[Closed] Recommend me a novel please

I do like historical novels) or maybe go back to PG Wodehouse or Evelyn Waugh

Well, apart from you saying it yourself, go back to Wodehouse and Waugh. Never fails!

For historical novels, try some George McDonald Fraser.

The flashman series by George MacDonald Fraser. They have everything, humour. ,history and plenty of rogering.

I'm currently reading 'the handmaids tale' by Margeret Atwood for the 2nd time. Its a very good book in my opinion.

Game Of Thrones, George R Martin.

Excellent in every way.

Just put down The Road b Cormac McCarthy, finished it in one sitting more or less. riveting

My stock answer to any "what novel?" request is Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell.

However in this case it fits the bill better than ever as it's fairly historically "accurate".

"Blood Meridian" by Cormac McCarthy.

Hands down, the best book I've ever read. Not easy due to a lack of punctuation, but worth persevering with.

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I don't know hat other interest you have but authors I'de recommend that I love are

Iain Banks - The guys a genius! He also rights sci fi under Iain M. Banks. Never tried that though.

Christopher Brookmyre - Social commentary, comedy and excellent storylines. Yet another cracking Scottish author.

Haruki Murakami - Funny, surreal. Legend!

Bret Easton Ellis - American Psycho is one of the greatest modern novel IMHO, but his other work is just as good.

You've probably read them but Junky by Burroughs and 1984 by Orwell are must reads too!

These novels;/authors may be nothing like what you usually read but are certainly worth a look!

Christopher Brookmyre

Heh, I'm reading one of his at the moment. He's an entertaining read.

Hah George Mac-Fraser, I've read practically every word he ever published. Read the Flashman novels back to back in 1992 instead of studying for my finals. Quartered Safe Out here is maybe the finest book on the infantry I've ever read........then there's the MacAuslin books.

Cormac McCarthy I had a go at All the Pretty Horses a few years ago.........typically for me I got bogged down in it, was just a bit slow for me.

Tell me more about Brookmyre?

Ian Banks - The Crow Rd

Anything by Cormac McCarthy

Ian McKewan - Saturday

Ian Rankin - Rebus novels - loads of them

The Girl with the dragon Tattoo

Little Green Man by Simon Armitage

Id look here for a wee bio then read some reviews. It'll be far better worded than I can put it! 🙂

[url= http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christopher_Brookmyre ]BIO[/url]

Bernard Cornwell's Authurian trilogy is excellent.

It's not in the realms of what you were asking for but Reamde by Neal Stephenson was a ripping yarn.

If you want historical stuff, his Baroque Cycle books are great but put aside some proper reading time. My last read through took me a couple of months.

The Kite Runner and / or A Thousand Splendid Suns both by Khaled Hosseini.

+1 for Stuartie C's recommendation: 'Blood Meridian' by Cormac McCarthy. The Border trilogy is also excellent, along with 'No Country...' and 'The Road'. You could say I'm a fan. I found I very quickly get into the rhythm of his writing, tho' agree initially it can seem a bit awkward.

I'm thinking about Dickens this year - an embarrassing gap in my literary
education!

Mrs rates the Hosseini books mentioned, but also suggests 'Life of Pi' - one of her top 5 fiction books.

I've just started Wolf Hall by Hilary Mantel.
A bit to early to reccomend but so far so good.

Brideshead is a wonderful classic
Early Martin Amis is good... Rachel Papers, and Money etc...
Anything by Orhan Pamuk - esp "My name is red"
Some Murukami is good, some is a bit adolescent.

A couple of American suggestions.

Newer - anything by Richard Ford
Older - the longer more serious Raymond Chandlers - esp The Long Goodbye.

Stuart Mcbride's logan Mcrae novels or his scifi-"halfhead" all excellent

Lot of good suggestions here, thanks. Have read a lot of Ian Banks and Rankin, very good.....Rebus makes me homesick.

Best book I read this year was "In Cold Blood" by Truman Capote......Mrs is reading "Breakfast at Tiffany's", will pick that up when she's done.

Anyone read the Jack Aubrey books?

I read John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden 25 years apart and think both are utterly outstanding. I reckon any author who can seem as brilliant to you at 46 as 21 has to be pretty good.

It might do you some good to read Roddy Doyle's offerings.. Irvine Welsh is always good light entertainment too

Just downloading The Long Goodbye to the Kindle, thanks Stoats. Am hoping Chandler is something like Elmore Leonard, who is someone I need to read more of.

Agreed on Steinbeck, Grapes of Wrath ought to be torrid read but its a beautiful book.

