If you enjoyed Three Men In a Boat you'll probably like Denis Mackail. I've read Greenery Street which is a gentle melodrama of early middle class married life as it was a hundred years ago. And I'm reading The Flower Show by him now, which is great. It's a humorous look at a typical village event, again about a hundred years ago, with many larger than life characters and wonderfully described scenes. A bit like a cross between Dickens and Wodehouse. But whereas Wodehouse would avoid certain more serious topics in favour of a perpetually lighter sunnier style, Mackail will broach more serious subjects with an insight that hints at a real understanding of people's emotions and life situation. I've read another one by him which I can't remember to the title of, but I think The Flower Show is the best so far.