Tell me your absolute number 1

[mrssunshinexxx]

Favourite book doesn't matter what genre ... 2018 resolution get off my phone and get my head in books again I used to love reading.... thanks in advance

Also loved Captain Corelli, Rebecca, Burial Rites, The Red Tent, The Keeper of Lost Things...

And The Handmaid’s Tale, Birdsong, A Little Princess, Forever Amber. Too many!

As a child I absolutely loved The Woolpack by Cynthia Harnett. I still read it now.

As an adult, anything by Barbara Pym - I love the cosiness of her books and the characters - my favourite would be A Glass of Blessings

Mara and Dann - Doris Lessing
Angels and Men - Catherine Fox
Have read both of them many, many times.
The sequel to Mara and Dann is a big let down though...

Life after life by Kate Atkinson
The secret keeper by Kate Morton
The light between oceans m.l stedman

Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse

I just find it really comforting. Ive read it loads of times whenever im feeling a bit sad. Its so compassionate and positive. I know its supposed to be about older age but I really related to it when I first read it at 20. I think It has this appeal for anyone going through a transition in their attitudes about life. Or anyone whos starting to get a bit disillusioned and down on themselves.

Still Life with Woodpecker. Tom Robbins.
Ok I was a teenager and it struck me and I will never read it again in case I don't like it now.

The Secret History is my #1

Another (annoying) person who finds it hard to state my absolute favourite book...The Goldfinch, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin & Far from the Madding Crowd are right there at the top

But if I had to save 1 book from a fire it would be my childhood copy of
‘Five on a Treasure Island’ for making me fall in love with reading

I would agree with so many of the ^ choices.

Just to introduce something else:

The Forsyte Saga by John Galsworthy.

Such a great look into the Victorian age & on into the early 20th century.

Anyone who has enjoyed Elizabeth Howard's Cazlett series would almost certainly enjoy this one.

I also remember loving the Dune Trilogy when I was at school. I think it was that day's Harry Potter in some ways. We waited and waited for the next edition and lined up to get it first

oops, wrong thread!!!

Definitely not my number 1!!

The Thorn birds
Capt corellis mandolin
Great expectations
Sense and sensibility
The hand that first held mine
Behind the scenes at the museum
Wolf hall
IT
The code of the woosters

Books I always recommend:
The Guernsey Literary and potato peel pie society
The night circus
Anything by Kate Atkinson

Jane eyre and the name of the rose! How could I forget them!?

If You Could See Me Now-Cecilia Ahern
The Sign Of The Cross-Chris Kuzneski
The Lovely Bones-Alice Sebold
Me Before You-Jojo Moyes
My Sisters Keeper-Jodi Picoult
Tje Difference A Day Makes-Carole Matthews
The Last Song-Nicholas Sparks

I liked The Secret History, but loved The Goldfinch. I fell in love with Boris! I plan to read more over Lent as I've given up Facebook til Easter I think I'll revisit the Secret History, then the Goldfinch and reconsider my position.

I've just bought the paperback versions of The Secret History and The Goldfinch to re-read (I have kindle versions)

I've also purchased Steppenwolf - if windchimes can read it 5 times it must be worth a read

Reading as a youngster - especially Enid Blyton - helped me through a very chaotic childhood. The Magic faraway Tree was one of my favourites as a child.

Little Women.
Gone with the wind.
War and Peace.

So many great books on this thread, and so many new ones to add to my reading list.

I could never pick just one book, but to anyone who enjoys sci-fi I always very strongly recommend the magnificent Dark Eden trilogy by Chris Beckett.

A couple of others that don't seem to have cropped up yet; The Buried Giant by Kazuo Ishiguro left a big impression on me and Dark Matter by Michelle Paver is probably the most perfect horror I have ever read.

@AnnaMagdalenaGluck I think you must be my book double! Persuasion and Brother of the More Famous Jack are my favourites, I was just coming on the thread to say that - and I thought the second one was quite niche. Really enjoyed the travelling horn player too.

@Didiusfalco Have had a name change since I posted that.

I thought BOTMFJ might be a bit too obscure for most people, I doubted if anyone else would have heard of it. I'm old enough to have read an extract from it in Cosmopolitan when it was first published and I went straight out and bought the book. I'm on my third copy now, having worn out two since then.

I sort of enjoyed The Travelling Horn Player but I hated that Jonathan turned out to be such a bastard. Nor was I impressed with Stella - I reckon Katherine deserved better.

Just speculating from your username but are you, by any chance, an Anton Lesser fan?

The Snow Child by Eowyn Ivey
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts,
The Blind Assassin by Margaret Atwood

They’ve stuck in my head. Not sure if I have an absolute favourite though.

Clara ~ Janice Galloway
Alexander trilogy ~ Mary Renault
Tess

Childhood favourite was The Eagle of the Ninth, I lived not far from Lullingstone Roman villa so the setting was very vivid for me!

(Huge fan of Anton Lesser here!)

Great thread. Lots of old favourites mentioned - might have to reread One Hundred Years of Solitude again now, and Captain Corelli, and Jane Eyre.

But no-one has mentioned The Colour Purple!! Definitely my favourite