Naff old books that you are embarrassed to admit reading but just LOVE

Anything by Virginia Andrews

I also love Mallory Towers but haven't read it in years! Might have to dig them out of my parent's loft!

Lovers and Gamblers - Jackie Collins

Only because it's about Tom Jones and I used to love him.

OMG!!!!!!

I have found my home on Mumsnet - I love and totally reread all Chalet Schools (have half of the first editions and the rest dog-eared ancient Armada paperbacks and cannot BELIEVE someone threw theirs out - the half of dog eared paperbacks I sold on ebay when I'd replaced with 1st editions reached £140!)

The Poldark novels - though mainly the first 5 for re-reading.

MM Kaye - mainly the detective romances for guilty pleasure re-reading. Recently returned to the sweeping epics and was appalled a few years on to realise how morally defective Trade Wind is.

Georgette Heyer - I think I prefer the Grand Sophy/Frederica/Ajax/Toll Gate types, but I do sometimes love a bit of the swashbuckle of Devils Cub etc.

Mary Stewart - the frothy detective romances AND the Merlin stuff.

Miss Read.

Dorothy L Sayers, Allingham, anything but Agatha Christie.

RF Delderfield, and AJ Cronin anyone?

As a newer thing, but definitely inspired by all of the above, I like Vikram Seth's Suitable Boy, and just to prove I am not totally low-brow, I've re-read Les Miserables, Our Mutual Friend and Possession too 3 times each.

And it's early to say given DD is only 3 but I think she may be the same, we keep returning to certain Fairy Stories (Sleeping Beauty and Snow White) and also Room on the Broom on a loop.

Malory Towers by Enid Blyton

The "My Friends...." series by Jane Duncan. All long, long out of print. I have a few that belonged to my mother, and search every charity and second hand bookshops for the others (so far unsuccessfully).

Another one here for Jilly Cooper.. but even worse for the trashy content is Jackie Collins' books!!

Another guilty pleasure is Sidney Sheldon's novels - If Tomorrow Comes was great.. and also an old favourite of mine was Master of the Game - thinking about it now, it seems a bit of a dodgy title! :o but I really loved the story..

Actually, i take that back, it was only the covers of the books i WAS embarrassed about.

Anything by Susan Howatch, although I don't think they deserve to be mocked!! I have loved them all.

I thought I'd be the only one to mention Phillippa Carr but as someone has already mentioned Victoria Holt, which is another pen name of hers, I guess I'm not so original!!

But everything she's ever written is perfect pregnancy reading!!

Yup, love the Thorn Birds too...and another of hers, really weird but clever idea, about a female Jesus Creed for the Third Milennium it was called. Was great.

Have just this minute re-bought Upper 4th at MT (Dragon books version) as dd and I are ploughing through MT, Famous 5 etc.

Adult books I am ashamed to say I love include Mistral's Daughter, (have read and re-read and cry every time) a few early Danielle Steel's and thrice and every time I feel low I re-read Bridget Jones. Oft copied, never bettered.

sorry about spellngs errors

OMG, someone threw away Chalet School books!?{thought we were going to use thwm for our new world when it all went tits up!!)
also read WW2 books and Kellerman (wife and son incuded)seek a look at granny's Peoples Friend too, oh the shame

Flambards & Georgette Heyer

Me too with 'A Woman of Substance'
Jilly Cooper

I read my dad's James Herriot books and mum's Miss Read books when I was school age and really loved them, hadn't thought about a re-visit.

I used to enjoy Jane Green as a guilty pleasure but finding hers tedious now. Same with Adele Parks

Always buy Jonathan Kellerman 'Alex Delaware' paperbacks for some reason.

oh sorry my bolding failed

It's great to see a few fellow Jalna fans barbarian I'm trying to collect the whole set in hardback - got about four more to get.

Oh, and the Policeman series by Harry Cole, describing his life as a Bobby in 1950s/60s South London.

Jill Mansell, Agatha Christie, Carrie's War by Nina Bawden (you're not alone, careergirl), Jilly Cooper and The Shovering Sands bu Victoria Holt.

With the exception of Jill Mansell I first read the others at least 20 years ago and they are still favourites.

Can't read James Herriot though, they make me cry.

secret pleasures include the secret stories by enid blyton which we are reading to our children now. MM kaye when I can get hold of one. Patrical Cornwell, Little women stories (have on my ipod!!) I also enjoyed a little know series called Lone Pine set in the shropshire hills about a secret club!

I bought the complete set of Jalna books from Oxfam last year!

Also: Rumer Godden, Elizabeth Goudge, Dorothy Sayers, Betty McDonald, and Jane Gardam. Comfort reads are passed down in my family- some of these are now on to the 4th generation.

Another fan of Enid Blyton's Secret Island. Real fantasy stuff totally improbable if seen from an adult perspective but addictive.
I love Carrie's War, The Diddakoi, Black Beauty and find reading Enid Blyton's very therapeutic and de-stressing...

whingeomatic Thorn Birds is my guilty pleasure too! I love it and have lost count of how many times I've read it!!

IShallWearMidnight - girls gone by publishers have reprinted a few of Gwendoline Courtney's books and they aren't too ridiculously priced at £12 a book. :)

Len Deighton spy novels.