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Original poster

Help me decide on a book to take on holiday next week

163 replies

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 06/04/2014 15:45

A real, live book - not Kindle. Has to be one I've not read before and has to be big. Ideally it will - be well written without being literary, have either a who-dunnit or historical or dystopian or apocalyptic element to it, or indeed all of those.

Things that would tick those boxes but that I've already read are:
Anything by Wilkie Collins
The Passage / The Twelve
CJ Sansom's Shardlake books
This Thing of Darkness

Don't fancy sci-fi at the moment and don't want anything in the best seller lists.

Thanks in advance.

OP posts:
Original poster
RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 06/04/2014 18:51

Read, 'Restoration' but not the follow up. Not sure I fancy Rose T right now though.

Not read any of those, Cheb. Will look.

Cote - fancy more sort of urban dystopia than sci-fi right now, I think.

OP posts:
DuchessofMalfi · 06/04/2014 18:25

You've probably already read it but - Restoration by Rose Tremain, and the sequel Merivel? Very interesting period in history.

Just read Restoration and enjoyed it, planning to read Merivel shortly.

CoteDAzur · 06/04/2014 17:59

Swan Song is £6.17 on the Kindle. Just sayin' Grin

Cheboludo · 06/04/2014 17:37

You've probably read these already but I'll suggest Flicker by Theodore Roszak and/or James Ellroy - the Dudley Smith trio comes in one edition or The Cold Six thousand and Blood's a Rover are both pretty long.

I didn't like House of leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski but loads of people rave about it.

CoteDAzur · 06/04/2014 17:08

How do you reconcile "Don't want to read sci-fi" with "Want to read dystopian or apocalyptic"?

CoteDAzur · 06/04/2014 17:03

Is it that time again, Remus? Grin

Original poster
RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 06/04/2014 16:15

Blimey - Swan Song is £18 on Amazon!!! Won't be buying that then. :)

OP posts:
Original poster
RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 06/04/2014 16:15

Have read the Antonia F one. Not read, 'Swan Song' and have been meaning to, so thanks for the reminder about that.

OP posts:
Dwerf · 06/04/2014 16:14

Swan Song - Robert McCammon, it's like Stephen King's 'The Stand'

MrsBungle · 06/04/2014 16:11

I don't know if this will be up your street at all but it is historic! Mary queen of scots by Antonia Fraser. It's a big book and I found it riveting!

Original poster
RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 06/04/2014 16:07

Read em all - but thank you. :)

OP posts:
overthemill · 06/04/2014 15:59

I've just started and am loving Middlesex by Jeffrey eugenides. It's huge! Also chimera by John Barth was a jolly good read though a while ago

Kasterborous · 06/04/2014 15:55

What about Dominion by C J Sansom?

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