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• Reputation: 550 Q&A: 13 0 4 223 18 1 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Follow Following 0 Christina L

  1 0 Bloomsbury Publishing paperback reprints may have what you want. Stella Gibbons, Frank Baker, E.F. Benson, Ada Leverson are some early 20th century English authors whose novels have been reprinted. Nightingale Wood is a romance retelling of a fairy tale, reminiscent of Dodie Smith's I Capture the Castle; Miss Hargreaves is a fantasy. Additional reprinted titles include A Kid for Two Farthings, Henrietta's War, The Brontes Went to Woolworth's, and Mrs. Ames. Most of these were originally published in the 1930s and 1940s. Have you read The Man Who Was Thursday by G.K. Chesterton? It is described as a psychological thriller, so I don't know about "non-disturbing" but it's droll, surreal and allegorical so there are some similarities to the works of Lewis and Tolkien, and nobody dies or gets his/heart broken. The ending made me smile, at least. Maybe Miss Pettigrew Lives For a Day by Winifred Watson, or one of the "Mapp & Lucia" books by E.F. Benson, or Miss Buncle's Book by D.E. Stevenson. One more! A thin funny Gothic satiric novel is Nightmare Abbey by Thomas Love Peacock: Peacock was friends with several of the leading Romantic Era poets (Coleridge, Lord Byron and Percy Shelley) and satirized them in this story. (It's not intentional that many of these novels I chose have "Miss" in the title. I imagine it was a publishing trend/fad back in England's interwar period.) Christina L answered in Book Recommendations 10 months ago | Report 2 comments by Christina L and haleywooster… 0 0 Not really British unless you count English-born, but Stephen Leacock is one of my fave early 20th century humo(u)r essayists and short story writers, especially to read in the summer. Christina L commented 10 months ago | Report 0 0 Wow, I had no idea I would get so many great suggestions so fast. Thanks for yet another thoughtful answer. I have read just a littler Chesterton, including A Man Who Was Thursday. I have a harder time understanding Chesterton than Lewis, but in theory I like him (I think I agree with many of his views anyway). And as for Stella Gibbons...I LOVE Cold Comfort Farm--the book and the Kate Beckinsale movie. I wasn't as taken with Nightingale wood, but maybe I should give it another go (I think I quit 1/2 way through in favor of a Georgette Heyer romance instead). But I'll look into these others. Thanks much for recommendations of older books--I've really enjoyed reading works from previous generations. haleywooster commented 10 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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• Reputation: 639 Q&A: 22 0 0 205 6 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 5 topics Books & Writing Book Recommendations General Book Discussion Other Books & Writing Book Club- A Visit from the Goon Squad Follow Following 2 David Wright

  1 0 What fun - sounds like some good summer reading ahead of you. Here are a few ideas. You might enjoy Hope Mirlees' lost fantasy classic from 1926: Lud in the Mist, an utterly winning story about a very prosaic town that is suddenly afflicted by incursions of magic. Based on your favorites, I'd say it is almost a sure bet. For a really good time with a lesser-known golden age mystery writer, check out Gladys Mitchell, whose sleuth - Beatrice LeStrange Bradley - is a total kick: gifted with keen psychological insight, described as looking like a bird, but not in a pretty way, and always getting mixed up in something with an odd occult or paranormal angle. Haunted Houses, Loch Ness Monster, etc. They're great - there were scores of them, though they are harder to find, but the library has some re-prints - try When Last I Died. For other fun mysteries that play fair with the reader, you might consider taking Rex Stout or Ngaio Marsh for a ride, or some of these fair play authors (from a recent Shelf Talk post). As a fan of both Dickens and Collins, you might enjoy Dan Simmons Drood. I say might as some have found it ponderous, but your special interest in those two - who figure chiefly in the plot - might be enough to carry you through. Stepping well back in time, The Private Memoirs and Confessions of a Justified Sinner, by James Hogg. The Life and Opinions of Tristram Shandy, Gentleman, by Laurence Sterne. Some other classics old and new, just for fun - much mirth and warmth here: The Ascent of Rum Doodle by W E Bowman. Diary of a Nobody, by George Wheedon Grossmith. The Haunted Bookshop, by Christopher Morley. Crome Yellow, by Aldous Huxley. The Ragged Trousered Philanthopists, by Robert Tressel. Three Men in a Boat, by Jerome K. Jerome. (to which I have to almost reflexively add To Say Nothing of the