It might do you some good to read Roddy Doyle's offerings..

I'm all ears.

If you haven't read John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath then that would fit your bill wonderfully (courtesy of avdave2)

Agree with above re. Grapes of Wrath - astounding book.

I also really enjoyed Sebastian Fawkes - Birdsong. The best modern novel for me by far.

Child 44 - set in Stalinist Russia.

Life of Pi is utterly charming

If you want a proper story to get your teeth into, try the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. Its nothing like his other airport fodder....

The Bookthief - a proper tear jerker!

1984 - a classic

Papillion - another epic classic

The Road - recently made into a film, but the book is way better

Chickenhawk - great novel about Huey pilots in Nam

Matterhorn - awesome account of Vietnam through the eyes of a very messed up vet

Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk (the guy who wrote Fightclub). Very odd, but addictive!

Reading 'Blood's a Rover'. The concluding novel of James Ellroy's The Underworld USA Trilogy. Fantastic noir crime where dubious characters are weaved into Americas dark history during the 60's.

Conn Igulden

nuff said

Not something I'd generally read, but it was a free Kindle book on my phone, and I really enjoyed it: [i]Dead Line[/i] by Stella Rimmington, ex head of MI6. A very good spy novel, written by someone who's been there and done it. Going to check out her other novels now.

+1 for Neal Stephenson. If you're doing the Baroque Cycle I'd read Cryptonomicon first. A cracking book and sort of a sequel to the baroque books but worth reading before. Anathem is also good but more SF.

Papillon? I thought the book wasn't the equal of the film - I don't think I have ever thought that about a book.

If you like historical novels I'd recommend Peter Ackroyd - Hawksmoor, Dan Leno and the Limehouse Golem.

Also, anything by Sarah Waters - Tipping the Velvet, Fingersmith, The Night Watch, The Little Stranger. These are a bit more of a romp but still diverting and entertaining and plausibly well researched.

CJ Sansom's Winter In Madrid is a decent yarn set in, er winter, in Madrid, during the Spanish Civil War. Alone In Berlin by Hans Fallada is another tale to make you shiver and thank God you never had to live in a totalitarian state. Even more harrowing because it's supposedly based on a true story.

The best novel with a broad historical sweep that I've read is James Ellroy's American Tabloid. The way ties in fiction with bits of the past that you think you know a bit about is just mindblowing.

It's the first part of a trilogy as well, so plenty more where that came from if you get a taste for it. I haven't yet got round to reading the next two.

Maybe more reading and less slack-jawed lurking on Singletrack would be a good idea for a new year resolution, come to think of it. 😕

Also if you get a taste for Neal Stephenson, check out Snow Crash. More sci-fi than historical but very entertaining and tackles lots of big themes and Very Clever Stuff that it makes your head hurt to think about.

Just put down The Road b Cormac McCarthy, finished it in one sitting more or less. riveting

...said the boy, to the man.

I really enjoyed the Viking stories by Bernard Cornwell...

McBoo... Read the Aubrey books 3 times.

The James Elllroy suggestion is a good one, providing you like 4 word sentences... But a real stylist. Great.

Chickenhawk - great novel about Huey pilots in Nam

boltonjon names the book that must be named on all book threads - it's a fantastic read and as you like history it's perfect.

Matterhorn is stunning too.

Will add Riotous Assembly by Tom Sharpe, that and Don't tell Mum I work on the Rigs are the 2 books that have nearly seen me burst something from laughing too hard

Chickenhawk I read (and loved) many moons ago. Matterhorn I have ready to read (a lot of folk recommend) but at 700+ pages I want to enjoy some shorter novels that arent about bombs and bullets.....I've read a lot of military history and novels.

Have actually made a NY resolution - only reading fiction in 2012

dti - Member

Child 44 - set in Stalinist Russia.

This is excellent, his second book "The secret Speech" is also good, his third is on my to read list

[i]I read John Steinbeck's Grapes of Wrath and East of Eden 25 years apart and think both are utterly outstanding. I reckon any author who can seem as brilliant to you at 46 as 21 has to be pretty good.
[/i]

+1 (except 35 and 17 in my case).

Also, Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry. Wonderful, wonderful book.

Harry Sidebottom, Warrior of Rome series is pretty good.

Loads of excellent suggestions so far. I'll add anything by Hermann Hesse. Siddhartha and The Glass Bead Game are two of my favourite books.

Next on my list of books i ought to read is The Razor's Edge by Somerset Maughn (though what i'm actually reading is The Dragon Keeper by Robin Hobb).

