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Original poster

Please can you help me find some gentle, very English/UK humour for my elderly dad?

107 replies

BSJohnson · 30/10/2020 15:32

He loved "Travels with Boogie", which I gave him after seeing a recommendation on here, and also "Secrets of a bookseller". He also enjoyed Bill Bryson's books two England books, and "A walk in the woods". I also know he read and enjoyed "three men in a boat" years ago.

He doesn't usually read fiction, but I get the impression he likes gentle, English humour, but clever, not twee. He's sharp as a tack, and grasps contemporary references and modern culture, but doesn't not partake of them! Has anyone got any bright ideas, please? Grin

OP posts:
Original poster
BSJohnson · 30/10/2020 15:53

Thanks everyone! Some great suggestions here.
I was looking at that a Richard Osman one for myself this morning, and thinking I'd wait til it's out in pb, but maybe not, if I can just borrow it off df after Christmas!
The Ascent of Rum Doodle I'd also noticed, so it's great to have a recommendation for it. I'm going to go and look up the others now (I've already earmarked the second bookseller one, but I've not heard of the other recommendations).

Thanks!

OP posts:
Valmur · 30/10/2020 15:47

If he has ever enjoyed reading books about exploration then ‘The Ascent of Rum Doodle’ is a fantastic (and extremely funny) parody of that genre with a lot of very English lampooning.

NoSquirrels · 30/10/2020 15:43

There’s a follow/up to Diary of a Bookseller too - Confessions of...

NoSquirrels · 30/10/2020 15:41

The book that’s being recommended everywhere for gentle humour is Leonard and Hungry Paul by Ronan Hession. I’ve not seen anyone say they dislike it. It’s about a friendship between two men and is just ... a lovely read. Very quiet humour.

Or maybe Diary of a Somebody by Brian Bilston?

You could also try Rewilding by Isabella Tree, about the return of nature to a farm, if he likes nonfiction based in Britishness. Very interesting.

ShatnersBaboon · 30/10/2020 15:40

Alexander McCall Smith is very good at gently amusing.

Barbthebuilder · 30/10/2020 15:34

The Thursday Murder Club by Richard Osman. Very gently amusing all the way through.

Original poster
BSJohnson · 30/10/2020 15:33

doesn't not

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