Dog, or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last, by Connie Willis.) Evolution Man: or How I Ate My Father, by Roy Lewis. Scoop, by Evelyn Waugh. Lucky Jim, by Kingsley Amis. The Slaves of Solitude, by Patrick Hamilton. I Capture the Castle, by Dodie Smith. We Have Always Lived in the Castle, by Shirley Jackson. Time and Again, by Jack Finney. And finally, strange, wonderful, a bit of a tough go but in a class all by itself, Memoirs of a Midget, by Walter de la Mare. Hard to describe the curious appeal of this odd work, but I was completely won over by its odd spell. Drop by and see us at the library sometime. David Wright answered in Book Recommendations 10 months ago | Report 2 comments by David Wright and haleywooster… 0 0 PS you might try out Lauren Willig's series, based on "The Scarlet Pimpernel." Fun. David Wright commented 10 months ago | Report 0 0 Wow, I think that could keep me reading for the next several summers :-) Thanks so much for the very thoughtful suggestions! haleywooster commented 10 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 You sound a lot like me as a reader. I similarly love British lit, have a hard time finding modern authors that I care for, enjoy occasional YA, and dig almost every author on your list. I can unreservedly recommend P. D. James- she's British and writes fantastic character-driven mysteries. They are set in modern times, but have an almost period feel to them. I'd start with The Skull Beneath the Skin, but others that are quite good are Shroud for a Nightingale, The Private Patient, and Unnatural Causes. She also wrote Children of Men, upon which the recent film was based. Science Fiction is not really up my street usually (I'm much more of a fantasy reader), but I thought Children of Men was great. I'd also recommend Margaret Atwood (particularly her short stories) and Joyce Carol Oates (all of her work is beautiful, haunting, and engaging). You may enjoy Jonathon Strange and Mr. Norrell, by Susanna Clarke, if you haven't read it already. Lots of folks have compared it to Austen's work. I'm a great fan of Austen's, and wasn't totally enthralled by Jonathon Strange, but most readers I know loved it. For more fantasy recommendations, I love Garth Nix's Abhorsen trilogy (Sabriel, Lirael, and Abhorsen), which are oriented toward teen readers but are very rewarding and great for lighter summer reading. Ursula K. Leguin is well worth exploring- she writes very lean, universally relevant, and most mythic fantasy/sci fi. If you do end up wanting a big thick book to sink into and haven't read it, I must recommend Les Mis. It's huge and convoluted, but it's also one of my very favorite books- it contains every kind of story you could possibly be craving (love, war, tragedy, social/political commentary, coming-of-age, etc.). Sphinx answered in Book Recommendations 10 months ago | Report 1 comment by haleywooster… 0 0 Thank you for yet another great answer to my question. PD James is now on the reading list too :-) And I totally agree--Les Mis is one of the best stories of all times (not the best written in my opinion, but the story itself is hard to beat). I'm a fan of the play too :-) haleywooster commented 10 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 When it comes to mysteries, I'd recommend the following because they seem to fit your criteria. They are well written, British and light reading. My preference is for settings that are dated so you'll see that some of these are WW1 time frame (very interesting time). Barbara Cleverly and her Sandilands series:   Charles Todd - The Rutledge Series. Charles Finch and his Lennox series. Charles B answered in Book Recommendations 10 months ago | Report 1 comment by haleywooster… 0 0 Thanks much! I'll have to check these out. I also enjoy "dated settings" especially WWI era and the 1920s and 30s haleywooster commented 10 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 You might enjoy Terry Pratchett's novels. I recommend starting with one of the later ones, like "Going Postal". Tom Sackett answered in Book Recommendations 10 months ago | Report 1 comment by haleywooster… 0 0 Thanks for the answer. I have read some of Pratchett's Disc World novels and enjoyed them. haleywooster commented 10 months ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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  1 0 The No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency series by Alexander McCall Smith has been a favorite for me. The stories are set in Gaborone, Botswana and there are 12 books-so one delays the disappointment of the events coming to closure, and then having to find the next great book. circa59 answered in Book Recommendations 10 months ago | Report Comment on this answer Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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