I have picnicked on the steps of St.Georges in Bloomsbury Way,London.It is an old church that people are trying to save.I am particularly interested in this church because it was where the novelist Trollope was baptised....So I would recommend something by Trollope..You could even read one of his books while visiting the church..Bloomsbury is a nice area,in that it also includes the British Museum.I would put the B.Museum in my top five of must see things in London....

The Maisie Dobbs books got mentioned above, but I'd like to underline what a great read they are.

Another new(ish) writer basing his books in London- and the locations are key to the plots- is Christopher Fowler, with his Bryant and May mysteries. That is, incidentally, a very British pun.

Out of London look for anything by Graham Hurley whose protagonist is a birwatching policeman in Portsmouth.

And Reginald Hill's Dalziel and pascoe novels are pretty good too. (I couldn't remembe what they were and went to do a search. Have you any IDEA how many mystery books are set in Yorkshire???)

Granmere: I just bought Possesion on half.com. Thanks for the rec. I am always looking for great authors of literary fiction.

OReilly: I also ordered Behind the Scenes at the Museum.

I have been using the library almost exclusively these days, so buying two good books for $8.25 is a nice little treat. Thanks.

I could not put down "The Other Boleyn Girl" this summer. It's by Philippa Gregory--a historical fiction read about the sister of Anne Boleyn. Really good.

Another vote for Jane Austen...Pride and Prejudice being my all-time fav. Also, A Room with a View, which begins and ends in Florence, but the in-between is English countryside.

I am in the middle of reading a novel by Victoria Holt "Secret for A Nightingale" It was published in the 1980's but somehow I had never read it. It is quite interesting.

Tuscanlifeedit, sent you an email; hope I have up to date address--your names and v.net?

Just realize I forgot one of my favorite English authors as a kid:
James Herriot. "All Creatures Great and Small," etc. All four of the original books are great, but the first is the funniest.

Olive Oil, I too thought Of Human Bondage was a little sad, but so insightful. I will try the others.

I am really enjoying this list of books. For tuscanlifeedit and others, I have always had fantastic luck finding out of print and used books at http://www.abebooks.com/, a collection of book dealers listing together.

For a historical detective story, how about josephine Tay's "The daughter of time" - conspiracy theory rules OK. In fact anything written by her is wonderful.

Daphne duMaurier is wonderful. Have read most everything.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters
Jonathan Strange by Susanna Clarke (a bit hefty but superb)
Anything by Peter Ackroyd, fiction or non fiction.

Couldn't put down Philippa Gregory's, The Virgin's Lover. Historical fiction about the love affair between Elizabeth I and Sir Robert Dudley during the first years of her reign. Now reading Jane's P & P, but will look for the Other Boleyn Girl by Gregory. Thanks, StephCar and others for the great thread.

gailscout-if you liked Virgin Lover you are going to LOVE the Other Boleyn Girl. I read OBG first, then was dying for another book by Philippa Gregory, since it was so good. I have to say though, I thought Virgin Lover was not as good (but still great) so I am 100% confident you are going to love the OBG. She seems to have matured her style a bit and provides a lot more historical detail, which just makes it all the better.

Good luck. Of course P&P is a classic as well, and I love it, but it just doesn't seem as juicy as books that involve Henry VIII (or English royalty) LOL.

Morgana, I absolutely LOVED Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrel, but we appear to be in the minority! I recommended it to several people, but only one actually finished it (the footnotes got the better of them).

As we both like this one and are also fans of Ackroyd, you might try the Jasper Fforde novels. They are weird, in the same manner as Clarke's book - an alternative reality, really well written and seduce you into this new reality, which is an incredible achievement.

Agree with just about anything by Thomas Hardy. I didn't start reading Hardy until somewhat later in life--should have started much earlier. But better late than never.

I've enjoyed Graham Greene for years--a lot of his works feature Brits out of the country, but try Brighton Rock, A Gun for Sale (In the USA--This Gun for Hire), and The Ministry of Fear.

Anyone headed for Mexico might try one of Greene's nonfiction works, The Lawless Roads, as well as The Power and the Glory.

