What else can I read??

[CircassianLeyla]

I love everything by Louis de Bernieres, except perhaps The Partisan's Daughter and I haven't read Labels.

I also loved:

Love in the time of cholera
Mister Pip

I will work my way through others that these authors have written (if you have read them what do you recommend) but what other authors might I like.

Oh also The Forty Rules of Love.

Sounds as if you like books set in different countries/cultures. With that in mind, try:

A Disobedient Girl - Ru Freeman

State of Wonder and Bel Canto - Ann Patchett

A Fine Balance - Rohinton Mistry

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan - Lisa See

The God of Small Things - Arundhati Roy

I'll have a harder think when I've got a bit more time, but if you want a really long read, try Naipaul's A House for Mr Biswas. Set in post-colonial Trinidad, it's a fantastic book. Or if you'd like to ease yourself gently into Naipaul's work, try Miguel Street.

The Cairo Trilogy - Naguib Mahfouz or anything written by him they are all great novels.
If you like Chinese Literature The Story of the Stone is one of my favourites comes in 5 volumes and over 2,500 pages but well worth it.

Some great suggestions there. Excited to add done new authors.

Post colonial Trinidad setting sounds great.

I'm just reading Notwithstanding by LdB at the moment and enjoying it. I'm also reading Meeting the English, but Karen Clancy (I think?).

I've recommended it befor on these boards but The Map of Love by Ahdaf Soueif is brilliant. Also the Amitav Ghosh novels and possibly my bestest ever book, Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow, by Peter Hoeg.

Winter in Madrid, by CJ Sansom? (Nothing like the Shardlake books)

I really enjoyed Notwithstanding.

I have read The Glass Palace and actually picked up The Hungry Tide for about 20p in the library book sale.

The Poisonwood Bible or The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

Definitely Barbara Kingsolver. Also you might like Fate, by LR Fredericks, and in a similar vein, The Meaning of Night, and The Glass of Time, by Michael Cox.

Have you read any Barbara Trapido? I really enjoyed Frankie and Stankie.

Another vote for Poisonwood - brilliant. Also The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell, one of my all time favourites (set in 18C Japan). It is totally gripping. here

I wouldn't personally do A Fine Balance - one of the few books I've not managed to finish and SOOOOOO depressing, but I did have baby brain. I did finish The God of Small Things but was likewise depressed.

Ooh Merry I was was very keen on Cloud Atlas, why haven't I read Thousand Autumns?! Will Kindle it tonight :)

Also, History of a Pleasure-Seeker, by Richard Mason, was entertaining, thoughtful but enjoyably non-taxing (and fairly cheerful, to counteract some of the gloom we've been recommending so far!)

Cloud Atlas was great. But I prefer Jacob!

Isabel Allende - especially her non-fiction. 'Paula' is about the death of her daughter and the other one is called something like ' My Borrowed Country' but can't recall the title offhand.

You'll probably like The Kite Runner (though lots of people on here don't) and Half Of A Yellow Sun. Also, if you liked Mr Pip, you will almost certainly (fingers crossed!) like A Handful Of Dust by Evelyn Waugh.

I didn't like A Fine Balance, but it does sound like the sort of thing you'd like.

Oh and have you read A Room With A View?

Or The English Patient - I found this really, really annoying but it does have some lovely passages.

More suggestions, thank you.

I haven't read any of the books suggested so am adding to my ever growing Wish list. Luckily I have just received £50 Amazon vouchers ... Good times.

Funny murder set in English country village for a bit of light relief?