Books for the intelligent woman with the flu, please!

[clowniform]

The subject line is a quote attributed to Eva Ibbotson, on her own novels. I've also turned to Persephone, Dean St Press, Greyladies, Girls Gone By etc. for this kind of thing in the past, but would welcome some newer recommendations. Doesn't need to be totally Disney or fluffy but nothing too depressing either, please (think early vs late Barbara Pym).

Any genre, although my brain can't handle too many plot threads or literary fireworks at the moment (Shardlake fine, Dunnett or Mantel no). Conversely, non-fiction will need to have some kind of consistent narrative voice because I tend to zone out of anything too bitty.

Have just finished a run of Murderbot, Susan Scarletts and Andrew Taylors, and it's too soon to reread Austen/Pratchett/Slough House, if that gives any more indication of my tastes!

The five people you meet in heaven, Mitch albom

An equal music, vikram Seth

Kane and Abel, Jeffrey Archer

Eleven Minutes, Paula Coelho

ADORE the Vorkosigan saga (most often reread is A Civil Campaign, ofc). What do you think of her fantasy? I remember attempting but finding them a bit po-faced, but many years ago.

Another Bujold fan! A lovely MNetter introduced them to me a few years ago, and I just love them. My favourite is Komarr, I think, although Shards of Honor, Memory and A Civil Campaign come very close (and Captain Vorpatril's Alliance is one of my favourite book capers).

I'm afraid I thought her Sharing Knife series was not at all good, but I really enjoyed the first two of her Five Gods series: The Curse of Chalion and Paladin of Souls. She has such a light, deft way with humorous world-building and I wish other sci-fi writers would take note.

What I love about book MN is that I have found so many people with book loves in common who then have suggested more books to fall in love with. This is sadly so rare in RL...

If you enjoyed Small Pleasures I can highly recommend the new Claire Chambers. It's called A Dry Spell.

Oh, if people on this thread haven’t read Jo Walton I think you’d all like her. Extremely page-turney, ranging from sort of fantasy, through sort of sci fi, into sort of historical fiction, and whatever The Just City is. All very good.

As pp say Sherlock Holmes but especially long stories - The Valley of Fear I really enjoyed but is often overlooked.

Also The Woman in White. Which you've probably read but I think fits the bill for perusers of this thread.

Hello and thanks again to all further contributors. Will endeavour to catch up with replies but e-library pinged Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow to me, so that has been monopolising my reading time, and GLORIOUSLY. Bang on @LunaNorth

I also sent my best friend to the real library with a list heavily inspired by this thread, and here's what she just dropped off😄

As you can see it's skewed to more recent, and not only because that's just what libraries do these days. I'm pretty well read in pre-1900 fiction and the middlebrow publishing revival has served me well for 1900-1960. It's the post-1960 things I struggle to pick through for the gems of intelligent convalescence so more of these (specific books, as many authors have range) would be especially welcome!

@Mirabai I thought The Hotel was excellent. Astonished it was her debut, Bowen obviously emerged fully formed. But The Last September is the one I liked least so make of that what you will!

@Shakenbutbarelystirred embarrassingly I find Buchan hard to follow (plot not prose, extends to films). Love a bit of Chesterton, though! Is the tv show good, even if different?

@Terpsichore I Lost My Girlish Laughter could have been generated by AI to appeal to my tastes! Ordered immediately. Found Gwen Raverat's memoirs lovely, too. Wonder if you have read PJ Herbert's Topsy books?

Thank you for further guidance @LadyofLansallos @Morred

@JaneyGee Enjoyed almost your entire list and all Waugh, although yet to read Fermor and Our Mutual Friend is my favourite CD. Do you have pointers for lighter St Aubyns as I find the Melrose books harrowing even when well?

@TragicMuse thank you! Very exciting to encounter another Trapido fan. Her novels are definitely comfort rereads for me, too. I wonder why she stopped publishing?

It as her first novel but she’d published 2 sets of short stories before that.

I liked Last September - it was based on her life.

@Pallisers your username alone makes me willing to follow wherever you lead, and a fan of Mrs O. to boot! Loved Blue Castle and Women in Black, will try to track down the Americans.

@LadyPeterWimsey Ah brilliant, Sharing Knife were the ones I'd tried so will attempt the other -- the setting alone sounds appealing, I've only encountered similar in Guy Gavriel Kay (whose stuff I do like, but I go in prepared for po-facedness!)
It was a mentor who introduced me to Bujold. I had the slightly horrifying realisation when chatting to her a few years ago (after over a decade's separation) that she is fixed as Cordelia in my head. Definitely asked after her non-existent sons 😶

@SkaterGrrrrl thanks for the tip! After finding Back Trouble painfully dull I'd delayed trying more Chambers.

