Pages As Planes: London

After a crazy couple of days (yay, democracy!) we’re getting back on track. I had this post ready for last Saturday, but it didn’t feel right sharing it when we had so much to celebrate. So, we get a special Tuesday edition of Pages As Planes!

Let’s fly off somewhere new for a little escapism, shall we? I lived in London in 2014 and it was the BEST time of my whole life. I miss it every day and love to find myself returning through books.

Romance

One Day in December by Josie Silver—This was a popular book a few years ago, as it was chosen for a Reese’s Book Club pick. I really enjoyed it, but it is quite sad!

Would Like to Meet by Rachel Winters— This one sounds so cute! “It's Evie Summers's job to find out. Because if she can't convince her film agency's biggest client, Ezra Chester, to write the romantic-comedy screenplay he owes producers, her career will be over. The catch? He thinks rom-coms are unrealistic--and he'll only put pen to paper if Evie shows him that it's possible to meet a man in real life the way it happens on the big screen.

Cynical Evie might not believe in happily ever after, but she'll do what it takes to save the job that's been her lifeline . . . even if it means reenacting iconic rom-com scenes in public. Spilling orange juice on a cute stranger? No problem. Leaving her number in books all over London to see who calls? Done. With a little help from her well-meaning friends--and Ben and Anette, the adorable father-daughter duo who keep witnessing her humiliations--Evie is determined to prove she can meet a man the way Sally met Harry. But can a workaholic who's given up on love find a meet-cute of her very own?”

Cocktails for Three by Madeleine Wickham—This one sounds very intriguing. And it’s written by Sophie Kinsella! This is her pen name for some steamier romance. "

“At the first of every month, when the office has reached its pinnacle of hysteria, Maggie, Roxanne, and Candice meet at London's swankiest bar for an evening of cocktails and gossip. Here, they chat about what's new at The Londoner, the glossy fashion magazine where they all work, and everything else that's going on in their lives. Or almost everything. Beneath the girl talk and the laughter, each of the three has a secret. And when a chance encounter at the cocktail bar sets in motion an extraordinary chain of events, each one will find their biggest secret revealed…”

The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan—Alright if you know me, you’ll know this is one of my FAVORITE books of all time. It is basically Kate Middleton fan fiction but it is an absolute delight and makes me smile every time I read it.

My Oxford Year by Julia Whelan—Technically it takes place in Oxford for it’s deliciously British! It is such a lovely Romance but it is quite sad. TW/CW: cancer

Sleepless in London by Heidi Rice—”What happens on Valentine’s Night, stays on Valentine’s Night… That’s the rule. After a trip home to bury his father, US photographer in London Caleb Landry finds himself stranded in a Soho bar full of boozy women brooding his way through his least favourite night of the year. But when college art teacher Rosie Smith tries out the cheesiest pick-up line ever on him, Cal becomes captivated by this good girl with a filthy mind – especially when he discovers she has a V-Day allergy of her own. So he dares her to one smokin’ hot Valentine’s night hook-up with no questions asked, satisfaction guaranteed… But when Valentine’s Night turns into the morning after, suddenly Rosie’s asking questions she shouldn’t, and putting Cal in danger of breaking his number one rule.” From the publisher

Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory—Royal AND Christmas? My two favorite things! This one follows a romance between two characters in their 50’s which is always a breath of fresh air.

YA

Again, But Better by Christine Riccio—A Study Abroad story! This follows Shane, who just wants the college experience she’s dreamed of. So she takes a chance and starts fresh with a semester abroad in London. I’ll just leave you with the love interests name: PILOT. Le Swoon.

A Darker Shade of Magic by V.E. Schwab—I haven’t read any V.E. Schwab but I’ve heard this is where I’m supposed to start! It’s YA Fantasy.

Meant to Be by Lauren Morill—”This spring break, Julia's rules are about to get defenestrated (SAT word: to be thrown from a window) when she's partnered with her personal nemesis, class-clown Jason, on a school trip to London. After one wild party, Julia starts receiving romantic texts . . . from an unknown number! Jason promises to help discover the identity of her mysterious new suitor if she agrees to break a few rules along the way. And thus begins a wild goose chase through London, leading Julia closer and closer to the biggest surprise of all: true love. Because sometimes the things you least expect are the most meant to be.” —From the publisher

Fiction

Swapping Lives by Jane Green—This seems like the book version of The Holiday, which is one of my very favorite films!

Small Island by Andrea Levy—”Hortense Joseph arrives in London from Jamaica in 1948 with her life in her suitcase, her heart broken, her resolve intact. Her husband, Gilbert Joseph, returns from the war expecting to be received as a hero, but finds his status as a black man in Britain to be second class. His white landlady, Queenie, raised as a farmer's daughter, befriends Gilbert, and later Hortense, with innocence and courage, until the unexpected arrival of her husband, Bernard, who returns from combat with issues of his own to resolve.

