The UK Travel Planning Book Club – find out what we are reading each month in our pick of UK focused fact and fiction.
Discover our favourite books – novels, historical fiction, literary fiction, contemporary fiction, mystery, travel, romance, humour etc – all about or set in the UK!
Have a book about the UK you would love to tell us about? Pop over and join our Facebook group and tell us all about it.
UK Travel Planning Book Club – What are we reading this month? February 2023
Tracy is reading – The Thursday Murder Club
In a retirement village every Thursday 4 elderly friends meet up to investigate unsolved crimes. The award-winning series of novels (3 so far – another to be released later in 2023) combine elements of a traditional whodunit with humour, endearing characters, and a heartwarming friendship story which make the series an enjoyable and entertaining read.
Cleverly written by Richard Osman (well known as one of the presenters of the BBC programme Pointless) each novel builds on the other and just gets better and better!
Victoria is reading – Hamnet
“Hamnet” is a novel by Maggie O’Farrell that explores the life and death of the titular character, Hamnet, who was the son of William Shakespeare.
Set in 16th-century England, the novel focuses on the experiences of Hamnet’s mother, Agnes, as she raises her family and tries to come to terms with her son’s death from the bubonic plague.
The novel intertwines themes of loss, love, and the power of storytelling as it offers a fictional interpretation of the life of Shakespeare and his family.
Through Agnes’s experiences and observations, the novel offers a glimpse into the cultural and historical context in which Shakespeare’s works were created, providing a rich and evocative portrayal of life in Elizabethan England.
Next – London: The Novel (Audiobook)
This historical novel was written by Edward Rutherford and first published in 1997.
The book covers a span of 2,000 years of history and tells the story of the development of the city of London from the Roman settlement of Londinium in the first century to the present day. It focuses on the key events, people, and cultural movements that have shaped the city over time.
The novel explores the lives of ordinary people and those in positions of power, providing an insightful and comprehensive portrait of the city over the centuries.
Considered a classic work of historical fiction it is a recommended read if you are interested in the history of London and its impact on the world.
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