Fictional books that have left a mark.

[whodunit3]

I used to absolutely obsessed with reading but over the years the DC have kept me either busy or exhausted and I have stopped.

However now we are on lockdown and the DC seem to be all getting along and happy thought I’d treat myself to some new books on my kindle and try to get back into reading, but where to start.

I like quite serious matter books especially with layers and characters that draw you in. I used to love Jodie Picoult and Diane Chamberlain but looked at a few just now and they are not drawing me in...

I think my favourite (fictional) book I have ever read is the Memory Keepers daughter which I absolutely loved.

Which books would you recommend and have found real page turners?

Private Peaceful by Michael Morpugo - a recounting of a horrendous experience - sadly history shows it not to be fiction though!

fighting angel by Pearl S Buck - the story of her father a missionary
but also her other books Dragon Seed and the Good Earth
amazing books....

Have you read Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden? It's brilliant and absorbing, but not a difficult read at all. Great escapism.

The Lovely Bones - felt so drained after reading this

The Kite Runner

Go Ask Alice (I thought it was a true account and only found out recently it wasn’t - it’s written in a way that you believe it is an actual diary)

The Bonesetters Daughter - Amy Tan. I love her writing this is my favourite of her books it’s so moving

Giovanni’s Room by James Baldwin I absolutely sobbed at the end was on a packed train at the time

Memoirs of a Geisha

Eleanor Oliphant is Completely Fine

Of Mice and Men I love John Steinbeck’s writing. It’s a short book but so much emotion and detail of the characters

I loved memoirs of a geisha as well!

Uncle Toms Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe

This book changed how I see the world and it changed me as a person.

Lots of books already mentioned.
Wild Swans and Memoirs of a Geisha.
The Poisonwood Bible. Stayed with me for a long time. It's one of my favourite books of all time.
And A Suitable Boy by Vikram Seth changed my ideas on relationships and family.

Hey Nostradamus! - Douglas Coupland. Over 10 years since I read it and it’s definitely one that stuck in my mind!

The Seal Woman's Gift. Sally Magnusson. Just beautiful

Kate Atkinson, especially Life After Life and A God in Ruins.
And another vote for Room by Emma Donoghue.
The Essex Serpent by Sarah Perry.
I am also getting back into some serious reading during lockdown, will definitely be checking out some of the suggestions on here!

Although it’s a children’s book I recommend The Silver Sword.
It’s about three Polish children separated from their parents during WWII and them trying to find them. I loved it as a child.

Gaining Ground by Joan Barfoot.

Watch out.

Lisa Genova's books.

Can I just say, I have absolutely loved reading this thread, sitting with a cup of tea, writing down all the titles, researching and reading the reviews, it’s been a highlight to my day so thank you very much to everyone that has posted.

Some of the books suggested I have read, Memoirs of a Geisha, We need to talk about Kevin etc and I have loved them all, however what I have learnt about myself reading the recommendations on here is that I’m quite niche and if I’m honest tend to go for books with not a lot of substance so I have taken a few from here (A little Life & the Poison Wood Bible) that I would generally skip past and give them a go.

A little life is devastating, soul-wrenching. Haunting.

As is The Road, in an utterly different way.

Try The Bunker Diaries if you want something similar to Room which will stay with you.

What Alice forgot, from Liane Moriarty. If you like that one, then read all her other books. She writes like i think :)

Adding to my other suggestions....

All the light we cannot see - loved the short chapters
The luminaries - weird big ramble of a book but brilliant... mystery, NZ goldfields in the 1800s?
The Paris wife - historical fiction centering around Ernest hemmingways wife... very well done.
The Nightingale
The Goldfinch - loved it, art thriller/ coming of age saga. - so good
The lacuna - Barbra kingsolver - loved this book so much more than poisonwood bible! Mexico City! Frieda! So good
Daisy and the six/the seven husbands of Everlyn Hugo/After I do - all written by same author but very different but literary lite - well written, very fun easy reads.

Tully is great.

A Little Life will haunt me forever.

Adored Beach Music, a real epic.

I just finished Where the Crawdads Sing which I loved.

My Family and Other Animals. If you haven't read it already it's lovely. I used to read it every summer and imagine I was in Corfu. Why are summers so different when you are grown up?

Anne Tyler is a good bet then.

Agree with so many of these suggestions and picked up a few too.
Yes, yes, yes to The Poisonwood Bible.
Anne Tyler is amazing. A Spool of Blue Thread is a great start.
I like JoJo Moyes but not the well known Me Before You set of books. The Ship of Brides and Sheltering Rain are two of my favourites.
The Spare Brides by Adele Parks (actually anything by Adele Parks!)
Anything by Kate Morton.
Roots by Alex Haley really affected me. I massively recommend it.

Forgot to say Lisa Jewell. 'The Family Upstairs' and 'The House We Grew Up in' are both really good.

Bump

(Quite like to keep this going)

Agree with lots of the above and would add:

Brave New World - Aldous Huxley . Dystopia but made me think.

Circe
The Song of Achilles

both by the same author, loved them both!