Books like A Walk in Wildflower Park — picked by fans

What I loved about Bridget Jones’s Diary was the fun that its author had in writing a book that plays with the themes, characters, and some of the plot points of Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.

It’s wonderful when a writer knows her literary history and is comfortable enough to let us enjoy its evolution and laugh at it. Having lost 30 pounds in the last couple of years, I can honestly say that I appreciate a writer who not only references Jane Austen, but can write with wit and candor.

This was such an entertaining read, especially in its casual format – diary entries kept by a working woman who wants to lose weight. I also enjoyed the 2001 movie.

That Night in Paris is the second book in Sandy Barker’s Holiday Romance Series, which is packed with beautifully described holiday destinations and the will-they-won’t-they moments we romance readers love. In That Night in Paris, Cat books an impromptu European coach trip in desperation after she has a few too many wines and sleeps with her flatmate. And what a decision that turns out to be when she bumps into her long-lost teenage crush in Paris.     

Cat’s on my dinner guest list because she’s feisty, fun, and oozes sass, while at the same time having a more vulnerable side that would get the deeper conversations going by dessert. Sometimes strong women who are confident and outspoken (in a good way) can be criticised and labelled negatively, but women like Cat should be applauded for being real. 

The Cornish Wedding Murder is the first installment of Fiona Leitch’s wonderful cosy mystery series. It features Jodie ‘Nosey’ Parker, ex-copper turned caterer, who butts heads with handsome DCI Nathan Winters to prove a childhood friend’s innocence, after an unexpected guest is found dead at his wedding. It’s an entertaining read with plenty of twists and turns and some added romantic tension to keep you wanting more. 

Jodie’s on my list as a female lead who’d make a great dinner guest because she’s bold, fiercely loyal and she doesn’t let others push her around. She’s also one to raise a smile with her deadpan humour and she’d have many a story from her police days to share. Oh, and with her being a caterer, I might not even have to cook!    

Andie Newton writes historical fiction with strong female leads, set during World War II. In The Girls from the Beach, Kit, an American nurse, is sent behind enemy lines to infiltrate the Reich and steal something critical to the outcome of the war. It’s a gripping, edge-of-your-seat story that’s guaranteed to have you bawling by the end.  

Obviously, I’d need a time machine to have dinner with Kit as a young woman, but she could still be around today, recounting heroic tales from that awful time. Kit is super brave and she’s persevered through unimaginable circumstances. Even if she didn’t want to share her stories, I’d invite her as a thank you for the sacrifices she and all service people made so we have the freedom we have today. 

I love mother/daughter stories, especially ones where the mother and daughter are estranged and find a way to come together. Adding a mother who hates Christmas (for good reasons) and two daughters who love the season cranked up the tension that made the ending sweet. Samantha and Ella haven't talked to their mother in five years. After Gayle has an accident at work, her daughters invite her to spend Christmas with them, which opens up old wounds and, eventually, clears the past. I really enjoyed that, even though there is a romance, this story focused on the women.

I fell in love with Lizzy and Ciaran as they tried to find their way back to each other after over a decade of not speaking. I loved the glamour of the Cannes film festival, which was a backdrop to the very real, human, unglamorous resentments they were harbouring, and I was gripped by the sense of time running out as the festival progressed.

The flashbacks to their time in France when they first met were gripping, and I was swept away by these two completely believable characters but was also caught up in the sizzle between them, and it’s such a funny, heartfelt book too. 

I’ve been a huge fan of Marian Keyes for years and I’ve read all her books.

She has a wonderful talent for character development and describing the intricacies of family life and relationships and she seamlessly combines chick-lit humour with meatier, serious themes. In The Break, a story about midlife crisis, Amy’s husband Hugh decides to take a break from their marriage and family, and go travelling to find himself, leaving her at home, a single mum, wondering what the heck has just happened. But will he return, and if he does, will Amy still be the same woman?

I was actually reading this book when I got the idea for my debut novel! 

Joanna Bolouri is one of my favourite romcom writers because she’s so damn funny! Her books are genuinely hilarious and totally live up to the ‘laugh-out-loud’ tag. I love them all, but this is my favourite. Emily is a great character, and Ethan is so cute and adorable. I’m a sucker for a player with hidden depths, and the fact that he’s younger than Emily too is a refreshing change. Throw in a Christmas break with her eccentric family, and you’re guaranteed oodles of fun. 

If you want to improve your leadership presence and ability to command a room, Lions Don’t Need to Roar by D.A. Benton is a must-read.

This book highlights the importance of storytelling as a key component of leadership. Most CEOs are great at telling people stories and using them to convince others to get things done. The book emphasizes that as a leader, you are immediately judged by how you appear, not just by what you say.

After reading this book, you’ll learn how to build a powerful leadership presence that inspires and motivates others.

I am a massive fan of David Foster Wallace, but I was skeptical when I first heard that his posthumous novel was set in something as banal as the Internal Revenue Service. But Wallace eased my concerns. Not only is the book engaging, but I was also surprised to find this work to be a novel of shadows.

The book is filled with thick descriptions of shadows moving eerily across rooms, halls, and buildings and perhaps even more disturbing, strange situations where brilliant lights cast no shadow. Reading the book, I wondered (or perhaps feared) that an excessive interest in shadows is a sign of the onset of mental collapse.