If I enjoyed these books, what else might I like?

[BeetRooster]

I'm looking for reading material for our summer holiday and would love some suggestions. I want to find books where you feel like a different person once you've finished it.

Previously I have enjoyed:

All Khaled Hosseini
The History of Love (Nicole Krauss)
The Book Thief
Shantaram
The Help
Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close
This Book Will Save Your Life
Ketchup Clouds
Before I Go To Sleep
John Grisham
Then We Came To The End
All Jo Nesbo books (have been saving Police for this trip)
Girl With Dragon Tattoo etc
The House At Riverton

I dislike:

Dystopian/disaster books
Misery lit
Historical books (e.g. Bring Up The Bodies)
War Fiction
The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry
Instructions For A Heatwave or generally books involving a large dysfunctional Irish family.

Any suggestions?

[upupupandaway]

Joe R Lansdale. The Hap and Leonard series are hugely entertaining.

[highlandcoo]

Have a look at:

Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
A Fine Balance by Rohinton Mistry
Earth and Heaven by Sue Gee

All well-written, involving novels that make you reflect .. I think that's what you're after?

[MillionPramMiles]

A Fine Balance is very well written but really quite depressing. I kept hoping for some redeeming positive event but it was one tragedy after another.
Agree with Bel Canto though.
Recently enjoyed Snowdrops (A D Miller) - its a few years old though.

But you might want to ignore me as I loved Wolf Hall!

[DuchessofMalfi]

I see you've read This Book Will Save Your Life - have you read May We Be Forgiven, also by A M Homes? I like her quirky novels. They are intelligent and humorous. This one made me laugh quite a lot.

If you like thrillers also, try Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes, or The Cuckoo's Calling by Robert Galbraith (J K Rowling). I'm currently reading Gentlemen and Players by Joanne Harris, which I'm enjoying very much - deliciously sinister. Also recommended - One Night in Winter by Simon Sebag Montefiore - it's very long, complex and a thoroughly satisfying read, but may not fit the bill as it's historical (but not far back - Stalinist Russia).

[Secretsquirrel13]

The secret keeper
My dear I wanted to tell you
One moment- Douglas Kennedy
Rachel Hore any of hers
Winter in Madrid
Penny Vincenzi wrote one about a motorway crash was v good
Katherine Webb a forgotten song
Some of the titles may be slightly wrong but you'll find them with google.

[Secretsquirrel13]

Baby face Sophie Hannah

[Secretsquirrel13]

Also a bit old now as are some of the others but Julian Barnes -George and Arthur wS v v good

[SarahAndFuck]

Have you tried any of the books by Curtis Sittenfeld? I read Sisterland as part of a MN discussion and immediately had to go out and buy Prep and American Wife as well. AW was probably my favourite of the three and is loosely based on the real life of Laura Bush.

Night Film by Marisha Pessl is very good and may suit you as you liked the Dragon Tattoo books. It's about an investigative journalist looking into the apparent suicide of a woman named Ashley Cordova. She was the daughter of a reclusive cult film director who a few years earlier ruined the journalists career. Now he is investigating the Cordovas again and comes to realise that it's not just his career but his own daughter, his sanity and his life that might be at stake.

[BeetRooster]

Thank you! I'll google these. Haven't read any other AM Homes, will look her up. As for Ann Pratchett, I tried and failed to read something by her.. Cannot remember what it was called, but a female researcher had to go to the amazon to find some drug thing. At the beginning, they had to tell the wife of another researcher that he had died out there. Good grief it was boring, by 100 pages in hardly anything had happened! I so wanted to like it!

[SarahAndFuck]

Recent books I've read that I think are similar in feel to Before I Go To Sleep are Under Your Skin by Sabine Durrant, Precious Things by Collette McBeth and (if you have a Kindle) My Time, Your Time by Mary Torjussen, who is also a MNer.

I've been enjoying the Nicci French series about the psychologist Frieda Klein, which starts with Blue Monday and is now up to Thursday's Children (although I have only read as far as Wednesday myself).

And a couple of others you might like are Benny and Shrimp by Katerina Mazetti and The Summer Book by Tove Jansson.

[RufusTheReindeer]

beet

We read that one for book club, it was boring...and pointless

Just read the storyteller by Jodi picult, not a big fan of hers but I thought it was good. Not so much the moderne story although that was interesting but the parts set during the 2nd world war

[sara11272]

If you like the House at Riverton, have you read Kate Morton's other books? Secret squirrel mentioned the Secret Keeper, but there's also the Forgotten Garden and the Distant Hours, all of which I enjoyed, and she's probably written more since then - my copies are all quite old.

I'd also recommend all of Douglas Kennedy's.

[inthisdayandage]

Kate Atkinson life after life. The shock of the fall Nathan filer.

[Secretsquirrel13]

Also try the thirteenth tale and another one similar will try to remember the title. Finger smith is a good read with lots if plot twists and turns.

[tumbletumble]

OP, I have read and enjoyed nearly all of your list!

I would recommend:
The Poisonwood Bible - Barbara Kingsolver
A Million Little Pieces - James Frey
Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn
Sweet Tooth - Ian McEwan
Night Waking - Sarah Moss
Love Life - Ray Klunn
Papillon - Henri Charriere (similar to Shantaram)
Call the Midwife - Jennifer Worth
The Photograph - Penelope Lively
The Woman Who Walked into Doors - Roddy Doyle

[breakfastnotattiffanys]

Try using the tool on //www.literature-map.com . Just add your fav author to the search box and you will find authors who write in a similar genre to your favourites! Very entertaining pastime I have no life!

[Wishyouwould]

The Book Seller of Kabul
Room
The Island
Me Before You
The Girl You Left Behind

[ZaraW]

Midnight's Children is one of my favourite modern literature books.

[bigbadbarry]

Calling me home by Julie Kibler reminded me strangely of the help and I have not sobbed so loudly at a book for years ( in a good way!). Just finished Sisterland and agree it is not as good as American Wife but both are good. Life after life or anything by Kate Atkinson.

[PenguinsHatchedAnEgg]

I agree with Night Waking by sarah Moss. Particularly if you have ever had small children - she captures that more than any other author I've read recently.

[Jenbob80]

I like Joanne Harris - eg Chocolat or Blackberry Wine. Gripping and beautifully written. You might have seen the film of Chocolat years ago.

[BeetRoost]

Thank you for all the brilliant suggestions!

Thanks to Secret Squirrel, I found a different Sophie Hannah and loved it, so she has joined my charity shop author look out list!

Tumbletumble, good to know our enjoyable books list overlaps

Funnily enough, I did not enjoy Room. It just seemed to go on and on a bit. I didn't feel it had a really good conclusion..

[mrsjavierbardem]

Fingersmith
Sarah Waters (I think that's right!)