Books like The Household — picked by fans

This is one novel that I can truly say kept me up all night until I’d finished all 548 pages, despite  a headache and sore eyes!

A thrilling tale of deception, betrayal, and ingenuity by one of my all-time favourite writers, Fingersmith tells the story of two women from very different social classes. One is a young thief, the other from an aristocratic family, a secretary to her corrupt uncle.

In the course of the novel, their intertwined history is exposed, along with the conspiracy to steal Maud’s fortune. There are vivid, Dickensian scenes of Victorian London and Gothic elements to the romance, but I especially admire the multiple,  breathtaking plot twists. I wish I’d written it!

Another novel with a great opening line, "Sometimes in the night he dreamed about the dead," The Master is a subtle and complex portrayal of the Victorian writer Henry James.

It begins at a moment in his career when, although lauded as a novelist, he has failed as a dramatist. He retreats from public life, buying a house in Rye, Sussex, where he lives alone, haunted by people from his past and preoccupied with the details of the Oscar Wilde case.

I loved the exploration of creativity and the consequences of dedicating yourself to the creative life, especially in terms of the uncomfortable relationship between artistic integrity and public response. This is a virtuoso depiction of social and psychological repression, the pain of unacknowledged sexuality, and the cost of art.

From the brilliant first line to the ambiguous ending, this novel kept me gripped throughout its 800 + pages.

It plumbs the secret depths of Victorian Society, uncovering pornography, mental illness, prostitution, the evils of marriage and inheritance in gloriously rich prose.

It explores the lives of two very different women, Agnes and Sugar who are both dependent on Wiliam Rachkam, reluctant heir to a perfume business. Agnes represents the Victorian ideal of naive femininity, whereas Sugar is a prostitute who is writing an erotic revenge novel in which all clients are gruesomely murdered.

This novel has a surreal and baroque quality, which I loved.

A literary mystery featuring Arthur Conan Doyle, creator of Sherlock Holmes, in a real case in which he proved an accused man innocent.

The trial was in 1903, but the novel exposes the legacy of Victorian colonialism with supreme skill. It unfolds against a society divided by racial and class prejudice. George Edalji, born to a Parsee father and an Irish mother, was imprisoned for the brutal mutilations of farm animals that took place in Wyrley.

I loved the portrayal of the two protagonists. Arthur is convinced of George’s innocence and dedicates himself to his cause.  George is particularly moving, maintaining his integrity and dignity throughout. The investigation explores the lives of these two very different men while ultimately celebrating their courage and generosity.

Years ago, I discovered Miss Seeton in a well-worn paperback at a used book sale and I absolutely fell in love with this charming retired art teacher with the uncanny knack of drawing the truth from the most devious situations with her charcoal pencils and art pad.

In Witch Miss Seeton, this seemingly naïve little old lady steps into the world of modern witch’s covens to solve a mystery too convoluted for Scotland Yard. I love the humor, the depth of character, and the whimsy that fill the book. Miss Seeton’s regular yoga routine, which keeps her agile in her golden years, inspired my own exercise regimen.

Although out-of-print for many years, the books have been recently released in digital and audio formats, making this thoroughly entertaining series available to a new generation of readers.

I’ve spoken to people who really couldn’t get into this book, and I consider them somewhat deranged. It’s a rollicking good read, and maybe it helped that I enjoyed the author reading the story, which added to my enjoyment. I’ll go out on a limb and suggest very few authors make great audiobook performers. Mortimer absolutely does, getting the voice of the squirrel spot on.

There’s a strange and convoluted plot set in the not-terribly-underworld of London. A brilliant neighbor part for Kathy Burke should Mortimer ever be fielding Netflix offers. It’s a book you’ll read in days, not weeks. Fast-paced and has me on edge for part two–out in August.

Samantha Shannon’s world-building in this series is second to none. We find ourselves in a future alternate version of the world, where the government monitors the population for those people with extraordinary powers: clairvoyants. Paige, our main character, is one of these – and a bit of an antihero to boot (my favourite kind of hero!). You will love and be frustrated by her – and root for the simmering romance plot.

I felt every single emotion reading this book and felt as if I’d lived all the decades with Jen and Nick, who met as teenagers and soon became friends.

I love Sarra’s writing style, and I was fully invested in Jen and Nick from the very beginning, and found their complicated, messy relationship, which follows the most winding path, completely believable.

There was so much in this book that was unexpected, and by the end, I was a sobbing puddle of feelings. I know Jen and Nick will always stay with me, and I’m already looking forward to reading it again. 

I loved the main character, the beautifully named Saffron Everleigh. She’s a woman in 1923 London, trying to make her way in academia at a time when women weren’t usually allowed in the doors.

Her scientific interests and studies in botany come in handy when she attends a dinner party for the school, and a professor’s wife drops to the floor, poisoned by an unknown substance. Working with the equally passionate, ahem, Alexander Ashton, a fellow researcher, Saffron must investigate the murder or wind up next on the murderer's list. There are two more books in this series, so we are lucky to spend more time with our plucky heroine.

I love books that tackle less common characters and taboo subjects. In this case, it’s the usually overlooked ‘woman of a certain age’ and menopause. In this case, Eliza has ‘had enough’ and wants to rediscover what life has to offer—something a lot of us can relate to! It’s laugh-out-loud funny, full of drama and wisdom, and people of every age and gender should read it.