Imagine that everything is going just swimmingly. The sun is shining, the birds are singing, and all’s right with the world. You’re practically bouncing from health and have money in your pocket. The kids are playing and laughing, the puppy is chewing in the cutest possible manner on an officially-sanctioned chew toy, and in between moments of laughter for pure joy, you pick up a book to read . . .
What is it?
I read a lot of mysteries--I like the ones that are infused with humor. M.C. Beaton is good for that; her Agatha Raisin series never fails to make me laugh. Here are other mystery writers I enjoy (with links to the first of each series):
Nancy Atherton
Jill Churchill
Kate Collins
Jo Dereske
Janet Evanovich
Earlene Fowler
Carolyn Hart
Maddy Hunter
Sunny days are great for non-fiction too. Here are some I've read recently:
Girl Sleuth
The Life of Elizabeth I
Mary Poppins, She Wrote
Notes from a Small Island
The Polysyllabic Spree
Under the Banner of Heaven
I can't get enough of London, or of London-based novels. Here are some favorites from
Jane Green
Wendy Holden
Marian Keyes
Sophie Kinsella
Finally, I can't seem to tackle the classics when it's gloomy outside. So on bright days I have picked up these books:
David Copperfield
Ethan Frome
Much Ado about Nothing
Persuasion
Prince and the Pauper
The Tenant of Wildfell Hall
That is a long list of books, but they're worth it, I promise.
Ms. Mei Flower
- Mei
- I'm a spinster schoolmarm with a degree in English; I watch artsy movies about British people; I knit while watching the History Channel; I listen to NPR in the car; I eat frozen dinners on the couch. Is that stereotypical enough for you? No? Well, then ... and I have a cat.
Reading
13 comments:
If I'm going to read Chick lit, it's definitely going to be British!! They really are the best! A couple of my favorite authors Jill Mansell and Fiona Walker! I love reading the classics too!
Happy Thursday!
THANK you! I'd read Lots of Love (Fiona Walker) when I went to London the first time, but I left it there. When I got home I couldn't remember either the author OR the title, and it has been driving me crazy!
I guess I don't have enough of a varied taste in reading - I'm not familiar with very many of the authors you listed.
I LOVE Jill Churchill's books. They're amazing.
What a great list!
Happy BTT.
Somehow reading mysteries when happy makes a lot of sense to me, even though there's the stereotype of curling up with a mystery when it's all dark and gloomy. I think it's just easier to dig into something complex and fascinating when you're happy.
Great list!
Wow! Great memory and great list!
That's a great list. I love British Chick-Lit too.
Wow, you've a great list there! I think I'll just dig into anything, depending on my reading mood then.
Happy reading!
You got great choices. I have read some from these lists. Others I will check it out!
I like Agatha Raisin too, great for a good day. I don't know some of the other mystery authors you list - I shall have a look at them!
Believe it or not, I've never read a mystery. Sounds like a good list for me to research and try and pick out one. Where would you recommend a mystery virgin begin? Maybe something easy to delve into at first as not to scare me away...
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Thanks, guys! British chick lit is a favorite; I find it so much easier to read than American, for some reason.
Carla, definitely M.C. Beaton for starters. She's a fabulous--and prolific--writer, so you have lots to choose from.
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