Recommendations based on "My Mum's Going to Explode!"

“A charmer. Will beguile an hour of your time and put you in touch with mankind.” —New York Times Newly reissued with an introduction by Plum Sykes, this cult favorite is a delightful diary—think Nancy Mitford–meets–Nora Ephron—chronicling author Helene Hanff’s “bucket list” trip to London (at the age of fifty-five!) after the unexpected success of her memoir 84 Charing Cross Road.  When she’s invited to London for the English publication of her wildly successful book, 84 Charing Cross Road—in which she shares two decades of correspondence with Frank Doel, a British bookseller who became a dear friend—New York writer Helene Hanff is thrilled to realize a lifelong dream. The trip will be bittersweet, because she can’t help wishing Frank was still alive, but she’s determined to capture every moment of the journey. Helene’s time in London exceeds her wildest expectations. She visits landmarks like Buckingham Palace and Windsor Castle; explores Shakespeare’s favorite pub, Dickens’s house, and the Oxford University courtyard where John Donne used to walk; and makes a host of new friends from all walks of life, who take her to the theater, introduce her to institutions like Harrod’s, and share with her their favorite corners of countryside. A love letter to England and its literary heritage, written by a Manhattanite who isn’t afraid to speak her mind (or tell a British barman how to make a real American martini), The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street is an endearing account of two wildly different worlds colliding; it’s an outsider’s witty, vibrant portrait of idiosyncratic British culture at its best, as well as a profound commentary about the written word’s power to sustain us, transport us, and unite us.

Mia "Rabbit" Hayes is one of the lucky ones. She loves her life, ordinary as it is, and she loves the extraordinary people in it: her spirited daughter, Juliet; her colorful, unruly family; and the only man in her big heart, Johnny Faye. Rabbit has big ideas, full of music, love, and so much life. She has plans for the world - but the world has other plans for Rabbit: a devastating diagnosis.Rabbit is feisty. With every ounce of love and strength in her, she promises that she will overcome. She will fight, fight, fight. She will be with those who love her for as long as she can. As her friends and family rally to celebrate Rabbit's last days, they look to her for strength, support, and her unyielding zest for life - because she is Rabbit Hayes, and she will live until she dies.An exuberant novel full of happiness and heartbreak, Anna McPartlin's The Last Days of Rabbit Hayes is a story of laughing through life's surprises and finding the joy in every moment.

A kid walks into your bookstore and… Guess what? He’s your son. The one you put up for adoption eighteen years ago. The one you never told anyone about. Surprise!   And a huge surprise it is.   It’s a huge surprise to his adoptive mother, Monica, who thought she had a close relationship with Matthew, her nearly adult son. But apparently, he felt the need to secretly arrange a vacation to Cape Cod for the summer so he could meet his birth mother…without a word to either her or his dad.   It’s also a surprise— to say the least—to Harlow, the woman who secretly placed her baby for adoption so many years ago. She’s spent the years since then building a quiet life. She runs a bookstore with her grandfather, hangs out with her four younger siblings and is more or less happily single, though she can’t help gravitating toward Grady Byrne, her old friend from high school. He’s moved back to town, four-year-old daughter in tow, no wife in the picture. But she’s always figured her life had to be child-free, so that complicates things.   When Matthew walks into Harlow’s store, she faints. Monica panics. And all their assumptions—about what being a parent really means—explode. This summer will be full of more surprises as both their families are redefined…and as both women learn that for them, there’s no limit to a mother’s love.

For readers of Eleanor Oliphant Is Completely Fine and A Man Called Ove, a life-affirming, deeply moving "coming-of-old" story, a celebration of how ordinary days are made extraordinary through friendship, family, and the power of forgiving yourself--at any age."At a time when people are having to isolate, [this novel is] a balm, offering an expansive sense of love and possibility at a time when the main characters feel like those chances are gone." --Christian Science MonitorThe world has changed around seventy-nine-year-old librarian Millicent Carmichael, aka Missy. Though quick to admit that she often found her roles as a housewife and mother less than satisfying, Missy once led a bustling life driven by two children, an accomplished and celebrated husband, and a Classics degree from Cambridge. Now her husband is gone, her daughter is estranged after a shattering argument, and her son has moved to his wife's native Australia, taking Missy's beloved only grandchild half-a-world away. She spends her days sipping sherry, avoiding people, and rattling around in her oversized, under-decorated house waiting for...what exactly?The last thing Missy expects is for two perfect strangers and one spirited dog named Bob to break through her prickly exterior and show Missy just how much love she still has to give. In short order, Missy finds herself in the jarring embrace of an eclectic community that simply won't take no for an answer--including a rambunctious mutt-on-loan whose unconditional love gives Missy a reason to re-enter the world one muddy paw print at a time.Filled with wry laughter and deep insights, The Love Story of Missy Carmichael is a coming-of-old story that shows us it's never too late to forgive yourself and, just as important, it's never too late to love.

It began with Benny Hogan and Eve Malone, growing up, inseparable, in the village of Knockglen. Benny—the only child, yearning to break free from her adoring parents...Eve—the orphaned offspring of a convent handyman and a rebellious blueblood, abandoned by her mother's wealthy family to be raised by nuns. Eve and Benny—they knew the sins and secrets behind every villager's lace curtains...except their own. It widened at Dublin, at the university where Benny and Eve met beautiful Nan Mahlon and Jack Foley, a doctor's handsome son. But heartbreak and betrayal would bring the worlds of Knockglen and Dublin into explosive collision. Long-hidden lies would emerge to test the meaning of love and the strength of ties held within the fragile gold bands of a...Circle Of Friends.

