Although I read all the time I haven’t read a memorable fiction book for a while, probably partly due to following Amazon or Waterstone recommendations being too similar to the last book I’ve read.

I’ve probably done the Neil Gaiman/Ben Aaronovitch/crime type to death. I think the last books I read where I thought Wow was Live & Fate or the Poisonwood Bible (although wow is definitely the wrong word for both of them). I don’t have anything against Sci Fi, as long as it is good.

Can anyone recommend me anything? I’m basically looking for something new.

Thanks

Ian Banks: Espedair street and Crow road are personal favourites.

Clive Barker: Imajica, Weaveworld. Mild fantasy horror.

Ken Follet: Century triolgy, if you like an epic. Pillars of the earth also very good, worth a gamble.

Conn Iggulden : Pick an era, I liked the Khan series.

Robert Harris: Most are pretty good, Enigma and Fatherland stand out.

James Ellory: La Quartet sublime, and follow with American tabloid.

Joe Abercrombie: Fantasy but not to much out there.

Donna Tartt : Secret History

Not exactly Dan Brown schlock nor Proust but good page turners.

Romance of the 3 Kingdoms by Luo Guanzhong. Don’t get the free Kindle download. This is classical Chinese literature and the freebie reads like an academic textbook. The Moss Roberts translation is the one to get as it has a cast of characters (you need it) and footnotes separate to the text. Brilliant story, loads of double dealing and treachery. It’s the 13th Century telling of the 30 years of civil war following the downfall of the Han Dynasty in the 3rd Century – how much more STW do you want?

‘A Short Gentleman’ by John Canter

Hilarious and brilliantly-written

Also ‘Us’ by David Nicholls. Unputdownable, witty, and rewarding. Esp for us of a certain age. 😬

*Disclaimer – Neither tale has rocket-ships, spies, stern bastards climbing peaks in the rain by skin of beard, futuristic weapons, coils of steaming entrails, actual zombie-sex or unironically high levels of pitch-dark political intrigue. Justincase.

Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry. It’s a western, but don’t let that put you off, it’s superb. Possibly my favourite ever book.

Or:

Grapes of Wrath/East of Eden, John Steinbeck.
Pretty much anything else by Steinbeck (apart from log from the Sea of Cortez, that’s v.dull)
American Rust/The Son, Phillip Meyer
Wolf Hall/ Bring Up The Bodies, Hilary Mantel
Anything by Carl Hiassen.

Clive Barker: Imajica, Weaveworld. Mild fantasy horror.

This – I have read both multiple times.

Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck.

And this (however I have not read East of Eden and dare not re-read Grapes of Wrath just in case it doesn’t utterly floor me again like it did first time around. The most wonderfully written novel of all time).

However I am not reading novels at all at the moment after reading Birdsong (Sebastian Faulks) which also deeply effected me and I now focus almost entirely on historical accounts of the two world wars – I am currently reading ‘The Unreturning Army’ by Huntly Gordon following a recommendation on here and thoroughly enjoying it (as much as is possible when reading the memoirs of a serving officer in the trenches of the Somme in 1917).

Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, I’ve read it 3 times
The wrong boy by Willie Russell, my sister read it 3 times, back to back, in a week! Brilliant book, everybody I’ve recommended it to has loved it as well!

If you like Aaronovitch, maybe look at Paul Cornell or China Mieiville?

Mike Carey is better known for The Girl With All The Gifts series (which are great reads), but I loved his earlier Felix Castor novels. Kinda crime noir-esque, but the main character is an exorcist. Which is a lot more interesting than I’ve just made it sound.

I’m currently reading Jasper Fforde’s latest, Early Riser, which is a sort of alternate reality Britain where people hibernate during winter (and again, is a lot more interesting than I’ve just described it). It’s been really good so far.

Neither tale has rocket-ships, spies, stern bastards climbing peaks in the rain by skin of beard, futuristic weapons, coils of steaming entrails, actual zombie-sex or unironically high levels of pitch-dark political intrigue.

Well, I’m out.

A Prayer for Owen Meany.
Perfume -The Story of a Murderer.
Short Ride on a Fast Machine.
The House Between Tides.

I’m enjoying this non-fiction tale of cold war spying, it’s not a novel but reads like one at times: “The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War”.

(On a similar line Le Carre’s Smiley books are excellent if you’ve not read them).

Shameless plug for my niece’s first book…..

Poster Boy by NJ Crosskey

First book she has ever written, in her spare time between raising two young kids and working night shifts! She was picked up by Legend Press and has already been in the book of the month list in The Guardian and WI book of the month. Not bad for not being with one of the big publishers.

Her second book has also just come out, ‘Overdrawn’ which IMHO is even better.

(sorry if this isn’t allowed, I’m just a proud uncle)

Lonesome Dove, Larry McMurtry. It’s a western, but don’t let that put you off, it’s superb. Possibly my favourite ever book.

Yes! Got loaned these by my wife’s colleague, really couldn’t see me getting into a western but it really was a great series.

Anything at all by Terry Pratchett

Justion Cronin’s “The Passage” trilogy

Patrick Rothfuss’s Name Of The Wind

Mick Herron’s Jackson Lamb series starting with Slow Horses

John Connolly’s Charlie Parker series, starting with Every Dead Thing

A Fire Upon the Deep
Novel by Vernor Vinge

+1 for Jackson Lamb series by Mick Herron, but for a bit of a mind**** in a good way, try The Seven Deaths of Evelyn Hardcastle by Stuart Turton. I tried to keep up and failed, but fabulously entertaining in doing so!

CJ Sansom, the Shardlake series.

16th century historical crime novels.

The first one is a bit ‘Name Of The Rose’, but still fantastic.

