It's that time again - Remus needs recs

[RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie]

I've just bought 'Golden Son' on KIndle, so that should keep me quiet for a little while, but I need other things too.

In an ideal world the thing you recommend will be -
Not obvious
Something long and wintry - either a doorstop or a series
Gripping and well written
Probably a bit old fashioned
Maybe with ghosts
Basically I want something to curl up with - am thinking something akin to His Dark Materials, or Wilkie Collins' 'Moonstone' or the Holmes stories. Otherwise I'll just have to re-read the Harry Potters, and I don't want to!

Going back to wintry theme:
Miss Smila's Feeling for Snow (though I think it's a marmite book, and you may hate)
Minette Walter's The Ice House
The Snow Fox By Susan Fromburg Schaeffer
Snow Falling on Cedars by David Guterson
Her Fearful Symmetry by Audrey Nieffenegger
Seeking Whom He May Devour by Fred Vargas
The Rabbit Back Literature Society by Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen
The Blue Fox by Sjon
Moominland Midwinter

non-fiction:
End of the Earth:Voyaging to Antarctica by Peter Matthiessen
The Snow Leopard by Peter Matthiessen
Mountains of the Mind by Robert McFarlane
Names for the Sea by Sarah Moss
The living Mountain by Nan Shepherd

Have you read Jonathan Strange and Mr Norrell? It fulfils all your criteria, if you haven't!

Then there's Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles. Six thick books on sixteenth century Scotland and most of the rest of Europe and further afield, with hints of the supernatural.

'Men said openly that Christ and his saints slept' is from the Anglo Saxon Chronicle, describing the anarchy of Stephen's reign. It's worth reading the whole passage. Some bits of Alfred's reign are good too. And the chroniclers didn't much like William the Bastard.

These are all obvious, but...

The Scotland Street books - Alexander McCall Smith
The Adrian Mole books
London Belongs to Me - Norman Collins
The Lord Peter Wimsey books

Hijack but Rhu didn't know that there was more Dorothy dunnett. Read both Lymond and nicolobon mat leave last time round (I spent a lot of time pinned under feeding babies!) and was just contemplating starting again on nicolo on this mat leave but that Macbeth sounds intriguing.

Sorry, Silver. The no religion thing wasn't to you - just to everybody!

Happy to read children's books - have read the Wolves ones.

Can't read Jonathon Strange - in theory it's right up my street but I was bored senseless by it.

Am not v good with fantasy/sagas by women. Also tend to like my history a bit later.

Loved, 'Mountains of the Mind'. Really want some fiction - find it far easier to find non-fiction that doesn't annoy me though!

Also - The Bpx of Delights, by John Masefield.

Sorry - Box.

Thinking of old classic childrens books, I've been re-reading my way through Diana Wynne Jones recently.

Agree that it's easier to find not-annoying non-fiction. (Though actually I can generally find sci-fi that doesn't annoy me.) On which note - and recent history - Granny Made Me an Anarchist by Stuart Christie is a rattling good read.

The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch

American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Ooh- I was just coming back to say Box of Delights!

Cold Comfort Farm?
Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier.

Ah. It has just clicked why I was so confused when Brokeback Mountain came out (haven't seen it). I couldn't understand where the cowboys came in... but it was Cold Mountain I had read!

Last Days of Dogtown by Anita Diamant is good.

There's a thread here in the (sorry) Christmas topic with recommendations too.

Whatever you do don't waste time on Her Fearful Symmetry by AN it was a nice idea, but she bored of it half way through and like a teenager carried on writing without editing. It was dire.

Agree with greenhill. It was dreadful.

Can't think of any alternative reading suggestions, though. Unless - have you read Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce? I'm reading it with DS, and loving it (for the second time around).

Remus - I can't remember if you tried The Luminaries or The Goldfinch. You know how I feel about women authors in general but both of these were fantastic and totally won me over.

Operation Mincemeat: The True Spy Story that Changed the Course of World War II by Ben McIntyre is 99p on the Kindle today. It's right up your street

I have just read Howls moving castle and castle in the sky sadik
I am looking for something similar to you Remus, although I love the asoiaf books and am eagerly awaiting a release date for twow, so I can re read them all.
I have the first book of a famous fantasy series somewhere, can't remember what it is now, Oreo who it's by, I think it's about time travel ,rings keys and books - I think . Pretty sure the arthur died half way through and someone else had to finish it off.
Have also re read a lot of Pratchett books, but can't bring myself to read the last one quite yet.

Great thread, thanks for starting it, will keep an eye on it so I can cuddle up in front of a cosy fire and read read read.

Read 'Her Fearful Symmetry' and thought it was ridiculous.

Love, 'Tom's Midnight Garden' and haven't re-read it for a while, so that's a good one. I'd actually love an obscure children's classic, if anybody can think of one I haven't read. Have read 'Box of Delights.' Liked, 'American Gods'.

Just bought, 'Operation Mincemeat' - Thanks, Cote. Didn't get on with 'The Luminaries'. OH loved, 'The Goldfinch' but I wasn't v taken with her others.

Read, 'Cold Comfort Farm.' Googling 'Cold Mountain' now - Have read 'Brokeback'. Book was okayish but I loathed the film.

Just remembered that I want to read the Sam Vines books at some point too.

Not sure if you are into thrillers but I have just finished, Burnt Paper Sky by Gilly Macmillan. It's about a missing child, told from the Mother and police's perspectives. I like the way this is written and found it quite addictive. It was a radio two book club choice.
Also Alex Gerlis has a new one, The Swiss Spy. I read his The Best of Our Spies on your recommendation, I think? Haven't tried this one yet.

Obscure(ish) children's classics that I've enjoyed re-reading in recent years:
The Man Who Was Magic by Paul Gallico
The Fair To Middling by Arthur Calder Marshall
Martin Pippin in the Daisy Field (not so keen on MP in the apple orchard - both available free as pdfs online)
The Princess and the Goblin (but TP&Curdie disappointingly Victorian and moralistic) - back to adult books Lilith also by George Macdonald is well worth reading on it's own terms tho. as dd would say 'not very plotty' (All the GMacdonald books are available as pdfs free online if you look around.)

WhatWould - not my rec, no.

I have enjoyed some Philip Kerr recently (are they thrillers?), but wouldn't normally choose thrillers unless they are historical and set somewhere I'm interested in, hence the Kerr. I think the Kerrs are probably detective fiction actually, rather than thrillers.

Just got 'Lilith' and 'Goblin' on Kindle, thanks Sadik.

If you quite like Pratchett then the Tiffany Aching books are great, although you've probably already read them.
I am off to bed in a bit to read The Wee free men.

I also love Rebecca's world, or used to, I didn't put it down as a young girl. I have struggled to get a copy of it though.

The Master and Margarita?