O'Reilly - I loved the footnotes in Jonathan Strange! In fact I just loved the whole book. It was one of our Bookclub reads and we were divided - it's a love or hate book.
I'm in awe of Susanna Clarke's imagination.
Have you read Fingersmith by Sarah Waters? Think you would enjoy that.
Also Small Island by Andrea Levy.
I've not read any Jasper Fforde books but he's on my ever increasing 'to read' list.
Talking of Thomas Hardy, there's a new biography out by Claire Tomalin (her Pepys book was superb) called Hardy - the Time Torn Man. It's had excellent reviews and is on my Christmas list!

How fast do you read? I arrived from England Monday and I was able to read only one short paperback during a two week trip, but I thought the suggestion of PG Woodhouse was the best-light and delightful although the whole thing is an Englishman making fun of sterotypical Englishmen. Keep a journal, the days run together.

Anyone who has never read Beverley Nichols' house and garden books really does owe it to him or herself to try one. Witty, erudite, frothy entertainment. Anglophiles and aesthetes alike will delight in his books.

Merry Hall
Laughter on the Stairs
Sunlight on the Lawn
Down the Garden Path
Garden Open Today
Garden Open Tomorrow
A Thatched Roof

are some of his titles.

I second the recommendation for Rennie Airth and Charles Todd.

I really like Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. She has a modern series featuring a London police officer as well as a historical series of English wars beginning with the War of the Roses and coming up through the centuries to modern times that comprises, I believe, 28 volumes. The mysteries are available in the U.S., but at least in my area the historical romances are not. You can buy some of them in London bookstores or order them from abe.com.

The Dick Francis mysteries are good ones. Because jof those i have visited Newmarket, went to the Gold Cup in Cheltenham and drove thru Lambourne

if you want to know how London really was, during the Victorian age, read "The Crimson Petal and the White"...pretty awesome truth, and a good read to boot!/

Just to put in my two cents worth...

Agree with most posters (although I have to say, I have never really been able to "get into" AS Byatt...) If you are looking for a hefty book, I would recommend Crimson Petal and the White long before Jonathan Strange... For something a little bit lighter, you might try some of the suggestions below:

For Historical fiction, try Rose Tremain, with her wonderful book Restoration, about a doctor during the restoration era. (Music and Silence is equally as good, but is about an English musician going off to the Danish court). She's a bit more "literary" than Phillipa Gregory but very enjoyable.

For a fascinating non-fiction biography that reads as easily as fiction is the book "Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire" by Amanda Foreman.

Michael Frayn's Spies is one of the most chilling and memorable books I have read, a mystery/coming of age book based in England in WW2 (His Headlong is completely different, a farcical novel that weaves in an in-depth study of Breugel as well as a very funny commentary on country-house English culture). Spies is not very thick, Headlong is much longer.

Enjoy!!!

Wow, there are so many great suggestions here--thanks, everyone! I hardly had a chance to print out many of these before we left.

As it turned out, I had no time to get to a good bookstore but did stop at a rummage sale, where I picked up two mysteries by Morag Joss (recommended here) as well as Atonement by Ian McEwan. All I had time to read was one of the mysteries, which was quite good.

I was happy to see some of my favorite books here, including some Jane Austens and other classics. And I've made lists of the others so I can continue my reading of books based in England . . . to keep the experience going now that I've returned!

I couldn't believe I made it almost to the bottom of this string of responses and only one person mentioned Daphne duMaurier.

Cornwall has an entire industry based on her stories. There is a festival in Fowey near her hometown and several bookstores there.

Which reminds me, it's been nearly 40 years since I've curled up by the fire with 'Frenchman's Creek'. Time to read it again.

For those who liked "I Capture the Castle", it's been made into a cute little movie.

The 'abes books' mention reminded me that was where I got my out of print copy of one of Enid Blyton's adventure series. Now you did all read those as kids, and travel along with Lucy, Jack and Kiki the parrot, didn't you?

for london read anna quindlen's book Imagined London,a tour of the world's greatest fictional city. Also Mystery Readers Walking guide:London by Barbara Sloan Hendershott and alizna Stone Dale. They also have one on England.

I hope this hasn't been mentioned already as I haven't read the entire thread yet. I'm sitting here reading "Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde" as I had never read it and it seems timely here at Halloween. It's really a novella (about 70 pages or so) set in last turn of the century London. It's very old fashioned in tone and riveting really... Not sure it's plane fare but great to read by the fireplace with a wee dram.