I'd also like to read some Waugh. Where's a good place to start?

Second my [i]My Name is Red[/i] by Orhun Pamuk - fantastic book.

Also second McCarthy - [i]Blood Meridian[/i] is stunning, although [i]Suttree[/i], [i]The Orchard Keeper[/i] and [i]The Crossing[/i] are probably my faves.

If you are a fan of 19th century historical [s]faction[/s] fiction, [i]The siege of Krishnapur[/i] by JG Farrell is an excellent read - a bitingly funny, if grim, account of the British in India, by an author whose life was cut tragically short.

I'm currently waiting on a library copy of [i]The Sisters Brothers[/i] by Patrick deWitt - seems to have good reviews.

+1 for Raymond Chandler. Loved them all.

Just read "The Sisters Brothers". A warped western (no really). Very good but also an easy read.

A big fan of Iain Banks in either version - with or without the "M" (latter are sci fi but well written and intelligent, may be worth a go even if you think you "don't like that sort of thing")

And as you are thinking about Rushdie, I thought that both Midnight's Children and Shame were brilliant.

Good luck!

"midnight's children" is brilliant,i was quite surprised. i also enjoyed the siege of krishnapur, it's a good read to with a slight historical leaning.
my next book to read is "the adventures of kavalier and clay" by michael chabon, has been highly, highly recommended to me.

I, Partridge - Alan Partridge. Highbrow stuff.

The remains of the day, excellent and historical

As a "left field" suggestion try The Demon Princes by Jack Vance

For historical reference my fave is still "Musashi" by Eiji Yoshikawa (think I've spelt that right 8O). Romanticised biography of their greatest warrior. One big book though...

For giggles +1 on the Chris Brookmyres.

Not Catcher In The Rye. it's rubbish. I gave it a try. I just didn't get it. "it" being some sort of meaningful work of poetry and thoughtfulness of the age, of being young n rebellious or something. so what. I read it, and it was rubbish. The protagonist was a dickhead. This is The Modern review right here!

Read most of Rushdie's stuff - the new(er) Enchantress of Florence is good too.

Anything by Haruki Murakami - 1Q84 is really good so far; though I've only got through book 1 and most of 2 (of 3); Xmas and my son's arrival stalled that a bit lately.

No more historical novels for you. Seems you've read enough. Try something fun which retains depth; [i]The Ginger Man[/i] by JP Donleavy would be an excellent start - there by the grace of God go I, and all that...

If you really feel the need to read an improving historical novel though, perhaps around the time of the Brontes, but without the patina of wealth, try; [i]A Scots Quair[/i] by Grassic Gibbon. There's little in the way of romance, fun or anything approaching a connection to modern life, but you'll come away from it with a satisfied glow.

just a bookmark really - although i'll recommend conn igludden for some excellent livening up of ghenghis khan/julius ceaser etc.

Vonnegut, especially Slaughterhouse 5

1Q84 is really good so far; though I've only got through book 1 and most of 2 (of 3)

I've not long finished part 3. I thought 1 & 2 were good, but it did seem like HM was occasionally treading water (though everything was still pleasingly weird). But suffice to say, Part 3 is brilliant & perfectly paced - I really enjoyed it.

Halfway through Stephen King's latest novel 11.22.63

Bloody good so far!!

2nd some of Steinbeck - over many years and readings remains nearly as vivid as personal memory.. McCarthy, Melville, Hemmingway. I seem to be in a groove of Americana - enjoy it none the less.. Run it forward to American Psycho!

About halfway through Stieg Larsson's Millennium Series, great reads so far 🙂

A few curve ball classics from yesteryear to blow your mind.....
Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance-Robert Pirsig
Valis-Phillip K Dick
Electric koolaid acid test-Tom Wolfe
On the Road-Jack Kerouac
The Dice Man-Luke Rhineheart
The doors of Perception-Aldous Huxley

To Kill a Mockingbird is a beautiful novel. Also The Kite Runner by Khaled Hosseni.

Kevev's wonderful review of catcher is bang on. Would also work as a review for "on the road".

Thoroughly enjoyed 'The Religion' by Tim Willocks based on the seige of Malta: Historical fiction on the islam v christianity clash at Malta with great characters & action.

Also loved 'Gates of Fire' by Steven Pressfield, based on the Battle of Thermopylae (300).

Both far from high brow but right entertaining & a little bit educational (watching mastermind on TV I got a question right thanks to 'The Religion'!)

