Lovely lady novels for troubled times: Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle! Made me laugh until I couldn't stand it. Also: if you're feeling meditative and regional, Sarah Orne Jewett's Country of the Pointed Firs. Jane Gardam's Crusoe's Daughter. And if we're feeling a little bit Victorian, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret.
Early Angela Thirkell every time! Summer Half (nice young man with delightfully feral sister becomes schoolmaster for a term ); Wild Strawberries (dull girl stays with rich eccentric relatives; falls in love with charming cad); Pomfret Towers (grand house party in Gothic mansion) - well written froth the lot of them.
You are doing God's work. If there's a God. I'm split on it. Love the Christie, I think her lighter work is great. When I was a kid I'd amassed so many books that as well a a wall of shelves I slept on top of cupboards built under my bed to store the books I dragged back from jumble sales and second-hand bookshops. Books didn't have to fit into a niche then , so Dashiell Hammet could rub along nicely with James Thurber, Stephen Leacock and Orwell.
Thank you! And I can relate, I used to bring piles and piles of books home from second-hand shops. I find that however many bookshelves you have, you always have slightly too many books to fit on them...
I could suggest so many, but here's just two that come to mind:
"Come Out of the Kitchen!" by Alice Duer Miller, a romantic comedy where a young man rents a furnished house for the season, complete with servants...who don't act quite like any servants he's seen before.
"The Story Book Girls" by Christina Gowans Whyte: I feel like maybe only two other people have ever read this book, but it's a lovely, relaxed coming-of-age story with dashes of humor and romance, about a large affectionate family of mostly girls (who are actually *not* the Story Book Girls of the title), their brother, friends, and neighbors.
I have the Story Book Girls! I found it in a pub in Norwich and they let me take it home so I could finish reading it. I actually took it down from the bookshelf the other day as I was thinking about writing about it. When I'm back I'll stick a picture up as it's a great hardback copy with illustrations. I haven't heard of the other but will look it up!
Both brilliant! I remember reading Miss Buncle's Book as a child and then never being able to find it again, I was so happy that Persephone Books reprinted it.
This is great!!! Love discovering old books... along the lines of the first category, Hotel du Lac is fun and so is The Enchanted April. For an easy comic romps: anything by PG Wodehouse is spot on, as is Greene's Travels with My Aunt and Auntie Mame, the first novel. So many.... Thanks for this 😊🙏
I love The Enchanted April, am actually planning on writing about that one soon - and I'd forgotten about Travels With My Aunt which is brilliant so thank you for the reminder! And yes PG Wodehouse is incomparable.
I suspect you will also really enjoy "Father" by Elizabeth Von Arnim.. a very funny, feel-good read! And free in one of the collected works of Elizabeth Von Arnim on kindle. Also published by Persephone.
Lovely lady novels for troubled times: Dodie Smith, I Capture the Castle! Made me laugh until I couldn't stand it. Also: if you're feeling meditative and regional, Sarah Orne Jewett's Country of the Pointed Firs. Jane Gardam's Crusoe's Daughter. And if we're feeling a little bit Victorian, Mary Elizabeth Braddon, Lady Audley's Secret.
Thank you so much for these recommendations - don't know how I missed your comment before! But these are going straight on the list.
Loved “I Capture The Castle”. One of my favourite books!
Yes I love that one too!
"I write this while sitting in the kitchen sink." One of the best first sentences ever.
It is! I can’t think of a better one
Love your suggestions Hats! This is my genre to a T. One of my faves to re-read is Miss Pettigrew Lives For A Day.
Yes that’s a brilliant one, I’m saving it for a later post…
Mine too …and Mrs Palfrey at the Claremont and just about everything by Dorothy Whipple …check out Persephone Books catalogue….
Oh I love Persephone books, I have an embarrassingly large collection! Yes to Dorothy Whipple, I must write about some of hers soon.
Absolutely love this book.
Utter bliss.
Early Angela Thirkell every time! Summer Half (nice young man with delightfully feral sister becomes schoolmaster for a term ); Wild Strawberries (dull girl stays with rich eccentric relatives; falls in love with charming cad); Pomfret Towers (grand house party in Gothic mansion) - well written froth the lot of them.
Love Thirkell. My go-to books of hers are the wartime home front novels, starting with Cheerfulness Breaks In and ending with Peace Breaks Out.
I've read the first but not the last, still working my way through! They're great to read when you need a break from other things, I find.
Oh, yes, absolutely second this! Those titles you mentioned plus High Rising and August Folly are all fluffy "comfort reads" for me.
