Need a "good" book that will suck me in and hold my attention

[BeaArthursUnderpants]

I used to be able to get absorbed in any book without even trying. These days my attention span is much shorter, and it makes me sad that I don't read nearly as much or as wide of a variety of books as I used to. I'd love recommendations for "good" (not too trashy) books that will suck me in right away. I really want to get back into being a reader!

Some of my favorites in recent years have been:
The Goldfinch
A Little Life
Atonement
We Are All Completely Beside Ourselves
Behind the Beautiful Forevers
The Interestings
My Brilliant Friend (et al.)
The Namesake
Anything by Jeffrey Eugenides, Michael Chabon, Jennifer Egan

I would love any suggestions. Thanks so much!

Been mentioned previously but Life after Life and God in Ruins by Kate Atkinson are both really gripping, especially GIR- I still think about it every now and again, so good!

southern I'm reading Fates and Furies atm and it's not holding my attention...does it get better?

I was also going to recommend The Passage. It's part of a trilogy which has some hit or miss bits but is largely excellent

Depending on what genre you like..ive read all of the following and really enjoyed them. Anything written by Curtis Sittenfield
Big Little Lies by Liane Moriarty
Post Birthday World by Lionel Shriver
The Narrow Road to the Deep North
A Thousand Splendid Sun's
anything by Kate Morton

I would really recommend Tell the Wolves I'm Home by Carol Rifka Brunt. Absolutely gorgeous sad yet life affirming book with some wonderful characters. If you fancy something a bit funnier then I love The Family Fang by Kevin Wilson. It's about the grown up children of these terrible and monumentally up their own backsides conceptual artists. I thought it was brilliant, and I love a lot of the books you mention in your op.

A Little Life and The Goldfinch are two of my favourites OP. Also Secret History Donna Tartt), the God of Small Things Arundhati Roy) and A Fine Balance (Rohinton Mistry).

I like Douglas Kennedy as well but assumed they were a bit trashy

Best recently was Jamaica Inn

I always mention an Instance of the Fingerpost and Quincunx- both proper gripping books 😊

Jamaica Inn is fab SwedishEdith. In fact you could get stuck in to any Daphne DuMaurier OP, eg The House on the Strand is totally gripping.

I also have similar taste to you. Highly recommend Jonathan Franzen. Both 'The Corrections' and 'freedom' are brilliant.

Book mark

Cold Mountain, Charles Frazer.
Secret History, Donna Tartt
Revolutionary Road and Easter Parade, Richard Yates.

The Poisonwood Bible
Either of Brady Udall's books - The Lonely Polygamist or The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint
Under the Jewelled Sky by Alison McQueen. Not read her other book The Secret Children but it's on my read list for this summer.
Anything by Diane Chamberlain or Denise Mina but they might fall into the trashy category!

Seconding The Paris Wife. Also Cold Mountain, Miss Smilla's Feeling for Snow (it's old), The Shepherd's Tale (James Rebanks, non fiction). Frederick Forsyth's autobiography is especially good at the beginning, and your OH if male, may enjoy it too but it's fairly lightweight.

Wolf Hall, if you haven't already!

Just recommended this on another thread, and doing so again with no apologies due to how much I loved this book.

Monica Ali's Brick Lane is fantastic. I was daunted by how big it was, but once I read the first page I was hooked. I haven't loved a book so much for ages, and I miss Nazneem (the central character) and the weight of it in my canvas bag which now feels sad and empty.