I am desperate and need you all to help me please!

[ColonelBrandonsBiggestGroupie]

I have got one and a half history books left and then I am, once again, bookless. I have been to three different libraries in the last ten days and have failed to find even a single book that I fancied or hadn't read before.

I have some Nectar points to spend, so I could have a bit of an Amazon splurge - but what shall I get?

1. Favourite writers are Jane Austen and Stephen King
2. I like v well written fantasy (ie Tolkein) or v well written historical who-dunnit stuff (eg Doyle or Sansom) or quirky history books
3. I am a snob and get very twitchy about shoddy writing but can't stand overly self conscious crap (step forward Ian McEwan)
4. I am very, very fussy
5. I read very, very quickly so the bigger the book, the better

Please help!

If you've read Gaiman, have you tried Terry Pratchett? They co wrote Good Omens, for a taster of TP's work. There's 30 odd bopoks in the Discworld series now so should keep you going for a month or so! I would particularly recommend Nation too, although it's in his 'written for younger readers' category it's some of his most powerful writing ever I feel.

Yep - read nearly all of TP's stuff. Loved some and hated some. My favourites are 'Reaper Man' and the Sam Vines ones.

Was 'Nation' the one on an island with the boy and girl? I must admit I was a bit disappointed by it.

We need more Captain Carrot, say I! :) I fancy him a bit...

What did you think of the Witches ones? I love Pratchett and he's my go to author when I need the comfort of a familiar book.

I like the witch ones far less than some of the others. I like the Vimes ones and I loved the Golem one. And Death is the best character ever!

Yes, it was. I found it improved greatly with a second and third reading, probably because it wasn't typical discworld and I need to pay proper attention to it. I found some of the sections where he cleans up the island (the allusion to the baby's body in the tree) and where she puts her brother's body in their mother's coffin in the dream sequence incredibly affecting to read.

Captain Carrot - I so would! Mind you, the world weary confidence of Vimes is rather attractive too. I love the way TP has managed to grow that chracter from an alcoholic wastrel into a smart, powerful, influential man. Very well done over the series I think.

Couple of other suggestions from me:

Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - v good
Time Travellers Guide to the 14th Century - rather liked this.

There's a series of straight historical reference books by the OUP called 'Short Oxford History of the British Isles' which I've quite enjoyed. They're individual paper back volumes covering roughly a century each, entitled The Sixteenth Century, The Seventeenth Centurey etc. The 19th Century volume is brilliantly pulled together by the editor Colin Matthew. It's a great read, very accessible. The other are good too, if somewhat dry. The series editor is Paul Langford.

Phil Rickman - Waterstones has The Wine of Angels on special offer (£2.99) at the moment. Mystery with paranormal slant.

I love all his novels.

The Bones of Avalon is historical as well.

If you like Stephen King, try Joe Hill (King's son). I got two of his books out of the library recently and read them both in a day each. Really, really excellent horror/dark fantasy/just stories and unputdownable.

History: Batavia's Graveyard by Mike Dash is great, a rollicking true tale of murder and general grimness on the high seas.

If you like Bryson, you might like Tim Moore's travel books - very funny and interesting.

Second the rec of George R R Martin's 'Ice & Fire' books, fantastically well written - great characters and plotting, lots of sex and violence, a good development from trad fighting fantasy style into something a bit weirder and darker. They are also enormous so should keep you going for a few days.

I like C J Cherryh's sci fi and fantasy - The Chronicles of Morgaine is excellent.

Have you read any Rupert Thomson?

I'm assuming (from what you've read) that you've read Beloved and The Handmaids Tale?

If I was feeling mischevious, I'd recommend Jodie Picault, one of the most overrated novelists around at the moment (almost as bad as Phillippa Gregory IMO)

Have you read Paul Theroux's travel books? Great Railway Bazaar (Asia), The Old Patagonian Express (South America), and Riding the Iron Rooster (China) Mosquito Coast by him is also very good (it's a novel)

Also V.S. Naipaul, - I really like his earlier stuff, - Suffrage of Elvira, Mystic Masseur and esp. A House for Mr. Biswas.

