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Original poster

If I liked Adrian Mole what else will I like?

41 replies

seperatedmum · 23/02/2023 16:56

just that really, obviously I'm an adult I've just read the "lost diaries" for the umpteenth time and I'm sad it's over, I like this level of humour and peril, I'm not having the greatest time right now... I can read thrillers like "the guilty couple" well I listened to that but that's not my usual thing, and I listened to "time after time" but that's as twee as I can handle I couldn't go any further down that road 😬 I do like a journal format and I liked Sue Townsend RIP I've read most of the books, any ideas please? I did Google but it kept leading back to teen books. thanks

OP posts:
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AInightingale · 19/07/2026 20:43

Barbara Comyns' novels feature very young (female) protagonists and eccentric families/feckless parents. They were written in the 30s and 40s but they're still fresh. Some are really funny while 'The Juniper Tree' is very dark, shades of Angela Carter. Have you read Kate Atkinson's earlier novels? I could never get into Jackson Brodie but Behind the Scenes, Human Croquet and the one set in a Scottish university town, can't recall the title sorry, have young female narrators and are wittily written.

DoAWheelie · 12/07/2026 11:05

The "Angus, Thongs, and Full Frontal Snogging" series is basically a teen girl version. She's writing in her diary and is a similar age to Adrian. I found it really funny and the author was a fantastic comedian and feminist.

Silverbirchleaf · 10/07/2026 20:00

Tommy and Tuppence - Agatha Christie - these are a lot of fun

Jeeves and Wooster

Bridget Jones diary

Pork pie pandemonium (Albert and Rex) - Steve Higgs, or his Patricia Fisher series

scrumble767 · 10/07/2026 12:01

Needhelp101 · 03/03/2023 10:49

Love Adrian Mole!

I thought the 'Why Mummy...' series was going to be awful but actually found it very relatable and funny. Why Mummy Drinks is the first. The author is definitely a Mumsnetter!

She’s very active on facebook and instagram, her page is called Peter and Jane. She posts lots of content about her dogs and her life now both kids are university. She’s very funny.

ARingtoit · 09/07/2026 21:30

Old thread but just found out there'll be a new series of Adrian Mole written by David Nicholls. It's apparently coming to the BBC in 2027 and aims to capture Townsend's original wit!

Sparklesz · 06/03/2023 02:01

Not a diary as such op,but the only way is up is a great book.

Original poster
seperatedmum · 03/03/2023 11:56

@Needhelp101 the latest one was quite funny I recall, the problem I have with a lot of the 'funny mummy' books is that they're usually quite well off which facilitates lots of funny situations and isn't relatable to me so I suppose that's why poor Adrian strikes a chord with me lol

OP posts:
Needhelp101 · 03/03/2023 10:49

Love Adrian Mole!

I thought the 'Why Mummy...' series was going to be awful but actually found it very relatable and funny. Why Mummy Drinks is the first. The author is definitely a Mumsnetter!

Justleaveitblankthen · 23/02/2023 22:38

The Public Confessions of a Middle Aged Woman (age 55 and 3/4's)
by... Sue Townsend 🤓

Gasp0deTheW0nderD0g · 23/02/2023 20:19

rubbishatballet · 23/02/2023 18:50

I love Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith.

Exactly what I was going to say!

MurderAtTheBeautyPageant · 23/02/2023 20:17

Shit My Dad Says - Justin Halpern

The Tent, the Bucket, And Me - Emma Kennedy

terriblyangryattimes · 23/02/2023 20:15

The Queen and I is one of my favourite ever books. I just love Sue Townsend

Try "Where'd you go, Bernadette?" By Maria Semple.

Optimist1 · 23/02/2023 20:12

rubbishatballet · 23/02/2023 18:50

I love Diary of a Nobody by George and Weedon Grossmith.

Me too! It's hilarious.

sarahl722 · 23/02/2023 20:08

I was about to suggest The Wrong Boy by Willie Russell but can see someone has beat me to it.

februarysunset · 23/02/2023 20:03

You might like the James Herriot books about being a vet in Yorkshire. All Creatures Great and Small.

My Family and Other Animals is very funny too.

They are obviously quite different to Adrian but they are funny comfort reads.

Diary of a Provincial Lady by EM Delafield is also excellent. And Mapp and Lucia. If you're up for a 1920s ish vibe.

Original poster
seperatedmum · 23/02/2023 19:56

Sparklesz · 23/02/2023 19:20

Have you read Adrian Mole the prostrate years op?

Think that's one of my favourite books ever.

I've read them all but I just happened to have lost diaries handy. I've read paradise lodge and can find some more Nina Stibbe, I often re-read and God created the au pair again witty to me journal format. I'll be re/reading all these suggestions thanks 🙏🏽

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Thewickerwomen · 23/02/2023 19:37

Nina Stibbe

FlowerOfTheValley · 23/02/2023 19:24

The Rotters Club by Jonathan Coe. A bit darker but genuinely funny and well written through the eyes of a teenage schoolboy.

Sparklesz · 23/02/2023 19:20

Have you read Adrian Mole the prostrate years op?

Think that's one of my favourite books ever.

Nat6999 · 23/02/2023 19:12

If you like Sue Townsend, what about The Queen & I? It is funny & so out of reality.

Original poster
seperatedmum · 23/02/2023 19:11

Neighneigh · 23/02/2023 19:09

Just checking that you know about Sue Townsend's The Queen and I?

I've got it downstairs thanks we actually read it with our mum around the millennium if memory serves and I often re-read I thought of Harris and the "ret" the other day when I saw one outside 🙊

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Original poster
seperatedmum · 23/02/2023 19:09

thanks for all the replies and @NashvilleQueen 👊🏽

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Neighneigh · 23/02/2023 19:09

Just checking that you know about Sue Townsend's The Queen and I?

NashvilleQueen · 23/02/2023 19:07

Graham Norton's books are also good.

NashvilleQueen · 23/02/2023 19:06

No one is like Sue Townsend. I loved her so much and god I wish she was still around so we could hear Adrian commenting on some of the awfulness of the past few years.

I've recently enjoyed Sorrow and Bliss which has humour along with the sadness and is a good read.

I also love Diary of a Nobody which has been recommended up thread.

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