Happy Sunday Bibliofriends!
We have a brand new theme for March with our Six for Sunday prompts and I am so excited for Around the World in 80 Books! This week we are focussing on books set in the country where we live. Now initially, when I wrote all of the prompts in my planner I accidentally wrote down down the word ‘love’ instead of the word ‘live’ so I had to quickly go back and change my Italian themed post… I definitely don’t live in Italy! I do however live in a beautiful area of England called the Cotswolds and spend my time between here and Cornwall (lockdown permitting!). Most of the books I seem to read are predominantly SFF which take place in fictional or off-world locations but looking through my ‘Read’ pile there are still plenty of delightful books set in the UK that I can compile today’s list from.
For those who don’t already know, Six for Sunday is weekly meme hosted by Steph over at A Little But A Lot. March’s theme is ‘Around the World in 80 Books!’ (which sounds like some exciting travel adventure I’d definitely be signing up for!).
Books Set in England!
- The Agatha Raisin Series by M.C. Beaton
The Agatha Raisin series is probably my most locally-set series that I have on my shelves as it is set in the Cotswolds and the author herself lives in a village not very far from where I live. I’ve only read the first one so far but it definitely makes me feel at home when I read it. From the characters, to the houses and scenic countryside – I’m always wondering whether some of the people we bump into have found themselves transported as a character into one of her books. - The Infernal Devices by Cassandra Clare
I have recently started reading Clockwork Prince just in little short bursts in reading breaks from other books. I’m really intrigued to see where this series goes as a lot of people have told me they preferred it to The Mortal Instruments which I felt was a little bitdare-I-sayaverage… My hype-o-meter isn’t as huge for this London-based series though so I’m hoping that I’ll enjoy it (I’m just praying for more Magnus Bane moments tbh!). - Jamaica Inn by Daphne du Maurier
There had to be a Cornish one on the list! Not going to lie, but my desire to read this stemmed completely from the Most Haunted episode at the Jamaica Inn on Bodmin Moor and then a trip to the Inn itself. I’m a massive coastal setting / pirate fan so I loved reading the book. After watching the film Rebecca and learning more about du Maurier’s time spent in Cornwall I can’t wait to read more of her books. - The French Lieutenant’s Woman by John Fowles
I read this as part of a module at university but the setting of Lyme Regis just swept me away. We visited there once on a holiday where we toured the South coast. I love the lampposts that have the fossil style decor on them. That image in the book of Sarah just standing on the Cobb completely encapsulates the whole novel for me – it’s such tragic love story and was a lot different to the kinds of other romances I was reading as a late teen / early tween! - Spies by Michael Frayn
This is one of my favourite WW2 books that I’ve read. The way the children played in the street or in the field near their houses was a little like the way I spent a bit of my childhood so I guess that I find it filled with a little bit of sentimentality and nostalgia – although we definitely didn’t have the kind of adventure they enjoyed in this novel though! 😂 - Hag: Forgotten Folktales Retold edited by Daisy Johnson
Hag is a wonderful collection of forgotten folktales from around the UK retold by women authors with a feminist twist. I really enjoyed discovering some tales which were completely unfamiliar to me written by some quite well-known authors. The whole tone of the collection gave off these brilliant gothic/horror type vibes at times as well which was right up my street. You can read my review of it here.
So there are just a few books that I found whilst scrolling through my ‘read’ shelf – all of them set in particular parts of the UK. I thought at first that this task would be really hard, but actually I found myself wanting to include so many more books on my list that I remember as having typically UK settings and fill me with that sense of home – even if I do spend a majority of my time dreaming about far off shores and fictional worlds!
What books are set in the countries, cities or places where you live?
As always, leave your links below to your own posts or drop me a comment to chat!
T xx
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