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Original poster

tell me a book you where you said "wow, that was blankety, blank amazing!

129 replies

christie1 · 14/11/2006 21:39

I am in a dry spell, been filling it with some solid mysterys interspersed with Dr. Zhivago, but I am craving a reall good read where I fall in love with the book. Help me please! I read anything from chick lit to classics but find everything I pick up, bores me.

OP posts:
expatinscotland · 15/11/2006 09:23

The Blind Assasin

earlgrey · 15/11/2006 09:31

"Fragile" by Niki Shisler. Mum borrowed it from Westminster Library, and brought it round for me last night.

I'm only on page 21 and weeping already.

earlgrey · 15/11/2006 09:33

Her website's www.nikishisler.com. Amazing woman.

eemie · 15/11/2006 09:40

It's an old one, but The Shipping News, Annie Proulx. Love it so much it's become part of the 'furniture of my mind', often find myself thinking about it. It has a dark, harrowing side, laugh-out loud funny bits, characters you care passionately about and a radiantly happy ending.

anorak · 15/11/2006 09:42

Any book by Helen Dunmore but most particularly The Siege and Mourning Ruby. Both made me weep.

The Women's Room by Marilyn French - ground-breaking in its time.

Little, Big by John Crowley - The most beautifully written book I've ever read. You marvel at the phrases used.

Brokeback Mountain, The Shipping News, Annie Proulx.

anorak · 15/11/2006 09:42

eemie great minds!

TinyGang · 15/11/2006 09:50

The Magus by John Fowles. I wish I hadn't already read it so that I could read it for the first time again.

brimfull · 15/11/2006 09:55

i've just finished The kite Runner,by Khalid Hussein.Was a fantastic book thoroughly recommend.

MrsMuddle · 15/11/2006 10:00

I loved the Kite Runner, too. I also loved The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and The Corrections by Jonathan Frantzen.

JackieNo · 15/11/2006 10:05

MissGolightly, haven't found it very difficult to find the Dunnett books. They're definitely all around on Amazon, I'd guess. Mind you, haven't tried buying any in the last few years, as I have them all. I originally borrowed them from a friend, and read them at work. It was a fair few years ago, honest. Would think of doing that now! Just devoured them. And then had to buy them all myself. I was so sad when I heard that Dorothy Dunnett had died - it was like losing a friend - weird. I'd never felt like that about an author before. Definitely recommend the Niccolo ones too - just as good, maybe, dare I say it, even better...

sophiewd · 15/11/2006 10:48

Paula - Allende

The Whaleboat - can't remember the author but fantastic.

zippy34 · 15/11/2006 11:52

Have any of you Dorothy Dunnett fans read her book about Macbeth, King Hereafter? I LOVED that. I think it's out of print now though

I've never really given the time to the Lymond series to get into it. Will give them another go now though.

JackieNo · 15/11/2006 11:55

Yes, zippy - enjoyed that one too. But I think I've enjoyed the others more. Definitely give them a go, though they are quite dense - take a bit of time to get into, but very rewarding.

kirstygem · 16/11/2006 15:03

Sebastian Faulks Birdsong is my fav book ever

Enid · 16/11/2006 15:04

Oryx and crake
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell

bossykate · 16/11/2006 15:10

the real stand out for me in the past year has been "Gilead" by Marilynne Robinson. Amazing.

Greensleeves · 16/11/2006 15:16

The Glass Bead Game

BoingBoing · 17/11/2006 20:49

Miss Garnet's Angel by Sally Vickers. Wonderful.

And George RR Martin's Song of Ice & Fire series, if you're into this genre - mainly because it is so vast, so well thought out, and entirely unpredictable.

bossykate · 17/11/2006 20:50

i also agree with enid's nominations - especially JS&MrN - now that really is an amazing novel.

poshgirlformerlymaggiesmama · 17/11/2006 20:51

poisonwood bible - kingsolver

lost in translation - eva hoffman

the emigrants - w g sebald (infact, anything by him. rings of saturn is amazing too)

pale fire - nabokov

disgrace - coetzee

in the middle of the corrections and ots frickin great. infact, i'm off to bed in a mo for some more readin. hooray

DumbledoresGirl · 17/11/2006 20:52

"This Thing of Darkness" by Harry Thompson.

So sorry he died as I was reading his book as it was a great debut novel.

ledodgyfireworksingedmyeyebrow · 17/11/2006 20:52

Not read them for a few years but I used to think anything by Jostein Garder was amazing especialy Sophie's World.

ledodgyfireworksingedmyeyebrow · 17/11/2006 20:53
  • jostein gaarder
hatwoman · 17/11/2006 20:55

Saturday Ian McEwan
Bonfire of the Vanities Tom Wolfe
Scoop Evelyn Waugh
The Leopard Guiseppe di Lampedusa

hatwoman · 17/11/2006 20:56

Youth Coetzee

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