Set in the 80s..

[golddustwomen]

Can anyone recommend some laugh out loud/feel good books set in the 80s please? I need a break from my usual thriller/horror.

Have a look at this thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/what_were_reading/4353073-Set-in-the-80s

I like the Gervase Phinn Dales serieses. Great stories, and there was actually an incident where they were trying out the new, slow computers in the classroom!

Thank you!

And thank you @ChessieFL thanks so much for the thread link, I should have searched before shouldn't I

Jilly Cooper. Riders, Rivals, Polo etc, or the girls names - Harriet, Octavia etc.

there's only 20 posts on that thread, would it really be so bad to discuss it again?

sorry, reading that back I sounded snarkier than I meant to!

I bet there's a few stephen king ones, googling...

I just read a comedy one about time travelling called Do they know it's Christmas yet. I think that's what it was called. Was fab v amusing

ready player one is not set in the 80s but it's full of 80s related nostalgia

American psycho - very firmly rooted in 80s (although i personally found it a difficult and horrifying read)

part of the red riding trilogy by David Peace are in the early 80s.

Slaves of New York by Tana Janowitz is ace.

*Tama

Being old and having lots of books that were written in the 80s these threads do make me think about the difference between a contemporary book written in the 80s and a book set in the 80s. Do The Color Purple or Possession or The Handmaid's Tale count?

The Alphabet Series by Sue Grafton. Excellent.

Some of Jonathan Harvey’s books have parts that are set in the 80s. They’re usually split into ‘then’ and ‘now’ parts and shift between times. I enjoyed them, they’re (mostly) pretty light and quite amusing.

Nina stibbe

I read 'mayflies' recently. Late 80s glasgow/Manchester music scene.

Do they know it’s Christmas yet?

Quite a new book, very silly, really far fetched, but very funny if you’re an 80s kid.

Adrian McKinty's Sean Duffy novels.
Set in NI in the troubles but supremely witty and enjoyable reads.

Starter for 10 was 80s wasn't it?

Adrian Mole

I came on to say Adrian Mole, too. Such a picture-perfect 1980s time capsule; Sue Townsend was a genius and national treasure.

I love the little details like finding the Falkland Islands under a toast crumb

Yes, his dad shot out of bed when told war had been declared then realised how tiny and far away the Falklands are
So many great moments. I also love The Diary of a Nobody and I'm sure Sue Townsend was also a fan.

Savages by Shirley Conran. My guilty pleasure to re-read!

The Liverpool brides series. The use of American language in a UK 1980s setting is a bit meh at times but I guess the author (who is not American) was advised to do this for maximum sales. The stories are enjoyable though, especially if you like time travel/romance genres.

I loved the Tales of the City books by Armistead Maupin. San Francisco in the late 70s/80s.

The Jack Sheffield series of books. In a similar vein to Gervase Phinn, but set around a school where he is headteacher. The first one is set in 1977 and they move through time, with reference to the news, pop music etc and events in the school.