I have an entire weekend to myself. What book should I read?

[ohkevin]

DCs are with exH this weekend and I have deliberately made no plans other than to sit on my arse and read a book in the garden whilst drinking gin

Need book recommendations though, something really gripping that I can just lose myself in. Any suggestions? I'm easy when it comes to genre, although for some reason I seem to prefer books set in more recent years rather than anything historical.

Thanks in advance

I'd have a Stephen King binge!

Life After Life by Kate Atkinson, or All The Light We Cannot See (can't remember the author)

Yes Queenie. At the other end of the spectrum, Kill Them All by John Niven.

I came in to suggest Where The Crawdads Sing. I see others have beaten me to it.

I'm currently reading Daisy Jones and the Six. Sort of a rockumentary / novel about a band in the late 60s and 70's. Only about 1/4 way in but good so far.

Definitely Girl, Woman, Other - I was almost put off by the weird punctuation too but it was brilliant. I was disappointed to finish it.

Also enjoyed Where the Crawdads Sing a lot

Anything by Lisa Jewell (esp more recent ones) - I especially liked Then She Was Gone, really gripping. Also the House We Grew Up In as suggested previously.

Ok it looks like Where the Crawdads Sing may have it.

I might also need to start a snack thread.

Sometimes I lie, by Alice Feeney. I read it in one day.

The other wife by Claire McGowan

Everything I never told you by celeste ng (although this made me cry).

Send Me No Flowers by Jenny Tomlin.

The best most disturbing heartbreaking happy but sad book i have ever read.

I had to contact the author afterwards to see what had happened + i continue to contact her once a year since.
No book has ever impacted me so much.

Be warned though its very hard going + i had to have breaks to pull myself together.

Another vote for Where the Crawdads Sing.

Also A Little Life (great but very sad).

And Little Fires Everywhere - to be followed by a binge watching of the series if you have Amazon Prime.

Enjoy your weekend!

I read the couple next door not so long ago. Bloody brilliant! Couldn’t of guessed the ending at all!

I love Chris carter. Very very gross books! He used to be a forensic psychologist. He always says his idea come from real murder cases. Which makes them more terrifying!

user.................. I also read "Everything I never told you" recently. It was such a beautifully written book, so sad and not a wasted word. So apart from "We begin at the end", and "Everything I never told you", I'm also going to throw in "Scrublands" and I like Jane Harper particularly "The Dry" and " The Lost Man".

I love these threads! I've now got a list of new books to order 😊 @celestebellman - you have excellent taste!

The St Mary’s Chronicles or anything by Sarah Addison Allen

Anything by Joanne Harris. I particularly recommend Five Quarters of the Orange.

I also read All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr in 2 days recently. I couldn't put it down.

Also adding Where the Crawdads Sing.. love all the nature.
For funny, I love Lianne Moriarty and Dawn O'Porter.
Lots more but I'm drunk and busy.

I really enjoyed Little Fires Everywhere and also Cousins by Salley Vickers, both through my book clubs so not my choices.

I loved Hilary Mantel's books about Thomas Cromwell and now the new one is in paperback too.

Also anything by Kate Stkinson but especially Behind the Scenes, which I couldn't put down, and Life Afetr Life.

ooh also Secret History.

What I do not recommend is Lincoln in the Bardo - I chose it for my book club after seeing raves about it on MN which just shows, I thought it was so bizarre as to be almost unreadable. So if you do pick that one up, be aware it is not written in any kind of usual way.

I've read so many books lately, here are the ones I loved and couldn't put down:

The Heart's Invisible Furies
Where the Crawdads sing
City of girls
The Heatwave by Kate Riordan
The Guest List
Found by Erin Kinsley
Little Fires everywhere
Lie with me

I loved American Dirt. It's a book that will stay with me forever.

Please don’t waste your weekend with ‘where the Crawdads Sing’ - I thought it was absolutely dreadful! You’ll need the gin....one minute the character can’t read and then suddenly she’s studying Einstein

Middlesex as mentioned up thread is sublime as are most novels by Kate Atkinson - Behind the scenes at the Museum or Life After Life are stunning. If you haven’t read it Rebecca by Daphne Du Maurier is gripping. For more recent novels Girl, Woman, Other is really readable and very contemporary. If you want utter trash you don’t have to think about go with Daisy Jones and the Sixth.

Came in to recommend any thing by Tracy chevalier, read all her books and they are all so different, or Eleanor oliphant is completely fine by Gail honeyman.
but other posters have reminded me of life after life and little fires everywhere.
After so many recommendations I think I'm going to try the crawdads myself 😁

@Hubstar

I love Chris carter. Very very gross books! He used to be a forensic psychologist. He always says his idea come from real murder cases. Which makes them more terrifying!

Chris Carter is excellent.

I really loved: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
The humorous tale of a young Dominican boy growing up in New York, who peaks with 'the ladies' at age 8, after that his life is on a downward trajectory. Really tickled me and the dialogue is wonderful.

Agree with Bella the crawdads one seemed like a kids book to me for teens

Kate Atkinson Life After Life is awesome our whole book group loved it. Actually felt sad when I finished it.