Recommendations based on "Second Time Around"

“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.

The author of the beloved international hit The One Hundred Years of Lenni and Margot returns with a funny, uplifting story about the power of friendship and finding love in unexpected places.Eddie Winston is 90 years old. He has lived and he has loved, but he has never been kissed.A true gentleman and incurable romantic, Eddie spends his days volunteering at a charity shop, where he sorts through the donations of the living and the dead, preserving letters and tokens of love along the way. And it is here that he meets Bella, a troubled young woman who, at 24 years old, has just lost the love of her life.When Bella learns that Eddie is yet to have his first kiss, she resolves to help Eddie Winston finally find love, sparking an adventure that will take them to unexpected places and, they hope, bring Eddie Winston to the moment he has waited for all his life.A tale of friendship and kindness that reminds us that those we love are never forgotten and it is never too late to try again.

Finding your way is never a simple journey…Alice sees the worst in people.She also sees the best.She sees a thousand different emotions and knows exactly what everyone around her is feeling.Every. Single. Day.But it’s the dark thoughts.The sadness. The rage.These are the things she can’t get out of her head. The things that overwhelm her.Where will the journey to find herself begin?

"Wreck is a delight. What an absolute joy to be reunited with Rocky and her family, the characters we all fell in love with in Sandwich. Newman's prose is laugh-out-loud funny. It's also profound. I couldn't stop reading, even though I didn't want it to end."--J. Courtney Sullivan, New York Times bestselling author of The Cliffs "Wreck is the kind of book that pulls up a chair, pours the wine, and dives deep--equal parts hilarious, sharp, and achingly sincere. I didn't just read it--I felt known by it. A luminous, laugh-out-loud triumph."--Alison Espach, New York Times bestselling author of The Wedding People The acclaimed bestselling author of Sandwich is back with a wonderful novel, full of laughter and heart, about marriage, family, and what happens when life doesn't go as planned. If you loved Rocky and her family on vacation on Cape Cod, wait until you join them at home two years later. (And if this is your first meeting with this crew, get ready to laugh and cry--and relate.) Rocky, still anxious, nostalgic, and funny, is living in Western Massachusetts with her husband Nick and their daughter Willa, who's back home after college. Their son, Jamie, has taken a new job in New York, and Mort, Rocky's widowed father, has moved in. It all couldn't be more ridiculously normal . . . until Rocky finds herself obsessed with a local accident that only tangentially affects them--and with a medical condition that, she hopes, won't affect them at all. With her signature wit and wisdom, Catherine Newman explores the hidden rules of family, the heavy weight of uncertainty, and the gnarly fact that people--no matter how much you love them--are not always exactly who you want them to be.

The perfect summer holiday read for fans of Cathy Bramley and Phillipa Ashley Return to Love Heart Lane for friendship, romance and a community who will be be there for you no matter what... Isla and Drew Allaway appear to have the perfect life - a strong marriage, two beautiful children and their picture-perfect home, Foxglove Farm. But, new mum Isla is struggling. She loves her little family but with Drew working all hours on the farm, Isla's lonely. When she discovers that Drew has been keeping secrets from her, Isla has to face losing the home they all love. Can the Love Heart Lane community pull together once more to help save Foxglove Farm? And can Isla save her home...and her marriage?

Englishwoman in Italy Annie Hawes isn't quiteas baffled by Ligurian life as she was when she first came to this land of hills and olive groves. But she is as surprised - and, often, delighted - by its strange twists and turns as she ever was . . . Annie is, after all, the proud owner of a hillside cottage (though its roof is about to fall in, thanks to the efforts of some hungry wood-beetle), while her neighbours are called the Spring Onions and believe that they are the rightful owners of a village called Goat Number One. Wooed in a charmingly unconventional way by local culinary star Ciccio - who first demonstrates his affection by inviting her to his vineyard to help mix up cow manure - Annie soon has an all-knowing local on hand to help. Still, being besieged by goats belonging to an (alleged) ex-marijuana-grower turned organic salami producer, and discovering a nearby village whose lands are jointly owned by a family of prostitutes and a bunch of priests does make her wonder.

Laugh-out-loud, feel-good romcom for fans of Emily Henry and Josie Silver 'Fresh, witty and thoroughly enjoyable.' The Sun A NIGHT IN WITH AUDREY HEPBURNUnlucky in love, failed actress Libby Lomax has retreated into the world of classic movies, where the immortal lives of the screen goddesses offer so much more in the way of romance than her own life. After a terrible day on the set of a cult TV sci-fi series where she has proved herself to be the antithesis of feminine poise and embarrassed herself in front of heartthrob actor Dillon O’Hara, she plonks herself down in front of her trillionth viewing of Breakfast at Tiffany’s. Relaxing on her battered old couch, Libby is gob smacked to find actual Screen Icon, Audrey Hepburn, sitting beside her. Dressed in her little black dress, wearing her trademark sunglasses, Audrey proffers advice to the hapless Libby between ladylike puffs on her vintage cigarette holder. And so, Audrey becomes Libby’s confidante and friend – but has Libby got what it takes to turn her life from a Turkey to a Blockbuster? With a little bit of Audrey Hepburn magic, she might just pull it off... A NIGHT IN WITH MARILYN MONROEThe last few months have been a whirlwind for Libby Lomax – not only is she dating the hottest man on the planet, but there now seems to be a decent career alternative on offer. She can hardly believe that life is finally turning around. But her optimism seems short-lived when she realises that Dillon O’Hara is about as far away from steady boyfriend material as is possible to get. Then, when another uninvited guest, in the form of Marilyn Monroe, turns up on her ancient sofa, Libby finds she would willingly bite her own arm off for a return to normality. Thank goodness her best friend Ollie is still there to keep her feet on the ground. Libby doubts that Marilyn is really the right person to offer her relationship advice, but perhaps she should listen up, before it’s too late...

Cosy up on the sofa with this year's most heartwarming, feel good comfort read! Welcome to Love Heart Lane... When Flick Simons returns to the cosy village of Heartcross she only expected to stay for a few days. The white-washed cottages of Love Heart Lane might be her home, but the place holds too many painful memories, and of one man in particular - Fergus Campbell. When a winter storm sweeps in, the only bridge connecting the village to the main land is swept away. As the villagers pull together, Flick finds herself welcomed back by the friends she once left behind. And as the snow begins to melt, maybe there is a chance that Fergus's heart will thaw too... Readers ADORE Christie's books: 'A hug in a book' Jeannie, Amazon 'A warm, cosy winter read perfect for January nights' Susie, Amazon 'I love reading about a community pulling together in the face of adversity...These days so many live lonely, anonymous lives in towns and cities' Joanna, Amazon 'A book full of love and community spirit' Kathy, Amazon 'I want to live there!!!' Cally, Amazon 'Delightfully warm feelgood fiction at its best' Lorna, Amazon

The new novel of life in nineteenth century Lancashire and Australia from one of Hodder's fastest growing saga writers. Keara Michaels doesn't want to leave her family in Ireland, but fate sends her first to Lancashire, then across the sea to Australia, pregnant and penniless. And Theo Mullane, the man who loves her, is married, with an ailing baby son, so cannot follow her as he longs to. Mark Gibson leaves Lancashire to avoid marriage. But gold prospecting is a dangerous pursuit, and when his gentle young wife dies in childbirth, his father-in-law kidnaps the baby. So Mark runs away again, this time to Western Australia, where he employs Keara in his country inn. But danger threatens them all, even in the bush, as Keara searches for her lost sisters, Theo comes looking for the woman he loves, and Mark at last confronts his past.