I finished
A Town Like Alice this morning, too. Shute does some strange things but he can really tell a story. (I consider myself an expert now I've read two of his books.
)
I wasn't sure I was in the mood to read it when I picked it up, but I thought I'd give it a try and abandon it if it didn't grab me. No problems there.
Next is probably going to be
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell. Yet another second-hand pbook. For some reason I seem to be reverting to low-tech this year.