Best pageturners I’ve read for ages.

(sorry if this isn’t allowed, I’m just a proud uncle)

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T&Cs state that it’s fine for trade to respond to genuine requests, so you’re good. In any case, we’d probably turn a blind eye here as one-off if it wasn’t, given the context.
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Congrats on her deal.

Lou Berney’s November Road is a stylish 60s Americana page turner

November Road https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/0008309337/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_ZCxCDbS5TVVSP

Bookmarked(!)

Isaac Asimov – Foundation.
Frank Herbert – Dune.
Anything by Robert Heinlein.

Fluke by James Herbert, an oldie but a goodie. Man or dog?

If you fancy a challenge, then One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest.

I’m enjoying this non-fiction tale of cold war spying, it’s not a novel but reads like one at times: “The Spy and the Traitor: The Greatest Espionage Story of the Cold War”.

Any of Macintyre’s work is worth a read. I’d always recommend Operation Mincemeat. Reads like the most far fetched thriller, is all true.

I am working my way through the Asimov series.

The way he writes really does make you feel a bit thick at times.

Need a break every now and then, but very good.

Cause for Alarm by Eric Ambler

Spy story set in Italy in the lead up to WWII.

Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada

About a husband and wife who leaflet Berlin with anti-nazi postcards during WWII following the death of their son.

Two random reads that I’ve bought at Waterloo while waiting for trains.

Citizen of the Galaxy by Robert Heinlein.

House of Putin, House of Trump.
Join the dots…..

The name of the wind – Patrick Rothfuss
The blade itself – Joe Abercrombie
The reality dysfunction – Peter F Hamilton
A song of ice and fire (game of thrones)
The forever war – Joe Haldeman

A few sci fi and fantasy books I’ve enjoyed over the last few years.

@andykirk I love Isaac Asimov’s I-Robot collection.

Also Philip K Dick’s work.

The man in the high castle
Do Androids dream of electric sheep
And any anthology of short stories that includes your appointment will be yesterday is worth looking at

Thanks very much.

It’s a real eye opener as to how only the select few get their books into big publishers and therefore big shops. She’s managed to get into a few Waterstones around the country but unless you are with a big publisher this very rarely happens.

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T&Cs state that it’s fine for trade to respond to genuine requests, so you’re good. In any case, we’d probably turn a blind eye here as one-off if it wasn’t, given the context.
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Congrats on her deal.

Alone in Berlin by Hans Fallada

Superb.

Also, given today’s Mugabe news:

The Last Resort: A Memoir of Zimbabwe, Douglas Rogers

Thanks everyone. I’ve just been to my local bookshop & picked up second hand copies of Romance of the 3 Kingdoms & A Short Gentleman. I’ll have a lot more to go at after that.

I read almost any type of fiction and have read a fair chunk of the books mentioned which is reassuring that people are roughly coming from the same direction as me. I loved Secret History and quite liked Goldfish by Donna Tarte but thought it needed a better editor.

A long while ago I read all the Asimov and Philip K Dick books. I recently re-read Do Androids Dream… I like that type of SiFi where technology is incidental. Often wondered about reading Ian M Banks, as I’ve read all his other books, but was put off by the spaceships on the covers.

I quite liked the first few CJ Sansom books but the last one was a real let down. The best bit was the essay at the end. I’m not sure why but Robert Harris winds me up. His story telling is great but I always feel like he’s using ‘tricks’ to keep you reading (sorry I can’t explain it very well).

Anyway I’ll work my way through the rest (Including Poster Boy). Its exciting having new books to have a go at. Thanks everyone

My 2 faves are Chuck Palahnuik and Cormac McCarthy.
So anything by them, if you haven’t read them.
Also Steven Sherrill. He hasn’t written many, but they are very atmospheric and slightly odd.

I like that type of SiFi where technology is incidental. Often wondered about reading Ian M Banks, as I’ve read all his other books, but was put off by the spaceships on the covers.

The technology definitely isn’t incidental, but at the same time it’s not the focus of the story – I’d avoid Peter Hamilton (recommended above) if you don’t like that kind of SF. Maybe try Greg Bear?

If you fancy trying John Le Carre, start with The Spy Who Came In From The Cold. If you’ve never read any they can seem slow paced and detailed but it’s worth persevering because the stories require the scene setting and it’s totally worth it

All Quiet On The Orient Express by Magnus Mills.

A couple of China Mieville’s books for you:

Perdido Street Station
King Rat
UnLunDun

Another vote for the Passage Trilogy. How about the “Wool” trilogy? Excellent read.

The blade itself – Joe Abercrombie

I tried to love this, but I just couldn’t get on with it. I don’t really know why, maybe it was just a bit dry for my tastes. I’ve met Joe Abercrombie a few times and he’s an absolute blast, really funny and quick-witted, the sort of chap who would always be good value on panel shows. Quite why that doesn’t seem to translate into his books I don’t know. I might have to have a punt at a different series at some point, give him another go.

Lucifers Hammer – Larry Niven.

Another vote for The Crow Road by Iain Banks too, and I can also recommend Catch-22.

If you’re after a twisting, turning psychological story The Starts Tennis Balls by Stephen Fry is quite excellent., and another, sicker one is Kill your Friends by John Niven; a great period drug fuelled psycho-thriller set in the 1990’s music industry.

“Portnoy’s Complaint” by Philip Roth

I am currently reading ‘The Unreturning Army’ by Huntly Gordon following a recommendation on here and thoroughly enjoying it (as much as is possible when reading the memoirs of a serving officer in the trenches of the Somme in 1917).

Never heard of this book, bought via Kindle yesterday and already 60% through it. Thanks @johndoh, also “enjoying” it.