This
year, eyes and TV sets around the world will be focused on London, the
capital of what is really a small island between the North Atlantic and
the North Sea, also known as the United Kingdom. London is in England,
one of four countries that make up the UK...the others being Northern
Ireland, Wales and Scotland. What is it about London that makes it
such a fascinating city?
Well, for one, unlike many European
cities, London is seriously multicultural. VERY multicultural. And I'm
not talking tourists. I'm talking residents. All races, religions,
socioeconomic levels are on view throughout most parts of London. Yes,
in some of the swankier sections (Knightsbridge, Mayfair to name two),
most of the people have more than their fair share of Pound Sterling in
their pockets. But, London is a mammoth, vast city with section upon
section of diverse areas. Take Kensington...which borders ritzy area
Knightsbridge and is not far from the also ritzy Chelsea. Kensington
has more Indian restaurants than British restaurants it seems. The
Indian dish Chicken tikka masala, not fish and chips, is even London's
honorary national meal. When we think British, we think Protestant and
white. In the countryside, maybe...but not in London.Let's move on to London's fascinating history. Unlike our cities in this country, London has recorded history dating back thousands of years. Yes...thousands. From the Romans who founded the city as Londinium to the Anglo-Saxons to the Tudors, every corner of London bears some history worth repeating. The formally-walled "City of London" is the present-day financial center of the capital and is one of the 32 boroughs of London. There are still places within The City, or Square Mile, as it is sometimes called, where you can see some of the London Wall, first built around The City by the Romans. Just to the east of The City lies Whitechapel, the former stomping grounds of that vicious deviant Jack the Ripper, who killed at least five prostitutes in the late 1880s. And on the other side of the River Thames (which throughout much of history, was wider than the present-day river running through London today), there is the George Inn in Southwark...a pub that can date it's history back to the 17th Century. Yes, that's right...the 1600s. No, the George we see today is not the exact same one from the 1600s, but there has been a pub on that site for almost 400 years! That's a lot of pints!
Lastly, let's look at London's cultural side. Most major cities can boast opera houses and a smattering of theaters and maybe one or two concert venues. But, London is the HOME of the stage production...with its West End surpassing our Broadway in both longevity, history and profitability. Many famed Broadway productions began as West End productions...and many acclaimed actors and actresses got their start on the London stage.
As the Summer Olympics approach (the opening ceremonies are on July 27), we thought everyone might want to get into a LONDON frame of mind to prepare. Here are some books and authors that might fit the bill:
Books set in London
40 Love by Madeleine Wickham
Abbot Agency series by Veronica Heley
Abdication by Juliet Nicolson
About A Boy by Nick Hornby
After You by Julie Buxbaum
Airs and Graces by Roz Southey
Alan Grant series by Josephine Tey
Amsterdam by Ian Mcewan
The Anatomist's Apprentice by
Tessa Harris
Anatomy of Murder by Imogen
Robertson
Anna Travis series & Jane Tennison/Prime Suspect series
by Lynda La Plante
Anthem for Doomed Youth by Carola
Dunn
Arthur and George by Julian Barnes
The Best of Friends by Joanna Trollope
The Best of Times by Penny Vincenzi
Bill Slider series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles
Charlotte & Thomas Pitt series & William Monk series
by Anne Perry
Detective Stella Mooney series by David Lawrence
Blue Monday by Nicci French
Brock & Kolla series by Barry Maitland
The Brothers of Baker Street by
Michael Robertson
Bryant & May Peculiar Crimes Unit series by Christopher
Fowler
Chelsea Mansions by Barry Matland
The Chemistry of Tears by Peter
Carey
Dead Beat by Patricia Hall
Dead Scared by S. J. Bolton
The Dog Who Came In From the Cold by Alexander McCall Smith
Eleven by Mark Watson
The English Monster, Or, the
Melancholy Transactions of William Ablass by Lloyd Shepherd
The Finishing Touches by Hester Browne
Forget Me Not by Sue Margolis
Fraud by Anita Brookner
Free To Trade by Michael Ridpath
Get Maitland by James Patrick Hunt
Gold by Chris Cleave
The Golden Notebook by Doris Lessing
Get Me Out Of Here by Henry Sutton
The Good the Bad and the Uncanny By Simon Green
Hannah Wolfe series by Sarah Dunant
Hawkwood by James Mcgee
Helen West series by Frances Fyfield
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Niffengger
The High Flyer by Susan Howatch
The Honey Trap by Clive Edgerton
The House of Eliott by Jean Marsh
