.

A Selfie as Big as the Ritz by Lara Williams – Why do millennials always seem to be complaining? What’s the issue with their emotional outbursts? What is a selfie, exactly? Suppose you’ve asked yourself these concerns and periodically consider the millennial mindset before you fall asleep at night. In that case, A Selfie as Big as the Ritz can provide you with some good insight into the new age issues every millennial faces daily. If anything, knowing that you had the pleasure of living in a world without the word “selfie” for so long will offer you peace of mind.

Bedtime Stories for Generation X

The Dirt: Confessions of the World’s Most Notorious Rock Band by Tommy Lee – You’ll learn what it’s like to party like a rockstar thanks to Motley Crue’s candid depiction of their time as one of the world’s most recognized rock bands. You’ll hear stories you’ve never heard before, as well as interviews you won’t find on YouTube. You’ll also see some never-before-seen photographs that were never released early. The Dirt would send you back to the days of leg warmers, huge hair, and mullets as a bedtime story if you grew up in the 1980s.

Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture (Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture) by Douglas Coupland – A group of three teens forsake their disliked employment to get a greater understanding of life’s meaning in this novella by Douglas Coupland, which popularized the phrase “Generation X.” This novel, recounted from the viewpoint of 20-year-olds, sheds light on what young people had to say about society at a time when their voices were frequently silenced. Read Generation X: Tales for an Accelerated Culture before going to bed to explore themes of introspection, irony, and the search for broader meaning, which gen Xers are all too familiar with.

Bedtime Stories Will Appeal to Millennials

Sarah Knight’s Calm the F*** Down – Sarah Knight’s Calm the F*** Down Down is a song that every millennial (about 99 percent of them) who has ever struggled with crippling anxiety should hear. Every day, it seems, a new internet headline blames millennials for something arbitrary. At the same time, those in power refuse to address the genuine difficulties young people confront, such as heavy school debt, a deteriorating ecosystem, and a housing market they won’t be able to buy until they’re 45. Thanks to Sarah Knight’s Calm The F*** Down, millennials may learn to control their anxiety and take a moment to smell the roses now and then (while they’re still alive, at least).

Who’s to say you won’t be able to follow in the footsteps of some of the world’s most successful millennials? 3 Billion Under 30: How Millennials Are Redefining Success, Breaking Barriers, and Changing the World – by Jared Kleinert – While your friends are binge-watching the latest Netflix series before bed, you may begin planning your future multi-million-dollar career by reading 3 Billion Under the ’30s 75 inspiring stories. Who knows, maybe the book can spark an idea for your next business venture. All we know is that it’s well-received and a great bedtime story for young professionals or anyone curious about the minds of millionaires.

The Favorite Bedtime Stories of Generation Z

Chicken Soup for the Teenage Soul: 101 Stories of Life, Love, and Learning by Jack Canfield – The classics from the Chicken Soup collection are great whether you’re looking for answers, validation, or a touching story. Teenagers can relate to the stories in this book without having to confide in their friends or family members. When you’re going through a difficult period, it’s always a good idea to talk to loved ones, but it also never hurts to have some alone time and seek comfort from books. After reading lessons about friendship, love, and self-respect, go to bed feeling secure and hopeful about your future.

The Outsiders by S.E. Hinton – If you haven’t read this book because it wasn’t assigned in middle school English class, or if you were given it but just Sparknoted everything, now is the time to do so from Amazon or your local Barnes & Noble. It’s a well-known story of a 14-year-old greaser and the struggles he and his friends face in a world where they don’t belong. It’s not just a riveting book, but you’ll never feel left out when someone says, “Stay golden Ponyboy.” You’ll never feel left out when someone says, “Stay golden, Ponyboy.”

Jen Sincero’s Everyday You Are A Bad** – You’re young, brilliant, and ambitious, and you have your whole life ahead of you, but you’re not sure how things will turn out. You could be a college student approaching the conclusion of high school or a 9th grader getting ready to start. One thing is certain: your life is about to change radically, and your anxiety is just getting worse. When you’re young, it’s difficult not to fall off the wagon and engage in self-destructive behaviors because you’re overwhelmed. Jen Sincero’s book is jam-packed with exercises, affirmations, and other tools to keep your spirits high and your goals on track. Change might be scary, but You Are A Bad*** Everyday can help you prepare for whatever comes your way.

Here Are Some Romantic Bedtime Stories To Get You In The Mood

The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory: Have you ever imagined yourself stuck in an elevator with your significant other? Have you ever wished to bring a buddy to an event where your ex was expected to attend? In this story, Drew, a groomsman, attends his ex’s wedding with Alexa, a lady he recently met. After spending a brief but unforgettable time together, the two fall in love, but the celebration is over, and they must both return to reality. Is this the start of a whirlwind romance or a tragedy waiting to happen? If you appreciate romantic stories, you might want to give this one a chance.

See Me, a novel by Nicholas Sparks – If we leave Nicholas Sparks off this list now, we may be committing blasphemy because he is the king of romantic novels. See Me is a film about a bad boy trying to better himself when he meets a hardworking Latina woman with a Duke degree. If their love story is to survive, they must overcome their prejudices and a few roadblocks posed by Maria’s past. If you liked The Last Song and Dear John, we think this is another wonderful Nicholas Sparks addition to your romantic bedtime story collection.