Looking for recommendations that are a step up from chick lit but not too highbrow!

[VagueButExcitlng]

I'm on holiday now. I've read an Anne Tyler book which I loved. I'm now reading Elizabeth is Missing. It's a bit too sobering for my current mood.

Any suggestions? Short and easy but not just a boring predictable rom com!

[MissBattleaxe]

line Mortality or Lisa Jewell. Both tell good, meaty stories without being chick lit.

[NapQueen]

Jodi Picoult books are my recommendation.

[memyselfandaye]

I was in to Lynda La Plant a few years ago

[annandale]

Murder Must Advertise by Dorothy Sayers (if you work in an office)

The Lie Tree
I know Maeve Binchy fits in the chicklit arena but if it happens that you haven't read either Light a Penny Candle or Circle of Friends, they are a real treat and proper stories. Not short though.

[SirChenjin]

All The Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr - absolutely brilliant book.

[Myfanwyprice]

I always enjoy Lucinda Riley's books, and liane moriarty is excellent, I have enjoyed all of her books, especially the earlier ones - what Alice forgot and the last anniversary

[ggirl]

jenny eclair , vanilla slices something..is good

[LilacInn]

The Britt Montero series by Edna Buchanan, if you like mysteries. Set in Miami.

[fatowl]

I recently read The Girl in the Red Coat and How I lost You, neither particularly difficult reads and a decent yarn.
(both about missing children though so I appreciate not for everyone)

[SharingMichelle]

Leanne Moriarty really is good. Not sure quite how chic lit is defined, but i find Jodie Picoult asinine, and LM well written and engaging. Perfect beach reading.

For something a bit more thought provoking how about The Past (well constructed but a wee bit dull).

Or The Moon's a balloon? David Niven's autobiography. V funny and interesting.

Or We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves. Really good but i can't say much or I'll spoil it.

[TaraCarter]

I recommend Anne Fine; although she's most famous for her children's books, she has also written extremely good novels for adults. Tight plotting, without being brick-sized reads.

[EnglishGirlApproximately]

Have you read any Douglas Kennedy? I find them a bit more engaging than chick lit but still easy to read. Also, JoJo Moyes is worth a look if you haven't already. I'd class it as chick lit but at the better end.

[sooperdooper]

Anything by Maggie O'Farrell, wonderful characters and great stories but still a pretty easy read :)

[IloveCheese11]

I like the Maisie Dobbs books by Jaqueline Winspear. Set between the wars with a bit of historical detail but not so much as to get tedious (mostly). The heroine is a female private investigator and it weaves the case she is working on with her personal life. Definitely not chick lit but still light enough for a summer holiday read.

[neolara]

Miss Pettigrew lives for a day. It's 1920's chick lit but a classic. So high-brow as well.....

[goodapple]

Jenny Eclair's Life, Death and Vanilla Slices is great.

I really enjoyed reading In the Land of the Long White Cloud trilogy on my last holiday, nothing too taxing but a good (long) story.

[1WayOrAnother]

The Rosie Project by Graham Simsion . Fabulous book, recommended it to all sorts of people. they all loved it. Laugh out loud, heart warming, fabulous book.

[seahorse106]

Anything by Diane Chamberlain

[PolkadotsAndMoonbeams]

Eva Ibbotsen - The Morning Gift, A Company of Swans, The Magic Flute, The Secret Countess, A Song for summer. They're marketed as YA now, but they're beautifully descriptive and just nice stories.

Jeffrey Archer - Not A Penny More, Not a Penny Less. Not chick lot, but easy to read (and very clever - it's a bit like The Thomas Crown Affair in a way).

[VagueButExcitlng]

Thanks!

I've read the Rosie Project and We are all completely beside ourselves. Loved both of them.

I have downloaded miss pettigrew and also the Jane Austen book club by following a link from the author.

I'll come back to this thread if I finish them!

[slkk]

Rowan Coleman is amazing. I also enjoy Dorothy koomson

[carrotcakecupcake]

Tasmina Perry is my guilty pleasure, but I prefer her older books including Original Sin, Daddy's Girls and Goldiggers. I also recently read the Rosie Project and loved it, there is a sequel called the Roaie Effect which is also quite sweet. I recently read Before I Go To Sleep at book group which was a really fast read and quite entertaining. I'm currently reading The Night Circus which is really good too.

[ktjb39]

Try some of Alexander McCall Smith's books they are fantastic stories but lighthearted too.

[CalpolOnToast]

I would try Anita Shreve or Barbara Kingsolver

[jazzmin]

Dorothy koomson books would fit the bill. The ice cream girls was made into a tv adaptation.