Please help me take a step away from trashy novels!

[millypip]

Hi,

I would really appreciate some recommendations to help me get out of the trashy novel rut that I have got into. When my son Samuel was born prematurely 5 years ago and sadly died soon after I took to all books that avoided anything sad or related to sad or sick children. 2 healthy children later (dd 4 and dd nearly 3) I am still stuck in my rut of pure trash - ie Tasmina Perry, Carmen Reid etc. I would sometimes go for Penny Vincenzi or Jilly Cooper when I was feeling more adventurous or "high brow". I've read all the Fiona Walker I think too ... long time ago but i loved those.

I am at last done with same old plots that take a day to skim read and ready for something a bit more. I do like romantic novels, I love mysteries too. I used to also love Martina Cole and the Kay Scarpetta crime books. I did a literature degree at university but am not ready to go too heavy yet, I still need the light relief from refereeing children etc.

(I think I was reading something by Jodi Picoult the night Sammy died so have been unable to go back to anything by her since. I am coping very well with grief etc, it has been a while but there are just some topics that I can't go near).

I have lost touch with what is good now so would appreciate any recommendations you have. Thank you!

Sorry to hear of your loss.

Try The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. It's the first of a trilogy and brilliant!

Thank you Boobaqueen, I've just had look at that book on amazon and think I will give it a go. I love the idea of a trilogy so there are more books to read. I hate that feeling of "what next" when I have just finished a book so a trilogy would solve that! :-)

If you feel you need to ease yourself out of the trash rut I usually try and read something decent, something crime maybe, a classic and then perhaps some trash.... so I dont cut it out altogether but mix things up a bit. Have you read Salmon Fishing in the Yemen? Sounds a bit bizarre and I read it a long time ago but remember enjoying it!

Maybe try a little fantasy? I've loved the Inkheart series. They may be written for older children, but they are not so dumbed down that an adult doesn't want to read them. Terry Pratchett is good too!

The dragon tattoo trilogy is good, but its very very violent and concerns the abuse of a young girl by her doctors and other professionals. Its the definition of heavy, unfortunately.

How about Like Water for Chocolate (Allende?), 100 Years of Solitude (Marquez), If on a Winters Night a Traveller (Calvino). These are magical realism and similar. Nothing harrowing - and literature - so a route back for you via interesting stories that I'd hope would not touch on your situation.

by the way, my condolences. I hope your two little ones bring you much joy.

Thank you all. I will check out all the suggestions on amazon. (I often find their reviews helpful).

It's such a shame that I have to be so careful with books. I love to read and couldn't be without a book, hence the years of trash. (which I could never ever give up completely!).

I started reading "The Forgotten Garden" by Kate Morton - anybody know it? - but had to give up some way in as I remember getting too sad about the plight of a young boy. Is it worth me trying again with that one? It was a year ago that I tried it and I'm getting stronger all the time so if the poor boy is just a minor event I may be able to get past it this time.

At the moment I've got a gardening book on my bedside table as something to start as I got soo desperate! :-)

'The Help' - Katheryn Stockett

'The Pilot's Wife' - Anita Shreave

'The Island' - Victoris Hislop

Room by Emma Donoghue

I Capture the Castle by Dodie Smith

They're just two I read recently and loved. Not too hard going.

The Help is great and so is i capture the castle. I really enjoyed Diana Gabaldans Crosstitch series, historical romance which reaklly capture you.
I thought Room was very sad.

The Help is fab. I too am a trashy, chiclit kinda girl, easy holiday reads for me. Until that is, I found Maggie O'farrell, I have read a couple of her books now, The hand that first held mine, is fab and the vanishing act of Esme Lennox. Took a while to get used to her style, but fab reads. Worth a try x

I loved the forgotton garden a beautiful book. Also look at The house at riverton.

Captain Corelli'd Mandolin. Forget the film, just read the book.

Why not try something really differrent and go for something non-fiction.

Bill Bryson is a wonderful author, funny and touching without being overly sentimental. He recently did a book called Home which was full of historical facts about Britain but without being dry and boring. He really can write in the most amazingly friendly way. Also his travelogues - 'The Lost Continent', 'A Walk In The Woods' and 'Down Under' are all awesome!

Kate Atkinson is good,not too heavy.

Second the girl with dragon tattoo series.

also liked garcia marquez and allende,my db lent them to me after doing the lit part of his Spanish degree.(translated from Spanish I hasten to add)

I second I Capture the Castle, one of my favourites.

Harlan Coben, Carl Hiaasen & Robert Crais are good for crime/mystery novels, also Lee Child's Jack Reacher books. Or if you'd like quite a fluffy crime read then try Carola Dunn's Daisy Dalrymple series, set in the 20's and enjoyable if not taxing.

The Secret Life of Bees is an easy read, also Isabel Allende's Alex Cold books (City of the Beasts is the first one I think)

Oh, and if you want proper literary, try reading Wide Sargasso Sea by Jean Rhys - the story of Jane Eyre from the point of Mr Rochester's first wife, fascinating!

Lee Child, Michael Connelly, Dennis Lehane, Robert Crais for crime fiction.

Try Charlaine Harris's Sookie Stackhouse novels for a bit of light entertainment - pretty trashy but a lot of fun.

millypip The House at Riverton by Kate Morton is better than The Forgotten Garden.

Would also recommend The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd andm The Pirates Daughter by Margaret Cezair Thompson.

For enjoyable, easy reads I love Alexander McCall Smith's lady detective series, which atre best read in order.

Have you picked anything to start yet? If so, I hope you are enjoying!

Yes OP, have you started anything yet?

I'd recommend William Boyd: he's accessible without being trashy, and his books cover quite a wide range of subjects. The early stuff tends to be funny/farcical, moving into historical fiction and sort of fake autobiography, with some great thriller elements also. You might want to stay away from Brazzaville Beach as I found parts of that quite upsetting, but Restless, Any Human Heart, The New Confessions, A Good Man In Africa are all good starting points.

If you like something a bit out of the ordinary, Haruki Murakami has written some good books. Some are more lighthearted than others. I loved Hard Boiled Wonderland And The End Of The World, but he can be a bit marmite.

I was going to suggest I Capture the Castle but I've been beaten to the post.

It's great for taking you out of yourself yet not at all 'heavy'.

I also second Captain Corelli's Mandolin. It's much better than the film

Just ordered ''i captured the castle''

Looking forward to it.

It's a lifetime treasure and I'm pleased to say my non-literary DD loved it too.

You could go back a bit and try some historical fiction.

Rose Tremain v good - I adored Restoration and Music and Silence.

They might seem heavy going, but they are really not - very funny and human.

Also, what about Fingersmith by Jeannette Winterson? Fave book of all time.

And I'm very sorry for your loss.