Page 5 | Can you recommend an unputdownable book?

mathanxiety · 29/08/2024 19:11

I'm currently reading Brooklyn, by Colm Toibin, and The German War, by Nicholas Stargardt. I only put one down to pick up the other.

Lovedogwalking · 29/08/2024 19:06

The unspeakable acts of Eva Pavlou, by Eleni Kyriacou.
Based on a true story, it's gripping, has been my book clubs reading for this month

HesterRoon · 29/08/2024 19:03

Yes American Dirt is a good one as is the autobiography of the girl escaping from N Korea-can’t remember the name. But the one that had me absolutely gripped was The Huntress by Kate Quinn about nazi hunters in 1950s USA. Wonderful novel-it was recommended in The Times and her best one.

Iamblossom · 29/08/2024 19:00

Ihaveneedofwaternear · 29/08/2024 18:55

The Secret History - Donna Tartt. I preferred it to The Goldfinch.

If you loved The Stand, I'd go for The Passage Trilogy by Justin Cronin. Absolutely brilliant.

YAASS! Absolutely loved these and had forgotten all about them

Philandbill · 29/08/2024 18:59

I'm two thirds of the way through "Penance", can't put it down either!

A good and very easy read is "The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo," which had me strangely gripped.

A more literary good read was "Bournville" by Jonathan Coe.
And an absolutely cracking non fiction travel book is "Down to the Sea in Ships" by Horatio Clare.

StormingNorman · 29/08/2024 18:55

These might be too low brow for you but I love a Jeffrey Archer adventure or a classic Jilly, like Riders or Polo.

the Lucia Mapp books are ridiculously addictive!

Iamblossom · 29/08/2024 18:55

Mothership4two · 27/08/2024 00:32

Didn't "get" The Goldfinch either @Spidey66 neither did my book club but it often crops up on MN as a good read

Me either and I had waited years for her next book as the secret history is one of my all time favourites.

Ihaveneedofwaternear · 29/08/2024 18:55

The Secret History - Donna Tartt. I preferred it to The Goldfinch.

If you loved The Stand, I'd go for The Passage Trilogy by Justin Cronin. Absolutely brilliant.

AlleycatMarie · 29/08/2024 18:52

Forgot to add
Vanity Fair by William Makepeace Thackeray.
The catcher in the rye by jd Salinger
Lord of the Flies by William Golding
Will stop now!

Iamblossom · 29/08/2024 18:52

Lesmiserables2024 · 25/08/2024 22:00

A Little life by Hanya Yanagihara is wonderful book...one of the very few that I have reread again

Ohhhh this book.......will never forget it, also watched the dramatisation with James Norton, but not sure I could put myself through reading it again........

Iamblossom · 29/08/2024 18:51

IlovePond · 25/08/2024 21:07

A Thousand Splendid Suns: Khaled Hosseini - imo it’s many times better than The Kite Runner.

I picked it up from a hotel bookshelf on holiday one night, started reading it whilst sitting on the end of the bed clutching my toothbrush and was still reading it, (and finishing it), at 5am the next morning. I cried pretty much all the way through and looked like death the next day!

Despite that, I highly recommend it!

Adored this too

AlleycatMarie · 29/08/2024 18:50

IlovePond · 25/08/2024 21:07

A Thousand Splendid Suns: Khaled Hosseini - imo it’s many times better than The Kite Runner.

I picked it up from a hotel bookshelf on holiday one night, started reading it whilst sitting on the end of the bed clutching my toothbrush and was still reading it, (and finishing it), at 5am the next morning. I cried pretty much all the way through and looked like death the next day!

Despite that, I highly recommend it!

Totally agree with you!

Iamblossom · 29/08/2024 18:50

BlessedBeTheFruitCake · 25/08/2024 20:06

The Last Thing to Burn by Will Dean had me gripped.

Yep this.

Loved American Dirt, Hearts Invisible Furies, DemonCopperhead, but this is short sharp and utterly unputdownable.

AlleycatMarie · 29/08/2024 18:49

Funderthighs · 26/08/2024 08:23

The Shadow of The Wind by Carlos Luiz Zafon was amazing. I couldn’t put it down.