If you enjoy Chandler, then you should read Dashiel Hammett, who in my view is the king of that genre, The Maltese Falcon being a good start. Other writers in that genre would be James M Cain and David Goodis.

Raymond Carver was a truly great short story writer.

If you are after historical/political thrillers, Robert Harris is worth reading, especially Pompeii, Imperium and Lustrum.

+1 Conn Igulden

Conquerer series was really enjoyable. Genghis Khan and his clan are some mean ass mo fo's.

James Ellroy:
From the LA Quartet:
The Black Dahlia (just a brilliant, brilliant book)

The Underworld USA trilogy:
American Tabloid (brilliant)
The Cold Six Thousand (very good)
Blood's a Rover (final in the trilogy - just started it)

perhaps not quite in the historical setting but certainly "period" books; Huckelberry Finn - Mark Twain, Kidnapped- RL Stevenson, Kim - Rudyard Kipling.
And totally different have just finished Wheel of Time Trilogy - Robert Jordan.

I enjoyed On The Beach by Nevil Shute recently. A post-apocalyptic story of life following WWIII. Very good, would like to read more stories like that as I also read too few fiction books.

Nick1962 has recommended a classic book

The Diceman is awesome

I bet that you'll start making decisions using a dice before the week is out!!

It got me into all sorts of trouble 8 years back!! 😀

The Diceman is awesome

I forgot about that one. If it doesn't mess with your head, nothing will! Definately one of those 'important' novels.

Anyone mentiones 'Perfume' by Patrick Suskind yet? Don't let the shite film of it put you off. It's a cracking read.

Kevkevs - I agree 'Catcher in the Rye' is nothing special.

I just read and enjoyed Anna Karinina by Leo Tolstoy - brilliant on a kindle, to heavy to hold up for long enough to read it in hard back!

I also have a first edition hard back of 'The Satanic Verses' sitting on my desk waiting for my attention to focus.

Sitrep : Finished The Long Goodbye. Great thing about Philip Marlowe detective novels is you dont have to work too hard, it's just like watching a Bogart movie, lovely.

Half way through Fear and Loathing.....couple of cup cakes.

Next up, Midnight's Children.

not really my usual fayre but I've just really enjoyed 'The Russia House' by John Le Carre (The Spy Who Came In From The Cold etc)

I always say the same to this question: Birds Without Wings, Louis de Brunettes. I never wanted to get to the end.
Also recently read The Human Stain, Philip K Dick. Very good indeed.

+1 for Haruki Marukami as well.

As I and others have previously recommended on this thread - James Ellroy. Do it.

However, if you like Amis and Rushdie, I would suggest a book by their recently departed mate Christopher Hitchens entitled 'Arguably'.

Man booker shortlist is always a good starting place. +1 for 'On the Road'. Just read and LOVED [url= http://www.amazon.com/Sisters-Brothers-Novel-Patrick-deWitt/dp/0062041266 ]The Sisters Brothers by Patrick de Witt[/url]

my next book to read is "the adventures of kavalier and clay" by michael chabon, has been highly, highly recommended to me.

I wholeheartedly agree; a fine read

[i]An Artist of the Floating World[/i] is another excellent title by Kazuo Ishiguro

Early Douglas Coupland is also good fun, although his later work often seems a little like a recycling of his ideas. I really like [i]Microserfs[/i].

i'm also a little taken aback that no-one has mentioned [i]Time Traveller's Wife[/i]. While I admit it doesn't fit the OP's historical request, it's a wonderfully simple idea beautifully executed. One of my all time favourites. Shame about the dire movie they made, but fell free to ignore that, if you can...

noteeth - Member

1Q84 is really good so far; though I've only got through book 1 and most of 2 (of 3)

I've not long finished part 3. I thought 1 & 2 were good, but it did seem like HM was occasionally treading water (though everything was still pleasingly weird). But suffice to say, Part 3 is brilliant & perfectly paced - I really enjoyed it.

Hmmm, I disagree. I finished Parts 1 & 2, thoroughly enjoyed them, read a short book in between and started Book 3.

Nothing happened in the final book. Absolutely nothing. A very disappointing finish to a promising story. It came across as a beautifully written attempt to appease fans of the initial story who wanted more, and that Murakami couldn't work out how to finish the book.

I'd still recommend Murakami though! 😉

IdleJon - are you me? Exactly the same experience, I had to drag myself to the end of book three. And still nothing really happened. I guess it's too deep and meaningful for me.

James Ellroy is good, didn't get on with the writing style in the Cold Six Thousand - to stylised into short sentences. Loved all his stuff up to that.

James Lee Burke is a fave.