Can I recommend....

Can I recommend Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey. It is told from the perspective of an elderly woman with dementia. Not as depressing as it sounds (so far) but scarily credible.

Not yet, Soutra. My mother in law has been diagnosed recently.

The Shack by Wm Paul Young - has been called the modern day Pilgrims Progress, I am currently reading it for the 3rd time!

Isn't it funny how we have such different tastes? I started 'the Shack' after reading some positive reviews and just skipped great chunks of it just so I could see how it ended. It just I'd not ring true with me.

Please don't be put off by my comments because I gave up on 'Wolf Hall' which won The Booker Prize.

I can recommend the books by Elly Griffiths, but do read them in the correct order. I think the first one was called 'The crossing places'.

Glad to hear that I am not the only one who didn't get on with Wolf Hall. I also really like the books by Elly Griffiths, but haven't read the latest one yet.

I think you will enjoy it Marsh. Elly is writing a brand new series I hope it is as good as her last.

My son's parents- in- law gave me Wolf Hall for Xmas I dread them giving me 'Bring up the bodies' this Xmas .

I love Elly Griffiths' books. Coming from Norfolk, they take me back.
Can I recommend Longbourn by Jo Baker? A behind the scenes take on Pride and Prejudice. Clever and enthralling.

Thanks Treebee I will check out your recommendation.

Hmmm - interesting thread.

Having taken up a lot more time reading in recent months, I revisited some of the classics, amongst the non-fiction categories I found "The Ragged Trousered Philanthropist", "Animal Farm" and "1984" a great read - but scarily real today.

On a similar tack, contemporary books such as "Bad Science" and "Bad Pharma" from Ben Goldacre, and "The Spirit Level" would be a good selection. Equally interesting and scary, and annoying, and sad, and make you angry too.

Sounds odd I know, but I found the "Wallander" series from Henning Mankel a great relaxing read, along with Stieg Larsson's work.

Worst books - for me - I've tackled this year were "The Grapes of Wrath", and a Jo Nesbo novel - both struggled to get going, but the Steinbeck book just seemed to be overly descriptive and a bit long winded.

~Can I jump on the bandwagon and recommend The LEWIS TRILOLGY - Peter May, a wonderful and intriguing trio of books based in the Western Isles. The Black House, The Lewis Man and The Chess Men. It is due to be made into 3 x 2 hour dramas by BBC. Cannot wait.

- And when you have finished those, there are the Shetland quartet by Ann Cleeves (which seem to be on at least number six now)

I echo the recommendation of The Lewis Trilogy, all three are great reads. May I recommend Never Say Goodbye, by Susan Lewis. It`s sort of sad/happy, a good mix of the two, showing the effect of cancer not only on the one diagnosed, but on their families as well. Brilliant read, had me in tears a couple of times.

Thanks Elegran will look out for those too. I particularly love the Lewis books as I have a passion for the Western Isles.

Can I recommend, Suzanna Forrest's book If Wishes Were Horses.
(I will 'fess up and admit I know her)
It's vaguely, loosely, an autobiography of her life just outside Norwich in Norfolk and now in Germany, but meanders off into the way horses liberated women through the ages and how they can empower now. Other snippets, all horsey, some decidedly weird, get thrown in along the way. An entertaining ramble.

I found Wolf Hall difficult to get into, but then couldn't put it down, loved Bringing Up The Bodies too and really hope there's a third soon.

I haven't read - or heard of Elly Griffiths but she sounds my cup of tea, specially with the Norfolk connection. Off to the library tomorrow.

Do read Elly G's books in order as the story develops book by book NfkDumpling. Enjoy -I loved them all.

I'm sure that you will enjoy Elly Griffiths novels nfk dumpling ! what with you being a good ole norfik gal! Try and read them in order! Just finished 'a room full of bones' and sure that you would enjoy the equine connections!! Just about to start The Gold Finch by Donna Tartt, very mixed reviews, but will see how it goes

Stop, stop!! I haven't got time for all this wonderful stuff!!

May I recommend The President's Hat by Antoine Laurain. A charming easy read rather like short stories but linked. Ideal for Eurostar to Paris.

The Goldfinch, brilliant, in my humble opinion, although it has divided opinion and I would also recommend my current book, Longbourn, life below stairs in the Bennet (Pride and Prejudice) household.

can I second the Wallender books by henning Mankell - a bit grim as Swedish crime books often are but very well written. Also on a Swedish note - Camilla Lackberg - should be read in sequence (she has just had a new one out this year) as the characters appear and develop in all her books
finally (I have read all these really ) the Louise Penny (Inspector Gamache) books which are set in Quebec.
would also recommend Elly Griffiths

BTW - there is a new Ann Cleeves book out (still in the Shetland series) this year
not yet in my library

NanKate don't avoid Bring Up The Bodies if you are given it. I happened to read it before Wolf Hall and LOVED it, but still found Wolf Hall quite hard going when I got to it.
If you like John Le Carré's style, A Delicate Truth is superb.

I would recommend The Last Train To Scarborough and also Death On A Branch Line by Andrew Martin. The 'hero' [not that he is heroic] works as a railway detective from York Station and is set just before the first world war.The Scarborough book is the best though,and would be brilliant holiday reading [perhaps not in Scarborough though, if you are staying in a run down guest house!]

During my recent holiday I read Donna Tartt's The Goldfinch and I loved every page of it. It's a wonderful story and I couldn't put it down. Conversely I also read the Booker-winning The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton, set in the time of the New Zealand gold rush. I recognised many of the settings, but otherwise found the story far too convoluted to be enjoyable. The ending was unconvincing.