'Derry Girls meets David Sedaris' Elske Rahill 'The writing is full of energy and originality' Irish Times Growing up on the Falls Road in 1990s Belfast, Alix O'Neill has seen it all - burnt-out buses blocking the route to school, the police mistaking her father for a leading terrorist and a classmate playing hide and seek with her dad's prosthetic hand (blown off making a device for the IRA). Not that she or her friends are up to speed with the goings-on of the resistance. They're too preoccupied with the obsessions of every teenage girl - booze, boys and Boyzone - to worry about the violence on their doorstep. Besides, the odd coffee jar bomb is nothing compared to the drama about to explode in Alix's personal life. Desperate to leave Northern Ireland and the trials of her mother's unorthodox family - a loving yet eccentric band of misfits - behind, she makes grand plans for the next stage. But it's through these relationships and their gradual unravelling that Alix begins to appreciate not only the troubled history of where she comes from, but the strength of its women. Warm, embarrassing and full of love and insight, The Troubles with Us is a hilarious and moving account of the madness and mundanities of life in Northern Ireland during the thirty-year conflict. It's a story of mothers and daughters, the fallout from things left unsaid and the lengths a girl will go to for fake tan.

You will adore this heartwarming, laugh-out-loud romantic comedy from bestelling author Christie Barlow! ‘Full of warmth, fun and feel-good factor’ Sunday Times bestseller Katie Fforde Welcome to the Little Rock marina – where hearts are healed and dreams are made... For the last two years Nell Andrews has been struggling to stay afloat. As her life tumbled down around her, the only safety net has been her cosy canal boat, The Nollie. Tucked away inside, Nell has found a place to heal her broken heart. And now she’s ready to move on and follow her dream... Gorgeous Guy Cornish, with his easy Irish charm, makes him an instant hit with everyone at the marina, and the perfect person to help Nell with her project. But Guy has his own reasons for being at the marina, and a past that threatens to sink Nell’s dream... What readers are saying about The Cosy Canal Boat Dream: ‘The queen of heartwarming fiction’ Bella Osborne ‘What a gorgeous romance – fun, poignant and surprising’ Sunday Times bestseller Michele Gorman ‘My favourite Christie Barlow book of all time...perfect for when you want to be lost in a cuddle of a book’ Rachel’s Random Reads ‘Christie Barlow's best book yet...Phenomenal’ The Writing Garnet ‘Delightfully warm with plenty of twists and turns’ Mama Life Magazine ‘An absolute joy to read and full of surprises...one of the best writers in this genre’ The Book Review Cafe

Curl up and escape with Jenny Colgan 'A sheer delight from start to finish' Sophie Kinsella ___________________________________Little Beach Street BakeryPolly Waterford is recovering from a toxic relationship. Unable to afford their flat, she has to move miles away from everyone, to a sleepy little seaside resort in Cornwall, where she lives alone above an abandoned shop.And so Polly takes out her frustrations on her favourite hobby: making bread. With reserves of determination and creativity Polly never knew she had, she bakes and bakes and bakes . . . And people start to hear about it.Sometimes, bread really is life . . . And Polly is about to reclaim hers.___________________________________Summer at Little Beach Street BakerySummer has arrived in the Cornish town of Mount Polbearne and Polly Waterford couldn't be happier. Because Polly is in love: she's in love with the beautiful seaside town she calls home, she's in love with running the bakery on Beach Street, and she's in love with her boyfriend, Huckle. And yet there's something unsettling about the gentle summer breeze that's floating through town. Polly sifts flour, kneads dough and bakes bread, but nothing can calm the storm she knows is coming: is Polly about to lose everything she loves?_________________________________ Why readers ADORE Jenny Colgan 'Jenny Colgan has a way of writing that makes me melt inside' 'Her books are so good I want to start over as soon as I have finished' 'There's something so engaging about her characters and plots' 'Her books are like a big, warm blanket' 'Her stories are just so fabulous' 'She brings her settings and characters so vividly to life' 'The woman is just magic'

‘Julie Shackman knows how to bring the feel-good factor to fiction’ Woman’s Weekly 'I was completely drawn into the storyline... It resonates with love, an extra layer of maturity, wisdom and skill and left my heart squeezed, teary and smiling. This magnificent story shines with a hope and brilliance that captivated my heart.’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ Get ready to fall in love with the brand new feel-good romance from bestselling author, Julie Shackman. When romance author Rosie Winters’s own fairytale romance ends with a bang, she’s determined to get away from everything. Packing up her belongings she sets off for the furthest place she can think of: Scotland. Rosie spent her summers at her late grandmother’s coastal cottage in the Highlands and knows it’ll be the perfect place to wallow for a while. Even better that there’s a gorgeous lighthouse and dolphins in the bay. What Rosie didn’t expect was to bump into the new lighthouse keeper, Mitch. Despite her recent heartbreak, Rosie finds herself fascinated by the mysterious Mitch. As they spend more time together, is it possible that he needs Rosie every bit as she needs him... Readers have fallen in love with A Scottish Lighthouse Escape: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'Absolutely stunning book! I absolutely loved the story, it was easy to read and the perfect balance of emotions!’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A real page turner... I loved the description of the cottage itself and the surroundings in the Highlands of Scotland’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A beautiful, heart-warming and uplifting story' ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 'A fabulous book, takes it's time and gives you all the feels. Fabulous characters and perfect pacing’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘You have old love, art, a broken hearted lighthouse keeper and two gorgeous dogs. Also discovering your grandparents lives’ ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ ‘A lovely, gentle read, a love story set in Scotland. It had several twists and kept me interested in the plot. I especially loved the way the two dogs played an integral part in the story; you can tell that the author is a dog lover'

Earning money to sponsor a child in Africa has never been so difficult, or more hilarious, as the four Conroy sisters discover! The second novel in the much-loved Exiles series and winner of the Smarties Prize.