66 books like Pastures Nouveaux

Since I was old enough to say “cake,” I’ve been plagued by weight issues. Enter Cannie Shapiro, the protagonist, a Jewish, overweight journalist with low self-esteem and daddy issues, who has been publicly humiliated by her ex.

Though more about coming into one’s own and learning self-love and acceptance than an actual romantic relationship, I had to include this book because the impetus for Cannie’s growth is ultimately the result of her ex’s betrayal.

Though Cannie cuts loose differently than I chose to when my first marriage ended, I could still understand her desire to go bold. At the center of heartache, there’s always a wish for the resolution that can only come from the strength we find within—the old live-and-learn theory at work. I was moved to tears when Cannie eventually emerges more comfortable in her skin and ready to be happy.

Flavor Pick: Butter Pecan

I thoroughly enjoyed reading Motherland because it resonates with my own theme of writing about the difficulties of being a wife and a mother.

Here, the heroine, Fran Clarke, a 37-year-old stay-at-home mum, is completely flawed. She is overwhelmed by motherhood, marriage, and has given up keeping up with the Joneses. Her former career as a talented voice artist has been replaced by a new task, i.e., drinking, and she repeatedly misses every tiny break life may throw her way.

She is also convinced that her husband Richard is having an affair but does nothing to confront him. And yet there is something so endearing about her that you can’t help but root for her to get her act together.

Her husband is doing all he can to keep the marriage and the family going, but he, too, is overwhelmed by her decline. I also felt for her when she… show more.

In this novel Florist Sadie Drew thinks her marriage depends on how good an impression she can make on the other corporate wives. Too bad she’s anything but a housewife.

She has her own career, her own personality, and her own friends. She doesn’t need to wear Mary Archer dresses. And yet, her husband Tom seems very disappointed at her inability to blend in with the other wives. Why can’t she be a good wife like all the others? Good question. Especially when we find out that Sadie and Tom had lost a baby. Now she wants to try again, but Tom is not having any of it.

Does he not love her anymore? Is he having an affair?  What she doesn’t know is how much Tom has suffered for their loss, and how afraid he was to see Sadie shutting down after the miscarriage.

His ‘n’ Hers is about a love story gone awry. No one to blame. That’s just how the cookie crumbled. But now something has happened.

Allison and Jim’s cat Disco, the one they shared while they lived together, has just died, bringing back all the memories of when they shared that flat. Trouble is they both have new partners. After grilling themselves about what went wrong, who did what, and are they better off, Alison and Jim give each other a good hard look to understand what happened to them.

And is there still hope for them, despite their current partners? Were they meant to be?

This is the first book in The Huxtables family series. The author blends wit, charm, and family foibles just as easily as does Georgette Heyer. The banter between the siblings is a joy to read. Even when fortune comes their way in the unexpected elevation of one family member who inherits an earldom, the characters stay true to themselves. 

Set in a small English village by an ancient forest, this book is unlike any story I have ever read. 

And after reading it, you’ll probably never look at forests the same way again. 

Masterfully written, filled with intricate immersive descriptions, The Forest takes you on a wild ride, dark and rather spooky at times. The ancient forests reveals its old tales and legends to the main characters, and we get to watch the story of an old curse unfold along with them. The curse that affected generations. The story that is full of secrets, betrayal, countless, heartbreaking moments; yet at the same time, the light of hope and faith shines through, all the way to the beautiful tear-jerking ending.

I love a good page-turning thriller, but to keep my interest, there has to be more than thrills and spills – I want characters I care about too.

The heroine here, unusually, is a teenage girl, who’s funny, smart, and stroppy, but at the same time vulnerable and scared. She teams up with a nosy elderly lady who proves to have hidden depths and as they find themselves in a terrifying situation and tackle some seriously bad villains, I was rooting for them all the way.  

Another perfectly realised novel, in which the ancient traditions of an isolated English village are lovingly resurrected and described – before being savagely undermined by enclosure. Harvest has both a murder and plenty of mystery but it’s really about desperation in the face of unstoppable, inhuman change. Crace writes prose as if it's poetry, most movingly about the villagers’ bewilderment and fury in the face of incomprehensible threats – and the sheer speed at which an entire way of life can disappear. It’s enough to make you wonder what, if anything, will remain of our most cherished traditions.

I was pleasantly surprised at how sweet and truly romantic Will North's Water, Stone, Heart turned out to be. I wandered lazily through the Cornish countryside with the main character, meeting quirky locals, becoming fascinated by the mystery of the artist who had settled in a seaside village. And at the conclusion I felt comfortably satisfied. A lovely read. Who says men can't write romance?

Yanka is a strong character with a deep love of the forest. I could relate to how she felt a bit different and out of place in her village. It was inspiring to me how she faced all sorts of perils in the forest on her quest. She is brave and unique. When she returns from the forest, she finds her place in the village...as herself. This book reminds me we have unique gifts and characteristics we should be proud of and embrace, not hide away.