It's happened, I've run out of books 😱

[IceIceBabyBump]

Help!
I've reached the end of my "To Read" list. I've been desperately looking but I can't find anything that piques my interest.

I have nothing left to read*

I love miserable literary fiction (think Hanya Yanagihara or Donna Tartt).

I hate feel-good books and/or books with happy endings or neat resolutions.

I love good stories (think Chimamanda Ngozi Adiche or Isbael Allende).

I'm generally not keen on the classics (started "Jude the obscure" last night and not gripped at all.

I don't like non-fiction.

Please suggest me some novels to get my mojo back!

*Slight caveat that I do have Mantel's "A place of greater safety" but it's so huge, I'm saving it for annual leave I September!

It's a bit of an old one, but Kazuo Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go would be right up your street.

An even older one: The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie - Muriel Spark. Spark has a flair for making you laugh, without tying everything up at the end with a nice, shiny bow. It's set in an all-girls school in 1930s Edinburgh, a complex place at a turbulent time.

An even older one than that: Brighton Rock, Graham Greene. This one was published in 1938, and is set in Brighton at a time of rising social tension and gang violence. Central to it all is Pinkie Brown, 17, and already one of the nastiest people you'll ever meet - while also being quite poignant because he's so young.

Also:

A Terrible Kindness Jo Browning Wroe. It's about Aberfan so...
Cuddy - Benjamin Myers. A fictionalised account of the journey St Cuthbert (Cuddy) took, from his death on Lindisfarne to Durham, where he was laid to rest and the development of Durham and its city in the many centuries thereafter. It's one of the most beautifully written novels I've ever come across.

I had the same problem before I joined Netgalley and Amazon Prime. I understand some people don't like Amazon, for me personally it's been a lifesaver in terms of finding books, especially smaller and self-published authors. Netgalley is great as well, but you have to post a review afterwards and meet deadlines. I hope this helps!

The Book of Guilt by Catherine Chidgey sounds like it would be your thing

Have you read The Vegetarian by Han Kang?

absolutely brilliant choice

My dark Vanessa

Can I send you some of my books? I have run out of shelves...

Actual recommendations - the first few are Australian, so you may be more likely not to have read them:
Foal's Bread by Gillian Mears (I am absolutely not a horsey person so was hesitant about this but it was brilliant)
Seven Types of Ambiguity by Elliot Perlman (also The Street Sweeper by the same author)
The Life and Loves of Lena Gaunt by Tracy Farr

Have you read any Margaret Laurence? Mid-century Canadian novelist, I have read three of hers so far, all excellent and definitely with a touch of misery... I started with A Jest of God.

The Last Samurai by Helen DeWitt (not about actual samurai!)

Butter by Asako Yuzuki (popular at the moment but if you don't normally go for Japanese fiction it's worth a try)

I’m enjoying Frieda McFadden books atm.

My Year of Rest and Relaxation – Ottessa Moshfeg
Corrections - Jonathan Franzen.
Bunny - Mona Awad.
The God of the Woods - Liz Moore.
All the Colours of the Dark -Chris Whittaker.
Skippy Dies - Paul Murray
Kala - Colin Walsh

I’m about to start Safekeep.

Have you read the Patrick Melrose novels by Edward St Aubyn? Beautifully written, darkly humorous and definitely no risk of happy or tidy resolutions.

Agree! Meant to mention those.

I'd recommend Fundamentally by Nussaibah Younis and Wellness by Nathan Hill, Yellowface by R.F Kuang, Someday, Maybe by Onyu Nwabineli, The Heaven & Earth Grocery Store by James McBride and The Memory Police by Yoko Ogawa.

I recently read Lessons by Ian McEwan, thought it was excellent.

Have you read any Ottessa Moshfegh? I think you might like her stuff.

I love her work! Eileen is one of the best books I've ever read!

I've read all of Ishiguro's novels. "A pale view of hills" is my favourite 😍

I read the Aberfan book for book club last year. I thought it was absolutely dire, sorry.

Will take a look, thank you!!!

I am really finding this quite impossible. I have never got the end of my to be read pile. We are at the library every week and I can't resist picking one up every time we are there! Sorry I can't recommend as I don't think we have the same tastes at all given the titles you've read and the fact I love feel-good books. In fact I'm not picky at all and dabble in young adult fiction, romance, thriller, sci-fi, non-fiction to name a few. Probably why my pile never shrinks because there's no end to enjoyable tat I will read. But I do suggest getting to a library and having a browse; it's one of my greatest, smallest pleasures.

Agree with both these!

I've just finished Fingersmith by Sarah Waters which I enjoyed, but I don't think it's going to be your thing!

Here are some author suggestions that spring to mind. These are all from mid to late 20th century:
Doris Lessing
Nadine Gordimer
Patrick Hamilton
John McGahern

Also have you read any Joseph Conran? Classic but a bit more "real" and dramatic.

I did have "Burial Rights" on a long-forgotten to-read list so thanks for reminding me of that one!

I really enjoyed "Fingersmith" and you've reminded me I should get around to "Tipping the Velvet". I was going to read it years back but then I read "Affinity" first and absolutely hated it so I went a bit cold on Sarah Waters.

I assume you've read The Kite Runner? It wasn't my thing but sounds like it might be yours!

@FrogFrogFrog I did, many years ago.

From a pp suggestion I have just got Burial Rites on Kindle Unlimited.

The Japanese book Butter; well I’ve read it and still not sure but was determined to finish it. I think my issues were around not being able to picture the meals as they are outside my culinary experience. Also, I am geographically challenged which didn’t help ( struggle to comprehend distances and can’t read a map)

A book I read many years ago ‘Snow Falling on Cedars’ by David ?Gutersen and
’Miss Smillas Feeling For Snow’ - can’t remember the author.
They stayed with me for a long time and I still remember bits. As a reader of ‘trashy crime books’ and average 2 a week, those books that I recall in this way are unusual.

If you've got A Place of Greater Safety lined up for next month, I can recommend my current read as a companion piece - Antonia Fraser's biography of Marie Antoinette. Yes, non-fic, but the story is so fascinating it's like being transported to 18th century Versailles.