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!

Colonel- I can lend you any of the de Bernieres' or Neal Stephensons...

am also v intrigued re your father...

A second vote for The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell, a quick read but the story has stcuk with me even though I read it 10 years or so ago. It's sci-fi btw. I'm also enjoying Brighton rock atm.

Tim Powers' earlier stuff is good yes, especially the Anubis Gates - a real rollercoaster timetravel adventure. Disney paid him money for the rights to On Stranger Tides, (the original zombie pirate novel) but the film is not likely to bear much resemblance to the book.

Sorry if it was already mentioned, I haven't read through the whole thread. But if you like Jane Austen/fantasy/historical fiction, you should definitely read Susanna Clarke's novel 'Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell' and her book of short stories, most of her stuff is set in a 'fantasy' version of historical (19th c) England, written in a very Austen style. Sounds a bit odd but it's actualy very very well done IMO.

Thanks again all....will have a proper mooch at recent posts later.

Kerry - I said, "Thanks for all the recent posts, which I need to read properly now." Is that not enough acknowledgement to be going on with?

I really appreciate this thread and will be printing it off for continued reference.

ealingkate- the sequel is fantastic too- have you read it?

Try Dorothy Dunnett - Lymond Chronicles and then the House of Nicollo series - read Lymond first, then Nicollo. You MUST read the books in the right order. Hope you enjoy them, I'm addicted for life.

I know you said ignore the thing about SF, but I would highly recommend Dancers at the end of time by Michael Moorcock. It's big and clever and good enough writing that you can ignore the genre.

I know this much is true - Wally Lamb. Also big. Compelling.

The journal of Dora Damage - Belinda Starling. Enjoyed this hugely.

I'm reading a lot by William Boyd at the moment. Any human heart, A good man in Africa, Ordinary thunderstorms, An ice cream war. All quite different. All good reads.

Fall on your knees - Ann Marie MacDonald. Another hefty one. It's been years since I read it but it was an all nighter.

Have you read I Lucifer by Glen Duncan? Quick read but I loved it. Plus felt very smug pointing out to my ex (Eng Lit grad) that the main character Declan Gun is an anagram of the author . A good a reason to recommend as any.

I loved The Journal Of Dora Damage and have never met anybody else who has read it. :)

For decent early medieval historical fiction, I would recommend Elizabeth Chadwick's The Greatest Knight and The Scarlett Lion - both about William the Marshall. Really well researched and good reads.

Other fiction with historical angles I would recommend would be Small Island by Andrea Levy and Suite Francaise by Irene Nemirovsky.

Have you tried Douglas Kennedy? Usually long and gripping (I've posted elsewhere about my love for his books!). Recommend A Special Relationship or State of the Union.

Someone's mentioned Laurie Graham - I couldnt get on with the book about the Windsors but loved The Unfortunates.

Gone With The Wind?

It broke my heart when I finished Dora Damage and discovered that Belinda Startling died before it was published .

I actually thought the end read almost as if she hadn't quite decided how to finish it off (almost several possible places to "end" it, one after the other) and I wonder if she'd have done a final edit if she had lived. I miss the books she'd have gone on to write iyswim.

Did she? V sad.

Re: Gone With The Wind - I think I may be the only person in the world who found it so annoying and badly written that I actually couldn't read it at all. It was driving me insane.

My mother is currently reading the Autobiography of Henry VIII by Margaret George, and recommends it.

Thanks Kurri.

So - I have started Wild Swans but finding the extremely simplistic writing style quite off-putting. Interesting things described in a v v dull way. Do I want to continue?

Yesterday I read this The News Where You Are and was quite underwhelmed tbh. She has a talent for characterisation but it was very insubstantial and lightweight whilst pretending to be something a bit more profound, I felt. I thought the same about her first novel and think she'd be far better with poetry or short stories as I don't think she can sustain enough depth for novels and I feel like she 'pads it out' a lot.

Six Suspects by Vikas Swarup (author of Q & A, book that Slumdog was based on)

Historical crime -
1)Imprimatur by Mondi & Sorti
2)The Officers' Prey (and others in series by Armand Cabasson - early 19th century)

Amexica by Ed Vulliamy - v good true crime/sociology

Homcide by David Simon - again true crime, shadowing baltimore homicide dept detectives

The Lieutenant or The Secret River by Kate Grenville

The Fatal Shore by Robert Hughes (Oz history)

I LOVED 'The Fatal Shore' so will deffo be checking out your other suggestions. I've also read the novel that Slumdog was based on and thoroughly enjoyed it, though I still haven't seen the film (have got it: just haven't watched it yet).

Don't really 'do' true crime though, unless it's historical! Eg: read one about Resurrection Men recently.

I loved the Fatal Shore too - read it years ago when in Oz. Suggest you try William Dalrymple for historical books. Someone mentioned White Mughals further up the thread. It was written by him. I also enjoyed City of the Djinns (about Delhi) and a couple of his other books.

The Slap was ok.

How about the Corrections by J Franzen. His latest novel has been panned, but I enjoyed the Corrections.

REally enjoyed biography of the Mitford Girls recently.

Thanks to everyone for their contributions...I may revisit this thread, as I to a certain extent share the Col's taste!

Read White Moughals and the Mitfords one - we deffo have some similarities of taste!

Don't know where the random O came from then!

Oh- The Secret River is fantastic TC! I thought I'd hate it (don't really do historical stuff) - but I couldn't put it down.

I liked the Corrections too fedup.

Janissary Tree by Jason Goodwin and its sequels are quite good "historical crime" - they are set in Constantinople in the time of the Ottoman Empire, with a eunuch as the detective.