Kat WA, reading series suggestion

13 years ago

Hey gal; you asked about reading a "light hearted" book series. I didn't want my suggestion to get buried in the Plum Pudding, so I'm being bad and calling you out. Forgive me.

Have you read the Agatha Raisin series by M.C. Beaton? She also writes the Hamish MacBeth series. There are 22 books in the Agatha Raisin series, and 27 in the Hamish MacBeth series. She has other books out, too, but I haven't read them. Click on all the links at the top of her site to learn more about them.

Both series are entertaining, "light" reading and filled with funny scenes. I think you'd like them since you like the Stephanie Plum books, too.

This quote is from the Kindle store link on her site..."Agatha Raisin is the cranky but lovable Cotswolds detective created by the New York Times Bestselling author M.C. Beaton.

"If you enjoy the Miss Marple novels of Agatha Christie or Alexander McCall Smith's Ladies No.1 Detective Agency then we are sure you're going to love following the adventures of Agatha Raisin."

And...from Wikipedia..."Hamish Macbeth is a fictional police officer who serves as his town's detective in a series of mystery novels created by M. C. Beaton. The novels are published in the UK by Constable & Robinson. In an interview, the author recalls,

"I was at a fishing school in the very north of Scotland, and I thought, what a wonderful setting for a classical detective story, 11 people isolated in this Highland wilderness. So Hamish Macbeth was born."

The Agatha books are a bit "silly," and fun. Both series are excellent. They should keep you happily occupied until One For The Money comes out on DVD. You stay away from those theaters; we want you getting well, quickly.

Let me know if you try them...and do try to read them in order.

Here is a link that might be useful: More MC Beaton info

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (12)

pam_25f
13 years ago
I love the Hamish Macbeth books. SYKM site will list them in order, although it is not absolutely necessary. If you tire of mysteries, have you read Jan Karon's Mitford series? An older Episcopalian priest, small town characters, a found dog, an interesting neighbor lady.
minnie_tx
13 years ago
I also enjoyed the Agatha books when I was reading a lot I love the "Miss Read" books a country (English) schoolteacher. I have them all in paperback
A fun series of "spunky" ladies can be found in the "Suds in you eye" books
Related Discussions
moving to bellevue,wa
Q
Comments (23)
Welcome to the area and safe travels! FWIW, Home Depot and the like would NOT be my first choice for potting soils. The best results with container gardening require potting soils that have significant texture and minimal fast-to-decompose organic matter.....check out the Container Gardening forum for more details. Once settled in, I'd suggest you visit some local retail garden centers (not box stores) and look for bagged potting soils with the Gardner & Bloom or Master Nursery labels (same manufacturer/supplier, different marketing). These are the best, highest quality, prepared bagged potting soils I have encountered in this area. More expensive than what you find at the box stores but well worth the investment. The other alternative would be to mix your own according to recipes found on the CG forum. Yes, Bellevue is an expensive area :-) It and many other eastside neighborhoods are upscale bedroom communities for Seattle. During my infrequent journeys across the lake (I tend to avoid downtown Bellevue - it is heavily congested and a traffic nightmare, especially at this time of year), I am always surprised at the slightly higher costs of everything. It'll take you some time to find the places with the best deals or shopping bargains, even with groceries, but they can be had. The Bellevue I remember when I grew up there (several...er...decades ago!) was a semi-rural community with a lot of open land and a quaint shopping center. Now it is arguably more urban than much of Seattle and with the associated crowds and congestion. But still some wonderful neighborhoods.
...See More
New To Kitchens? Posting Pics? Read Me! [Help keep on Page 1]
Q
Comments (148)
Nope Enduring. The sink pic is upside down no matter which way I turn the iPad. However, it is just fine on my Mac. I thought it was just a fluck yesterday and figured things would straighten out today. It's been a crazy day with our senior dog at the vets. I got on GW for some sanity tonight but "New To Kitchens.." just continues the craziness. I think I should cut my losses and go read a book. ;) Big BUMP to get this baby off of pg 3.
...See More
What are you reading? I'm reading
Q
Comments (44)
Ah I always check out these postings. I've found some excellent reads thanks to my fellow book lovers on this site. Right now I have a few suggestions that I have just finished or am on the final pages of: The Potato Factory - Bryce Courtenay (been out a few years and just discovered in the library reject pile) House of Spirits and Whispers - Annie Wilder . This is the true story of a haunted house. Is it scary...no, but as I love old houses and things that go bump in the night I liked it for a change of pace. Alone in the classroom - Elizabeth Hay. Half way done and am liking it well enough but wonder about all the hype. Those are my offerings this time around. Budster
...See More
Criminal to mix Andersen 400 series with some 100 series?
Q
Comments (12)
I did mix them all throughout the house (my window style is a cottage 4-over-1 grid with both interior and exterior grids), and after all my fretting, no one would ever be able to tell from the inside or outside! (I even have to look and try to remember whether some of the casements are 100s or 400s.) If it weren't for needing some very specific sizes (and wood grids to stain in our den), I would do all 100's because I cannot tell the difference in terms of operation/quality on the casements and you can barely discern the difference in terms of looks. And even in rooms where I chose the 400 series because I wanted to have double-hung windows, I wouldn't do it again....as appealing as the notion of being able to open the upper or lower sash was, what I've found in day-to-day living is that I only ever open the bottom sash, so I would've been just fine with simply doing single-hungs! Overall I'm satisfied with my Anderson windows, but I like my friend's Marvin Integrity windows better than mine--hers operate better and just have more of a "quality" look (mine still look fine.....I was actually going to do Integrity originally, but they did a price-hike during construction, and I just couldn't justify the extra $15-20K). I will say, however, that my Anderson 100 sliding windows that I did in the basement are ATROCIOUS in every way. Incredibly difficult to lock (you have to slam the window shut in order for the locking mechanism to "catch"--I far prefer the manual latches I had on my previous sliders), don't slide open very smoothly, let dirt in (we live in a very windy climate but still I've never seen so much fine dirt piled up on a window ceil!), super cheap--the lock plates have snapped or broken off over half of them in just the first year (and we almost never even use them). Needless to say, the inexpensive vinyl sliders we had in the basement of our last house were far superior.
...See More
Fun2BHere
13 years ago
Two other older series that somewhat fit the cozy mold are the Mrs. Pollifax books by Dorothy Gilman and the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. In the case of the Pollifax books, I like the first few in the series best.
socks
13 years ago
I've enjoyed those Hamish Macbeth stories. His part of the world sounds so charming.

