I'm going book shopping-for me

[star]

I'm humouring dh for a while and have agreed to spend the money I do on mags every month on a good book instead.I love reading but haven't read a book for about maybe a year.I'm quite fussy and if I don't like the start will often give up on it,but when I find one I like I can't put it down.I have to stop myself reading the end first to get a feel for it.I have told dh he is not to advise me on what to go for but I will choose.He has picked books for me before and sometimes has a hit and I like it but we don't have the same taste.I'm excited to be going in and choosing but is there any recommendations from anyone?I want to go in with a list of ones to check out.And which authors should a modern woman in her mid 30's of average intelligence be reading to improve her knowledge of long words,enjoy and impress a dh.

One of the best i've read in a long are:

Tell no-one by Harlan Coben
Silent Playgrounds by Danuta Reah
Stalker by Faye Kellerman
The Loop by Nicholas Evans
The shape of snakes by Minette Walters.

As you may have noticed I'm an avid book collector and reader

Authors I've enjoyed and am waiting to forget the stories so I can read them again are (with my favourites in brackets) -

John Irving (A Prayer for Owen Meany)
Armistead Maupin (Tales of the City - the first in the series)
Anne Tyler (any)
Rohinton Mistry (A Fine Balance)
Jane Gardam (The Flight of the Maidens)

I'm currently reading the new Donna Tartt which is good but I'm not gripped by it.

Another vote for Anne Tyler - warm and intelligent.

One of the best books ever IMHO is 'An Instance of the fingerpost' Bt Iain Pears. As historical murder, but beautifully writen. I also love the Armisted Maupin books. Love Bill Bryson when I need a laugh

Anything by James Patterson is really good and grips you from chapter 1. All his books are crime fiction, and I think one of the most memorable was The Scolds Bridle. Also enjoy Minette Walters.

I find anything by Faye Kellerman a good read.

If you like mystery/crime (like I do) ..

James Patterson - just finished - 1st to Die and 2nd Chance - based around a group of women who get together to solve crimes bringing their particular expertise to the case. Also The Beach House - brilliant read.

Mary Higgins Clark ( mysteries with woman as central characters)
Patricia Cornwell - Kay Scarpetta is her major character but she has also written two called -
Southern Cross and The Isle of Dogs ( think) that are both good reads. I have just borrowed her book about Jack the Ripper from the library - supposed to be a good read.

Minette Walters

Star - not sure what kind of books do you like so I've tried to put a selection of my fav books. I must admit my preference is for books where you don't know the ending, and with a twist

Girl Lit
Rosie Meadows Regrets - Catherine Alliot - very funny
Any books by Isabel Wolff
Shopaholic books by Sophie Kinsella - again v funny

Other:
The Pursuit of Happiness by Douglas Kennedy - my best read of 2001
Any Ann Tyler books
Bank Robber Diaries by Danny King - funny - reminded me of a Guy Richie film

Thrillers/Mystery etc
The Mind Game - Hector Macdonald (one of those books that kept me up in the early hrs ..)
Faceless - Martina Cole - another real page turner
Icarus - Russell Andrews
Instance of the Fingerpost too (although I have to say with me I would recommend making a note of all the characters as there were so many I ended up forgetting some of them part way). But I still thought it was great
Acid Row - Minette Walters

I'll stop now before I go on and on.
Incidentally - if you go to amazon.co.uk you'll find that you can pick up the books for a fraction of the price in their marketplace (from £3.50 approx upwards)

Happy reading

definitely Janet Evanovich - not for impressing dh, but really funny.

Any book by Philippa Gregory is a ripping read. Some are historical fiction (Earthly Joys, A Respectable Trade) mixed with real fact, some are just thumping good stories (Zelda's Cut). I'm just about to read The Other Boleyn Girl, which will be on TV later this month.
If you want big words and a literary context with a story then David Lodge is great eg Nice Work, Therapy, Changing Places, Small World.

anything by Carol Shields

Just Finished the Other Bolyn Girl, and it was excellent

The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold was both touching and funny.....also endorse all the Bridget Jones/Chick Lit recommendations: Books by Marian Keyes, Katie Fforde, Fiona Walker, Wendy Holden, Kate Fenton, Catherine Alliott, Elizabeth Young & Sophie Kinsella are fun. (Unfortunately I am currently annoying myself with Tony Parson's Man & Wife. It is languishing in my tote bag as something about it just grates on my nerves....)

