british

Fairy tales are often dismissed as stories only for children, but I've never been able to stop reading them, even as an adult.  C.S. Lewis said it best when he wrote, "Some day you will be old enough to read fairy tales again."  These types of stories are ones I turn to again and again, whether they be new tales or the dark, Grimm originals.  I especially love historical novels that incorporate fairy tale elements - which is why I was so excited when I heard about the new book by Diane Setterfield.

Set in a small English town on the river Thames, the story centers around a local inn, The Swan

It's 1845 Haworth, West Yorkshire, England. This historical depiction shows a very bleak and distressing side to the famous Bronte sisters lives. Back when there were very few opportunities for women, it tells of the hardships Charlotte, Emily and Anne faced. It also includes the downfall of their brother Patrick, who they all called by his middle name Bramwell.  His was a tortured soul that could not live up to his own expectations and took it out on his father.

To Walk Invisible created a desire for further research.

Fans of Mary Berry, Paul Hollywood and all of the season 5 contestants will enjoy the “bakes” outlined in this photo-filled cookbook. The Great British Bake Off Big Book of Baking will show you, step-by-step, how to make the breads, pastries, biscuits, and cakes from the show, including some of the showstoppers and signature bakes. In between the recipes are short interviews with the contestants, hosts, and judges. It appears that the recipes have been modified to be easier, since they were under a huge time crunch while baking on the show. Also of note is that many of these recipes use

Over the top! There's just no better way to describe Angelmaker. 



The core plot is nothing new: A cautious lead character gets swept into a wild adventure that transforms him into a bold hero ... but with a lot more bells, whistles, and mechanical bees. It's a fun fantastical story, plus you get to figure out the connections among clockmakers, British secret intelligence, the gangster underground, elite craftsmen and plans to end the world as we know it. Take a gander at the book trailer. See what I mean?!



The ordinary Joe Spork is our hero, forced to intervene in a plot set to motion

British television is fashionable nowadays. Downton Abbey, Sherlock, and Doctor Who exemplify the latest trend in Trans-Atlantic entertainment. But before BBC America went gangbusters, there were several British comedies from the late 90s and early 00s that have since either created American spin-offs (The Office) or spawned solid film careers for British actors and writers. The latter is true for Simon Pegg, one of the creators and actors of the show Spaced. Not only has he endeared himself to American sci-fi fans as Chief Engineer Montgomery “Scotty” Scott in J.J. Abrams’ reboot of the Star

Mistress of Nothing is based on the true travel adventures of Lady Duff Gordon and her faithful maid, Sally.  In the dry clime of the Egyptian desert, a leading London socialite, Lady Duff Gordon was seeking relief from her tuberculosis. Her six year adventures were commemorated in her personal letters and later remade into this book.  Both women approached their new surrounding with respect and admiration for the exotic culture, and love for adventure in 19th century Egypt. They took an immediate liking to wearing native Egyptian dress, learned Arabic fluently and plunged into romance. They

With the 100 year anniversary of World War I approaching, examination of this sometimes little understood event may well become a popular topic of study for the everyday reader.  Adam Hochschild’s To End All Wars is an excellent start if one would like to broaden understanding of the war that was often glossed over in our American history studies.   

His chronicling of the war’s history in Great Britain might be a new revelation. The upper class privilege and cavalier attitude to the horrors and senselessness of the war, contrasted with the sacrifice, then disillusionment of the everyday man

Major Pettigrew would never have a Facebook page. He would be absolutely horrified by the Jackass and Borat movies. Discreet, polite, always a gentleman, Major Pettigrew is a man to be counted upon. The Major is rather alone, recently widowed and infrequently visited by his son Roger who is most interested in clawing up the corporate ladder and pleasing his long-legged, American girlfriend. The Major's brother Bertie dies unexpectedly and leaves the Major to negotiate with his widowed sister-in-law over a pair of magnificent hunting rifles, very valuable hunting rifles that the widow and Roger

A Rumpole Christmas by John Mortimer is a collection of short stories written by the creator of the Horace Rumpole character -- a highly popular series on PBS.  These stories were not used for the television program, so they bring new story lines to fans of Rumpole.  As John Mortimer died recently, it was fun to read posthumously some of this writings which are brand new to the library.  Rumpole is a barrister {lawyer} in London, and these stories are mysteries, but more importantly, they contain charming views of life in London with a brilliant lawyer who also happens to be a Shakespearean.