To ask for the best book you've ever read?

[chxm19]

Recently got into reading again and want to ask for suggestions!

I've just finished The Couple Next Door by Shari Lapena after it being recommended by a friend.

Needless to say I was so disappointed with the ending

TIA

It's a marmite thing, but The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt is unputdownable. Just so original, exciting and satisfying.

Agree with I Am Pilgrim, Terry Heyes. Amazing book. Looking forward to the next one.

The Kite Runner, THousand Splendid Suns and the other one by same author.

The 100 year old man who climbed out of the window and disappeared. On one hand a charming tale of a hapless man but on the other covers most major political events of the last 100 years.

Plus loads more already mentioned!

My favourite is Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. I also love Gone with the Wind, the Poisonwood Bible, and Birdsong.

Freedomland. Sogood ive read tons of times

..And forgotten about punctuation!

Another one for Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier - I can't tell you how many times I've read it.

Anything by Terry Pratchett, especially Mort.

Harry Potter - I re-read the whole series every year

Recent likes are Jo Jo Moyes Me before You and the subsequent sequels, Transcription by Kate Atkinson and the Alison Weir Six Wives series

And I love a bit of Philippa Gregory, especially her Tudor series

The Goldfinch, however, although widely liked left me cold

Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor

We need to talk about Kevin was up there. And anything by Kate Atkinson.

Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind - The film is terrible so don't get put off by it if you have watched it. Netflix recently did a beautiful adaptation but it's a completely different storyline.

A Constellation of Vital Phenomena by Anthony Marra - I couldn't put it down!

I loved 1984. It was a good book to read. My stepdaughter has just started on the Harry Potter series she loves it so far even though she has to ask me to explain the vocabulary. They are my classic go to books of my childhood.

@81Byerley
Love that book!

Anyone else find that they read the first book from a posters list and if it was one you didn’t enjoy, you don’t read rest of the post, just move on to next post?

Wolf Hall and Bring Up The Bodies - Hilary Mantel
Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell - Susannah Clarke
Life After Life - Kate Atkinson
Middlemarch - George Eliot

Oh and To Kill A Mockingbird.

@BadBear I loved Perfume - but I also loved the film!

Oh and my guilty pleasure, A Woman Of Substance.

@cornettoninja have you read anything else similar? You'd perhaps like Pachinko, The Last Empress or the Gift or Rain and The Garden of Evening Mists.

Oh shit, and Cloud Atlas!! I really should stop posting now.

Some great books listed, reading both Kite Runner and Thousand Splendid Sun you won't be disappointed. Also loved 1000 years of solitude and Wild Swans.

But my favourite book ever is Vikram Seth's A Suitably Boy. Cried at the end only because I was going to miss the characters .

All Amitav Ghosh's books are brilliant.

peachgreen Thank you for reminding me about Wolf Hall and Bringing up the Bodies - I'd forgotten them. I'm hoping Hilary Mantel is fairly well advanced on the third book.

And I've just remembered The Boy in the Striped Pajamas - the book and the film both made me howl.

Ditto The Green Mile (film and book).

I picked up Reservoir 13 by Jon Mcgregor by chance on the way to a night away and loved it,

Most Terry Pratchetts (particularly The Lost Continent, The Fifth Elephant and Jingo)
The Great Gatsby
We need to talk about Kevin
Lolita
Brave New World

Pride and Prejudice makes me feel happy and secure wherever I am.

Terry Pratchett's Discworld for joy.
Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series for fun and excitement.

Agatha Christie when I want to escape.