Help me find some new books to read please

[TeeCee]

I seem to like books that are a little odd - ish.

The books i have enjoyed in the last year that I can think of are:
Life of Pi
Time Travellers Wife
Perfume
I've read all Martin Amis and Ian Banks books. I loved Wild Swans but read that a million years ago and then went onto read Memoirs of a Geisha and loads of other books like that but over that now I think!

I don't do fluffy chick books but don't want sci-fi or anything too dark.
Am pregnat so nothing that will freak me out.

My mum keeps loaning me books about normal married couples and their lives and I hate 'normal' books, I want to be transported somewhere and be gripped a bit and lose myself for a while, you know????

Any suggestions please?

Zadie Smith - on beauty
Anita Shreeve - anything by her
Carol Shields - start with the Stone Diaries
A S Byatt - Posession

Sebastien Faulks - Birdsong - had me in tears when I eventually got into it.

off to amazon to look those up now. Thank you.

Anymore anyone?

oh yes - read BirdSong - loved it.

The Shipping News E Annie Proux.
Anne Tyler novels

Interpretation of Murder - Jed Rubenfeld (?)

I've just finished The Last King of Scotland which was amazing.

Shadow of the Wind - Carlos Ruis Zafon (?? again for spelling)

i loved the time travellers wife BTW - bloody brilliant ...

what about re-visiting some classic? 1984 is brilliant

blonde - e annie proux or
shipping news - e annie proux

AS Byatt's short stories
If you liked Perfume, go for the original - Huysmans' Against Nature (A Rebours)

This Book Will Save Your Life (it's not self-help).

Maybe you would like 'Atomised' by Michel Houellebecq - bit off-beat and quite er, sexually shocking.

I recently loved 'What I loved' by Siri Hustvedt and lot of Paul Austers stuff.

Just started Cormac McCarthys new one - 'The Road' - gd so far.

have you read Wild Swans? i'm re-reading it atm

Anything by Barbara Erskine (not her short stories though, they can be a little lame) - 'Lady of Hay' and 'Midnight is a Place' were fun if you like a spooky/reincarnation/romance angle.

Also love Niall Williams' books - very poetic if a bit fey...if I'm feeling off with dp, they make me feel all loving again without being twee.

I'm currently reading 'Stuart, a Life Backwards' by Alexander Masters - very quirky. Should be depressing (about a down and out and how he got there, true story), but makes me laugh. My dp picked it up at the library on spec when I was ill and said 'choose me a book', and actually got it right!

Read 1984 a yeqar or so ago and Have Shadow on the Wind and never got past the first page! AN yes read Wild Swans. Off to look up others on amazon.
Will check back for me suggestions in a bit.

I've just read Spies by Michael Frayn which was delightful (and not a 'spy' novel) and how about The Untouchable by John Banville? Also have you read the Ukrainian Tractors novel? A hoot.

Shadow of the Wind
This book will save your life
Vernon God Little
Half of a yellow Sun was good, and I don't think there was anything in it that will freak you out.
I'm about to read Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell, which I have heard good things about.

Another vote for the Ukrainian Tractors, loved that.

TeeCee i've read all the books you mentioned so def got similar taste as you, - especially loved perfume.

I would really recommend David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas, Black Swan Green, Ghostwritten and Number 9 dream. Love them - i think he's a really good writer, my favourite.

How about Ian McEwan too (although Saturday was dull)
Also Haruki Murakami - Norwegian Wood
How about Barbara Kingsolver - the Poisonwood Bible is gripping and real escapism. All her others are good too - quite easy to get into, good to read while pregnant too.
Peter Hoeg is good esp the woman and the ape and Miss smillas feeling for snow.

John Irving? Prayer for owen Meany, world according to garp etc

The secret history by donna tartt is really good, and just about anything by stephen fry.

Frank Skinners autobiography is pretty funny.

Cross Stitch (Outlander in US) by Diana Gabaldon (looks like a "romance" genre but not quite!

What about The Curious Incident of the Dog at Night-time by Mark Haddon. Loved that.

Oh my God, I'm SOOOOO excited to go to the library on Saturday now.
This is FAB, thank you so much.

Boco - isn't is funny that we have read and enjoyed so many o the same books! Will write all our suggestins down now and not bother looking them up on amazon first!

Yes Teecee - you'll have to give me some recommendations too!

Also can second Donna Tart - really goood, although little friend was a bit long, the secret history is good.

I read Atomised and hated it! I thought it was quite sexist and unpleasant, hated all the characters.

I loved Crosstitch and the sequel - but her books seem to hsve got bigger and bigger abd BIGGER - and the time travel element that I loved got so dissipated - that I've finally given up on the latest one - and I've never given up on a long book before - not even Anna Karenina!

I've written a book for 8-12s I'm self-publishing. Anyone want to consider selling copies to their group at a £1 a copy to you for yourself or your charity? A story about a group of animals fighting for their freedom. Warmhearted. No guns. No vampires. Synopsis can be supplied in first instance. I'm a Canadian grandmother, living in Somerset, England. The book is full length and kids who have read the proofs love it. My e-mail: [email protected]. and I'll watch this space!