Thanks Zorayda.

Oh i didn't know the Oscar Wilde one was part of a series, so will deffo look out for more of those.

Will also look out for your other rec.

See - Jasper Ffffffff doesn't really do it for me.

BTW: HelensMelons: I totally LOVE James Patterson. How about 'the wind that rocked the cradle' series?

Hey. This might sound a bit weird, but was reommended to read the series by Jean Auel, starting with 'The Clan of the Cavebear'. Didn't sound like anything I would read at all and I read a LOT. Turned out to be one of my favourite series of all time. I like books that 'could have happened in real life'. So basically mostly not sf, but enjoyed these books so much felt I had to mention it. My dad read (and loved) them too, so they are not girly.

Loads more to recommend but need to have a think!

Has anyone mentioned Kurt Vonnegut?

Janeite I've just spotted your holiday read thread and I think we probably have a fair bit in common with reading styles (I really enjoyed the Gyles Brandreth Oscar Wilde series too). Having met the great Jasper Fff himself <<preen>>, I would agree with him that the synopsis of Jane Eyre given in the Eyre Afair (to Bowden by Next, if I remember correctly) means that you don't have to have read it to enjoy the book. And think that the Nursery Crimes books would still be fair game.

Great to meet another Follett lover though! Have you read any of Courtenay's books? He's a brill Australian writer, and has the same talent for generational stories. Fabulous author, but doesn't seem to be so well known here in the UK.

A couple of my Yr 11 pupils have recently been reading:

A Clockwork Orange
The Green Mile
The Book Thief
Frankenstein

Not sure if Jonathan Stroud's Bartimaeus Trilogy might be too young for him? It's funny though (in a Pratchetty kind of way)

How about some Kurt Vonnegut? Starting off with Slaughterhouse-Five.

The Jasper Ffffs are dependent on knowing quite a few classical references though and don't really work without that knowledge.

Ken Follet is a v good suggestion.

The Neverending Story by Michael Ende. Much darker than the film and quite long as well. It's billed as a kid's book but I read it when I was about 18.