UK Book Club discussion

hi everyone, I'm looking for some recommendations of books set in the UK, can be YA, adult, anything. I'd love to hear your favorites!

Set just after the 2ndWorld War.....Small Island by Andrea Levy

If you like classics, many of Charles Dickens novels are set in London, and give a fantastic insight of how things used to be there.

I won a copy of Return of the Raven: A Badbury Tale by Elston Philip - its fantasy and set in Dorset around Badbury Rings. I only got it last night at bookclub but couldn't resist taking a peek while working a sleep shift last night and I had to stop myself staying up to finish it all!

I recently read Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death, a historical mystery set in the UK and it was excellent.

Samantha wrote: "Bill wrote: "I recently read Ariana Franklin's Mistress of the Art of Death, a historical mystery set in the UK and it was excellent."

Oh I thoroughly enjoyed that book :D"

I did as well, Samantha. It was nice to find a new author who grabbed my attention right away and kept me interested from beginning to end. I'm looking forward to reading The Serpent's Tale

Hi Keri
Here are one or two that I've read recently:
The Very Thought of You by Rosie Alison, which is set in the 30s, moving on to present day.
The Little Stranger by Sarah Waters, set in the English countryside in the 1950s.
The Redemption of Alexander Seaton and A Game of Sorrows both by Shona Maclean. These are fantastic historical mysteries, set in Scotland and Ireland in the 17th century.
Newes from the Dead by Mary Hooper - again, historical, set in England in the 17th century, just after the English Civil War.
Anything by Thomas Hardy is also worth looking at - most of his work is set in the beautiful English county of Dorset.

Hope this is helpful!

For me, the quintessential UK settings come from the likes of the Brontes, Charles Dickens, Thomas Hardy and Jane Austen.

For modern writers with historic UK settings I'd recommend The Crimson Petal and the White (Victorian era) or Wolf Hall (Tudors).

Then for reflections on more modern UK, perhaps something like Nick Hornby? Two of the books I'm reading right now are set in London - Remainder by Tom McCarthy and The Battle of the Sun by Jeanette Winterson.

Fiona wrote: "I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

Mysteries (mainly historical) by Andrew Taylor for particular Englishness I recommend the Lydmouth series - starting with An Air tha..."

I read Dodie Smith's The 101 Dalmatians as a kid and just recently found a copy of I Capture the Castle. I also read The American Boy last year which was ok too.

Ahhhh The 101 Dalmatians, I read that when I was a kid too. Great book.

The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a good book set in UK.

I loved I Capture The Castle.

I just read 'On Chesil Beach' set in Oxford and really enjoyed that.

Karen wrote: "The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-time is a good book set in UK."

I enjoyed it very much too. Excellent.

If you like modern mysteries try Minette Walters or Val McDermid.

Some slightly older, but very good mystery/crime novels are the Inspector Morse series by Colin Dexter. They're set in and around Oxford.

thanks everyone!

I agree that Dickens, Hardy, Austen and the Bronte's are all quintessentially English. I also love Mary Webb who wrote about the Shropshire countryside. My all time favourite is Precious Bane. A contemporary choice I would pick is Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks about the Derbyshire village of Eyam during the Plague in the Middle Ages.

Leah wrote: "I agree that Dickens, Hardy, Austen and the Bronte's are all quintessentially English. I also love Mary Webb who wrote about the Shropshire countryside. My all time favourite is Precious Bane. A co..."

Year of Wonders is an excellent book, I think.

Angela wrote: "Leah wrote: "I agree that Dickens, Hardy, Austen and the Bronte's are all quintessentially English. I also love Mary Webb who wrote about the Shropshire countryside. My all time favourite is Precio..."

Year of Wonders is a brilliant book, very unusual.

This one is set in the UK (click link)which is funny, because Americans are reading it!

Parallel Triangle

I'm presently reading Anne Perry's "Farriers' Lane". Born in Glasgow, I grew up in US and have found how I enjoy both ways of writing expressions. And it wasn't until some of my UK readers said it, "You write more European than US" did I understand the problems my editor had had with how I phrased some lines.The Skye in June

Leah wrote: "I agree that Dickens, Hardy, Austen and the Bronte's are all quintessentially English. I also love Mary Webb who wrote about the Shropshire countryside. My all time favourite is Precious Bane. A co..."

i loved year of wonders!

I would recommend Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh.

The book really gets to grips with Scottish national identity - not of romantic highland clans, lairds and ladies, but instead with the culture of drug-abuse, criminality and poverty in Edinburgh's underworld.

Most of the most is written in the dialect of each character, which - although confusing at first - really gives off a sense of the Scottishness of the novel.

For English books I would recommend anything by Daphne du Maurier - she is fantastic at creating atmosphere.

The Stonehenge Legacy

Last year I readApartment 16 it’s a modern take on the haunted house set in London. One of the reasons I really liked it was the location settings. Everything is rather gritty and dirty. There is a scene set in a Supermarket, Sainsburys I think, its so so funny (as long as you have a strong stomach!)

Susan wrote: "Set just after the 2ndWorld War.....Small Island by Andrea Levy

If you like classics, many of Charles Dickens novels are set in London, and give a fantastic insight o..."
I've read this and would recommend it too.

