Favorite Books To Wind Down With After a 12 Hour Shift

If you’re anything like me, you took a solid 10-year break from leisure reading after spending several years buried in textbooks trying to memorize the pathophysiology of diabetes and the mechanism of action of each class of cardiac meds. I was a total bookworm when I was a kid, and I’m just now finding my way back to my nerdy roots. Whether it’s a novel or nonfiction, this year I was reminded of how much I love to end my day cozied up with my nose in a book. With the help of some of my Trusted teammates, I put together a list of some recent favorites that we hope you’ll enjoy!

Nonfiction: Doctor Dogs by Maria Goodavage

Doctor Dogs shares stories of how our furry friends are becoming partners in healthcare - from the expected seeing eye and PTSD-trained dogs, to the more specialized diabetic and seizure alert dogs, to the emerging training of cancer detection dogs.
“To summarize, we truly don’t deserve dogs.” 

- Ashley, Nurse Advocate

Sci-Fi: A Psalm for the Wild-built by Becky Chambers

“A super cozy and optimistic sci-fi story about a tea monk and a robot learning to understand each other and themselves. The book opens with a page that just says, ‘For anybody who could use a break.’”

- Chris, Software Engineer

Fiction: People We Meet On Vacation by Emily Henry

This book follows best friends who have taken annual summer trips together for ten years. After the line to the friend zone is blurred, a couple of years go by where they don’t speak. Now, they’re hoping to salvage their friendship with one last trip.

“A cute little read to transport you to vacation after your 12 hours of dumpster fire.”

- Madi, Nurse Advocate

Personal Development: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry by John Mark Comer

These days, a lot of ailments (especially those in the mental health realm) are frequently blamed on the hustle culture and busyness. This book pushes you to look inward in order to cope with the chaos of today’s world.

“Not sure everyone would classify this as a winding down book, but it is a great one!”

- Allison, Nurse Advocate

Thriller: The Housemaid by Freida McFadden

Millie is hired to be the nanny and housekeeper for a well-to-do family, what she thinks is her dream job. As she gets to know the Winchesters, she realizes the setup may be too good to be true.
“10/5 SO GOOD - finished in 24 hours!”

- Courtney, Nurse Advocate

Personal Development: The Ruthless Elimination of Hurry

These days, a lot of ailments (especially those in the mental health realm) are frequently blamed on the hustle culture and busyness. This book pushes you to look inward in order to cope with the chaos of today’s world.

“Not sure everyone would classify this as a winding down book, but it is a great one!”

- Allison, Nurse Advocate

Autobiography: Find a Way by Diana Nyad

“One of my favorite books of all time about setting a goal in your youth, failing multiple times along the way, and then achieving it when you are older and it seems impossible.”

- Lisa, Nurse Advocate Manager

The Ultimate Wind-Down: Nothing Much Happens by Kathryn Nicolai

Don’t take our teammate’s review negatively - the whole purpose of this book is to help calm your mind and send you off into a night of deep, restful sleep.

“I never got past page 3 in the last year, so it certainly helped me wind down and sleep!”

- Olivia, Legal

Whether you’re looking for your next vacation read, or a soothing way to lull yourself to sleep, we hope you’ll enjoy these books as much as we did!