My turn to choose our next book group book - suggestions please!

[brandnewnickname]

Not sure what to choose for our next book group. Would obviously like to pick something I shall enjoy myself! I tend to prefer stuff set second half of twentieth century or later and am not generally keen on "fantasy" type books. Am currently really enjoying "Frankie and Stankie" by Barbara Trapido. Other books that I have really enjoyed were "Notes on a Scandal", "The Help" and "We need to talk about Kevin". So trying to analyse from those what kind of books I like, I suppose I would say books with a dry sense of humour and characters who are not cliches and which have something to say about the wider society in which they are set. All suggestions welcome!

Have you read Rules of Civility by Amor Towles?

No, haven't read Rules of Civility. Will check it out.

The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

Black Swan Green by David Mitchell is very good -a year in the life of a 13 year old boy growing up in a Wiltshire village in the 1980s.

Thank you for the recommendations. Have googled them and am particularly drawn to Black Swan Green - perhaps because I was a 13-year-old in 1982!

I enjoyed Water for Elephants which we did last month and am half way through Any Human Heart which is also good.

Thank you. We have already done Water for Elephants which I thought was a decent holiday read but wasn't personally one of my favourites. Will google Any Human Heart.

I was going to recommend David Mitchell too! I loved Cloud Atlas and I'm currently enjoying Ghostwritten.

I loved Rules of Civility too but know it doesn't really fit in with your criteria. Tiger Hills by Sarita Mandanna is another good one does cover most of the 20th Century.

The book that has probably given us the longest and most lively discussion is The Sense of an Ending by Julian Barnes.

How about Me Before You by Jojo Moyes?

Middlesex?

Thank you for all the recommendations! Have had a look at all of them.

"Room" by Emma Donoghue or "Notes from an Exhibition" by Patrick Gale could lead to some interesting points for discussion.

Night waking the mn Book. You'll all
Row like loons

Thank you. We've already done "Room", which I did really like.

"The Way I Found Her" by Rose Tremain

Sense of Wonder by Ann Patchett
Fabulous read recommended here, so glad I look at mumsnet

Me Before You could raise some interesting discussion points, but is no great work literature.

How about " The Uncommon Reader" - Alan Bennet - short and sweet.

As you enjoyed "Room" what about Donoghue's latest, "The Sealed
Letter" ? As a bonus it's available for Kindle at less than £3.

running with scissors
5 people you meet in heaven

The death and life of charlie st cloud

Breakfast at Tiffanys.

Op read the Mumsnet book of the month for night waking.
That'll give you a flavor

Under the Skin by Michael Faber
Angel by Elizabeth Taylor
Dirt Music by Tim Winton
Dark Matter by ? Paver

Lionel Shrivers latest ? "So much for that"(?) fiction with theme about healthcare provision.

We did Secret Scripture by Sebastian Barry at my bookclub recently - everyone seemed to enjoy it.