Whether you love a bit of teen mystery-solving or hospital crime fiction, a good family saga or just something that will make you reflect on life, love and ourselves, you'll find something good to read in our round-up of novels about nurses and nursing.
Personally, I find there’s nothing quite as relaxing as escaping into a good book. Whilst it’s sometimes best to get a complete break from reality and read about worlds totally alien to our own, it’s sometimes just as enjoyable to read about those that mirror what we know and love.
These 6 novels all either centre or touch upon what it is to nurse; whether during war, whilst solving crimes or whilst exploring human nature.
Some are good for snatching a break with a cup of tea; others are those that you’ll want to save for home when you can really get yourself stuck in.
Healer’s War by Anne Scarborough
Anne Scarborough is generally better known for her work in fantasy and SF writing.
Having written an impressive 16 novels with the wonderful Anne McCaffrey (delightful science fantasy, mostly about dragons and telepaths) and another 22 alone, she changed tack for Healer’s War and drew from her experiences as a nurse in Vietnam to write a coming-of-age story about a young nurse Lt. Kathleen McCulley, and the amulet she inherited from her parents.
There’s a fantastical bent to this novel and it’s a touch supernatural in places but is said to also be a tremendous account of Vietnam during the war.
The Cherry Ames series by Helen Wells
If you just can’t resist a good young adult story and always find yourself revisiting The Famous Five, Mallory Towers, Anne of Green Gables or What Katy Did, you’ll love the Cherry Ames series.
Not only a student nurse, Cherry Ames is irrepressibly curious and just loves to solve mysteries!
As the series continues, Cherry graduates, goes to work in the army, boarding schools, shops, rest homes, jungle, on cruises and even a dude ranch – solving mysteries and righting wrongs as she goes.
About this contributor
Nurses.co.uk Founder
I launched Nurses.co.uk (and subsequently Socialcare.co.uk, Healthjobs.co.uk and Healthcarejobs.ie) in 2008. 500 applications are made every day via our jobs boards, helping to connect hiring organisations recruiting for clinical, medical, care and support roles with specialist jobseekers. Our articles, often created by our own audience, shine a light on the career pathways in healthcare, and give a platform to ideas and opinions around their work and jobs.
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