I like the later ones too but they’re more of a specialist taste I think!
Yes I love Thirkell! August Folly and Wild Strawberries are both great. I like the later ones too but they do start to blur into one another a bit.
Yes, I definitely vote for Thirkell and am delighted her novels are back in pring.
I go to Georgette Heyer - maybe Frederica or The Grand Sophy. Spirited heroines and lots of lovely Regency detail.
Georgette Heyer was a genius - those two (and Cotillion) have to be my favourites as well!
You are doing God's work. If there's a God. I'm split on it. Love the Christie, I think her lighter work is great. When I was a kid I'd amassed so many books that as well a a wall of shelves I slept on top of cupboards built under my bed to store the books I dragged back from jumble sales and second-hand bookshops. Books didn't have to fit into a niche then , so Dashiell Hammet could rub along nicely with James Thurber, Stephen Leacock and Orwell.
Thank you! And I can relate, I used to bring piles and piles of books home from second-hand shops. I find that however many bookshelves you have, you always have slightly too many books to fit on them...
It is a truth universally acknowledged that a young woman in posession of a lot of books has to buy more books upon entering a bookshop.
Comes to mind
Always!
I could suggest so many, but here's just two that come to mind:
"Come Out of the Kitchen!" by Alice Duer Miller, a romantic comedy where a young man rents a furnished house for the season, complete with servants...who don't act quite like any servants he's seen before.
"The Story Book Girls" by Christina Gowans Whyte: I feel like maybe only two other people have ever read this book, but it's a lovely, relaxed coming-of-age story with dashes of humor and romance, about a large affectionate family of mostly girls (who are actually *not* the Story Book Girls of the title), their brother, friends, and neighbors.
I have the Story Book Girls! I found it in a pub in Norwich and they let me take it home so I could finish reading it. I actually took it down from the bookshelf the other day as I was thinking about writing about it. When I'm back I'll stick a picture up as it's a great hardback copy with illustrations. I haven't heard of the other but will look it up!
Love this! 7 Dials is a blast - Agatha does Bright Young Things...
It's just so funny - I love the Cootes and their failure to get the gardener to do what they want
Yes! And Lord Caterham being made a director of one of Coote’s companies, ‘they have very nice blotting paper’. It’s really droll.
Miss Buncle’s Book (D.E. Stevenson)!
And Cold Comfort Farm
Both brilliant! I remember reading Miss Buncle's Book as a child and then never being able to find it again, I was so happy that Persephone Books reprinted it.
Have just ordered Miss Buncle’s Book. Can’t wait to read.
I hope you enjoy it!
I’m sure I will
Currently reading the Vita Sackville-West/Nigel Nicolson memoir, Portrait of a Marriage, because what I find most comforting & engrossing is gossip
I haven't heard of this one but it sounds great, will add it to the list!
This is great!!! Love discovering old books... along the lines of the first category, Hotel du Lac is fun and so is The Enchanted April. For an easy comic romps: anything by PG Wodehouse is spot on, as is Greene's Travels with My Aunt and Auntie Mame, the first novel. So many.... Thanks for this 😊🙏
I love The Enchanted April, am actually planning on writing about that one soon - and I'd forgotten about Travels With My Aunt which is brilliant so thank you for the reminder! And yes PG Wodehouse is incomparable.
I suspect you will also really enjoy "Father" by Elizabeth Von Arnim.. a very funny, feel-good read! And free in one of the collected works of Elizabeth Von Arnim on kindle. Also published by Persephone.
I do love Elizabeth von Arnim although I’ve only read a few of hers, I’ll add Father to the top of the list!
Oh fabulous - I look forward to reading that! I also loved her first book, Elizabeth & Her German Garden. Was less enthusiastic about Vera.
I have downloaded Lady Betty and am really enjoying it. I’d never heard of the authors before so I’m looking forward to lots of good reading!
I’m so glad you like it!
Love learning and reading old books. Thanks so much
This will keep me busy!!
You're very welcome, I hope you enjoy them!
Ah, I have read and loved all of these except the Agatha Christie one! Definitely would recommend them.
We obviously have similar taste! If you like the others then you should definitely give Christie a try.
I'm loving this list and going through it one by one with my Libby Library App. Thanks so much!
You’re most welcome! I hope you find something that becomes a favourite!
Really enjoyed this list.
I’m so glad! There are some of my favourites in there.
I’ve never heard of these, but the excerpts sound intriguing. I’ll have to check them out! Thanks for the recs!
Thanks for reading! I hope you find something new you love…