Second this!!

Champers66 · 29/08/2024 18:49

Seemslikethat · 25/08/2024 19:47

As the title says really…

I enjoy reading fiction and non-fiction. Fiction - some books I’ve really enjoyed are…
Penance -Eliza Clark
All the broken pieces -John Boyne
The day Shelley Woodhouse woke up - Laura Pearson
Wrong Time Wrong Place - Gillian McAllister
Tell Me How This Ends - Jo Leevers
The Nightingale - Kristin Hannah
The Satsuma Complex -Bob Mortimer
The Kite Runner - Khaled Hosseini
Five People you meet in heaven - Mitch Albom
The Stand -Steven King
Catch 22 -Joseph Heller
The Time Traveller’s Wife

I've also read quite a lot by Michael Connelly, Harlen Coben, Joanna Cannon, Jodi Picoult, Lisa Jewell, Hazel Prior, Rachel Joyce, Mike Gayle, Fredrick Bachman and Matt Haig. I hated the Crawdads book and wasn’t keen on the Thursday Murder Club.

Non-fiction - I like people’s travel tales or when they do ‘challenges’ eg Tony Hawks Round Ireland with a Fridge or the George Mahood books. I also like insights into people’s work eg Adam Kay or other medical people or people who work in police / prisons / courts etc. I read a good one about someone who was a disaster victim identification specialist.

Looking forward to your recommendations!

Freida McFadden any of them. Brilliant

AlleycatMarie · 29/08/2024 18:44

ihaveanaughtydog · 25/08/2024 22:43

The Women - Kristin Hannah

Loved this book and they are turning it into a film!

friendschild · 29/08/2024 18:42

A man called Ove by Friedrik Backman. Absolutely loved this book!

ArielManto43 · 29/08/2024 18:42

Favourite ones over the past year or two:

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt
Small Pleasures by Claire Chambers
Early Morning Riser by Katherine Heaney
Lark by Anthony McGowan (actually children's fiction, but who cares if it's really good?)
Foster by Claire Keegan
Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes.

Favourite classic book:
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins.

Favourite non-fiction:
H is for Hawk by Helen Mcdonald.

Easy read:
One that came up in Book Group that was a bit "chick-lit", but that everyone seemed to really enjoy, was "Snug in Iceland" by Victoria Walker. A fun little book to curl up with on the run up to Christmas!

AlleycatMarie · 29/08/2024 18:41

@Seemslikethat great thread!

Also loved The Kite Runner - have you tried 1000 splendid suns by the same author?

The Women - Kristin Hannah
People Person - Candice Carty Williams (and all her books)
The Island - Victoria Hislop
A Suitable Boy - Vikram Seth (big book but it’s my absolute favourite)
Home Going - yaa Gyasi
The Orchard of Lost Souls - Nadifa Mohamed

Elle2018 · 29/08/2024 18:38

Might sound a bit old fashioned and I haven’t read everyone else’s suggestions so sorry if it’s duplicated, but the Clifton Chronicles by Jeffery Archer are good

Smokedsausagesupper · 29/08/2024 18:36

100% recommended, best books I've read in a long long time..
The Neopolitan Quartet by Elena Ferrante

The Neapolitan Novels

Against the backdrop of a Naples that is as seductive a…

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26828169-the-neapolitan-novels

Beebopmoon · 29/08/2024 18:36

'The Secret Life of Bees.' An absolute joy to read.

SpicyMoth · 29/08/2024 18:34

It's a play rather than a book, but I really enjoyed Broken Glass by Arthur Miller back in college days - I was chastised for finishing it in my own time when we were supposed to be going through it together as a class, but I just couldn't put it down!
Even with trying to force myself to not read it, I ended up finishing it in 2 or 3 days - though I suppose it wasn't exactly long to be fair

UpstartEnglishTuition · 29/08/2024 18:34

Piranesi is great.

UpstartEnglishTuition · 29/08/2024 18:34

I am still struggling a bit with how quickly I managed to read this! It was brilliant!

Have you read his latest (I have not ... yet)?