Also Paul Theroux's account of his friendship and then falling out with Naipaul, 'Sir Vidia's Shadow' is a very fascinating read. By all accounts Naipaul was a pretty unpleasant man. (I still recommend his early novels though )

Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel (loved it)
Jerusalem - S Sebag Montifiore (I found it a bit dry though)
I have really enjoyed reading the Zen novels by M Dibdin

Agree with you ++++ re Ian McEwan....

Am reading a lot of books on tudor history atm

Good God, no to Jodie Picoult!

Have read The Beloved (not really into it) and a lot of Margaret Atwood, including The Handmaid's Tale (recently really enjoyed After The Flood).
Read Batavia's Graveyard.
Read Heart Shaped Box but not Hill's other one and didn't know until on here the other day that he was King's son.
Wolf Hall really annoyed me, though I liked the way she made Cromwell so compelling.

Looked at 'Alone In Berlin' today in Waterstones but it was a tenner (A TENNER!). Also, it looks as if chunks of it are in the present tense and that drives me insane (step forward bloody Wolf Hall again). I may try and order it from the library as it was v slender and would only last me about two or three hours if I liked it.

I was going to recommend Rupert Thomson too, one of my favorite writers. I would start with one of his novels though - he's just got a new one out, but it's a memoir.

Okay - my list for dp to try and get/order from the library tomorrow is:

Alone In Berlin
The Knife Man
Horns - Joe Hill
I Am Legend
A Suitable Boy
Forever Amber
Lady Audley's Secret

What do you think?

I'd forgotton Lady Audleys Secret! That's a good one, as is A Suitable Boy. I didn't like Forever Amber at all,but will be interested to hear what you think!

Have you read any Phillip Pullman (His Dark Materials), I read them the other year and they're fantastic!

I'll have to put my thinking cap on as most of the other books I was thinking of have been mentioned (terry Pratchett etc.).

Read them and loved them (except for the silly horse on wheels things!).

Dp went to the library today and returned with a grand total of NONE of them. He has managed to order a couple though. I now have only 50 pages left of my history of Newgate Gaol (which is v interesting!). I may be reduced to re-reading The Lord Of The Rings again!

I'm assuming you have read the Crimson Petal and the White?
There is a fabulous book called The N(something) by Jane (something) - I want to say The Notifications, but it isn't that. It's a historical novel, bloody brilliant, but can't remember the full title or author! Maybe someone will recognise it from what I have said.

Yes yes to A Fine Balance. I was in BITS.

The Book Thief - Markus Zusak

I have also just read and loved The Left Hand of God by Paul Hoffman, very clever

The Book of Lost Things by John Connolly was fantastic

The Passage by Justin Cronin. Very The Stand-ish, compelling, very readable. Not going to win any awards for beautiful prose, just a whacking good plot. And massive.

I enjoyed Elizabeth Kostova's second book, the Swan Thieves, also quite large.

recently read The Passage and really enjoyed it. Started a thread on here about it but there weren't many takers. Still only took me two days to read it though!

Liked The Book Thief a lot.

Loved The Historian but haven't yet read her next one.

Didn't think much of The Book Of Lost Things - although the cover was lovely! :)

Googling the hand of God one.

Mmm - some v iffy reviews of it. Patrick Ness didn't like it and his own fantasy series is excellent!

Darkmans - Nicola Barker. Kinda weird but I really liked it.

I'm glad you enjoyed the Passage - I can't wait for the 2nd one!

Have you read any Vanora Bennett? I like her historical fiction, it has a feminist-y bent but lovely and readable.

Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro was, I felt, beautifully written sci-fi/dystopia fiction. Can't get on with any of his others though, even though they are a similar style.

Have you read the King and Straub collaborations? I steered clear for a while (don't know why, I have read everything else King has written) but the books were fantastic.

The Left Hand of God was a little like the Book of Lost Things in that it referenced loads of other stuff, so that I felt supremely clever when I identified the description of a battle as a parallel of Agincourt, for example. I love stuff like that. So gods, religion, historical figures and events were all similar/referenced to something in our own world. I like that.

anyone read/heard of 'the slap'?

tried any lionel Shriver?