58 ratings | 57 reviews | avg rating:4.76

Shirley’s Year In Books

Shirley’s 2025 Year in Books

Take a look at Shirley’s Year in Books, including some fun facts about their reading.

Go to Shirley’s 2025 Year in Books

Shirley Read-Jahn’s Followers (12)

Shirley’s Bookshelves

to-read (7)
currently-reading (19)
read (59)

Shirley’s Friends (6)

Julie Haigh

2,460 books | 356 friends

Karen Thompson

28 books | 37 friends

Carl R.

890 books | 528 friends

Susanne Waldmann

4 books | 27 friends

Barbara Sutton

3 books | 1 friend

Sally Smith

825 books | 155 friends

Shirley Read-Jahn

Goodreads Author

Born

The United Kingdom

Website

https://www.facebook.com/srjpublications/?modal...

Genre

Children's, Biography, Fiction

Member Since

December 2015

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/shirleythereader

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Shirley Read-Jahn was born during World War II and educated in England before becoming a hippy and living in an ancient Roman burial tomb in Matala, Crete. She went on to take up many different colourful careers, including swimwear model, interpreter, landscape gardener, paralegal and events organiser. She also co-founded the highly-successful San Francisco Jazz Festival as well as running her own landscape business in the United States.
Shirley has belly-danced since her thirties, still plays table-tennis, and now lives in Australia. In retirement, she has finally found time to devote to her passion for writing and the books swirling around in her head.

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Combine Editions
Shirley Read-Jahn’s books

Average rating: 4.74 · 146 ratings · 92 reviews · 25 distinct works • Similar authors

	Snowflake Goes to Queensland: a Travel Memoir (Snowflake Travel Memoir Series Book 1) 4.67 avg rating — 21 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Hidden in Plain Sight: A British Military Agent's Story 4.95 avg rating — 19 ratings — 6 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dancing Through Life, Volume 1: A Memoir 4.93 avg rating — 15 ratings — 5 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	The Vanishing Book: A Fictionalised Memoir 4.80 avg rating — 10 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Dancing Through Life, Volume 2: A Memoir (ebook) 4.63 avg rating — 8 ratings — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Snowflake Goes to Western Australia: a Travel Memoir (Snowflake Travel Memoir Series Book 2) 4.50 avg rating — 6 ratings — 4 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Snowflake Goes to New South Wales: a Travel Memoir (Snowflake Travel Memoir Series Book 3) 4.50 avg rating — 4 ratings	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wally and the Mouse (Wally the Water Dragon Book 1 of 2)(ebook) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 ratings — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Prince Oliver Penguin and his Friend, Olivia it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 3 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
	Wally and the Bushfire (ebook)(book 2 of 2) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating — 2 editions	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Shirley is Currently Reading

Shirley Read-Jahn is currently reading

Fat Dogs and French Estates - Beyond the Forest Fringe

by Beth Haslam (Goodreads Author)

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Jan 21, 2026 03:07AM

Shirley Read-Jahn is currently reading

The Lady in the Bay Window 2: More true stories from a haunted Sheffield home (The Lady in the Bay Window Book Series)

by William C. Grave (Goodreads Author)

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Nov 14, 2025 09:47PM

Shirley Read-Jahn rated a book it was amazing

Been Dead, Never Been To Europe: My Recovery From The Widowmaker Heart Attack And The Brain Injury That Came With It

by Jon Johnston (Goodreads Author)

