What’s the best book you’ve ever read?

[lostinthoughts]

Holidays coming up and I’m fed up of starting books and not finishing them as they just don’t grip me. Give me your best ever books that have had you hooked….

My all-time favourite book has to be Watership Down, but recent faves have been:

Isaac & The Egg - Bobby Palmer. Loved, loved, LOVED it!
Bunny - Mona Awad. Kind of a "what the fuck have I just read??" Brilliant.

This will probably prove unpopular but I really didn't like To Kill A Mockingbird. Also, Yellowface - totally overhyped.

The Count of Monte Christo
By Your side by Ruth Jones. The only book I have ever read where I have laughed out loud.

I've also ordered a copy for myself! 💗

All time favourite - Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrell.

Favourite children’s book - I Capture the Castle.

Recent favourite - The Elementals by Michael McDowell.

Favourite author is probably Neil Gaiman, even though he is now cancelled.

I love Stephen King- The Dome is incredible also It; The Stand and every thing else he’s written

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot. What Henerietta went through was unbelievable, however her contribution to medical science is outstanding. It's thought provoking and will stay with you forever.

The good mother by sinead moriarty.

I should also mention the few books that i have read so much i actually wore them out and had to replace them : ballet shoes, the story of tracy beaker, 101 dalmations.

I love that we can read the same books and have wildly different opinions, that's why recommending a book is so difficult!

For me, like many a PP, the mark of a great book is one that I still get excited about re-reading:

Shogun
The Godfather - not a single dull page in this book
Mr Vertigo
IT
The Stand

And I really enjoyed The Goldfinch fwiw but wouldn't read it again

Need to add to my list.

Finally got round to reading Any Human Heart by William Boyd and Never Let me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro this summer.

Any Human Heart was extraordinary - I felt like I actually knew Logan by the end of it.
Never Let Me Go - although simply written - was the most heartbreaking of all the dystopian books I've read. I think I would even rate it above On The Beach which I LOVED.

Almost impossible to choose, but...

Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel. I've never read anything quite like it.

The Passage by Justin Cronin. An extraordinary page turner, such a shame the other two books in the trilogy weren't as good.

We Speak No Treason by Rosemary Hawley Jarman. Her prose is exquisite.

I, Elizabeth by Rosalind Miles. Written as Elizabeth I's autobiography. It's a glittering jewellery box of a book.

The Persian Boy by Mary Renault. Beautiful, just beautiful. No one has ever written better books about classical Greece/Persian.

@Arraminta I'd forgotten Mary Renault! The Charioteer is an astonishing book.

Love it. I have a copy of every book she wrote.

Arraminta l loved We Speak No Treason, it made me a Ricardian!

Yes, me too. I absolutely love all RHJ's books (so wish she'd written more) but WSNT is my favourite.

Why has nobody mentioned Marilynne Robinson?

I ended up browsing https://tellebook.com a lot because it keeps everything in one place and makes it easy to spot new titles and cheap finds. The daily picks and quotes actually helped me choose quicker instead of scrolling endlessly, and the mix of genres kept things fresh. It’s been handy whenever I need a new read without overthinking it.

I go on mn 50 book challenge for that though not everyone rates their book

I can never pick a favourite, but I have just finished reading the Neopolitan series by Helen Ferrante, starts with 'My Brilliant Friend', there are 4 books in total about a friendship set over decades, set in Naples. I have really enjoyed all of her books.