Top 10 English books to read with your afternoon tea ☕️

And it's a great book in and of itself. I love the story and how all these characters relate to each other, but in terms of the book as a study of Englishness and that those kind of characteristics that we have, by the end of it, Merker is really creating these satires about English life via taxidermy, and it's just very, very well done.

It's a very short novella, but she packs so much into it and it's about a family where the father is obsessed with this idea of the traditional English people, the people that lived in the land before even the Romans invaded.

It's a beautiful lyrical novel with lots of poetic parts of it, that there's lots of visceral descriptions of nature and the countryside and the idea of art and beauty as well as of death and decay. , so it's it's very beautiful. It's probably quite an acquired taste I will say, but I absolutely adored it.

The different sections of the book are written very differently because they really reflect the psyche of the character. and it's a great look at the intersections of race and class in London.

Queenie by Candice Carty Williams is a book that made me absolutely howl with laughter.

The Remains of the Day by Kazuo Ishiguro is a beautifully written book which has strong Downton Abbey vibes. If you like that kind era of history, then this is definitely the one for you.

And it's a very funny look at how all of these people think about their neighbors. There's a certain type of people looking down on some people and looking up to others.

It's another one of those really heartwarming small community books. It's got a little bit of heartbreak in there but ultimately it's it's quite feel good.

And this is a great look at what it's like growing up in one of those rural landscapes specifically his village in the Lake District and what it's like being a shepherd there, being one of the local people and how the work is very hard and there's not many opportunities outside farming within those communities.

Three things about Elsie, however, I absolutely loved. This is quite a sentimental old book and it won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I absolutely adored it.