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Shirley Read-Jahn said: " I found this memoir very interesting and well-written. It held me spellbound. Not only did I want to know the medical details of what happens when you have a heart attack and die for as long as Johnston did, but what his emotions were, and how everyt I found this memoir very interesting and well-written. It held me spellbound. Not only did I want to know the medical details of what happens when you have a heart attack and die for as long as Johnston did, but what his emotions were, and how everything impacted his life during his recuperation and afterwards. He didn't disappoint; it's all right there. Not only that, but I enjoyed his black, rather offbeat, droll and sometimes ironic humour: “Most of my complaints to non-physicians were met with, “Are you drinking enough water? Are you staying hydrated?” Oh, really? I’ve never heard that suggestion. Drinking enough water—you don’t say? It was only slightly annoying the first thirty-seven times I heard it, but when it got to thirty-eight, I became convinced that everyone on the planet isn’t drinking enough water and that chronic dehydration is the cause for most of the world’s problems. Global warming? Not drinking enough water. Ebola pandemic slaughtering thousands? Not enough water. Lost your job? Should have had more water.” His comments on the ambivalence about his Christian faith made me chuckle: "Honestly, it bothered me that I’d been dead but had no personal revelation of God’s existence. My death was the second time in my life (the first being my father’s death) that death had punched me directly in the face. You’d think this would have been the perfect opportunity for God, Jesus Christ, the Holy Spirit, and all those saints to personally reveal themselves to me. I wanted a party, dammit. Never mind that I had peace, I wanted Christ himself to come to dinner with me, Heidi, and the family, change some water into wine, and make the perfect chicken Alfredo. We’d all have some of his wine, and Christ would reveal some secrets of the universe. Nothing too big—I didn’t want an existential crisis. I just wanted some of my questions answered. I wanted proof of Christ’s existence. Was Lee Harvey Oswald the lone assassin? Does the Loch Ness Monster exist? Or Bigfoot? ..." To offer us the opportunity to laugh at such a horrifyingly serious event in his life made the read of his memoir so much easier. I loved it. Well done indeed, Mr. Johnston. ...more "

Sep 01, 2025 01:28AM · see review

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Shirley’s Recent Updates

Shirley Read-Jahn is currently reading Fat Dogs and French Estates - Beyond the Forest Fringe by Beth Haslam (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Jan 21, 2026 03:07AM · like
Shirley Read-Jahn is currently reading The Lady in the Bay Window 2: More true stories from a haunted Sheffield home (The Lady in the Bay Window Book Series) by William C. Grave (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Nov 14, 2025 09:47PM · like
Shirley Read-Jahn rated a book it was amazing The Edge of Lost by Kristina McMorris (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I couldn’t put this book down What a story. I laughed, I almost cried, I loved every sentence. Living for years in the States, the longest time in San Francisco, I read the section on Alcatraz with great interest. Kristina McMorris is a superb writer ...more
Nov 05, 2025 02:35AM · like · see review
Shirley Read-Jahn rated a book really liked it Taverna by the Sea by Jennifer Barclay (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I read this book because I love Greece and because an old friend of mine did precisely what Jennifer Barclay did, but at a taverna in Corfu many years ago. I'd heard all about the job from my friend, so it was interesting to hear almost the same expe ...more
Oct 18, 2025 11:50PM · like · see review
Shirley Read-Jahn made a comment on Ivy Logan’s review of Beneath A Copper Sky " Really good review that shows us the super calibre of the author and makes one want to read the book to learn more about her. "
Sep 30, 2025 03:13PM · see review
Shirley Read-Jahn made a comment on Peter Barber’s review of An Aegean Odyssey: A Memoir " Wonderful review. This will go on my tbr list. "
Sep 27, 2025 11:04PM · see review
Shirley Read-Jahn rated a book really liked it Paw Prints In Oman: Dogs, Mogs and Me by Charlotte Smith (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Delightfully written. I learned things I’d no idea about re Oman. I found myself asking my husband to stop what he was doing so I could read him segments aloud. We both fell about laughing at Charlotte Smith's hilarious descriptions of events with th ...more
Sep 19, 2025 02:40PM · 1 like · like · see review
Shirley Read-Jahn rated a book it was amazing Been Dead, Never Been To Europe: My Recovery From The Widowmaker Heart Attack And The Brain Injury That Came With It by Jon Johnston (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I found this memoir very interesting and well-written. It held me spellbound. Not only did I want to know the medical details of what happens when you have a heart attack and die for as long as Johnston did, but what his emotions were, and how everyt ...more
Sep 01, 2025 01:27AM · 1 like · like · see review
Shirley Read-Jahn rated a book it was amazing Rah Rah and Roos - Farming, Flying the Great Southern Land by Stephen Malins (Goodreads Author)	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
I'm from England just like Stephen Malins but I'd no idea what rah rah was until I read his memoir—it's rugby. Maybe you have to be a guy to know that sort of thing! I'm giving him five stars for this book, even with a couple of minor things here and ...more
Aug 24, 2025 11:30PM · like · see review
Shirley Read-Jahn is currently reading Wallis: A Novel by Anne Edwards	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
Aug 10, 2025 03:53AM · like