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Original poster

I need a really gripping page turner

42 replies

spaceforthree · 02/10/2010 16:48

Am plodding through the Millenium Trilogy at the moment. I am clearly the only person in the country who is not much taken with them. Before that I gave up half way through 'The Little Stranger' which was supposedly brilliant (actually incredibly dull) and am fed up with so so books. Biscuit

Please please suggest some really good, gripping books for me to order of Amazon. Fiction or non fiction.

OP posts:
Original poster
spaceforthree · 02/10/2010 18:18

Oh loads of brill suggestions. Any recent prize winners you think worth recommending?

OP posts:
Itsjustafleshwound · 02/10/2010 18:17

Have you read any CJ Sansom - Matthew Shardlake books are good.

Light but good reading - Harlan Coben

'The Job', 'The Big Picture' () Kennedy also enjoyable

Portofino · 02/10/2010 18:12

Or I recently read " Things I'd like my daughters to know" - at least I think that was what it was called. Very sad, but excellent characters and I was totally caught up with their lives.

Portofino · 02/10/2010 18:09

I am having a phase on the Phillipa Gregory historical novels. Have you read "The Help"? Tis fab. Or I love anything by Jeffery Deaver for a bit of a gruesome hit.

bran · 02/10/2010 18:06

I just recommended this book on another thread. I re-read it occasionally because I like the female hero in it.

FairyLightsForever · 02/10/2010 18:03

Barbara Vine has written some great books, but Asta's Book is probably my favourite.
If you like murder- history books, CJ Sansom's Shardlake series are brilliant, the first one is Dissolution.
Belle I loved the first two Millenium books and then ran out of steam for the third one, couldn't be bothered to finish it.

TimeForABrew · 02/10/2010 17:26

I thought "The Shadow of The Wind" (Carlos Ruiz Zafon) was fantastic, also "Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell" (Susanna Clarke), much slower pace, similar style to Jane Austen. I'm going to get my little notebook out, make a note of suggestions & seek them out :-)

CheeeseOnToast · 02/10/2010 17:23

Spaceforthree, I also couldn't get into the Millennium books. I've just finished One Day by David Nichols (author of Starter for Ten, also v good) and it was absolutely brilliant, best book I've read in the last year I'd say. Well worth a try, it's very well written but easy to read, and it's definitely a page-turner, I couldn't put it down and finished it in about three days.

I also enjoyed Sarah Walters' Nightwatch, also couldn't get into Little Stranger.

MentalFloss · 02/10/2010 17:21

The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield is really good, you really don't expect what happens to happen!

jammietart · 02/10/2010 17:19

You sound a bit like me in terms of taste and last night I was looking through the book case for something and saw Asta's Book by Barbara Vine (Ruth Rendell) which I read many years ago and I found completely gripping but its a kind of slow steady burn.

Original poster
spaceforthree · 02/10/2010 17:12

I love all kinds of things.

Read 'Water for Elephants' recently - loved that.

So I like:

Edgier stuff like The Road, The Secret History

Classics like the Brontes, Joseph Conrad, Kafka.

A bit of escapism - Twilight Saga - badly written but kept me totally gripped

Biographies

Non fiction such as Alison Weir

I don't suppose that helps much.......

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BelleDameSansMerci · 02/10/2010 17:10

I love the Jackson Brodie books too - they're excellent and I don't think you can see what's coming.

I would, again, recommend the Merrily Watkins books here. They're excellent.

throckenholt · 02/10/2010 17:02

if you like medieval history then anything by Elizabeth Chadwick or Sharon Penman are very readable.

Hardandsleazy · 02/10/2010 17:02

The hungry ghosts was fantastic on supernatural theme(also liked her fearful symmetry but fell away at end). What other kind of books do you like?

Fayrazzled · 02/10/2010 17:00

I love the Jackson Brodie books by Kate Atkinson. The first one is: Case Histories- easy to read but very well written. My favourite was "When will there be Good News?"

I'm reading "Like Bees to Honey" by Caroline Smailes at the moment and it is fab- very different style.

Original poster
spaceforthree · 02/10/2010 16:59

Thanks belle .Yep I quite like supernatural, but most of all I want a good, unusual story. I have read so many books where I can see what is coming a mile off or I really don't care about the characters either - and that includes some v well loved books (The Kite Runner - bored after 3 chapters!!)

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BelleDameSansMerci · 02/10/2010 16:54

I only read the last one of the Millenium trilogy - don't think I'll bother with the first two (was on holiday and desperate for a book - wouldn't normally read the third one first).

Soooo, how about Her Fearful Symmetry here? Much better than Time Traveller's Wife but is a bit "woo" so if you're not into supernatural you may not like it.

If you do like supernatural, I'm currently reading Farundellhere.

In all honesty, I prefer a good murder but most of the books I've read lately are the latest by the author in question.

I love the "Merrily Watkins" books by Phil Rickman but, again, they are more mysteries than murders.