@tobee Agreed, most Wilkie Collins fits the bill! Maybe not Armadale when very brain-fogged (good luck trying to keep all the identically named characters apart!)
Or Poor Miss Finch because that is just batshit insane.

Jo Walton ❤Although IMO her series tend to start off brilliantly and get progressively weaker (though never less than good). Her standalones though!
Especially Tooth and Claw for all Trollope fans here.
I think Among Others her masterpiece, everyone I've given it to has loved it, but especially good for DWJ lovers.
Her essay collection led me to some great forgotten SFF writers too.

Try the Falco crime books set in Ancient Rome. They got me through several periods of illness and they're easy to read.

That does make sense, and I can see how the snapshot-iness of The Hotel might require a particular mood. My favourite Bowen so far has been The Death of the Heart.

I think I prefer her short stories but of her novels Death of the Heart was my favourite.

I loved the deliciously snobby depiction of the family on the south coast.

I've read them, but yes, absolutely the right idea. Have you tried the Flavia Albia sequels? I thought the first one was dire but willing to try more if they improve significantly.

I tend to prefer long novels (and series) but Bowen's stories are exquisite. You probably have read Margaret Kennedy's The Feast and Elizabeth Jenkins' The Tortoise and the Hare? Both rather remind me of tDotH.

Love the Tortoise and the Hare, never read the Feast.

Ah brilliant, Sharing Knife were the ones I'd tried so will attempt the other -- the setting alone sounds appealing, I've only encountered similar in Guy Gavriel Kay (whose stuff I do like, but I go in prepared for po-facedness!)
It was a mentor who introduced me to Bujold. I had the slightly horrifying realisation when chatting to her a few years ago (after over a decade's separation) that she is fixed as Cordelia in my head. Definitely asked after her non-existent sons 😶

I enjoyed the Falco novels, at least until the last few, but I actually prefer Steven Saylor's Gordianus the Finder novels, set slightly earlier. They are not boisterously amusing like Falco, but his characters feel more Roman in mentality to me.

If you want some light but well-written fantasy, I really enjoyed Sharon Shinn's Twelve Houses series, and I liked her Elemental Blessings novels too. It's really not my genre (I completely get what you mean by po-facedness in fantasy and find it rather off-putting) but I read her very happily at a time when I needed to escape RL.

Clowniform I think you'd better join us on the 50 books threads Tomorrow x 3 was my favourite book last year. Just brilliant.

How about the Cadfael Chronicles? As someone said eariler about Dick Francis, it's basically the same book over and over, but very undemanding if you're not well.

Romantic Comedy by Curtis Sittenfeld was funny, charming and easy to read. Alan Bennett diaires always an excellent comfor read for me.

How about some Adrian Mole? Always cheers me up.

I hope you feel better soon.

@LadyPeterWimsey I've read the Saylors too 😅Agree they are objectively better than Davies but less suited to rereading for my fluffy brain. Oh my days, I had forgotten the very name of Sharon Shinn! My friends and I were obsessed with Summers At Castle Auburn (or indeed any female-gaze fantasy we could get our hands on) and shamelessly monopolised our school library copy. Will track down her other books immediately.

@noodlezoodle I am off to read (and read!) those threads. Probably too lazy a reviewer to be a useful contributor though! Tomorrowx3 strong contender for my book of this year loved it so much I queued up all books mentioned in her endnotes and acknowledgements. And replaying old point&click games has eaten into reading time --
Share your fondness for Brother Cadfael, Adrian Mole and Alan Bennett. Thank you for the Sittenfeld rec., it sounds an ideal follow-up to I Lost My Girlish Laughter (recommended by Terpsichore upthread, and utterly delightful).

Ha. Glad you’re enjoying ILMGL, @clowniform, and as a long-time 50-Booker, may I echo my friend and book twin@noodlezoodle in urging you to join us? We’re very friendly and we don’t really care how much you read!

Hear hear - it's the best corner of the internet

Hear hear to the 50 Bookers. May also make you snort your tea through your nose.

I found this thread while disappearing down an Ibbotson rabbithole and have added many titles to my TBR list. Hello fellow bookworms, you are my people.

This thread popped up, and I've enjoyed scanning it enormously. I wanted to post so I can find it again to make a list as I need some new suggestions.

As thanks may I bring Peter Grainger and his Kings Lake/DC Smith series to the attention of any fans of well-written crime fiction.... One caveat, he's always been Kindle only as he self-published, but with millions of sales logged, he's just signed a book deal with Heinemann (IIRC) and the next novel will appear in print in June.

I’m re reading all the Peter Graingers atm and have got up to Roxanne. I think he’s one of the best police procedural writers out there, and can’t believe that he wasn’t snapped up by a publisher long long ago!