Book recommendations needed-suddenly have lots of reading time ahead of me...

[DoItTooJulia]

Without going into too much detail, I'm off work for a while because my mums ill.

I have had a big reading hiatus but I'm back. Some things I have read and loved to give you an idea are-

Anything by Atwood
Anything by Kingsolver
I've enjoyed the Harold fry/queenie Hennessy books
The signature of all things
Allende (I think I've read all of them now)
Birdsong
Arthur and George
The Tea Planters Wife was ok
Sarah waters

I have got some books in my Amazon basket having been through a couple of the threads on here, like I am Pilgrim and the paying guest.

Recommendations gratefully received!

Sorry to hear about your mum :(

I like similar books to you. I'd recommend maybe tackling some good old doorstoppers - Wolf Hall? The Luminaries? A Suitable Boy? Maybe even some classics - Tenant of Wildfell Hall is on my TBR list since hearing a discussion of it on R4 a while back.

Patrick Gale - specially liked A Perfectly Good Man, also the one set in the Choir School which I can't remember the name but will update when it comes back to to me.....
Sue Gee, Mysteries of Glass is a lovely book
Also just about anything by Rose Tremain, she's one of the few writers I enjoy as consistently as I do Barbara Kingsolver

Sorry to hear about your Mum

Belinda Bauer was a recommendation on another MN thread - I've really enjoyed them

Touch of Frost series by RD Wingfield

The Egyptian series starts at river God by wilbur smith

Thanks!

I've got a couple of rose tremaine books sat here but I've never fancied them. Maybe I'll have to try one.

I've never heard of Belinda Bauer, so I'll check her out-and all of the other suggestions!

Do you like nonfiction at all?

I'm currently reading SPQR by Mary Beard -terrific stuff. Got it very quickly by reserving through the library.

Don't mind non fiction, and I like history, so thanks for that. I'm a sucker for decent popular science too.

As you like Sarah Waters (as do I) I'd recommend Sarah Moss's recent novels (Bodies of Light and Signs for Lost Children) and Emma Donoghue's historical novels - The Sealed Letter in particular.

The Lie Tree by Frances Hardinge. It's listed as a children's book but ignore that - brilliant read.

Madeline Miller " the song of Achilles " is brilliant, one of my favourite books of the last 5 years.
I've also enjoyed books by Sarah Moss, and Peter Ackroyd's non fiction works ( historical) are really well written and researched.
I'm fond of Elizabeth Gaskell - more gritty than Jane Austen or the Brontes ( but would reread any or all of their work). Have you tried Daphne du Maurier?
Frenchman's Creek, Jamaica Inn etc all very engrossing.
And if you've read the Millennium trilogy, there's a fourth one recently published, by a different author, but very well reviewed. If you haven't read them, get going now!

If you like Atwood, try John Irving - I recommend starting with The World According to Garp.

I presume you've read Donna Tartt's Secret History and Niffenegger's Time Traveller's Wife? Both of them are stay-up-all-night-to-finish books.

Liz Jensen's War Crimes for the Home.

Your list sounds similar to mine so here's some I loved: The Goldfinch, We are all completely beside ourselves, Wuthering Heights, Wild, Return of the Native, The Circle, anything by Kate Atkinson

How to teach quantum physics to your dog by chad someone or other - really good non fiction. Easy to dip in and out of so you can pick it up and put it down.

Rebecca, Jamaca Inn are stunning.

Crime and punishment really isn't as heavy as you'd think and i loved it - coudlnt get into any of his other books though.

Another good one is The woman in whilte - wilkie collins

The Robert Galbraith (J K rowling) are good for chick lit type read

Just finished "a man called OVE" i loved it but it was very sad and if you have family issues just now i might leave it.

The Glass Palace was really absorbing and also enjoyed The Circle though very different books. Currently reading Rose of Tibet but slightly stalled with it!

What about something like the Forgotten Garden by Kate Morton? She's written a few, kept me engrossed while travelling, that sort of book.

Was the Patrick Gale one about the choir school 'Friendly Fire', or has he written another one about a school? I'd like to read it if so.

I'm also reading the Lie Tree, brilliant!!!
The Goldfinch and the Secret History by Donna Tart. I could go on!!

Interesting recommendations.

I've never tried Wilkie Collins but have been recommended him before. Maybe it's time.

Yes, I've read the time travellers wife (much better than I was expecting) and tartts secret history (a bit meh for me, which is why I haven't gone for Goldfinch)

Thanks for all of these-my Amazon basket is positively bulging!

if you have a kindle, wilkie collins will be free as its a classic :) Really easy to read - difficult to put down

Oh and I Capture The Castle, by Dodie Smith, and Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons.

No kindle...Its paperbacks all the way for me.

I read cold comfort farm just before my reading drought kicked in-it made me laugh but I'm not sure it was supposed to! In fact the person who lent me that is the person who can't believe I've not read any Wilkie Collins!

The Woman in White is one of my favourite books. Highly recommended.

Have you ever read Jung Chang's "Wild Swans"? If not, then do put it on your list. It's semi autobiographical and I found it a riveting read.

Yes! To Wilkie Collins. I'm envious of you reading the Woman in White for the first time

If you like that, The Luminaries is a fantastic, long, intricate book.

Julian Barnes The Noise of Time (his latest haven't read it yet)

Kate Atkinson Behind the Scenes at the Museum, Life after Life.

Yes, Cold Comfort Farm was meant to make you laugh ! You couldn't keep a straight face with Seth smouldering over the tumescent porridge pot , surely ?

Oh good-it was just that the friend who lent it to me is a serious sort and she didn't tell me it was funny! And it was all the frit and fritened (sp?) too!

(It's a bit like when I laughed at silver linings playbook-felt wrong at first!!)

I like many of the same authors so two further recommendations I think you'd enjoy:

Bel Canto and State of Wonder by Ann Patchett

The Observations by Jane Harris

And hope things go OK with your mum

Thanks highland I'll check them out. Thanks for the flowers too.

Have you read any books by David Mitchell? I haven't read all of his yet but highly recommend Cloud Atlas and The Bone Clocks.

I have just finished I Am Pilgrim - I'm not usually one for a unashamed pageturner but it did have me gripped! I was a bit disappointed by the ending though...