My annual 'what shall I read on holiday' question

[BelligerentGhoul]

It's J, for anybody who knows or cares.

You know how picky I am and how many books I've already read so if you can still be bothered to think for me, please tell me what to get to read on holiday (only one week this time, so it should be a bit easier!).

I've got:

Jane's Fame - How Jane Austen Conquered The World

Mr Pip

A non-fiction one about the Roman Empire that I've been meaning to read for about five years

Paxman's book about Victorian art

I'd like some big fat historical mysteries or something like that - or anything really but not chick lit and not pretentious literary twaddle (ie no Sebastian Faulkes or Ian McEwan!).

I'm just back and zipped through The Siege by Helen dunmore and the 2010 followup The Betrayal. WW2 and stalinist Russia. Loved them.

I hAve just retunr ed from hols in la france. Superb. I am now all fired up to Do Things. Now all I need is purpose.

I love threads like these! I've compiled a nice long list to order from the library.

Have you read "Behind the scenes at the museum", by Kate Atkinson. Brilliant.

Have read all kate Atkinson's but tbh, she irritates me. Museum one the best iirc.

Winter In Madrid by CJ Sansom? I seem to remember that was good and along the lines you are talking about. My brain is like a sieve though.

Read it - loved it!

Staring at the Sun is a narrative of a 100 year old woman's life from childhood to end, and the various characters that play a part in her life. But really its just JB pondering the meaning of life and questions of death and the afterlife. It does rather defy description (which is why mine is a bit hopeless!) I haven't finished it yet, but am enjoying it, - it is more questions than answers - but that's what I enjoy about JB's writing.

Thank you. I was convinced it would be about Camus!

The Meaning of Night by Michael Cox. Victorian era set doorstop. A decent enough read but not perfect.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters.

Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith

any of the Max Liebermann series by Frank Tallis (set in turn of the centry Vienna, lots about psychiatry/psychotherapy)

The Officer's Prey by Armand Cabausson (historical crime set in Napoleonic era france - set amongst soldiers/officers on Russian campaign)

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (medieval pathologist historical fiction)

'The Holiday Murder'

Yeah... I made that up

Googling Cox now.

Fingersmith by Sarah Waters - read this but hated it.

Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada - looking it up

Child 44 by Tom Rob Smith - think I've read it

any of the Max Liebermann series by Frank Tallis (set in turn of the centry Vienna, lots about psychiatry/psychotherapy) - read and liked all of these

The Officer's Prey by Armand Cabausson (historical crime set in Napoleonic era france - set amongst soldiers/officers on Russian campaign) - looking up

Mistress of the Art of Death by Ariana Franklin (medieval pathologist historical fiction) - read all in the series so far.

Aghh - I just read too much!

didnt liek child 44
just did a review of two books in adult nonfiction.

one day is ok - a page turner
hearts and minds is crap.
presume you have done " a secret history" and " middlesex"

Have read A Secret History (didn't like) and Middlesex (did like).

hmm does it have to be olde worlde

It can be anything - but I really fancy a good, old fashioned mystery. And it has to be big because I read so stupidly quickly.

Last year we went for a fortnight and I read 24 books, although some of those were crap left in the apartments by others - a James Herbert and a stupidly bad Kate Mosse for example.

i do a book a day on hol
I KNOW IKNOW
what about the mn fave " finest kind of english womanhood"

Ah - I think you've mentioned that one to me before. Will have a look. The description didn't grab me iirc before.

the woman from bratislava by leif davidsen

Berlin Noir by Philip Kerr (it's a trilogy of novels about a PI, Bernie Gunther in the Nazi and post WWII period., nothing to do with the noir short story anthelogies!).

Thank you.

BG - do you really, honestly take any pleasure in your reading any more?

When you are here, you never seem to be able to remember books in any detail, only offer brief comments about good/bad, liked/didn't.

It all seems to be a race, clocking up books, missing the point.

Excuse me? I LOVE reading! I just like moving on to the next one though. What a strange comment.

Thanks Jajas.

I couldn't get into The Quincunx but could maybe give it another try.

Have read the Fingerpost one.

I haven't read The Little Stranger but I didn't like Fingersmith: is it similar?

Am googling Naomi A now, as she's one I've never come across.

Scared to express an opinion now.