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Original poster

Books without missing children or cupcakes?

58 replies

Frombothsidesnow · 03/06/2018 20:48

Since having children I struggle to read books about dead or missing infants. Actually sad things full stop, which is immensely frustrating as good books involve strong emotions. But I also don't want to read dross about women finding love in the country over cupcakes. Please help me find some decent literature that will make my brain work but doesn't involve dead babies?

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StealthPolarBear · 04/06/2018 11:26

Jane Fallon does good but not cupcakey chick lit

StealthPolarBear · 04/06/2018 11:24

I also loved the new poirots

StealthPolarBear · 04/06/2018 11:24

Joining this thread, as I'm the same. I can handle missing children as long as I'm guaranteed a happy ending and no actual bad stuff.

I love tana French's books op. Only ones I buy pre release in hardback.

Original poster
Frombothsidesnow · 04/06/2018 11:24

I have read that! My book club did it.

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CluelessMama · 04/06/2018 11:20

I enjoyed Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty last year, would definitely describe it as good 'chick lit' which you mentioned above.

Original poster
Frombothsidesnow · 04/06/2018 11:15

I adore Persephone books by the way.

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Original poster
Frombothsidesnow · 04/06/2018 11:15

Have read CCC, Miss Pettigrew, Provincial Lady, all of Herriot (as a child - not massively a nature person now). I haven't read that Barnes although I do like some of his stuff.

Basically I used to read a lot, which is why I'm more looking for new things. If it's been published since 2009 I'm far less likely to have read it!

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TheTurnOfTheScrew · 04/06/2018 11:10

Conclave by Robert Harris. Lots of priests, lots of cloak and dagger priestly shenanigans. No cupcakes or kids (dead or otherwise) in sight. Better than it sounds, obviously. Cold Comfort Farm? Diary of a Provincial Lady? Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day?

Or how about some light, funny, non-fiction? All Creature Great and Small by James Herriot and 21st Century Yokel by Tom Cox are both good, funny nature books. The Pedant In The Kitchen by Julian Barnes is hilarious.

Original poster
Frombothsidesnow · 04/06/2018 11:00

Poignant sounds dangerously emotional. Grin

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TheVanguardSix · 04/06/2018 10:36

Yeah me too! I stared Marina Lewycka's next book, I think it was 'We're all made of glue' or something like that and I couldn't get into it. I struggled. It didn't have the same magic as her first.

Anyway, like you, the kids have robbed me of time and the ability and the brain cells required to read a decent book. My youngest is 4 and only now am I just dipping my toe back into those much-loved waters.

I'm currently reading This is Going to Hurt by Adam Kay. It is a really easy-going, hilarious read. I bought the book for DH, who is a GP. He hasn't touched it. He probably doesn't even want to touch work-related stuff (even in the form of humour) during his down time. So I am reading it instead. It's very poignant and a good laugh.

Original poster
Frombothsidesnow · 04/06/2018 10:18

And I've read the Tractor book too, and did enjoy it. Started her next book but didn't finish it for some reason.

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Original poster
Frombothsidesnow · 04/06/2018 10:17

Mitford, Wimsey, Vanity Fair and (most of) Zadie Smith read. All very much enjoyed so you're on the right track.

I find the Kindle stuff tricky because frankly there is so much awful writing on there that wading through the dross depresses me. I'm also not enormously into the sort of genres that do well on Kindle. I do look though!

LOVE 'no cakes'! Please don't ever resurrect that book.

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TheVanguardSix · 04/06/2018 10:13

Grin I really love your thread title, by the way.

Years ago, I wrote a novel- rejected countless times before they even hit the second page. It was so shit, it wasn't even good enough to line the bins of the agents I'd sent it to. My worst fear is that it's sitting in some hard-drive somewhere, ready to be resurrected as some ghost of utter humiliation. It was the worst attempt at chick lit in the history of bad attempts at chick lit... EVER!

It had a cake them and I remember reading an excerpt to my friend who responded with, "No cake! No cake!"

We still laugh about this! No cake! The title of your thread brought back the awful yet hilarious memory of my failed attempt at being a truly shite novelist.
No cupcakes... or dead kids. I am totally with you!

canihaveacoffeeplease · 04/06/2018 10:07

I'm a huge reader, but since having children have had to take a huge hit in how much/what I read! I got a kindle which helps a lot (reading while feeding, holding sleeping babies etc). You can also have several books in the go at once so you can pick one to suit your mood, eg how easy going you want it to be!

I check out the kindle special offers regularly so I can always try something new for cheap (eg £1) so if it's rubbish it doesn't matter.

My favourites recently have been DC Ryan novels by L.J. Ross and Samantha Shannon's The Bone Season series. Also The Legend of Podkin One Ear and the next one in the series by Kieran Larkin were given to me, they are teens books but are amazing, brilliant story and so well written, can't recommend enough.

Hope that helps!

TheVanguardSix · 04/06/2018 10:06

Any Zadie Smith novel. Her words are pure magic. Total joy to read.

Ditto Marina Lewycka who was mentioned above. A Short History of Tractors in Ukrainian is a great read! Again, a total joy to read.

AuntieStella · 04/06/2018 09:59

Vanity Fair by Thackeray

any book by Nancy Mitford

'Golden Age' murders, such as Dorothy L Sayers

Original poster
Frombothsidesnow · 04/06/2018 09:54

Also one I've read. Until I had children, and discovered social media, I did nothing but read. Those days are gone.

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theconstantinoplegardener · 04/06/2018 09:50

If you liked Lady Chatterley, you might also enjoy The Go-Between, by LP Hartley. It's a wonderful, atmospheric read, one of my all-time favourites, but it does have a shocking finale (although it doesn't directly involve the children).

Original poster
Frombothsidesnow · 04/06/2018 09:24

Definitely not! But I have already read it. Maybe I should try an unread Lawrence?

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theconstantinoplegardener · 04/06/2018 09:19

I'm reading Lady Chatterley 's Lover at the moment. It's notorious for its frank descriptions of sex, but there's far more to it than that. It's moving, thought-provoking and surprisingly topical at times. I found the first couple of chapters quite hard going but I'm really enjoying it now. No missing children so far, and definitely no cupcakes!

Original poster
Frombothsidesnow · 04/06/2018 09:06

Thank you, gerbo. That sounds really interesting. BITSP is a good example of the sort of book I currently find myself utterly unable to read by the way, which may have been obvious.

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Original poster
Frombothsidesnow · 04/06/2018 09:04

I think of that sort of thing as thriller! But I'm not action at all, books or films. I like literary fiction, comedies, history, a bit of crime (loved Sophie Hannah's new Poirots for example), good 'chick lit' - Marian Keyes. I travel a lot and am in bookshops frequently and am struggling to find relatively good books that are not about enormous grief at the moment. I want to escape that sort of thing.

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gerbo · 04/06/2018 09:04

Read a wonderful book recently- John Boyne's "the heart's invisible furies'. The story of a man born in Ireland illegitimately in the 1940s who is gay- funny, poignant, interesting; straightforward to read but brilliant. He wrote Boy in the Striped Pyjamas but this is one of his adult books. One of those books which I felt sad to be coming to the end of!

Happygummibear · 04/06/2018 08:42

Oh sorry Lee child isn't thriller or horror. It's jack reacher. Basically an ex military guy that travels around and deals with various situations. More action I suppose.

Original poster
Frombothsidesnow · 04/06/2018 06:49

It has struck me this morning that it's actually probably potentially upsetting. Blush I will see if it can be changed to something a bit less emotive.

Thanks for the recommendation. I think I read Fatherland a long time ago.

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