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754 ratings | 713 reviews | avg rating:3.66

Bobbie’s Year In Books

Bobbie’s 2025 Year in Books

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Bobbie Darbyshire

Goodreads Author

Born

London, The United Kingdom

Website

http://is.gd/u8V4hA

Twitter

bobbiedar

Genre

Fiction, Humor and Comedy

Member Since

May 2011

URL

https://www.goodreads.com/bobbiedar

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Bobbie's fifth novel, 'The Third Bus' was published in October 2023. Her earlier novels are: 'The Posthumous Adventures of Harry Whittaker', 'Oz', 'Love, Revenge & Buttered Scones' and 'Truth Games'.

She won the 2008 fiction prize at the National Academy of Writing and the New Delta Review Creative Nonfiction Prize 2010. She has worked as barmaid, mushroom picker, film extra, maths coach, cabinet minister's private secretary, care assistant and volunteer adult-literacy teacher, as well as in social research and government policy.

Her latest novel is 'The Third Bus': An unappreciated man walks out of his dispiriting 42-year marriage with no destination in mind. At Victoria coach station, on the spur of the moment he boards a coach to Norwich. Bobbie's fifth novel, 'The Third Bus' was published in October 2023. Her earlier novels are: 'The Posthumous Adventures of Harry Whittaker', 'Oz', 'Love, Revenge & Buttered Scones' and 'Truth Games'.

She won the 2008 fiction prize at the National Academy of Writing and the New Delta Review Creative Nonfiction Prize 2010. She has worked as barmaid, mushroom picker, film extra, maths coach, cabinet minister's private secretary, care assistant and volunteer adult-literacy teacher, as well as in social research and government policy.

Her latest novel is 'The Third Bus': An unappreciated man walks out of his dispiriting 42-year marriage with no destination in mind. At Victoria coach station, on the spur of the moment he boards a coach to Norwich. A late-life coming-of-age story, mixing humour and sorrow, hope and regret.

Bobbie's four earlier novels are:

'The Posthumous Adventures of Harry Whittaker': A world-famous superstar actor – think Laurence Olivier crossed with Jack Nicholson – dies, but to his astonishment finds he’s still here among us. He’s able to watch the effect of his mean-spirited will on those left behind, including his son (cycling along on the cover) and even his cat. If your spirits are in need of a lift, it’s a real feel-good book that will keep you hooked.

'OZ': Mark Jonnson's life is a mess. He fears his marriage is over, but can't bear to leave his boisterous 7-year-old daughter, Matilda. Just when he thinks things can't get worse, his mother is killed in a road accident. Shocked and grieving, he decamps to her house, where he uncovers a secret that turns his life upside-down and sends him and his daughter on a whirlwind search for the truth.

Sarah Rayner, author of 'One Moment, One Morning', says of 'Oz', "What a delight to find a novel that's both a page-turner and a nuanced exploration of characters. The tensions and subtleties of relationships of marriage and parenting across the decades are explored with delicacy, yet the storytelling never falters, as a constantly evolving plot keeps you hooked until the last page."

'Love, Revenge & Buttered Scones': Long-listed for the 2011 International Rubery Book Award. In this comedy of errors, three troubled people dash off to the Scottish Highlands, where their destinies are mysteriously entwined around a reading group in the Inverness public library. Twists & surprises, very funny with also some dark, serious threads, it keeps you guessing throughout.

'Truth Games': In 1970s London, the blazing summers of 75 & 76, a group of friends get out of their depth in infidelity. Thought-provoking, amusing & sexy, a book about how we hurt each other with lies and with truths.

