Recommend me some books please...

[lunavix]

I haven't sat down and read in ages, I really need to. So I'd like about 10 books, I'll buy in bulk off amazon, and force myself to read them! Would like a mix of genres.

I don't really like pure romantic drivel, except for very easy reading quirkiness (mike gayle for example.) Really detest everything else, rather embarrassed, but I like his for some reason!

Books have to draw me in, I have to feel like I'm there. The sort where you pick it up, and you just CANNOT put it down again.

Oh and I'm also a harry potter addict but who isn't!!!

As well as Small Island, Big Country by Bill Bryson is excellent (well Bill Bryson is excellent fullstop, he would be my dream desert island companion!)

That's ringing a faint bell, kama, but will have to rummage - my books and my brain cells are all over the place these days

ooh ooh read 'the alcamist' its my absolute favourite book...easy reading like a romantic, mysterious kids book but with underlying adult inspirations! lovely, lovely, lovely, makes me feel happy

Moondog, I think it's Alexandra Fuller?? I'm just about to start her new book 'Scribbling the Cat'.

Chonky,is that the one where she hangs out with the mercenary?
I was very intersted in her stuff as I was brought up and born in Zambia. My cousin(who was brought up in the same part of the world, has told me she went to school with her in Malawi!

I love her weird brutal style. Very raw.

Can I do a little rant about Alan Hollinghurst's The Line of Beauty? It's about a Tory family in the 80s. So gorgeously written -- it's one of those books that sucks you in completely. It's ages since I enjoyed a book this much

Hi Gem, sorry about that - they are none of them super-recently published I suppose, but all available in paperback.
I love Armistead Maupin too, the Tales of the City series is just wonderful. And he seems like such a lovely person in RL too.
I got a giant stash of this year's Man Booker shortlist works from The Book People for about £14.99. It includes the Hollinghurst so especially looking forward to that one as bakedpotato and I seem to have lots of tastes in common

The Orchard on fire" by shena MacKay. It's about a 1950's childhood and is soooo beautifully written. It really reminded me of the way I thought when I was a child (although it wasn't in the 50's!)

The older Hollinghursts are brilliant too. Siri Husvedt (too hot can't remeber any titles, bah). Jonathan Franzen's The Corrections if you haven't read it already. Whatshisname who wrote the Deptford Trilogy etc, they are amazingly engrossing (she says uninformatively)... There is a brilliant publishers called Persephone Press who do sort of forgotten twentieth century classics - you can get them off Amazon and they come in lovely silvery covers, have loved all the ones I ordered at random!

I LOVE Persephone Press GoN - and Robertson Davies too! Salterton Trilogy my special favourite...
Liked The Corrections too...

Persephone fans, do tell them you love them. Dh closely related to (lovely) founder, & she'd be delighted to hear.

I will do it in person, Binkie, but have wibbled away on here about them and at my online book group. I give their books as presents and am always sending people their URL!
I think what they are doing to revive good fiction, not to mention the book as pleasing artefact is really refreshing. And ds loves the free patterned bookmarks!
A small, short-term goal of mine is to give my family the slip and go on one of their Readers' Weekends...

The ladies Detective series by Alastair Macall Smith - once I read one I had to buy the other 6
Perfume
His Dark Materials Trilogy - Philip Pullman
Memoirs of a Geisha
Any Roddy Doyle book - although be careful some are light-but-still-socially-aware (eg commitments/the Van) but others are very dark (eg the woman who walked into doors/A star called henry)

Enjoy

have you read the Precious Ramotswe books by Alexander McCall Smith? They are great easy reading and very well done. Very touching too.

Also would recommend Fruit of the Lemon by andrea levy

and this which is an acquired taste but really very lovely indeed: Findings by Kathleen Jamie

Sucked in recently by The Constant Gardener, John Le Carre.

It is chicklit kinda stuff but if you like Mike Gayle you might enjoy The Tenko Club by ?Elizabeth nelson. her first one was the REading Group but I haven't got to that yet.

I buy them for everyone as presents too, Marina. They are brilliant, binkie, and I do tell just about anyone who will listen! Thanks for Robertson Davies, the name "Robunson Crusoe" kept going round in my head, possibly sign of incipient dementia...

er, "Robinson". Sybille Bedford's Jigsaw another engrossing book. Trying to remember more...

If you fancy something different, I read Tom Sharpe's Wilt trilogy after hearing my husband laughing out loud whilst reading them. I have never laughed so much at a book. They're not the kind of books I would normally go for, but they were brilliant.

Captain Corelli's Mandolin (Louis de Bernieres) really draws you in, but made me cry as much as Wilt made me laugh.

Moondog, yes that's the one. I loved 'Don't lets go to the dogs tonight', it has such grittiness to it, and was really quite jaw dropping in places.

Hello everyone - try louis de bernieres' south american trilogy - absolutely fantastic. Also Maggie O farrell's 'after you'd gone' if you like a bit of a blub.. Kate Atkinson 'behind the scenes of the museum' gosh could on a bit here - Ian McEwan 'Enduring Love' and if you've always avoided them as school texts 'To kill a mocking bird' and catcher in the rye are just wonderful books. Am about to read The time traveller's wife ans am very excited!!!

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Another vote for 'After you'd gone' by Maggie O'Farrell, don't know anyone who hasn't loved it.