To ask for book recommendations

[LaBellySausage]

Hello Team Mumsnet, I'm looking fir recommendations and I am posting for traffic before anyone spontaneously defecates themself in outrage.

Newly pregnant with DC2 and looking for a good book to make up for a whole 9 months without a glass of wine in the bath.

I've recently enjoyed The Book Thief, CJ Sansom's Shardlake series, Ken Follett's Pillars of the Earth series, Donna Tartt's Secret History.

Ideally something gripping from the start in case I get half a page in and have to stop because DD aged 11 months has a huge poo or a meltdown because she can't yet catch the cat.

Thank you in advance!

I love this thread so much. When I was a teenager i read Agatha Christie and Catherine Cookson and loved them on top of authors like Nevil Shute.

When i was younger I read anything in primary. Watership down did give me the creeps. I loved the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, they were donated by a teacher we had from Canada. Waiting for the next book, if someone was ahead of you felt like a life time. My mum took me to the library once a week. I read all the classics, What Katie Did , Heidi, Gulliver's Travels, Little Women

In my 30 i wanted sime good historical fiction. I read some factual and watched some factual too. The annoying thing i found was the stories had more romsnce than anything.

The author everyone alwsys recommended was Philippa Gregory ( aplogies if you love her) but i could not take to her books.

I'm very lucky that this year i started reason The Last Kingdom may tske me a while to finish. My brother's slso introduced me to CJ Sanson who he loves.

It's the first time in ages thst I have really got into a book. The other night I only thought I'd read for a short while. It was 2.30am !

I wish there was more historical programmes on Tv or netflix etc. I feel there's so much reality TV or quizes with celebrities etc.

Apologies I've gone off off track. I just dont have many friends that read.

Agree with the suggestions for Dorothy Dunnet (Lymond series is better than Niccolo series) and the Bruno series. FOr real light relief Georgette Heyer's "action" Regency novels like the Toll Gate and Black Moth are quite fun and brainless.

A good start to Agatha Christie is Cat Among the Pigeons as it isn't one you will have seen on TV.

Also Maurice Druron's Accursed Kings series - is apparently the inspiration behind Game of Thrones - set in medieval France and based on the last Capet Kings. Historically pretty accurate and very well written.

Just finished Where the Crawdads Sing- brilliant! Thank you for the recommendation!

Here are some of my favourites.

A Fine Balance

A Suitable Boy

Wild Swans

The Woman in White

Behind the Scenes at the Museum

The Humans

He Said, She Said

You Don't Know Me

The Ragged Trousered Philanthropists

Life After Life

The Kashmir Shawl

The President is Missing

Since you've read CJ.Sansom and End of the Earth. You need to read The Last Kingdom. The last one comes out this year. It's the 13th book.

The series is on Netflix. Like the books it's amazing too.
I'm currently on book 4 out of 13

The boy on the bridge
The girl with all the gifts

Anything by Sally Hepworth

The Rosie project

Wych Elm by Tana French.

I second Jodi Taylor!

Elly Griffiths' Ruth Galloway series is excellent as well.

Non fiction but Invisible Women is incredible.

@Londonmummy66 - not correcting you to be pedantic but if Cat among the Pigeons is one of your favourites, it's definitely been on TV. It was a feature length Poirot. It will probably pop up again on ITV3😀

The Handmaid's Tale and The Testaments
A Song of Ice and Fire series

The secrets of strangers by Charity Norman was good.