I'm lost in a sea of paper!

[Skinheadmermaid]

I need something new to read! I go into book shops and i'm baffled!
I am quite a vicarious enthusiastic reader albeit somewhat fussy.
I like a good yarn with characters i can emotionally relate to, for this reason i find a lot of male authors and third person stories hard to get into...they don't get into the skin of the character.
I have quite eclectic taste, i like phillipa gregory, margaret atwood, sarah walters, orwell. I like various fantasy (neil gaiman springs to mind) but although i enjoy it in theory and write my own i find most science fiction too remote, no matter how vast the universe i want to know how the people FEEL.
I really enjoyed the game of thrones series which surprised me as medieval fantasy ain't normally my bag.
With my waffling post in mind can anyone recommend a good series or books i can sink my teeth into and get lost in?

[littleblackno]

Ken Follett. Edward Rutherford, Jodie Picoult, why don't you go to charity shops and pick up a load really cheaply. Or ask in your library? Sorry probably not very helpful.

[DuchessofMalfi]

How about The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern?

I would suggest joining Goodreads, putting in what you have read and take a look at the recommendations.

[penguinpaperback]

There are some good non fiction books out at the moment, how about a rest from fiction? Or, with Christmas around the corner, I noticed my Waterstones had some good short story compilations, various authors.