Totally engaging can't-put-down needed

[katiegolightly]

Yes this is lazy, but Amazon recommendations aren't cutting it for me today. I'm hoping to stock up on a few can't-put-down-totally-all-engrossing novels to occupy the coming days and nights!

Nothing too clever or stretchy but nothing too airport trash vomit-inducing. Can't be doing with something that takes 8 chapters to get into. Anyone read anything recently worth writing home about?

Things that recently went down well were Time Travellers Wife, The Help, Go To Sleep and yes, embarrassingly I did like all the Harry Potter books.

One Day was just a bit too naff for me, couldn't put my finger on it :-/ (yes I know that's hard to say following my last admission...)

This year I have loved:

The Language of Flowers and The Company of Liars. Both very different but they were easy to get into and I wanted to read them in the day which is a good sign for me.

Oh and Me before You is far better than it's cover suggests. I loved that too, very easy to read and not like One Day at all, promise.

At the risk of a post too many, do you use goodreads? very useful.

I'm near the end of Uncle Petros and Goldbach's Conjecture by Apostolos Doxiadis and finding it very un-put-downable.

It's not very long though, about 205 pages, so won't engross you for long.

Books I have enjoyed recently were The Poison Tree by Erin Kelly and Into the Darkest Corner by Elizabeth Haynes. I also loved Room (Emma Donoghue) and The House at Riverton by Kate Morton.

I am nearly finished 'The Passage' by Justin Cronin, and it is fantastic. I got into it in the 1st chapter and its nearly 1000 pages long and not long enough! I want to read it all the time, and I haven't felt like that for a long time. Like you I loved Time travellers wife and have all the harry potters.

Thank you both - all of these you have mentioned appear to have GLOWING reviews too, I'm struggling to decide what to put in my basket .

whereismywine I've not come across goodreads before but have just hopped on there are it looks like a great place to start.

Thanks for the recommendations, I really appreciate it!

There is a mumsnet group on goodreads if you hunt in the threads you'll find it.

The vanishing act of esme lennox by Maggie O'farrell.

I loved "The Room" too but I think it divides opinion a bit!

Hearts & Minds by Amanda Craig . Gripped from page one. Great characters, strong storyline and a real insight into a subject that I'm sure we all feel we know about (immigration)....we don't.

This is the MN Goodreads group link.

The most recent unputdownable book I read was When God Was a Rabbit.

I have a fun travel book that people seem to enjoy!
It's about travels in a campervan around Europe.

Each chapter can be read on its own, so ideal for travelling or when you just have time to fit in a quick chapter. Although some people find it unputdownable!

'Uneasy Rider - Confessions of a Reluctant Traveller'
amzn.to/5ttzAe

From the review by Motorhome Planet:
"This book manages the rare feat of being both hilarious and mildly educational and is a genuinely good read."

I'm doing all my own promotion, so hope no-one will object to this post :)

Katie, you list some of my absolute favourites in your 'like' lists, I can't remember the authors, but other brilliant titles are The Other Hand, A secret Life of Bees, Chocolate or anything my Joanne Harris, The Elephant whisperer, A thousand Splendid Suns, The memory keeper's daughter, The Life of Pi,Faerie Tale, anything by Charlaine Harris (although they are quite tacky, I love them!)x Hope that helps xx

I'm reading The Unlikely Pilgrimmage of Harold Fry & I think that fits your description. Reminds me of The Curious Incident of the dog in the nighttime. Easy to read, not taxing (not terribly gripping either) but 'nice'

I read me before you last week on holiday. I literally put it down to go to bed and picked it up as soon as I got up. I have since lent it to my mil who also enjoyed it.

I have read the crying tree in just over a day this weekend as u enjoyed it so much too.

Try a Harlan Coben for a real page turner. Think Jeffrey Archer meets Steig Larsson meets Agatha Christie but in a good way (honestly meant as a positive!!)

have you read any kate atkinson? I would strongly recommend case histories, read it on the train home from london, and nearly missed my stop.

Depends how upperbrow you want it, I lost my drive for reading a week ago and I picked up Sophie Kinsella's Shopaholic series and have flown through the first five books. Such an easy read.

Just re-read The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins - and delayed several outings. Made myself very unpopular. Also enjoyed When God was a Rabbit recently

Oh wow, I've just come back to this thread to some real treats! This list of goodies will keep me going for a long time. Thanks ladies, I'm enjoying reading through some reviews of all of these and getting stocked up for those blissful days of being mum in a coffee shop with a good book all day! (am I wishful thinking? lol)

Thanks everyone - a fantastic list all round!

Have you tried Me Before You by Jojo Moyes (ignore the misleading pink cover) or Tiger Hills by Sarita Mandanna?

I've looked at Me Before You but always assumed it was chick-lit.. What's it like? I am really not a fan of chick-lit but it gets so many good reviews I'm tempted.

Ooooh, I can recommend Me Before You too! I was leant it by my mum and thought it looked like typical 'chick lit', but it is nothing of the sort! It is very thought provoking. It raises all kinds of ethical dilemmas and it also quite tear jerking at times.
I can also recommend anything by Emily Barr - easily readable, but not too frothy.

Couldn't have said it better myself baby . celtic if you've got a kindle or a kindle app you can download the first 5% for free to see if you like the book. We read it for our book group and everyone of us loved it.

I too loved Me Before You and I hate chick-lit