5 absolute must read book recommendations please

[mousemole]

I have 5 child free days in the sun. I will read a book a day and I can't wait.
Please please let me know your top picks ?

Classics:

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
Persuasion, Jane Austen
Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day, Winifred Lee
I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith
Helbeck of Bannisdale, Mrs Humphry Ward

Moderns:

Are you Experienced? William Sutcliffe
The House of Sleep, Jonathan Coe
The Secret History, Donna Tartt
Case Histories, Kate Atkinson
An Experiment in Love, Hilary Mantel

have a lovely time, whatever you read, you lucky thing!

ooh yes Alias Grace and Poisonwood Bible. Two fantastic books.

I have had Silence and Music sitting on my bookshelf for years (I think someone gave it to me for my birthday just before our wedding as it was reading on honeymoon and we got married 8 years ago this summer). For some reason I've never fancied it... Shall I give it a go ??

You must read
Life of Pi
We Need To Talk About Kevin
Anything by Harlan Coben (thrillers)
The Insider by Piers Morgan is an entertaining rea
The Island by victoria Hislop

I'm guessing you won't want anything too long or heavy, hence have recommended 'holiday reads'.

Oh my goodness yes, FINGERSMITH. 100 times yes: perfect for holiday reading, just a little bit trashy, but top-quality trash, an absolute page turner, completely gripping, and even a bit of lesbian action . Everyone I know who has read it just gasped at one particularly exciting part....

A great book.

If you're up for a book a day, here's a selection of good holiday reads
One that's a few years old but I remember fondly: Secrets of the ya-ya sisterhood by Rebecca Wlls
A recent good read: Crow Lake by Mary Lawson
I agree about The Insider by Piers Morgan - gossipy and insightfuly about the world of media, celebs and politics
Laugh out loud and interesting 1950s Americana nostalgia and facts - The life and times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson
I also fancy the recommendation above:Miss Pettigrew Lives for a Day - it's been recommended to me too and will be on holiday list for half-term!

Depends how heavy you want it.

I'm not usually into "liturature" type books but the best book I have ever read is "The grapes of Wrath" By John Steinbeck. Get past the first few chapters and you will be hooked. "East of Eden" (same author) is also Fab (Just finished this one)
This from someone who usually picks out books with pink and green covers.!!!

I second "My sister's keeper" -Jodi Picoult
and another book I really rate is "To Be Someone" by Louise Voss.
ALso love anything by Lisa Jewell- "One hit wonder" is one that sticks in my mind.

I'll second Grapes of Wrath.

in no particular order deffo this 5 to start
1984Grapes of wrathwhite teeth rebecca the grass is singing hate JPicoullt i unfortunately read (if you can call t that) tenth circle...shallow poorly written drudge

All 5 Jane Austen's:

Pride and Prejudice
Mansfield Park
Emma
Sense and Sensibility
Northanger Abbey.

I adore Jane Austen and have read all of her books over and over.

Yes definitely

Crow Lake by Mary Lawson fab story
The Other side of the Bridge By Mary Lawson
Don't lets go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller
A prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving
My traitors Heart by Rian Malan

Thousand splendid suns was a bitter disappointment after Kite Runner which was good but had crap ending.

And I agree with Scottishmummy about 10th Circle. I quite like Jodi Picoult, but 10th Circle was a bitter disappointment. My Sister's Keeper and Nineteen Minutes are fab though.

i enjoy reading so always interested to her what other's enthuse about

A confederacy of dunces
Thomas Hardy are easy reads
Suite Francaise - Irene Nemirovsky
Bailing the jack - Frank Baldwin (feel-good)
Douglas Coupland are also easy reads
Evelyn Waugh - his shorter novels

ggirl - I liked Don't lets go to the Dogs Tonight by Alexandra Fuller, but so sad

Some Christopher Brookmyre? Be My Enemy etc
No Wonder I take a Drink - Laura Marney (easy day read but funny too)
Crow Road - Ian Banks
Two Caravans - Monica (History of Ukranian Tractors author sorry can't remember name!)
Daisy Fay & the Miracle Man - Fannie Flagg (joke name surely!!!)
Secret of a Family Album - Isla Dewar

Oohh (grin) I could go on forever.....and just realised I've got a bit of a Scottish thing going on here with my recommendations!

