Top Five Books About a Birth

Top 5 Tuesday is a weekly meme created by Shanah @Bionic Book Worm, and is now being hosted by Meeghan @Meeghan Reads. You can check out last week’s post here!

This week’s topic is the Top Five Books About a Birth. I won’t lie, this was was definitely tricky, and I ended up going outside of my usual genres again in order to find some stories that fit! Surprisingly, my normal picks of of magical teenagers going up against the vaguely evil forces of darkness didn’t feature as much childbirth as you’d think. Or at least didn’t feature it prominently enough that I thought it deserved to be included on my list.

Definitely not complaining though, as I’ve once again been reminded of some truly amazing books I’ve read before, and found some I hope to read in the future. Top Five Tuesdays strike again!

Let’s get started!

---

Top Five Books About a Birth

I haven’t read The Growing Season yet, and in fairness to the prompt, it doesn’t technically revolve around a single birth (so sorry for cheating!). Instead, this book is a science-fiction exploration about a world where pregnancy and natural birth are outdated concepts thanks to an invention called ‘the pouch’. Women are now liberated from the threat of injury or death or even the constraints of childbearing, and literally everyone can now share in the joy of pregnancy with absolutely no downsides… right?

I admit, I’m pretty fascinated by this concept. and some reviews have really hinted at all the changes to society that the ‘pouch’ creates. And not all of them are good, or what you’d expect. Definitely one I plan to check out.

---

This pick is a bit of a mixed bag for me, as it centers on midwives helping people giving birth (yay for being on theme!) but they are doing so right in the middle of a pandemic (ooo boy). Maybe it just hit too close to home, as I normally love the occasional historical setting and romance in my books, and I can’t deny that the author definitely has a powerful way with words. Definitely one to check out if you’re in the mood for some historical drama – but maybe after the current terribleness of the world has passed.

---

Speaking of a blast from the past, it’s been a long time since I read The Midwife’s Apprentice and I’d honestly forgotten about it until this prompt smacked my memory back into place. I read this book as a grade-schooler and, while I do remember it being a bit dry for my taste, I can’t say I didn’t enjoy it. The story centers on a street orphan known only as Brat, who meets Jane – the sharp-tongued, and often bad-tempered midwife, and becomes her apprentice.

It’s actually a very sweet story about a girl coming to realize her own self worth and deciding to make a better life for herself, while also being a pretty cool glimpse into the life and responsibilities of midwives both during Medieval times and even a bit in the present day. Not something I’d say is a must for adult readers, but definitely something I could easily recommend to younger audiences.

---

Young Fleetwood Shuttleworth is a noblewoman with child again. After losing her last three pregnancies, she knows that if she cannot give her husband a child this time, there won’t be another chance, So she employs the services of a midwife, Alice Grey, who promises that she can help Fleetwood deliver a healthy baby. The only problem? Alice soon stands accused of witchcraft.

This is another novel I haven’t read yet, but the summary already has me intrigued. Set against the backdrop of the 1612 Witch Trials, this book asks some hard questions about the witch hunts of that period; led by King James I, who was desperate to assert his authority over the entire country, and used mostly against poor and illiterate women. Add in the struggles of motherhood and focusing entirely on the safe birth of Fleetwood’s child, and this has all the makings of a tough read that will keep me in suspense from beginning to end!

---

This last one starts with the birth of a child, and explores all the galaxy spanning ramification that creates. After two warriors from opposite sides of an unending war fall in love, they risk everything to protect the new life they created and desperately try find a place for their family in the universe.

It’s beautiful, it’s emotional, and it’s filled with incredible humor and gorgeous illustrations. Saga might be one of my all time favourite graphic novel series to date. There’s something so incredibly touching about the story of a family just trying to find a home and a safe haven for their child. Definitely check it out if you haven’t already!

---

There we have it, the Top Five Books About a Birth. Another big thanks to Meeghan for setting up another fantastic theme for this week! I can’t wait to fill out the rest of April’s prompts. This was definitely more of a challenge than I thought it would be, but also ended up being a lot of fun. And now I’m wondering if there should be more fantasy epics about the trials of parenthood and children. I can’t say I wouldn’t be fully on board with watching Dark Lords being cowed into submission by exhausted parents who just got the baby to sleep.

What do you guys think? Did you enjoy any of the books on this list? Let me know your thoughts in the comments!

---

Thanks for reading everyone! You can check out more of my posts in the links below.