Alexander the Great Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Hello everyone, the past two or three years, I've noticed how few really good books I've read. I have no idea why this is and was wondering if any of you could help me. I'm looking for books like: - Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides) - The Collector (John Fowler) - The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky)- Special Topics in Calamity Physics (Marisha Pessl) - The Casual Vacancy (JK Rowling) - White Teeth (Zadie Smith) - Room (Emma Donoghue) - The Historian (Elizabeth Kostova) - Mailman (J. Robert Lennon) - The Journal of Dora Damage (Belinda Starling) - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer) If any of these books remind you of other books in the same style/genre you've enjoyed, please let me know! Also welcome are any books to do with libraries or love for books. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 That is one helluva tough crowd, I can tell you that I've read 6 of them and liked all (and some of them are on my most recommended books list, too!). Wow. I will have to have a think about this... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 Ah! "Also welcome are any books to do with libraries or love for books." Have you read The Shadow of the Wind? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander the Great Posted December 3, 2013 Author Share Posted December 3, 2013 (edited) I realise it's a tough crowd, but I'm not necessarily looking for books better than that (if those exist) - just books in that kind of genre. I think I'm generally so tired of reading mediocre to downright bad books that I really want to find a gem again. I've heard so many good things about "The Shadow of the Wind" - I'll definitely give it a go! Is that part of a trilogy? Edited December 3, 2013 by Alexander the Great Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted December 3, 2013 Share Posted December 3, 2013 (edited) I realise it's a tough crowd, but I'm not necessarily looking for books better than that (if those exist) - just books in that kind of genre. I think I'm generally so tired of reading mediocre to downright bad books that I really want to find a gem again. I see... This is getting very interesting! I mean, it seems like we have a rather similar consensus of what constitutes a great read... I've heard so many good things about "The Shadow of the Wind" - I'll definitely give it a go! Is that part of a trilogy? It is the first book in a trilogy, but when I read the book, there weren't any sequels to it yet. So you can most definitely read it as a stand alone book It's one of my most favorite reads ever! Edited December 3, 2013 by frankie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jocelyne Forget Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 Apart from Three Kings- One Throne that I am delecting myself with, can anyone recommend any good novels ? Frankie ? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted December 31, 2013 Share Posted December 31, 2013 If you enjoyed Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close by Jonathan Safran Foer, then you could try The History of Love by Nicole Krauss. I read these two quite close together and remarked on how they had a similar feel to their writing, and then found out later that they are actually husband and wife which struck me as an odd coincidence! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander the Great Posted January 4, 2014 Author Share Posted January 4, 2014 chesilbeach, I'll definitely put that one on the list. Many thanks for the suggestion I've finally my hands on Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief" and I have to say it's a great way to start 2014! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chesilbeach Posted January 5, 2014 Share Posted January 5, 2014 chesilbeach, I'll definitely put that one on the list. Many thanks for the suggestion I'm pleased to hear that, and I'll be very interested to hear what you think - I hope you enjoy it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Apart from Three Kings- One Throne that I am delecting myself with, can anyone recommend any good novels ? Frankie ? What kind of novels are you looking for? chesilbeach, I'll definitely put that one on the list. Many thanks for the suggestion I've finally my hands on Markus Zusak's "The Book Thief" and I have to say it's a great way to start 2014! That's a great novel A great start for the year indeed! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 6, 2014 Share Posted January 6, 2014 Because I've loved these - Middlesex (Jeffrey Eugenides) - The Collector (John Fowler) - The Perks of Being a Wallflower (Stephen Chbosky) - Room (Emma Donoghue) And really enjoyed these - The Casual Vacancy (JK Rowling) - Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close (Jonathan Safran Foer) And because three of the other novels on your list are on my wishlist, I couldn't help but be drawn to this thread again. I'm now taking the liberty of going through my own personal recommendations list and I will give you the very best of the best -list, which you can mull over and think about, if you like. Irvine Welsh: Trainspotting Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse Five Donna Tartt: The Secret History Jasper Fforde: The Eyre Affair Patrick Süskind: Perfume Carlos Ruiz Zafón: The Shadow of the Wind Sarah Waters: Fingersmith Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Vikas Swarup: Q&A Michel Faber: Under the Skin Garth Stein: The Art of Racing in the Rain Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird Michael Chabon: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay Dai Sijie: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress William Goldman: The Marathon Man Alex Garland: The Beach David Mitchell: Black Swan Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alexander the Great Posted January 8, 2014 Author Share Posted January 8, 2014 And because three of the other novels on your list are on my wishlist, I couldn't help but be drawn to this thread again. I'm now taking the liberty of going through my own personal recommendations list and I will give you the very best of the best -list, which you can mull over and think about, if you like. Irvine Welsh: Trainspotting Charles Dickens: A Tale of Two Cities Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse Five Donna Tartt: The Secret History Jasper Fforde: The Eyre Affair Patrick Süskind: Perfume Carlos Ruiz Zafón: The Shadow of the Wind Sarah Waters: Fingersmith Mark Haddon: The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Vikas Swarup: Q&A Michel Faber: Under the Skin Garth Stein: The Art of Racing in the Rain Harper Lee: To Kill a Mockingbird Michael Chabon: The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay Dai Sijie: Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress William Goldman: The Marathon Man Alex Garland: The Beach David Mitchell: Black Swan Green Thank you so much for this list! I actually own a few of them, and a couple I've read. I own: Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five Donna Tartt - The Secret History Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Shadow of the Wind Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird I've read: Patrick Süskind - Perfume Sarah Waters - Fingersmith (a couple of times, actually) Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird So I hope I'll enjoy reading: Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five Donna Tartt - The Secret History Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Shadow of the Wind Irvine Welsh - Trainspotting Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities Jasper Fforde - The Eyre Affair Vikas Swarup - Q & A Michael Faber - Under the Skin Garth Stein - The Art of Racing in the Rain Michael Chabon - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay Dai Sijie - Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress William Goldman - The Marathon Man Alex Garland - The Beach David Mitchell - Black Swan Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frankie Posted January 27, 2014 Share Posted January 27, 2014 Thank you so much for this list! I actually own a few of them, and a couple I've read. I've read: Patrick Süskind - Perfume Sarah Waters - Fingersmith (a couple of times, actually) Mark Haddon - The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time Harper Lee - To Kill a Mockingbird Did you enjoy these books? Just to get an idea if my suggestions are the kind of thing you're looking for. So I hope I'll enjoy reading: Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five Donna Tartt - The Secret History Carlos Ruiz Zafón - The Shadow of the Wind Irvine Welsh - Trainspotting Charles Dickens - A Tale of Two Cities Jasper Fforde - The Eyre Affair Vikas Swarup - Q & A Michael Faber - Under the Skin Garth Stein - The Art of Racing in the Rain Michael Chabon - The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay Dai Sijie - Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress William Goldman - The Marathon Man Alex Garland - The Beach David Mitchell - Black Swan Green I hope so, too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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