I know, very lucky to have 5 child free days in the sun but been through the mill a bit recently. I love reading through all your recommendations. CD'A, interesting what your say about A thousand splendid suns. I have lived in the middle east so might find it a bit grating too. Now, the divine secrets of the ya ya sisterhood is one of my absolute faves and thanks for reminding me as I will definitely re read it on holiday. On Chesil Beach I found a little odd and vaguely depressing. Interesting that Piers Morgan's book has come up a couple of times. I would have dismissed that but it sounds intriguing.
Life of Pi and The Island have been on my list for a while so quite excited about getting them. Thanks to you lovely ladies I now have a wonderful list of books to trawl amazon for. I hope they can deliver by saturday !! Its so interesting reading people's opinions isn't it and very hard to have a top 5 booklist when there are so many wonderful classic and contemporary reads.

the trick is to keep breathing
Crow road
Any IaN RAnkin

Would second Fingersmith - I love the way it makes you gasp with shock at the plot twist -TWICE!!

Please don't take Disgrace on holiday unless you want to be thoroughly depressed!!

The author of the curious dog in the nighttime has also written one called A Spot of Bother, which is good.
The boleyn Inheritance, which is sort of a follow on to the Other bOleyn Girl is good, it tells of Henry's marriage to Anne of Cleeves, and Mary Boleyn is her lady in wiating, is also very good.

Sorry Cotedazur, only just remembered I'd asked you the question, thanks for taking the time to explain! I only asked as I really enjoyed splendid suns but i have no knowledge of Afghan history/ geography/ language so couldnt comment on that, I just found I got taken away with it, in the same way I did with Memoirs of a Geisha, and thought the language embellished the story and the prose flowed beautifully making it extremely easy to read (Having said that I did read it whilst in Marrakech so maybe the calls to prayer in the distance helped this!) Maybe it depends on what you hope to gain from the time spent reading the book, for me its a time to let my mind think about other things other than work, babies, partners and even if the language/ geography etc isn't 100% correct, I don't think it always matters as if it did I would have read something that claims to be historically accurate. Like Kerry Katona's Autobiography

I might as well add a few of my fave recent reads, in no particular order,

A Thousand Splendid Suns
Star of the Sea
Regeneration
To Kill a Mockingbird
Memoirs of a Geisha

I thought The Island was a pile of crap

Another vote here for Fingersmith, definitely worth a read..

Any of Anne Tyler's stuff, maybe Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant or Amateur Marriage. Though they tend to be about the trials, tribulations and frustrations of family life, maybe not ideal for an off-duty mum!

Would second caspercat's recommendation of Jonathan Coe, The Rotters' Club; although it sounds like it's about some posh blokes, it's actually an entertaining novel about growing up in the 70's.

Cheers, you lot, my Amazon basket now stands at £29.92! Maybe I will check the library first to try and save my pennies...

jojosmaman - "Not 100% accurate" is a very kind understatement

Author so doesn't know anything about the culture/geography/customs etc that he opts out of it all completely - sets the book so that there is no human interaction and main characters stay indoors all the time. They don't go to the market/shops (where does the food come from, one wonders). They don't meet/talk to any neighbours (very bizarre, as segregated women stick together in such societies).

It's like a book about UK that talks only about beer and mini skirts, where everything takes place indoors because author doesn't know anything about life in UK.

Disgrace hits all emotions - very good book and short too.
For holiday reading work your way through '1st lady detective' books. One a day will be easy!

Hatwoman - If I found Atonement and Saturday both hard slog should I not bother with Chesil Beach?

lazy mum, give chesil beach a miss. Very dreary and a total anti climax !