It's that time again - Remus needs recs

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I've just bought 'Golden Son' on KIndle, so that should keep me quiet for a little while, but I need other things too.

In an ideal world the thing you recommend will be -
Not obvious
Something long and wintry - either a doorstop or a series
Gripping and well written
Probably a bit old fashioned
Maybe with ghosts
Basically I want something to curl up with - am thinking something akin to His Dark Materials, or Wilkie Collins' 'Moonstone' or the Holmes stories. Otherwise I'll just have to re-read the Harry Potters, and I don't want to!

[Slammerkins]

Not long, but The Loney, by Andrew Michael Hurley. Very atmospheric and ambiguous.
I am curling up with Rawblood, by Catriona Ward at the moment. Intriguing and spooky. Ghosts, family curses, vivisection......

[Sadik]

Thinking of Holmes, I assume you've read the Raffles books?

Thinking of other books which would have the same 'feel' to me - probably too obvious, but just in case you've not read any of them - maybe Rebecca West's The Fountain Overflows + sequels. .

Probably a bit off-piste, but I love the Compton Mackenzie books set around London (Sinister Street, the Sylvia Scarlett trilogy, Figure of Eight etc).

[Sadik]

On a different tack, thinking about His Dark Materials, have you read any Frances Hardinge? If not, you might really like Fly by Night / Twilight Robbery, and also A Face Like Glass.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Ooh - lovely. Lots I've never heard of here. I didn't get on v well with Raffles - maybe I should try again?

[Sadik]

To be fair, I think I've read as many of the various parodies of Raffles as I have the real thing, and they all sort of blur together.

[Racundra]

Susan Cooper's The Dark is Rising series? Children's, but v highly regarded.
Long and wintry just makes me think Dr Zhivago.
What about The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey?
The Winter Book by Tove Jansson.
Or if you would have non-fiction, The Worst Journey in the World by Cherry Apsley Gerard, or Touching The Void by Joe Simpson?

[greenhill]

I'm working my way through Dorothy L Sayers and Peter Wimsey, they're so much more than a detective story as its all about intrigue and social mores, they're funny and gripping too.

[SmellyHead]

Gormenghast? I read it in summer, but it would definitely suit winter more imo.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

'The Worst Journey' is one of my v favourite books ever. Could re-read that, I guess

Have read the Susan Coopers and the Simpson. Didn't like Gormenghast or Peter W.

Sorry - am stupidly awkward.

[Racundra]

And of course... Winter Is Coming..

[CoteDAzur]

Is it that time again? Marking my place as I think of something for you Remus.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Can't be doing with the GoT books, although that sort of thing but good would be absolutely perfect!

Cote - are you sure you want to be here?

[Racundra]

Tom Rob Smith's Child 44.
The Peoples act of Love by James Meek.
There's also one set in the second world war, written by a mner, in Germany during Russian advance, but i cannot for the life of me remember its name, nor hers.

[Racundra]

Or maybe it's Austria/ Poland. Grrr.
I remember her posting name, but it's a while ago, and she may not want it publicised.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Read Child 44. Hated People's Act.

Thank you so much. Keep em coming!

[CoteDAzur]

You know I love your threads, Remus

[CoteDAzur]

How would you feel about something sciencey?

[Silvertap]

Sharon penman When Christ and his saints slept. An amazing book with another 4 in the series.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

No to Science. No to religion.

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

Sorry - that sounded rude. Was trying to multi-task.

[Silvertap]

When Christ and his saints slept isn't religious - it's about the English civil war between Stephen and Matilda and then the beginning of Eleanor of aquitaines story. I've just been lost in it for a few months.

[Silvertap]

She also did the Sunne in splendour - my all time favourite book about Richard iii

[belindarose]

Will you read children's books? I'm going to re-read the 'Wolves' series by Joan Aiken.

[Sadik]

Riffing off 'GoT but not' - probably not the right sort of thing, but have you read the Amber books by Roger Zelazny, and if so, do you like them?

I do think you'd really like Frances Hardinge.

[RhuBarbarella]

Dorothy Dunnet's King hereafter.. 1062 pages on Macbeth and medieval Scotland. Fiction but supposedly well researched. Bit funny that she's got this theory that Macbeth and the earl of Orkney Thorfinn were actually the same person but the storytelling is pretty good. Not your average historical novel. No ghosts, but a good doorstopper winter read.