Told in these four voices, Small Island is a courageous novel of tender emotion and sparkling wit, of crossings taken and passages lost, of shattering compassion and of reckless optimism in the face of insurmountable barriers---in short, an encapsulation of that most American of experiences: the immigrant's life.” —from the publisher

Christmas in London by Anita Hughes—I’ve read one of Hughes’ books and I loved it, so I think this one sounds right up my alley! “Set during London's most festive time of year and filled with delicious food, Anita Hughes's Christmas in London reminds us that love and forgiveness are truly the greatest gifts of all.

It's a week before Christmas, and Louisa Graham is working twelve hour shifts at a bakery on Manhattan's Lower East Side. When a young cooking show assistant comes in from the rain and begs to buy all the cinnamon rolls on her tray, she doesn't know what to do. Louisa is just the baker, and they aren't hers to sell. But the show burned the rolls they were supposed to film that day; so she agrees.

The next morning, Louisa finds out that her cinnamon rolls were a hit, but the star of the show was allergic, and the whole crew is supposed to leave for London that afternoon. They want Louisa to step in for their annual Christmas Eve Dinner TV special at Claridge's. It's a great opportunity, and Digby Bunting, Louisa's famous baking idol, will be there. Even if he does seem more interested in her than her food.

And then there's Kate, the show's beautiful producer. On their first day in London she runs into the skinny boy she jilted at St. Andrew's in Scotland ten years ago. Now he's a handsome, brilliant mathematician, and newly divorced. Their familiar spark is still there, but so is the scar of how they left things. Kate and Louisa are busy preparing for the show, but old and new flames are complicating their work.”

The Heir and the Spare by Emily Albright—Another royal book, are you surprised? “When a letter from her late mom sends Evie to Oxford on the adventure of a lifetime, she’s ready for an amazing first year of college. And it starts off with a bang—soon after setting foot on English soil, Evie falls for a boy, Edmund, who turns out to be a real prince. Second in line to the throne of England, in fact.

From the demands of his royal family, to the stuck-up aristocrat determined to be the one to win his heart, loving Edmund can be a challenge, one that Evie’s more than up for. And as more letters from Evie’s mom arrive, Evie and Edmund team up to sort out her mom’s secret…even if the truth might change everything.”

84 Charring Cross Road by Helene Hanff—”This charming classic love story, first published in 1970, brings together twenty years of correspondence between Helene Hanff, at the time, a freelance writer living in New York City, and a used-book dealer in London at 84, Charing Cross Road. Through the years, though never meeting and separated both geographically and culturally, they share a winsome, sentimental friendship based on their common love for books. Their relationship, captured so acutely in these letters, is one that has touched the hearts of thousands of readers around the world.” —From the publisher

Thriller/Mystery

The Girl on the Train by Paula Hawkins—The movie is set in the United States but the book is set in London! “EVERY DAY THE SAME
Rachel takes the same commuter train every morning and night. Every day she rattles down the track, flashes past a stretch of cozy suburban homes, and stops at the signal that allows her to daily watch the same couple breakfasting on their deck. She’s even started to feel like she knows them. Jess and Jason, she calls them. Their life—as she sees it—is perfect. Not unlike the life she recently lost.

UNTIL TODAY
And then she sees something shocking. It’s only a minute until the train moves on, but it’s enough. Now everything’s changed. Unable to keep it to herself, Rachel goes to the police. But is she really as unreliable as they say? Soon she is deeply entangled not only in the investigation but in the lives of everyone involved. Has she done more harm than good?” —From the publisher

Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman—”Richard Mayhew is a young man with a good heart and an ordinary life, which is changed forever when he stops to help a girl he finds bleeding on a London sidewalk. His small act of kindness propels him into a world he never dreamed existed. There are people who fall through the cracks, and Richard has become one of them. And he must learn to survive in this city of shadows and darkness, monsters and saints, murderers and angels, if he is ever to return to the London that he knew.” —From the publisher

Things in Jars by Jess Kidd—”Bridie Devine - flame-haired, pipe-smoking detective extraordinaire - is confronted with the most baffling puzzle yet: the kidnapping of Christabel Berwick, secret daughter of Sir Edmund Athelstan Berwick, and a peculiar child whose reputed supernatural powers have captured the unwanted attention of collectors in this age of discovery.

Winding her way through the sooty streets of Victorian London, Bridie won’t rest until she finds the young girl, even if it means unearthing secrets about her past that she’d rather keep buried. Luckily, her search is aided by an enchanting cast of characters, including a seven-foot-tall housemaid; a melancholic, tattoo-covered ghost; and an avuncular apothecary. But secrets abound in this foggy underworld where nothing is quite what it seems.”

There are a million more so I’d love any of your favorites! I hope these provide a little relief and joy.

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