Stephen Foster's "Are You With Me?" is an excellent read, about a teenage boy who moves to rural Norfolk with his mother following his father's death. Without realising where it was set, I took it on a trip with my son's football team when we went to a tournament in Hemsby, the area where story takes place! Seeing places described in the book (we passed the windmills every day, and the main character was right when he said there was always one not working lol) gave it even more significance, although I'd recommend it even for those not attending football tournaments in Hemsby :)

I second Em: 'Remainder' by Tom McCarthy is a brilliant exploration of contemporary London. Other recent(ish) novels with a British setting that I've enjoyed include: Jonathan Coe's 'What a Carve Up!', Zadie Smith's 'White Teeth', J.G. Ballard's 'Millennium People' and the magnificent 'If Nobody Speaks of Remarkable Things' by Jon McGregor (his subsequent novels, 'So Many Ways to Begin' and 'Even the Dogs' also have a British setting, and are marvellous!).

Just reading another horror(ish) novel, I Spied a Pale Horse. Its a post apocalyptic book starting in London in 1999. Again the UK setting makes it that bit more gritty. It has a similar feel to 28 days later.

Thanks Redroc, never heard of it but it sounds like it's worth a look so I'll stick it on my list. I enjoyed "Afterlight" by Alex Scarrow which is another post apocalyptic type book set in the UK, although you might want to read "Last Light" first as Afterlight is the sequel. I read Afterlight without realising. Doh!

Cheers Joe, I finished I Spied a Pale Horse, I'll change my comparison...it's more like the series Survivors by the BBC (the recent remake, not the original). The UK setting is done well with the likes of the Dartford tunnel being used within the plot! A good little quick read but a bit too "Boys Own" for me. Lots of H&K & glock guns, for me a gun is a gun, I don't need to know the make & model every time someone is shot!!!

Last Light is on my TBR as is One, another UK setting.

Redroc wrote: "Just reading another horror(ish) novel, I Spied a Pale Horse. Its a post apocalyptic book starting in London in 1999. Again the UK setting makes it that bit more gritty. It has a si..."

I just received a copy from RISI so looking forward to reading it.

Hi Lynne, hope I haven't put you off! I did like it, just the gun thing got on my nerves after a while! The narrator/protagonist is a well developed anti-hero. Hope you enjoy it:)

One of my favourites set in the UK is the Hound of the Baskervilles. Just love the atmosphere right through.

Lynne - The Book Squirrel wrote: "
I just received a copy from RISI so looking forward to reading it. "

Ohh, Lynne....that was from me on RISI! lol!:D

It's fab, one of my favourties. Hope you enjoy it as much as I did :D

Sonya wrote: "Lynne - The Book Squirrel wrote: "
I just received a copy from RISI so looking forward to reading it. "

Ohh, Lynne....that was from me on RISI! lol!:D

It's fab, one of my favourties. Hope you enj..."

Oh, well thank you very much! Small world isn't it!

Currently reading Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence. Wonderful depiction of Notts/Derbyshire mining life.

Ian wrote: "Currently reading Sons and Lovers by DH Lawrence. Wonderful depiction of Notts/Derbyshire mining life."

I love DH Lawrence's descriptions of towns and conuntryside, he tends to put all his heart and soul into them.

Jake West: The Keeper of the Stones Set in Lichfield, Staffs.

The author's first, he's on this site. I enjoyed it.

Have you seen my books, Time & Tide, No regrets, Stay in Touch, Look After each other and Sofia's legacy. All can be seen on my page and I'm giving 2 free copies of Sofia's Legacy in the giveaways

I love UK-based books too. In fact I even wrote one myself! Most of Tom Sharpe's books are quintessentially English, if that's of interest. I'd recommend The London Pigeon Wars by Patrick Neate, too. I read it years ago, and loved it.

Tom Sharpe - oh yes! I'd forgotten about his books!

They're great, aren't they? The last one that made its way to my shelf was The Gropes. My favourite is Porterhouse Blue (I also love the TV series with David Jason).

I just finished The Prime Of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Spark which gives great imagery of Edinburgh in the 30s.

Wilkie Collins, plus he was the first author to include letters with postage in a book. How English is that!

* "Possessed" also known by "Possessing Rayne"
then "Consumed" also known by "Fire and Rayne"

Both are by Kate Cann and are part of the same series :-) They are paranormal YA.

* "Clockwork Angel" by Cassandra Clare, this is a YA book as well. Its the first book of the Infernal Devices series. (its a pre-quel series to Mortal Insturments)

For more please see my shelf for British setting books: http://www.goodreads.com/review/list/...

Mostly England & Wales so far XD

On Winsley Hill by Alan Richardson is set in a very real location, a plateau near Bath. An absolutely riveting novel with stunning landscapes.

Daniel wrote: "

On Winsley Hill by Alan Richardson is set in a very real location, a plateau near Bath. An absolutely riveting novel with stunning landscapes."

I love the drive to Bath with it's sweeping hills, can't say I like driving through Bath though. Thanks goodness for park and ride!


I do like the view from the American Museum nr Claverton, stunning.

A couple set in contemporary London. 'Hearts and Minds' by Amanda Craig, a novel which really looks at the underbelly of London and what make it work (migrant labour mainly!). I have a review here: http://packabook.co.uk/blog/526/books... and I'd also recommend 'One Day' by David Nicholls.

Keri wrote: "hi everyone, I'm looking for some recommendations of books set in the UK, can be YA, adult, anything. I'd love to hear your favorites!"

mine?