Eligible – Curtis Sittenfeld

Eligible - Curtis Sittenfeld
Eligible – Curtis Sittenfeld

Pride and Prejudice transplanted and updated to 21st Century Cincinnati.

Elizabeth become Liz, a writer on a glossy magazine and living in New York. Darcy is a heart surgeon. Mr and Mrs Bennet are both awful. Lydia and Kitty gain redemptive qualities. Mary remains the oddball, Jane the yogic angel, and Chip Bingley brings in the reality TV show and plotline that gives the novel its name.

Sparky dialogue, very short chapters, easy reading.

Author page: Eligible – Curtis Sittenfeld

The Perfect Golden Circle – Benjamin Myers

The Perfect Golden Circle - Benjamin Myers
The Perfect Golden Circle – Benjamin Myers

If you loved Detectorists, I think you’ll love this.

The West of England. 1989. Two loners, ex-SAS soldier and Falklands veteran Calvert and crusty dreamer/traveller Redbone, spend the summer secretly creating ever more intricate and ever more beautiful crop circles in the fields of Wiltshire.

I remember the press-led crop circle craze of that summer. Were they the work of aliens, weird weather phenomena, or humans – and if so, why?

A lovely book. Short but sweet to read. Lots to ponder afterwards.

Author page: The Perfect Golden Circle – Benjamin Myers

Romantic Comedy – Curtis Sittenfeld

Romantic Comedy - Curtis Sittenfeld
Romantic Comedy – Curtis Sittenfeld

Brilliant.

Saturday Night Live style TV show provides the initial comedy (and initial setting) into which Curtis Sittenfeld then stirs all the tropes of the will-they, won’t-they romance between sketch writer Sally and pop/rock star Noah.

I read it in two days – and could have read it in one.

Author page: Romantic Comedy – Curtis Sittenfeld