A good friend of mine recently moved across the pond for a new job. She mentioned to me that she is interested in expanding her reading to books that hold a sense of place in the U.K. As I am a big fan of online research, I immediately dove into the challenge of finding books written by authors that hail from the U.K.. I had a wonderful time putting together this list, and was surprised to see a few authors who I figured were from the U.S..
Books I have read and enjoyed:
- The Guest List by Lucy Foley
- The Heart’s Invisible Furies by John Boyne
- I Am, I Am, I Am by Maggie O’Farrell
- Life After Life by Kate Atkinson
- In the Woods by Tana French
- Room by Emma Donoghue
- Conversations with Friends by Sally Rooney
- Queenie by Candace Carty-Williams
- Anything by Roald Dahl, my particular favorite is Matilda
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
Authors that I haven’t read yet:
- Alexander McCall Smith
- Ian Rankin
- Arthur Conan Doyle
- Ken Follett
There are a number of literary awards that come from the U.K. that are a great place to start. One in particular that I enjoy and follow is the Women’s Prize for Fiction. I have read the last 4 winners (2020 – 2017) and immensely enjoyed all of them.
SJP Books 