British

It’s 1913 Vienna and Lysander Reif, a young English actor, is in town seeking psychotherapy for a very private sort of ailment. He ends up enmeshed in a passionate affair with an enigmatic woman he meets at his therapist’s office. When his lover’s live-in boyfriend finds out and becomes enraged, she accuses Lysander of rape and the story gallops away from there. Upon his return to London on the cusp of war, Lysander finds it difficult to return to normal life, breaks up with his English fiancé, joins up and gets pulled into the dangerous world of wartime spying.

Ditch the chilly, gray, wet weather for a castle on the Italian Riviera. A group of four very different women do just that in Elizabeth von Arnim's The Enchanted April. Each woman experiences the happiness and freedom that come with leaving your everyday worries behind for days spent exploring nature and soaking up sunshine. A beautiful novel and the perfect escape for a wintry night. Check Our Catalog

This is the story of a terrifying, yet compelling London hood and his nephew, who is trying to create a new life, free of his very heavy family baggage.  Amis creates fantastic dialogue for his characters and the language is brilliant.  Reader beware, however, this book shows glimpses of the seedier side of both the London underworld and complicated families.  Jump on board for quite the uproarious ride.  Che

Thinking this would be a light, fun, fluffy read, I brought this along on vacation. It was the perfect beach read, but it turned out to be much more than fluff. This fantastic novel changed gears each time I thought I had it figured out, and in the end I was left with a witty but deep-feeling novel about a loving, eccentric, slightly dysfunctional family. Like P. G. Wodehouse's more biting cousin, The Uninvited Guests is highly recommended.

In this tale of love and fate, two stories become entwined.  After waking from a coma with little memory of her past,  Jennifer Stirling finds her life as prop in her businessman husband's life disconcerting and uncomfortable.  Eventually, she finds some letters that indicate she was having an affair and that "B" was very much in love with her. Forty years later reporter Ellie Haworth stumbles upon some of "B's" letters and endeavors to find out the fate of these lovers.

This award-winning novel follows a middle-aged man as he is forced to contend with people and a past that he hasn’t thought of in many years.  We follow Tony Webster as a school boy, philosophizing with his chums and as he grows through a happy, then failed marriage.  This short novel is packed with mystery and emotion.  Check Our Catalog



In this Dickensian tale Jaffy, a fearless street urchin, is almost eaten by a Bengal tiger. Saved by the titular Jamrach, a jovial dealer in exotic animals who, impressed by his fearlessnes, hires him as a trainer, Jaffy meets slick talking Tim, another Jamrach protege, and his twin sister Ishbel. Tim and Jaffy become best friends. Which does not mean that their relationship is uncomplicated. The fact that Jaffy's heart is captured by Ishbel makes that a given.

Another funny, whimsical and thoroughly enjoyable read in this author's Corduroy Mansions series, which is a bit like the 44 Scotland Street series but set in London instead of in Edinburgh. McCall Smith has no peer when it comes to gently yet relentlessly skewering his motley assortment of characters, exposing everyday human failings and foibles. You will chuckle, and wince, and probably recognize yourself a few times.

Another absorbing and insightful contemporary family story from Joanna Trollope, this one focusing on the sometimes fraught relationships between parents and their adult children.  When Rachel and Anthony's youngest son marries, the arrival of a third daughter-in-law into the extended family mix brings new complications and power struggles.  Trollope excels at switching viewpoints from one character to another and you will find yourself sympathizing and becoming exasperated in turns with Rachel and her sons and daughters-in-law.

Fourteen years ago, Jinx's mother was brutally murdered. Since then, Jinx, who feels responsible, has had a hard time maintaning relationships and being a mother to her young son. This book was included on the Man Booker 2011 Longlist. Check Our Catalog