How It All Began by Penelope
Lively
I Don’t Know How She Does It by Allison Pearson
In Office Hours by Lucy Kellaway
In The Kitchen by Monica Ali
India Black by Carol K. Carr
Inglorious by Joanna Kavenna
The Innocents by Francesca Segal
The Invasion Year by Dewey Lambdin
Invisible River by Helena Mcewen
Jack Caffery series by Mo Hayder
John Coffin series by Gwendoline Butler
John McLeish & Francesca Wilson series by Janet Neel
Johnny “One Eye” Hawke series by David Stuart Davies
London Calling by James Craig
London Fields by Martin Amis
Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch
The List by Martin Fletcher
London Holiday by Richard Peck
Maisie Dobbs series by Jacqueline Winspear
Man of the Month Club by Jackie Clune
Mark Tartaglia series by Elena Forbes
A Married Man by Catherine Alcott
The Minority Council by Kate
Griffin
Mr. Churchill's Secretary by Susan
Elia Macneal
The Mysterium by P. C. Doherty
Nigel Barnes series by Dan Waddell
No Mark Upon Her by Deborah
Crombie
Notting Hell by Rachel Johnson
The Other Side of The Story by Marian Keyes
Park Lane by Frances Osborne
A Parliament of Spies by Cassandra
Clark
Past Imperfect by Julian Fellowes
Peter Fletcher series by Simon Shaw
The Piccadilly Plot by Susanna
Gregory
The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly
Rag and Bone by James R. Benn
The Reckoning by Jane Casey
Remember Me by Sophie Kinsella
Rescuing Rose by Isabel Wolff
Roommate Wanted by Lisa Jewell
Royal Spyness series by Rhys Bowen
Rumpole series by John Mortimer
Sacrilege by S.J. Parris
Sam Jones series by Lauren Henderson
Second Chance by Jane Green
The Seven Sisters by Margaret Drabble
Shopaholic Series by Sophie Kinsella
The Silent Oligarch by Chris
Morgan Jones
A Small Fortune by Rosie Dastgir
The Solitary House by Lynn
Shepherd
A Special Relationship by Douglas Kennedy
The Spoiler by Annalena Mcafee
Strangers by Anita Brookner
Suzie Mountford series by John Gardner
A Tale of Two Cities by Ralph Mowat
The Third Angel by Alice Hoffman
Thomas Chaloner series by Susanna Gregory
Tides of War by Stella Tillyard
Tom Thorne series by Mark Billingham
The Tower, the Zoo, and the
Tortoise by Julia Stuart
Trish Maguire series by Natasha Cooper
The Twelfth Enchantment by David
Liss
Waiting For Sunrise by William
Boyd
When Maidens Mourn by C.S. Harris
Wintering: A Novel of Sylvia Plath by Kate Moses
The Yard by Alex Grecian
Yoga Teacher by Alexandra Gray
Zero History by William Gibson
British Mystery Authors
Agatha Christie
Ann Granger: Mitchell and Markby series
Anthea Fraser
Antonia Fraser
Arthur Conan Doyle
Audrey Peterson
Barbara Vine
Bruce Alexander
C.S. Harris
Candace Robb
Carola Dunn: Cornish Mystery series
Cassandra Chan
Cassandra Clark
Charles Finch
Charles Todd
Chris Morgan Jones
Colin Dexter: Inspector Morse series
David Liss
Deanna Raybourn
Deborah Crombie
Deborah Grabien
Denise Mina
Diana Killian
Dick Francis
Dorothy Cannell: Ellie Haskell series
Dorothy L. Sayers
Elisabeth Bastion
Elizabeth George
Elizabeth Peters
Ellis Peters
Fiona Mountain
Gayle Lynds
Gillian Linscott
Graham Moore
H.R.F. Keating
Iain Pears
Ian Rankin (Scottish)
J.M. Gregson: Lambert and Hook series
James Craig
Jane Casey
Jeffrey Archer
Jeri Westerson
Jill McGown
Jill Paton Walsh
Joanna Challis
John Harvey
John Lawton
John Sherwood
John William Wainwright:
Judith Cook: John Latymer series
Kate Atkinson
Kate Charles
Kate Ross
Kenneth Cameron
Laura Joh Rowland
Laurie R. King
Madeleine Robins
Margaret Fraser
Margaret Yorke
Marian Babson
Marianne Macdonald
Marjorie Allingham
Marjorie Eccles
Martha Grimes
Martin Edwards: Hannah Scarlet & Daniel Kind Lake
District Mysteries
Martina Cole
Mary Stewart
MC Beaton: Agatha Raisin series
Michael Robertson
Michael Robotham
Minette Walters
Nancy Atherton
Ngaio Marsh
Nicci French
Nicola Upson
P.C. Doherty
P.D. James
Patricia Hall: Michael Thackeray & Laura Ackroyd series
Peter James
Peter Lovesey
Peter Robinson: Alan Banks series
Peter Turnbull: Hennessey and Yellich series
Rebecca Kent
Reggie Nadelson
Reginald Hill
Reginald Hill: Dalziel and Pascoe series
Robert Barnard: Charlie Peace series
Robert Goddard
Robert Harris
Robert Lee Hall
Roberta Gellis
Rosamund Lupton
Rosemary Stevens
Ruth Rendell: Inspector Wexford series
S.J. Bolton
S.J. Parris
Sally Spencer: Monika Paniatowski series
Santa Montefiore
Sheri Cobb South
Simon Brett: Fethering series
Sophie Hannah
Stella Whitelaw: Jordan Lacey series
Stuart Pawson
Thomas Harris
Val McDermid
Veronica Black: Sister Joan series
Will Thomas
General Fiction Authors
Anita Brookner
Barbara Pym
Carla Neggers
Eloise James
Ian McEwan
Isabel Wolff
Jane Green
Jasper Fforde
Jeffrey Archer
Joanna Trollope
Julia Quinn
Julian Barnes
Madeleine Wickham
Marcia Willet
Margaret Drabble
Marian Keyes
Mark Haddon
Martin Amis
Mary Balogh
Mary Sheepshanks
Nicci French
Nick Hornby
Penelope Lively
Peter Carey
Salmon Rushdie
Sophie Kinsella
