London 2012

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