The Lemon Fool

I've left it too late to visit a bookshop before we go away, so as a backup I might get a couple of kindle books.
I read lots of non-fiction (real life seems too short and the real universe too fascinating and important to read made up stories all the time), but sometimes a good bit of fiction is needed. Not that I'm fussy or anything, but I'd like it to be 1) not depressing - I'm on holiday, 2) not too girly (no multi-paragraph thesaurus-inspired sunsets please, and I don't need to know the precise attire of every participant passing through the story), but a good story, with some intelligent jokes if possible.

Any suggestions? I've been browsing Amazon and googling "best books" but I'm not feeling inspired I'm afraid.

I know it's vague question.. I will probably get no response, or dozens!

I also have a couple of unread Kindle PG wodehouse books, a couple of popular science physics books, & a book on the history of France that is too academic to read for fun.

MC Beaton's Agatha Raisin series might be worth a try. Light-hearted murder mysteries set in rural England, with quite a bit of comedy. The author does not pad out the page length with highly detailed descriptive paragraphs, unlike some writers who must be being paid by the weight of their books rather than quality of their plots! A middle-aged public relations agent sells her London-based business and retires to the Cotswolds, where she has to clear her name after being accused of murder following an incident at the village baking competition. The first book is "Agatha Raisin and the Quiche of Death".

Alexander McCall Smith's "No 1 Ladies Detective Agency" - private detective in Botswana. Less about crime solving and more about adventures and character development.

Back to MC Beaton for her "Hamish Macbeth" series. Crime novels set in Scotland's West Coast, where Constable Hamish Macbeth tries to keep as low a profile as possible just in case his superiors decide that he should be promoted (and thus moved away from the village of Lochdubh). The books differ quite a bit from the TV series. Start with "Death of a Gossip".

I've just checked and most of these series seem to be available on Kindle.

Too much down to personal taste really, but I'd go for the complete Jeeves & Wooster stories. William Boyd is a good read too (try Any Human Heart)

Ok, I'm going to suggest a weird one.
The Eyre Affair.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Eyre_Affair

I don't know if you read ScFi, but if you do then for goodness sake pop along to Baen and see whats in their free library.
https://www.baen.com/allbooks/category/ ... me&dir=ASC

I've been listening to audiobooks recently and happened on the "Time travelers guide" series.
Not quite fiction, more suppersition about historical life with a lot of historical research data. Also available to read.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Time-Traveller ... al+england

Ps, I also enjoyed the odd Agatha Raisin story. As said a good light read.
A somewhat more tongue in cheek series might be The Gower Street Detective Series.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mangle-Street- ... +detective

SalvorHardin wrote:Alexander McCall Smith's "No 1 Ladies Detective Agency" - private detective in Botswana. Less about crime solving and more about adventures and character development.

Seconded!

Scifi, ish. Have you read any of terry Pratchett's Discworld books. Frequently laugh out loud funny, or at least a danger to a partner from shaking the bed with suppressed laughter. The Colour of magic is the first in the series.

Slarti

Slarti wrote:Scifi, ish. Have you read any of terry Pratchett's Discworld books. Frequently laugh out loud funny, or at least a danger to a partner from shaking the bed with suppressed laughter. The Colour of magic is the first in the series.

Slarti

Not in the LEAST ScFi, and he did write a ScFi book. However fantastic stuff. If you have never read Fritz Leiber (sord and sorcery: fantasy books) you will miss half the jokes in the first book, but you should expect to miss half the jokes in ANY diskworld book!

I'm Dyslexic, so didn't spot that Ptracy is pronounced Tracy or that Djelibeybi is pronounced Jelly Baby in one of the later books! It didn't spoil the fun for me when I read it.

Seriously, missing half the jokes in a Terry Pratchet book just means that you are normal.

Ps, The Hogfather, while hugely funny slips in some very serious comments about the value of the lies that we tell our children. Its a Christmass book so not for this summer.

I think that I have all of the main Diskworld books, though given the likes of "Wheres my cow" and other such, I certainly can not claim to have read all Diskworld books.

Pompeii by Richard Harris... gripping!

And… the Cicero trilogy by Richard Harris, part of which is now a stage play in the west end.

The Morgue Drawer series by Jutta Profijt. Really amusing whodunnits, 3 books in series and perfect holiday reading.

R6

Phryne Fisher mysteries by Kerry Greenwood are some that I want to try, the TV series based on them being so enjoyable.

Set in 1920s Australia.

Slarti

I can third the Alexander McCall Smith option - i have just finished Tears of a the Giraffe - my second book in this series and maybe the 4th written by the author.

I really like his easy story telling, amusing plots and descriptions.