It's that time of year again

[janeite]

Long summer holidays coming up, including two weeks in Greece.

What can I read?

I need gripping and exciting novels (no chick-lit, no overly lit-fic) that will last me for a day or two each (read very, very quickly).

Things I have enjoyed recently are:

• all the CJ Sansoms
• World Without End and the other one
• A murder-mystery featuring Oscar Wilde
• re-reading Brideshead Revisited
• the Frank Talis Viennese mysteries
• somebody Kellerman - a mystery about an artist - was a Richard and Judy

Favourite authors ever are Austen and Stephen King but of course, I've read all of theirs.

[bluejeans]

Hi Janeite

SOrry I can't really offer advice as I've not read anything decent lately, was browsing in Waterstones the other week for summer reads and sure there are less good new books out this year - or is it just me?

Thought I'd post anyway as I always look out for your posts as I love that although I've only been on MN a couple of months I've already seen you reference Charlotte Sometimes more than once - am a fan of both book and song!

[janeite]

Awww - thank you! I re-read it every year (did it last month in fact) and find myself singing for days!

I love books linked to song references and vice versa: Girlfriend In a Coma / Killing An Arab / Reel Around The Fountain etc.

[bluejeans]

Ah yes - I have Girlfriend in a coma - must re-read - and think I will ask my mum to dig out Charlotte Sometimes!

[janeite]

I quite like Coupland - although I still think that he has a better book inside him than any of the ones he has written thus far.

Now - what can I reeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeaad?

I am monstrous when I am bookless - please help to save dp from my wrath!

[janeite]

Evening bump.

[foxinsocks]

the dragon tattoo one and its sequel, the girl who played with fire

[ellingwoman]

ooh yes. I agree with The Dragon Tattoo. Haven't read the follow-up yet but looking forward to it.

[janeite]

Thank you. Not read those - tell me more?

[janeite]

Any more?

[pollywobbledoodle]

have just read melvyn bragg's the soldiers return...about a man returning from burma and he and his family trying to readjust to each other

jesse kellerman the one who wrote the art mystery has also written a thriller called sunstroke.

His mum faye kellerman wrote a load of thrillers...her early ones linked to an orthodox jewish community aregood...prayers for the dead and the ritual bath.

His dad jonathon writes psychological gripper type thrillers...pick any one from 20!
ps there are 3 more kellerman kids so watch this space!

never managed to read a salman rushdie before but i loved the enchantress of florence...you need a good sitting to get into it tho...its not a pick up, put down one

hated cloud atlas but loved ghostwritten by david mitchell(?right name)

and theres always a prayer for owen meany!

[Vintagepommery]

Have you read any Ian Rankin Rebus books?

William Boyd - Restless and am currently reading Any Human Heart which is a v good read.

Never Let me Down by Kazuo Ishiguro

[MinaLoy]

I have a book for you - The Night Watch by Sarah Waters. About civilians in London in the Second World War. Told backwards, swooningly beautiful prose and so CLEVER!

[janeite]

Read 'Never Let Me Go' and hated it, sorry.

Read the William Boyd ones.

Don't really like thrillers tbh but might try a Remus to see.

Can't be doing with Rushdie tbh.

Haven't read A Prayer For Owen Meany - what's that about?

A big fat new Neil Gaiman or something of that ilk would be good. Or something like 'Arthur And George' or somesuch.

[janeite]

Sarah Waters eh? read and loathed The Fingersmith - is it better than that?

Sorry - I am very fussy.

[foxinsocks]

I've read loads of good books recently and am very fussy

were you asking to be told about the dragon tattoo book?

it's written by a swedish journalist who delivered the trilogy to the published but died before they were published. The first one (the girl with the dragon tattoo) was published and it was a massive success.

Don't want to give too much away but starts with the story of a journalist who is being prosecuted for writing an inaccurate story. Actually, it's quite complicated lol so don't want to give too much away.

It's good though. Took me a chapter or so to get into it then it draws you in.

[foxinsocks]

to the publisher

[yappybluedog]

Just borrowed the new AS Byatt 'The Children's Book', but it looks fairly hefty

Reading 'Rebecca' and three cups of tea at the moment, both highly recommended

[ellingwoman]

One of my favourite holiday re-reads - Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe. His cast of characters are brilliant - I love it

[janeite]

Okay - thanks. Dragon Tatoo one looks worth a go.

Have read 'Rebecca' - AS Byatt maybe a bit too lit-fic. I don't want anything too self-conciously 'clever' (so no Ian McEwan for example!). Just something that will grip me and be an easy-ish read without being brainless pap.

[FlyingMonkey]

If you like Neil Gaiman, you might like the Odd Thomas Series by Dean Koontz. The first book is very creepy and an easy read. The rest are okay but not as gripping.

[Cies]

What about Patrick Gale? Have you read Notes from an Exhibition or Rough Music? And he's got a new one out now.

Have you read The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón. It's similarish to Winter in Madrid by CJ Sansom.

[janeite]

Read the Dean Koontz ones - okay but not a patch on King!

Read Notes from An Exhibition, which I liked apart from the ending.

Couldn't get on with 'Shadow...'

[pointydog]

sHADOW ANNOYED ME. (Although not so much that I wanted to use caps)

[janeite]

Lots of books annoy me enough to use cap-locks but none more so than - LET'S ALL TALK CRAP ABOUT KEVIN....ERM, NO...LET'S NOT, EH?

[pointydog]

oh yes, kevin annoyed me too.