request for books to read

[comeagainforbigfudge]

I'm a serial repeat reader at the moment. I can't seem to help myself. (Re-reading "the historian" at the moment)

Mainly read whodunits, if I'm honest. Quite like some historical based stuff but not royal related.

I got given an amazon voucher and was wanting to get some good books for when on pre-baby annual leave/mat leave.

I used to love wandering around the library picking random books. Had a routine of one classic, one auto-biography, one crime/mystery and one from the "just arrived" pile.

Need to get back to that. Just don't know where to start!

All (any) recommendations will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance

Have you read Phil Rickman? My ma has just recommended him to me - mystery and a bit spooky.

If you have an e-reader you could get SJ Haymon - thrillers.

I'm currently working my way through Game of Thrones which is thrilling and fun, full of imagination, on an epic scale and hugely entertaining actually. Dragons! Magic! Swords! Weird spellings is almost normal-sounding names!

If you like YA or want to give it a go then I'd suggest Maureen Johnson's The Name Of The Star, Jon Green's The Fault In Our Stars, Laini Taylor's Daughter of Smoke and Bone and Samantha Shannon's The Bone Season.

I loved The Historian, I would read it again too if I could find it.

I would say Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood, historical not quite a mystery but interesting the way she analyses the crime.

The name if a Rose by Umberto Eco. Murder mystery in a monastery.

The Thirteenth tale by Diana Settlefield. It doesn't go back that far in history but it has 'another time' sort of feel.

For historical, how about Year of Wonders by Geraldine Brooks. Fiction based around the plague village of Eyam.
Or Rose Tremain - Music and Silence, Restoration or The Colour are all very readable with interesting historical settings.

As for whodunits, I like Susan Hill's Simon Serrailler series, Louise Penny's Inspector Gamache books (set in French Canada), Ann Cleeves' Shetland series and Peter May's Lewis trilogy.

Have you read the Shardlake series, by CJ Sansom?

Thanks for all the suggestions. Off to start looking them up.

I have read one of the CJ sansom books. Now that you've reminded me of it, I really enjoyed it. Will look them up as well.

Thanks again

If I am doing a random pick I just go into each charity shop on the main street until I have as many as I can carry.

Great historical books that are "not royal related"
This Thing Of Darkness by Harry Thompson
The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
Measuring The World by Daniel Kehlmann

Autobiographies/biographies
Last Man Standing by Roger Moore
Do No Harm by Henry Marsh
Confessions Of A Sociopath by M E Thomas
Music In The Castle Of Heaven by John Eliot Gardiner (on Johann Sebastian Bach)
What I Talk About When I Talk About Running by Haruki Murakami

You might like Nicola Slade's Victorian murder series with a kleptomaniac heroine. The first one is Murder Most Welcome and available on kindle (sorry can't do links on phone)