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Original poster

If I like these books, what should I read next?

39 replies

MildLifeCrisis · 14/01/2026 19:42

Need to get back into reading. Can you please recommend me a few titles to get me hooked again?
Some of my fav books/genres are:

  • dystopian novels (loved 1984 and Handmaid’s Tale for example)
  • All Jane Austen’s
  • Jane Eyre possibly my fav book ever
  • all Agatha Christie
  • Not into sci-fi at all but have loved reading Jurassic Park
  • loved a few Annie Ernaux books lately

What I dislike: generally never like recent best sellers, I never find them well written imo. I didn’t like Osman’s murder series, found it boring and unnecessarily complicated the plot for no real reason.
Not into fantasy or sci-fi (although as I said above, Jurassic Park is one of my fav books!)

OP posts:
CaptainMyCaptain · 14/01/2026 20:50

I love The Blue Book of Nebo and The Wide Sargasso Sea. Both very memorable for different reasons.

Itsforthebest · 14/01/2026 20:39

Have a look at The Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys. It's the story of the mad woman in the attic.

In terms of speculative fiction...
I've recently read 'On The Calculation Of Volume' by Solvej Balle and enjoyed it a lot. I also loved Severence by Ling Ma. And another vote for Station Eleven By Emily St. John Mandel.

TragicMuse · 14/01/2026 20:11

Dystopian…

The Blue Book of Nebo by Manon Steffan Ros. It’s YA, but don’t let that put you off!

I Who Have Never Known Men by Jacqueline Harpman. Deeply strange! I’m still thinking about it and wondering what I read!

Station Eleven by Emily St John Mandel. I really enjoyed this!

if you’re into dystopian romance with smut then you might enjoy Claire Kent. Start with Haven.

Golden Age crime - ECR Lorac/Carol Carnac (same person). Some have been republished by The British Library.

Also look for green penguins/Collins Crime Club by Pamela Branch and Christianna Brand, MG Eberhart and the wonderful Margery Allingham.

Classic fiction - have you read The Moonstone or The Woman in White?

AtomicBlondeRose · 14/01/2026 19:59

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (and The Remains of the Day, although they’re quite different).

CaptainMyCaptain · 14/01/2026 19:59

Bleak House is wonderful. Such a complicated story with so many brilliant characters.

PermanentTemporary · 14/01/2026 19:56

Try Atwood. The Handmaid’s Tale and The Blind Assassin really are that good (though I have a friend who bitterly loathes the latter).

I loved Austen and resisted Dickens for years, then had to read Bleak House for a book club and adored it.

I wonder if you’d like Tristram Shandy.

CaptainMyCaptain · 14/01/2026 19:55

The Wall by John Lanchester
All our missing Hearts by Celeste Ng
(Both dystopian but could happen in the not too distant future)

toomuchcrapeverywhere · 14/01/2026 19:55

Barbara Pym. Muriel Sparks.

EskarinaS · 14/01/2026 19:54

Try the Christie Affair - a novel loosely based on Agatha Christie's own disappearance!

Original poster
MildLifeCrisis · 14/01/2026 19:54

Cactiiii · 14/01/2026 19:52

How about some Du Maurier? Start with Rebecca.

Yes that’s actually sitting in my “to be read” pile!

OP posts:
Original poster
MildLifeCrisis · 14/01/2026 19:52

YouWillNeverGuessMyUsername · 14/01/2026 19:46

The children of men - dystopian novel also Brave New World or Farenheit 451.

Have you tried the Brontë novels? The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a one of you live Jane Eyre

Thanks!
i have read Wuthering Highs only from the other sisters

OP posts:
Cactiiii · 14/01/2026 19:52

How about some Du Maurier? Start with Rebecca.

ÚlldemoShúl · 14/01/2026 19:51

Maybe Elizabeth Gaskell if you like Jane Austen.
I too love dystopian/
speculative fiction books. Recent ones I’ve enjoyed include The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey, Under the Eye of the Big Bird by Hiromi Kawakami, Dream Hotel by Leila Lalami and Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang. These are all relatively new books but not bestsellers.

YouWillNeverGuessMyUsername · 14/01/2026 19:46

The children of men - dystopian novel also Brave New World or Farenheit 451.

Have you tried the Brontë novels? The Tenant of Wildfell Hall is a one of you live Jane Eyre