738 ratings | 697 reviews | avg rating:3.65

Bobbie’s Year In Books

Bobbie’s 2025 Year in Books

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

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Debbie Blake

98 books | 1,057 friends

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457 books | 49 friends

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839 books | 56 friends

Sonya Wanvig

4,511 books | 111 friends

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1,092 books | 234 friends

Ron McMillan

29 books | 6 friends

Mahyar Tehrani

299 books | 27 friends

Chris Catty

772 books | 24 friends

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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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Combine Editions
Bobbie Darbyshire’s books

Average rating: 3.7 · 246 ratings · 71 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Posthumous Adventures of Harry Whittaker 3.66 avg rating — 125 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 3.64 avg rating — 14 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 it was amazing 5.00 avg rating — 2 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 Darbyshire rated a book liked it My Dear Kabul: A Year in the Life of an Afghan Women's Writing Group by Untold Narratives CIC	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 August 2021, when the Taliban retook Afghanistan, until the first anniversary of that event, this is the edited English translation of the WhatsApp messages of a group of twenty-one Afghan women writers. It makes for depressing reading, but I’m ...more
Jul 19, 2026 09:49AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book really liked it Gilead (Gilead, #1) by Marilynne Robinson	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 first read this in 2018, gave it five stars, and commented: In Gilead, a small town in Iowa, in 1956, Reverend John Ames is told by his doctor that his heart is failing. He starts to write a letter to his young son – not a sermon, but a searchingl ...more
Jul 14, 2026 01:55AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Gilead by Marilynne Robinson. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Gilead by Marilynne Robinson <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book it was amazing Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin (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
In the consecutive voices of five women, a story, told chronologically, similar to and referencing the Bill Clinton/Monica Lewinski scandal. This is the third novel I’ve read by this author (after Tomorrow, Tomorrow, Tomorrow and The Storied Life of ...more
Jul 07, 2026 03:59AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Young Jane Young by Gabrielle Zevin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book it was amazing A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler (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 think I’ve read 20 novels from this prolifically delicious writer, and as far as I’m yet aware, this is only her second family saga (the first being Searching for Caleb). It’s not a genre I particularly like, but she does it so well that I am once ...more
Jul 03, 2026 02:24AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — A Spool of Blue Thread by Anne Tyler <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book did not like it Saving Agnes by Rachel Cusk	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 loved Cusk’s recent trilogy (Outline, Transit, Kudos) but this, despite winning a first-novel prize in 1983, irritated me. More character study than story. Agnes is herself irritating—hopelessly unselfconfident with her friends, boyfriends & work c ...more
Jun 24, 2026 10:40AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Saving Agnes by Rachel Cusk. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Saving Agnes by Rachel Cusk <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book it was amazing Wifedom: Mrs. Orwell's Invisible Life by Anna Funder	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 gripping, moving, fascinating, shocking biography of George Orwell’s wife Eileen O’Shaughnessy, and breathtakingly more than that. Not tub-thumping feminism but a quietly riveting, gentle exposé of how a wife, not only then but all too often still ...more
Jun 16, 2026 06:23AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Wifedom by Anna Funder. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Wifedom by Anna Funder <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book it was amazing Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir (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
Any description of the story would be a plot spoiler. Suffice to say this sci-fi blew me away. Absolutely brilliant, especially for someone like me with an interest in the sciences as well as the arts. It is chock full of accessibly explained and app ...more
Jun 07, 2026 05:00AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book liked it Cannery Row (Cannery Row, #1) by John Steinbeck	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
Set during the Great Depression in Monterey, California, on a street lined with sardine canneries, this novella is an affectionate, tongue-in-cheek portrait of the inhabitants: the grocer, a marine biologist, the brothel owner and her girls, an artis ...more
May 25, 2026 05:41AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Cannery Row by John Steinbeck. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Cannery Row by John Steinbeck <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book liked it The Problems of Philosophy by Bertrand Russell	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’ve joined and have been to one very enjoyable meeting of a local philosophy discussion group. This is the second of the introductory books recommended, harder going than the first, which was ‘50 philosophy ideas you really need to know’ by Ben Dupr ...more
May 25, 2026 02:26AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book really liked it Jurassic Park (Jurassic Park, #1) by Michael Crichton	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
Many species of dinosaur are brought back to life in a high-tech game park where everything that can go wrong does. The film made little impression on me—Jeff Goldblum, special effects, yeah—and it wouldn’t have occurred to me to read the book until ...more
May 18, 2026 07:12AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">