Miss Benson’s Beetle
Miss Benson’s Beetle by Rachel Joyce (NCN Book Club Selection June 2026) Spinster Margery Benson is barely getting by on her salary as a school teacher in post-war London. One […]
Miss Buncle’s Book
Miss Buncle’s Book by D.E. Stevenson ©1934 (Recently, I ordered several books from my favorite British bookseller and publisher, Persephone Books, founded in 1999 to reprint neglected, mainly mid-twentieth century, […]
A Perfect Hand
A Perfect Hand by Ayelet Waldman Unlike most historical romances, the heroine of A Perfect Hand is not a member of the aristocracy but a lady’s maid, Miss Alice Lockey. […]
Villa Coco
Villa Coco by Andrew Sean Greer Geoffrey is a clueless young American who accepts a post as an archivist in Italy. As he is patently unqualified and doesn’t speak Italian, […]
I Still Dream About You
I Still Dream About You by Fannie Flagg I enjoyed Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, both the novel and the movie, but I find most of Fannie […]
Clare Pooley Novels
Clare Pooley Novels If you are looking for charming, feel-good stories, I recommend the novels of British author and former advertising executive Clare Pooley. I reviewed How to Age Disgracefully […]
How to Age Disgracefully
How to Age Disgracefully by Clare Pooley When recent empty nester Lydia applies for the job running the local Senior Citizens’ Social Club, she envisions quiet, grateful pensioners enjoying bingo […]
The Silver-Haired Sisterhood
The Silver-Haired Sisterhood (the further adventures of the Five French Hens) by Judy Leigh The Five French Hens are back in another improbable adventure. (Old ladies do not really live […]
One Death at a Time
One Death at a Time by Abbi Waxman Romance writer Abbi Waxman (The Bookish Life of Nina Hill) has written a mystery. Twentysomething Natasha Mason and iconic, retired actress Julia […]
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store
The Heaven and Earth Grocery Store by James McBride I am turning into my mother, and when I recently caught myself deep in a Southern Windup (SWU) I knew the […]
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club
The Hazelbourne Ladies Motorcycle and Flying Club by Helen Simonson Like many young women in post WWI England, Constance Haverhill is unemployed. Having taken a job as an estate manager […]
The Guncle
The Guncle by Steven Rowley Patrick O’Hara, a once-famous gay sitcom star, quite enjoys his niece and nephew’s brief visits to his stylish home in Palm Springs. But when their […]
The Good Lord Bird
The Good Lord Bird by James McBride As you know, my book club is a serious group. But every year we try to select a light hearted book with no […]
The Diary of a Bookseller
The Diary of a Bookseller and Confessions of a Bookseller by Shaun Bythell In 2001, Shaun Bythell bought a second-hand bookshop in Wigtown, a tiny town located on a peninsula […]
Calling Invisible Women
Calling Invisible Women by Jeanne Ray One morning former journalist and unenthusiastic gardening columnist Clover Hobart finds herself inexplicably invisible. Not just unnoticed, a state familiar to all females over […]