Help me decide on a book to take on holiday next week

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

A real, live book - not Kindle. Has to be one I've not read before and has to be big. Ideally it will - be well written without being literary, have either a who-dunnit or historical or dystopian or apocalyptic element to it, or indeed all of those.

Things that would tick those boxes but that I've already read are:
Anything by Wilkie Collins
The Passage / The Twelve
CJ Sansom's Shardlake books
This Thing of Darkness

Don't fancy sci-fi at the moment and don't want anything in the best seller lists.

Thanks in advance.

Have read, 'Alice Grace' and liked it until the final quarter. Atwood has a horrible tendency to let her 'message' get in the way of her stories, imvho. That works in, 'The Handmaid's Tale' but gets a bit wearing in her others.

Have read, 'Carter' and, 'The Monk' and 'Fingersmith' (really don't get on with Waters though). Couldn't get on with Melmoth; not read Justified Sinner so will add to non-holiday potentials list.

Have you read the Mitford girls? Quite long, a bit recent historical?

Not that one but read another about them. Really looking for a novel though - have got various non-fiction books, as I find it much easier to find non-fic I fancy reading, than novels.

How about the complete works of Wdgar Allen Poe?! Also hate Kate Moss, utterly pants writer, found 'Labyrinth' totAlly cringeworthingly bad and am completely mystified as to why it was so well received. Glad to get that off my chest!

Edgar!

I don't get your criteria either. What's "well written without being literary?"

Anyway, I recently read Big Brother by Lionel Shriver and thought it was good.

Have read Poe.

Well written as in knows how to string a sentence together, paragraph and punctuate, whilst not peppering the pages with brand names, cliches or clunky dialogue, but not literary in the sense of Ian M or Seb F etc.

Don't fancy Shriver - didn't like 'Kevin.'

The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt. Next on my list, her bestseller Secret History was fantastic.

Crikey, am a bit scared to suggest anything but here goes

Shogun by James Clavell?

It's big, historical, written by a man.

[hides]

Joyce carol Oates? Really meaty big books. Could recommend a few titles if you like. Also Annie proulx

probably far too low brow but Forever Amber is a great read as is Rumours of a Hurricane. very different to each other but equally engrossing

How about this?

On my to read shelf, not yet read, but on the strength of other novels of his that I've read it should be good.

Bit scared to suggest anything but I recently read & loved "The Mists of Avalon".

Don't be scared! I'm super-fussy but one of you will have something that is just right. :) Feel free to suggest non-fiction too, as the fiction situation is getting more and more desperate.

Have read some Joyce C.O and Annie P but they are not what I want now - I deffo want manly!

Oh and they really don't have to be highbrow - a big fat new Stephen King would be perfect, but his new one isn't out until June!

Will Google the others, thanks.

Maybe you should offer a prize to the winner

'Shogun' sounds like a contender! :)

My The Luminaries should at least get an honourable mention

Yes, Cote. I have a Fry's Chocolate Cream in the cupboard - it's yours if you can find me something as good as, 'This Thing of Darkness.'

I already did but you didn't read it. And I'm not even talking about Cloud Atlas this time

Measuring the World - Daniel Kehlmann

Have you read The Hundred-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out of the Window and Disappeared? Great Scandanavian novel.

I would also second someone's earlier suggestion of The Woman Who Went To Bed For A Year.

And i loved Philomena though i haven't seen the movie. The book was more the son's story rather than his mother's.

I've just bought The Humans and The Universe versus Alex Woods on Kindle for my holiday. Is two books enough for a week? (with kids)

What about Kristin Lavransdatter by Sigrid Undset?
It is historical, it is a tome, and it is very very good.

Have read Alex Woods. Need way, way longer than that.

Paperclip - that seems to be £18 or so.

I will read, 'Measuring the World' at some point, Cote - but don't fancy it now.

Don't want anything that is Richard and Judy-esque or that appears in the top-sellers in WH Smiths etc.

Awaits discovery of the lost zombie novels of Wilkie Collins...

I know it's a bit pricy but it is all three parts in one book - 1100 pages!
It really is a very good book and a perfect holiday read - reader reviews here:
www.goodreads.com/book/show/6217.Kristin_Lavransdatter

Thanks. PC, but just can't justify that. I have wasted too much money in the past on bad novels - I'll order it from the library!