Books on the literary end of the scale...

When you say you need the 'first one' of a God in Ruins what do you mean? Cos you say elsewhere you've read Life After Life ( which is the companion to AGIR)

Embarassingly, it's ages since I read my namesake book!

But Feynman is an excellent raconteur, so if the autobiography of a scientist who was part of the nuclear programme, used early computers, and was part of the enquiry after Challenger blew up, takes your interest, then you'll probably enjoy it.

Here's a short clip from Feynman talking on scientific method:

Also this is a couple of years old now, and I'd say at the commercial scale of things - but bloody hell I loved it. Historical fiction, told through the eyes of Katherine Parr. Good writing, v. easy to read.

Brilliant, thread - I am taking notes!

I recently read The Ballroom and enjoyed it. Somewhere between commercial and literary fiction I'd say. Easy to read but definitely not trash.

I also loved, loved, loved A Little Life though I know some people found it hard going.

Am currently reading Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - have meant to for years. I'm enjoying it but not loving it.

Lots of Atwood. I've been working my way through the Shakespeare retold series. A gap in time, nutshell, hagseed.

Essex Serpent us ok, but I'm finding a lot of recent fiction quite self conscious"I'm going to write a literary novel and it will have x,y,z in it."

I liked "all the light you cannot see".

I enjoyed The Luminaries - I liked the writing and the structure of it - but yes it is very much like that all the way through.

I quite liked American Wife recently as a light but thoughtful read - better than I expected and you might like if you like Kingsolver, doittoojulia

Oh yes we love a good debate and can cause one without much provocation at all

In that case perhaps all the references didn't hit you, cote, but I started to find them quite annoying and the writing went from sublime to flabby and cliched at some points. Mixed bag for me.

surelyyou'rejokingdoctorfeynman - I've had that book - your name - on my amazon wish list for ages waiting for a price drop, it was referenced at the end of the Essex Serpent which I read last week and now I've seen you - does this mean I should get it?! Is it good?

Sorry for the sidetracks op!

Did you read the first Paula Mclain book? The Paris Wife. It was wonderful.
I preferred it to Circling the Sun.

Reggae - I found The Luminaries sublime. The writing, the insight, everything about it was fantastic.

However, it might not be your thing. If you have read a substantial chunk of it and are still not enjoying it, don't push on thinking that it will change.

Dolt - Don't worry about "causing" a debate. This is what we do Come over to the 50-Book thread and you'll see.

You will not get to appreciate the exceptional prose in The Goldfinch if you skim-read it, which is what sets it apart from most fiction in press.

No, I haven't read Harry Potter books, Satsuki. You are right that it is not my cup of tea. Even my preteen DD found it "childish" and didn't get past 10 pages, so I felt my decision to not read it was a good one I did watch the first two films, though.

And if The Surgeon of Crowthorne is to your taste, you might also enjoy Kate Summerscale's historical non-fiction: The Suspicions of Mr Whicher, and Mrs Robinson's Disgrace.

Not quite like most of your list, but Walter Scott's usually good for a bloody good story.

Rob Roy, Ivanhoe and Woodstock are all great reads, and The Antiquary is one of my favourite novels.

The Goldfinch is an alright story if you skim read it.

Perhaps try something by Edith Wharton? The characters are really good.

I was looking to see if anyone would recommend The Luminaries. I'm ploughing through it and it's the first time in ages I'm sorely tempted to give up. Is it worth it?

Actually it is a bit like Harry Potter in terms of story - orphan taken in by eccentric in a long robe, falls in love with a red haired girl, a painting to enshrine the memory of a loved one instead of a mirror...torn between the good and bad, and a final battle...

It is nothing like Harry Potter in terms of story but there are loads of very overt allusions and parallels to Harry Potter in the Goldfinch. The main character is called "Potter" by his best friend and it does not end there by a long shot. Agree some of the writing is fabulous especially at the beginning, so wouldn't say avoid.

Have you read the Harry Potter series, then cote? Doesn't seem like it would be your cup of tea!

There is no relation or similarity between Harry Potter and The Goldfinch!

I was actually quite swept away by The Goldfinch and remember thinking that I didn't expect to be up past midnight reading it, really needing to know what happens next. The ending didn't feel silly, either.

It was a great book, that brilliantly evokes the atmosphere of each stage in his life, starting in the beginning where there is some of the best literary description of a concussion and trauma that I have ever read.

You might also enjoy any of Barbara Kingsolver's books - Poisonwood Bible and the Lacuna are my favorites.

I read it over 3 days when I was ill and still found it a slog in the middle.

The Goldfinch is quite different to The Secret History. It's well worth reading but I wouldn't call it a page turner and while I think it had the potential to be a masterpiece I don't think it is one. It is over long in the middle and I suppose quite cleverly in a way recreates the boredom of watching your friends get stoned and act stupid while you stay sober, but for over a hundred dull pages, and it references a lot of Harry Potter which gets silly Imo and a ridiculous ending. Such a great premise though and some of the writing is wonderful and rich.

Cloud Atlas
The Luminaries
The Goldfinch
The Revenant
The North Water
This Thing Of Darkness
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell (£1.29 on the Kindle just today)