Shirl's Top 10 Most Recommended Books

The Correspondent

The Wedding People

'BEST READ OF THE YEAR SO FAR' THE TIMES 'BOOKS AS FUN AS THIS ONE ARE FEW AND FAR BETWEEN' GUARDIAN Phoebe Stone arrives at a grand beachside hotel in Rhode Island wearing her best dress and least comfortable shoes. Immediately she is mistaken for one of the wedding people — but she's actually the only guest at the Cornwall Inn who isn't here for the big event. When the bride discovers her elaborate destination wedding could be ruined by a divorced and depressed stranger, she is furious. She has spent months accounting for every detail and every possible disaster — except for, well, Phoebe… Soon, both women find their best-laid plans derailed and an unlikely confidante in one another. Hilarious and moving, The Wedding People is an...

Wild Dark Shore

From the New York Times bestselling author of Migrations and Once There Were Wolves, a novel about a family living alone on a remote island, when a mysterious woman washes up on shore. 'At once a gripping mystery, an exquisitely written ode to the natural world, and a taut, psychological thriller, Wild Dark Shore is a triumph. Charlotte McConaghy is masterful in her ability to show the intricate connections between place and the human heart, and Wild Dark Shore shows her at the height of her powers. Breathtaking.' HANNAH KENT Dominic Salt and his three children are caretakers of Shearwater, a tiny island not far from Antarctica. Home to the world's largest seed bank, Shearwater was once full of researchers. But with sea levels rising, the Salts are...

My Friends

#1 New York Times bestselling author Fredrik Backman returns with an unforgettably funny, deeply moving tale of four teenagers whose friendship creates a bond so powerful that it changes a complete stranger’s life twenty-five years later. Most people don’t even notice them—three tiny figures sitting at the end of a long pier in the corner of one of the most famous paintings in the world. Most people think it’s just a depiction of the sea. But Louisa, an artist herself, knows otherwise and she is determined to find out the story of these three enigmatic figures. Twenty-five years earlier, in a distant town, a group of teenagers find refuge from their difficult home lives by spending their days laughing and telling stories out on a pier. There’s Joar,...

The Midnight Library

The Midnight Library by Matt Haig is about Nora Seed, who finds herself in a library between life and death. This unique library allows her to explore different versions of her life by choosing alternate paths she could have taken. Through each new story, Nora learns profound truths about herself and what makes life truly worth living.

Tomorrow, and Tomorrow, and Tomorrow

Two friends embark on a creative journey over decades, navigating the worlds of video game design and their complex relationship. As they achieve success, they confront personal and professional challenges, exploring themes of love, identity, and creative passion.

Lessons in Chemistry

Set in the 1960s, Lessons in Chemistry follows Elizabeth Zott, a brilliant chemist who finds herself navigating the male-dominated scientific world. Through a twist of fate, she becomes the star of a cooking show, where her unique approach to blending chemistry and cuisine inspires change and challenges societal norms.

Strange Sally Diamond

I'm lost in admiration. Strange Sally Diamond is vivid, pacy, taut but so very moving . . . defies categorisation. — Marian Keyes Sally Diamond cannot understand why what she did was so strange. She was only doing what her father told her to do: to put him out with the rubbish when he died. Now Sally is the centre of attention, not only from the hungry media and worried police, but also from a sinister voice from a past she has no memory of. As she begins to discover the horrors of her childhood, recluse Sally steps into the world for the first time, making new friends, finding independence, and learning that people don't always mean what they say. But when messages start arriving from a stranger...

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine by Gail Honeyman is about a socially awkward woman named Eleanor who leads a solitary life, adhering to a strict routine. Her world changes when she develops an unexpected friendship with Raymond, her quirky IT coworker. This relationship slowly helps her confront her troubled past and transform her life.

Girl, Woman, Other

Girl, Woman, Other by Bernardine Evaristo weaves together the stories of twelve characters, primarily black British women, across different generations and backgrounds. It explores their lives, struggles, and triumphs, offering a broad and nuanced tapestry of contemporary British society.