A Body in the Village Hall by Dee MacDonald (non fiction books to read TXT) 📕

Renovating the glorious, wisteria-clad property on the gorgeous cliff-tops of Cornwall was meant to be a delightful retirement project. But the dream soon turns into reality and practical Tess and optimist Simon are faced with leaky bathrooms, creaky stairs and a roof that’s just about holding up.

Running out of money fast, the couple decide to rent out a few rooms to save their new home.

Along come mysterious Celia, hapless romantic Benedict and tarnished, lovelorn actress Titania – all looking for a fresh start. Everyone in this eclectic group has their own reasons for being in Cornwall and across the summer they each go on a journey of self-discovery at The Golden Oldies Guesthouse as they realise there is still plenty of time for love, life, friendship… and a few unexpected surprises.

From the bestselling author of The Runaway Wife and The Silver Ladies of Penny Lane, this is a completely uplifting page-turner about embracing new friendships, finding love and making each day count. Perfect for fans of The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel and The Single Ladies of Jacaranda Retirement Village.

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The Silver Ladies of Penny Lane

‘Dee MacDonald’s books are so heart-warming. They make you laugh-out-loud one minute, and then have you crying the next… they’re really emotional and tug at the heart strings but are fun, life-affirming reads!’ Stardust Book Reviews

Tess and Orla have been best friends throughout most of their adult lives. So when life gave them lemons and their loved ones let them down, they pooled their resources and bought a dressmakers shop on the corner of Penny Lane. And they’ve been doing just fine ever since.

But one day, while studying her tired eyes and shapeless figure in the mirror, sixty-two-year-old Tess realised that she doesn’t want her life to be just fine anymore. She wants it to be extraordinary. For as long as she can remember she’s put everyone else first. Now she wants to rediscover herself – and experience the kind of whirlwind adventure that will have the power make her smile when she’s confined to the armchair of a retirement home.

With the encouragement of fun-loving and quirky Orla, Tess joins an over-the-hill dating agency and the two friends book a singles cruise around the Mediterranean. And that’s when their adventure of a lifetime really begins…

A totally uplifting, heart-warming, hilarious page turner about embracing the moment, learning to love again and the joy of second chances. Perfect for fans of The Kicking the Bucket List and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry.

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The Getaway Girls

One morning, Connie McColl wakes up and decides to swap her ordinary life, for an extraordinary adventure…

Connie McColl is finally free to make her own decisions for the first time in decades. And when she meets glamorous Gill and downtrodden Maggie, at a rather dull flower arranging class, it seems that she’s not the only one dreaming of adventure. The three very different women all agree it’s about time they had a holiday to remember.

So they make a pact for this summer to be their best yet – and drive off into the sunset together…

As they meander their way along the beautiful beaches of France and onto the glorious delights of Italy in their luxury campervan, the new friends have plenty of fun and frolics in the sunshine. But the vacation isn’t quite what they expected…

Gill will do anything to have one last holiday romance, Connie has a surprise inheritance awaiting her in Italy, and Maggie has a secret that is going to catch up with them all…

In the end, all three women discover that the journey they thought would be their last really is just the beginning…

From the bestselling author of The Runaway Wife, The Getaway Girls is a laugh-out-loud, life-affirming journey of friendship, romance and living life to the full. If you loved The Kicking the Bucket List and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry this book is for you.

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The Runaway Wife

‘OMG!… It made me howl with laughter and it made me sob my heart out… I absolutely adored every single step… had my jaw dropping!!… one of my favourite books of the year.’ My Chestnut Reading Tree, 5 stars

One evening in early August, while mashing the potatoes for dinner, Connie McColl decides she’s had enough…

Connie is tired of solving one family crisis after another – usually involving her unruly grandchildren – while her husband Roger spends all day at his beloved golf course. Surely it must be time for her to shake off her apron and start living again?

So Connie packs a bag, gets in her little green car and drives off…

As Connie journeys from England to Scotland on an unexpected adventure, she finally begins to rediscover herself. And she starts to wonder, will she ever be ready to return home? Or will this summer change her life forever?

The Runaway Wife is an inspiring and joyously uplifting novel about being true to yourself. If you loved The Kicking the Bucket List and The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry this book is for you.

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Acknowledgements

I must thank my two wonderful editors at Bookouture, Lucy Dauman and Natasha Harding. for their encouragement, advice and endless patience – particularly Lucy who has been involved in the editing of this particular book and could not have been more helpful.

Thanks, as always, to my lovely agent, Amanda Preston, at LBA Books, and to Rosemary Brown for her invaluable help yet again, particularly for her assistance in shaping the plot of this novel. (It’s high time Rosemary wrote a book herself!)

Thanks to my husband, Stan, for not interrupting me while I slaved over a hot laptop, and to my son, Daniel, and his family, for their encouragement and for constantly checking my reviews.

Finally, a thousand thanks to the amazing Bookouture team: Kim Nash, Noelle Holten, Alex Crow, Jules Macadam, Hannah Deuce, Hannah Bond, Ellen Gleeson, Alexandra Holmes and my cover designer, Tash Mountford. Many apologies to anyone I’ve unwittingly omitted. You really are a terrific team!

We – both author and publisher – hope you enjoyed this book. We believe that you can become a reader at any time in