A book (or a series of books) to get lost in

[AKAmyself]

I desperately need something chunky and absorbing to get lost in. A book that will make me call in sick from work and hide in the loo when my in-laws are here.

I adore multigenerational family sagas, I love romance when it's well written and the characters are strong, I love historical books.

I love both high literature and more commercial fiction, not fussy or snobbish about it... have loved everything from War and Peace to Outlander!

Basically I want to fall in love with a world and a set of characters and forget all about the shitty world we live in.

not asking too much, am I? please hit me with your recs!

thanks!

Dorothy Dunnett's Lymond Chronicles and her House of Niccolo series, both utterly brilliant.

Completely agree about Dorothy Dunnett and her Francis Crawford series - really magnificent. What about Patrick O'Brian and his Jack Aubrey novels? For a really clever and thought-provoking time-travel series, try Kage Baker. Kage not Kate.

Another vote for both The Dark Tower series and Robin Hobb's Farseer/Liveship/Tawny Man/Rain Wilds/Fitz and the Fool trilogies.

I'd also suggest the Mythago Cycle by Robert Holdstock.

I am currently absorbed in Poldark, I can't wait until bedtime.

The Ladies Detective Series by Alexander McCall Smith. They are gentle and give a real sense of life in Botswana. I was thinking of re-reading a few, partly because the sunny feel to them might counteract the fact that it's hardly got light this week, and because nothing really bad happens in them, unlike in the news

Elizabeth Peter's Amelia Peabody series is great. Set mostly in Egypt late 1800's to after First World War.

Trollope's Palliser novels, starting with Can You Forgive her? Which is a rubbish title, but don't let that put you off. The 6 novels are in sequence, but can stand alone.
IIRC no. 2 is Phineas Finn, can't remember which order the others come in, but The Prime Minister and The Duke's Children are the last.
Others are The Eustace Diamonds, and Phineas Redux.

They have everything from the arranged marriage of an heiress, to murder, from politics and moneylending, to a scheming little baggage appropriating a fabulously valuable diamond necklace. Many of the same characters appear all through. Some of them also appear in The Way We Live Now, which is also a cracking read.

There was a very good TV adaptation of the whole series in the 70s - The Pallisers, with Susan Hampshire playing the female lead.
It's about 24 episodes and perfect for anyone wanting something to get stuck into on long winter nights.

Again I say Cazalet Chronicles also try Shellseekers and September by Rosamunde Pilcher.... not truly a series but some overlapping characters. Coming home is a good read also

The Moreland Dynasty. I've not read them since I was 14 but there was about a million of them and I remember them very very fondly

Or RF Delderfields The Dreaming Suburb series. Loved them.

LBOCS you're not alone. The Cazalets series was like watching paint dry, for me! The mannered style really grated after a book or so. Also found it depressing and claustrophobic!

If you like fantasy then the 'Wheel of Time' series by Robert Jordan is very absorbing. Runs to about 15 books.

Holly Woods files. A bit chick flicky for most i guess,but i loved the series and they are hilarious.

Oh and i have a long list of funny chick flicky series(mystery-romance)that i get lost in if anyone is into that style.

The seven sister series by Lucinda Riley.

Place marking- need to find my reading mojo & a love a saga/series

I have just finished the Neopolitan novels by Elena Ferrante. I could not put them down. Story of the friendship between two women from 1950s to 2000s.

I found The Cazalets boring and St Mary's dire.

Not chunky but I love, love, loved the Magicians trilogy by Lev Grossman - each book got better too which is rare in my experience.

Thank you so much to those who recommended the Cazalets. I'm absolutely loving the first one in the series.