Another series I've loved is the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency.
ravencajun Zone 8b TX
13 years ago
Another great series is the Southern Sisters series by Ann George. She passed away a few years ago so no more new ones, they are very funny.
sjerin
13 years ago
Minnie, I read the Miss Read books voraciously when my kids were little and things were hectic--they were my escape. May I ask where you got your copies? You can hardly find them at the library anymore.
Holly_ON
13 years ago
Currently enjoying Gemma Halliday's book Hollywood and High Heels series. They are very similar to the Janet Evanovich series. Humour/mystery in catagory. Very reasonably priced on Amazon for the Kindle.
kacram
13 years ago
Thank you everyone! I'll write them down! No kindle here! lol thank you!
minnie_tx
13 years ago
sjerin
I first read them from the library then found them in various bookstores. They are yours if I can locate them all and you want to pay the postage
sjerin
13 years ago
Oh, you are so kind, Minnie! But I don't want to take yours; I will start looking in bookstores and online. Perhaps I might like to read them again someday--they were so soothing. :)
minnie_tx
13 years ago
No problem
emma
10 years ago
last modified: 10 years ago
Check out Fern Michaels Sisterhood Series, It is light reading that makes you cry one minute then laugh. I have them all in hardback, but you will have to look for paper back now. You can get the series list on Fern Michaels site. It starts with a tragedy, but gets lighter in the second book. It is about women who have fallen through the legal cracks and the perps got away. The women find them and make them pay, but they do not kill. There were suppose to be 7 but there have been 20 something now. Her fans won't let her quit. LOL

Her God Mother series is good also.

Kat WA, reading series suggestion

Comments (12)

pam_25f

minnie_tx

Related Discussions

Fun2BHere

socks

ravencajun Zone 8b TX

sjerin

Holly_ON

kacram

minnie_tx

sjerin

minnie_tx

emma

COMPANY

BUSINESS SERVICES

GET HELP

CONNECT WITH US