The Red Tent- it's a "lady's" book - wouldn't recommend it to a man- but just fantastic for a mother. Can't remember who wrote it.

Bettys, you obviously have very similar tastes to me! Have recently worked my way through David Lodge omnibus, and I've just discovered Philippa Gregory too. Recommend Sarah Waters "The Fingersmith" as well, Victoriana + girl-on-girl action must be a hit with your DH. Margaret Atwood is another good read/but still of literary value author - try Alias Grace.

Any other recommendations for me? I need another "train" book - ie able to be digested in small chunks and not too heavy (in physical sense).

'The Rotters Club' by Jonathon Coe - fab, funny, well written and lots of readable and illuminating of background info on the 70's British Leyand strikes and other events of the decade.

I love another of his books, too 'What A Carve Up' - funny, touching and full of cynical viewpoints.

Glee, agree with you re Tony Parsons.

My favourites are:
Rachel Cusk
Donna Tarrt
Penelope Lively
Peter Hoeg
David Almond (childrens, but great)

David Baddiel 'whatever love means'
Hilary Mantel 'a change of climate' (SAD)
Jane Hamilton 'a map of the world' (ditto)
John O'farrell 'the best a man can get' (funny)
Thrillers:
Harlan Coben 'tell no one'

I've just started 'babyville' by Jane Green. good so far.

Thanks, Droile....now I won't feel guilty if I chuck it!

florenceuk - yes, I thought 'Fingersmith' was great too. Haven't read any other Sarah Waters stuff yet. Two other series of books I've really enjoyed, but which are very different, are the Mapp and Lucia books by EF Benson (1920's high camp snobbery set in Rye) and the Aubrey/Maturin seafaring tales by Patrick O'Brian (swashbuckling stuff set in the Napoleonic wars soon to be a film starring Russell Crowe phwoar!).

A swashbuckling Russel Crowe,how perfect Bettys.I think if RC hadn't come about it would have been necessary to invent him.
These are brill.
I have liked Margaret Atwood,Jane Austen,Paul Auster,historical diaries,a Zola book-although the one was sufficient for me.Like a bit of romance in it.
Some of these sound interesting.Dh agrees with John Irving and a few of the others.I see Anne Tyler is mentioned a few times.Asylum sounds good Sobernow.So I'll head straight for those and those ones you recommended Madie,the persuit of hapiness and some Sophie Kinsella and others.Jane I shall have to get one or two to make dh groan a bitPhillipa Gregory and David Lodge sounds good.The Fingersmith might be good then.I can't wait to get down to that shop now.Jimjams,what's Red Tent about?

florenceuk

Do try the Armistead Maupin books if you haven't already. They're ideal for reading on a train as they were originally written for the San Francisco Chronicle so the book is really a collection of these small chapters (a bit like The Archers each evening), so easy to finish one and pick up again later.

The books are really a literary soap opera set in San Francisco through the 70s to the mid 80s. They are really funny although they get a bit more serious with time and you really feel like you are involved with the characters. I've given the first book as a present several times and everyone I've given it to has gone on and bought the other 5 to see what happens!

Star - good luck with the recommendations. I'm off to check out Iain Pears, Phillipa Gregory, Sarah Waters and Alice Sebold.

Star,

the Book People leaflets that fall out of the newspaper often have really good selections of novels - a set of five for about the price of one (or whatever). I noticed a Carol Shields set in the last but they often do a mixed bunch. You could have a look and treat yourself!

Thanks Addle too.Today I went out and bought Anne Tylers The Clock Winder.Didn't have my list with me but remembered her name so just having 10 mins spare before heading to work thought I'd pop in the book shop for a quick look and liked what I saw of hers.Can't wait to start it now.I resisted on looking at the end but read a bit of the start in the shop.

Jimjams, I bought The Red Tent today and I can hardly put it down. Excellent! Thank you so much for the advice, I needed something to cheer me up,and a good read is just the thing.

Star - not an improving book at all, but my favourite soppy read is "Katherine" by Anya Seton. It's the story of John of Gaunts mistress and is a bit more intelligent than your usual historical romance. It's out of print, but you can get it on the internet.
The other all time favourite is the Quincunx by Charles Pallister. Very long, terribly gripping (I read it on my last child free holiday and stayed up until 5am reading it one night) and definately not one that you can read the last page first, though you will probably go back and read it all again after reading the last page.