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Bobbie Darbyshire’s books

Average rating: 3.70 · 249 ratings · 72 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Posthumous Adventures of Harry Whittaker 3.67 avg rating — 126 ratings — published 2019 — 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
	Love, Revenge and Buttered Scones 3.17 avg rating — 52 ratings — published 2010 — 7 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
	Oz 4.20 avg rating — 30 ratings — published 2014 — 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
	The Third Bus 4.36 avg rating — 22 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
	Truth Games 3.67 avg rating — 15 ratings — published 2009 — 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
	Love, Revenge & Buttered Scones really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 3 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
	Lovers' Lies by Clare Sandling, Katy Darby (editor), Cherry Potts (Goodreads Author) (editor) it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 1 rating	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 Posthumous Adventures Of Harry Whittaker by Bobbie Darbyshire (Goodreads Author), Peter Kenny (Reader) 0.00 avg rating — 0 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
	The Posthumous Adventures of Harry Whittaker by Bobbie Darbyshire (Goodreads Author), Peter Kenny (Reader) 0.00 avg rating — 0 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
	OZ 0.00 avg rating — 0 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

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Bobbie’s Recent Updates

Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book liked it Collected Stories by Peter Carey	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
Twenty-seven short stories, of which I loved two—‘Exotic pleasures’ & ‘A letter to our son’—and found the others easy to read and engaging. All except one are speculative fiction, described by the Sunday Times reviewer as “improbable worlds with the ...more
Nov 04, 2026 02:05AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book it was amazing A Little History of Philosophy by Nigel Warburton	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
From Socrates to Singer, 40 easy-to-read chapters about 40 philosophers. I joined a philosophy group a few months ago and currently always have a philosophy book on the go at the same time as a novel. This is a great introduction to who’s who, who’s ...more
Oct 26, 2026 03:29AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book it was amazing Moon Tiger by Penelope Lively	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
Back in 2023: Another one dusted off from my bookshelves after the four guests on Between the Covers warmly praised it. It won the Booker in 1987, I last read it in 1987 and my record shows that I rated it ‘brilliant’, but it was a time of such uphea ...more
Oct 20, 2026 12:48AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book it was amazing Nobody's Fool (Sully #1) by Richard Russo (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
A lovable, chaotic hero, plus brilliantly witty commentary on a many great characters and their interconnected goings-on in small-town upstate New York. I emerged, jaded, from giving up on a more recent, much hyped, book to discover this treasure from ...more
Oct 13, 2026 08:19AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book really liked it Ethics in the Real World: 86 Brief Essays on Things that Matter by Peter Singer (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
An updated version with, now, 90 short opinion pieces on a whole range of issues by a secular, utilitarian philosopher. Stylistically more like newspaper columns than academic papers. I read one or two of them a day and mostly agreed with him, so it ...more
Oct 04, 2026 09:16AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book did not like it The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride (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
1920s to 1970s, community secrets in Chicken Hill, Pottsdown, Pensylvania. I can’t remember why I added this to the TBR queue. It is hyped to the skies. Book of the year for Obama, Oprah, and various broadsheets. Hailed by the Los Angeles Times as “a ...more
Sep 16, 2026 01:03AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book really liked it Glitz by Elmore Leonard	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
A cop who is being stalked by a psycho killer he put away seven years ago tries to solve a series of seemingly unconnected murders. It’s the 24th Elmore Leonard I’ve read and I’m not yet quite halfway through his prolific output. This one was a nice ...more
Sep 14, 2026 04:07AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book really liked it The Kind Worth Killing (Henry Kimball/Lily Kintner, #1) by Peter Swanson (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
Two people meet on a plane and get chatting. One of them is, not very seriously, thinking of killing his wife and her lover. I saw this praised online, I like a good thriller now and then, and this one did not disappoint. A clever plot with several un ...more
Sep 01, 2026 12:29AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book really liked it Mathematics for the Million: How to Master the Magic of Numbers by Lancelot Hogben	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
“… from simple arithmetic to calculus. His illuminating explanation is addressed to the person who wants to understand the place of mathematics in modern civilization but who has been intimidated by its supposed difficulty.” I have possessed a hardbac ...more
Aug 26, 2026 02:39AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book really liked it mathematics from the million by Lancelot Hogben	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
“… from simple arithmetic to calculus. His illuminating explanation is addressed to the person who wants to understand the place of mathematics in modern civilization but who has been intimidated by its supposed difficulty.” I have possessed a hardbac ...more
Aug 26, 2026 02:37AM · like · see review