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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

136 books | 1,059 friends

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797 books | 55 friends

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799 books | 24 friends

Mahyar Tehrani

293 books | 25 friends

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32 books | 6 friends

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1,092 books | 234 friends

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549 books | 48 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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Bobbie Darbyshire’s books

Average rating: 3.71 · 242 ratings · 71 reviews · 10 distinct works • Similar authors

	The Posthumous Adventures of Harry Whittaker 3.69 avg rating — 124 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 4.24 avg rating — 29 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 4.38 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
	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 — 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
	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 Table for Two by Amor Towles (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
Six short stories and a novella. I really loved stories two to six. If the whole book had been that good I would have rushed to read everything else Towles has written. The first story was also okay. But the novella dragged for me. I kept having to c ...more
Apr 14, 2026 11:09PM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Table for Two by Amor Towles. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Table for Two by Amor Towles <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book liked it Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris (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
When Charles II is restored to the throne, the royalists set about finding and gruesomely executing those who signed his father’s death warrant. One royalist has personal reasons for seeking revenge on two regicides who have fled to the largely Prote ...more
Apr 03, 2026 04:29AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book it was amazing The Road Less Traveled: A New Psychology of Love, Traditional Values and Spiritual Growth by M. Scott Peck	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 classic self-help book first published in 1978 by a then practising psychiatrist. Nearly broken by trauma and ill health in 1990, I came across it in 1991 and it was one of the several things that helped me to deconstruct, heal and reconstruct myse ...more
Apr 01, 2026 09:50AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Road Less Traveled by M. Scott Peck <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book really liked it 50 Philosophy Ideas You Really Need to Know by Ben Dupré	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 about to join a local philosophy discussion group. Haven’t been to a meeting yet, but this is one of the introductory books recommended. It does what the title promises, briefly and simply. My only quibble is that the author’s habit of breaking u ...more
Mar 17, 2026 09:38AM · like · see review
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book really liked it The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer (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 serial killer becomes obsessed with a TV crime reporter and starts using her to gain publicity for his murders. This is the third one of Bauer’s I’ve read, better than ‘Exit’, not as good as ‘Rubbernecker’, but enjoyable enough to convince me to ad ...more
Mar 15, 2026 10:12AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Beautiful Dead by Belinda Bauer <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book liked it Free Love by Tessa Hadley	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
London 1967. A happily married middleclass wife with two children falls in love with a younger man. I did enjoy this, but not quite enough to give it more than three stars. There’s some sumptuous description, especially at the start, and a fast-movin ...more
Mar 03, 2026 01:10AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Free Love by Tessa Hadley. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Free Love by Tessa Hadley <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book it was amazing The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry 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
A grumpy bookshop owner finds a two-year-old girl abandoned in his store, and starts changing his life. I added this to the TBR queue after thoroughly enjoying ‘Tomorrow and tomorrow and tomorrow’ by the same author. If anything, I loved this one eve ...more
Feb 23, 2026 04:41AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry by Gabrielle Zevin <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book liked it To Calais, in Ordinary Time by James Meek	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
Southern England, 1348. A company of archers and an assortment of fellow travellers set out for Calais, while in the other direction comes the Black Death. It’s written in the imagined language of the time, using many obsolete words, and after twice ...more
Feb 15, 2026 07:03AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of To Calais, in Ordinary Time by James Meek. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — To Calais, in Ordinary Time by James Meek <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book it was amazing Searching for Caleb 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
From the ragtime era to 1970s small-town America, the story of the Peck family, and in particular Justine and Duncan Peck, whose grandfather is engaged in a lifelong search for his brother Caleb who went missing in 1912. I gobble up anything Anne Tyl ...more
Feb 06, 2026 03:43AM · like · see review · preview book See a Problem? We’d love your help. Let us know what’s wrong with this preview of Searching for Caleb by Anne Tyler. Problem: Details (if other): Thanks for telling us about the problem. Not the book you’re looking for? Preview — Searching for Caleb by Anne Tyler <iframe sandbox id="wrongBookKindlePreviewScreen">
Bobbie Darbyshire rated a book it was amazing The Joy of Bridge: Everything you need to know to enjoy your game by Paul Mendelson (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 clear guide to card play and standard Acol bidding. It covers the same card-play advice as Mendelson’s earlier book Winning Ways to Play your Cards, which I’ve read several times, but much more concisely this time, so I shall now read this one seve ...more
Feb 01, 2026 03:54AM · like · see review