[Has anyone read...?]

Has anyone read Slammerkin by Emma Donoghue? I'm trying to get into it, but I'm finding it so similar in concept to The Crimson Petal and the White that it's making it difficult since that was only two books ago from me. That was such a long read and something I loved so much that I invested myself in it anytime I had a free moment, so Slammerkin is feeling like an extension of that and it's mentally exhausting going back to that place so soon. Anyone read it and can either confirm or deny my concerns of similarity between the two books?

 

Yes, I've read it and I loved it. It has a similar theme to Crimson Petal but is very different and is written in a very different way to that. Also, it's not as long or labourious as The Crimson Petal. Go for it, I say! You'll be rewarded. It's a gem. After reading it, I bought Emma Donoghue's Life Mask and didn't like it at all. I will read Slammerkin again though.

 

Has anyone read The Novel in the Viola by Natasha Solomons? I've just given up with Gillespie and I as I really can't engage with it and I'm after a book to really grab me. Is this the one? I was spoilt with The Unseen by Katherine Webb and The Distant Hours by Kate Morton recently and nothing is matching up to those.

[The Help by Kathryn Stockett]

A film sounds great! I loved the book. Loved it!

[I need quick and simple stir-fry recipes!]

My favourite is a supermarket stir fry veg pack (they do lots of different ones, a pack of noodles, fried up until warm then I mix 2 tablespoons of sweet chilli sauce and 2 tablespoons of soy sauce and add to the mix. It is delicious!

[1st book for someone who's never read Agatha Christie?]

I'm a huge Agatha Christie fan! I was going to recommend And Then There Were None too. Another one I would recommend as a good first Christie is 4.50 from Paddington, which is a Marple novel.

 

I can't wait to here what you think of them.

[I need some recommendations, please]

You already read "The House at Riverton," right?

You MIGHT like Ken Follett's "A Dangerous Fortune."

 

Thank you bethany725. I will look for that book.

[Burning Bright by Tracy Chevalier]

I love Tracy Chevalier. This was the first of her books that I read and I loved it. So much so that, as soon as I'd finished it, I went out and bought all of her other books and read them back to back. The only one I haven't read is The Girl & the Unicorn but I have it in my 'to read' pile.

 

I really liked Burning Bright and that and Falling Angels are my favourites. Funnily enough, The Girl with the Pearl Earring was my least favourite and I thought I'd love that.

[The Crimson Petal and the White by Michel Faber]

I absolutely loved this book too. I couldn't wait to read The Apple when it was published but was disappointed with that.

[Favorite book of the year so far?]

My favourite book of the year so far by a long way is The Unseen by Katherine Webb.

[I need some recommendations, please]

Thank you for that, chesilbeach. I've already read The Island and Labyrinth. I've already got The Postmistress in my 'to read' books and I will buy the other two books.

 

Thanks again.

[I need some recommendations, please]

Hi everyone. I'm new here and am hoping that someone can help me out and recommend some reads as I'm going through a dry spell.

 

My favourite books are Kate Morton's The Forgotten Garden and The Distant Hours; Katherine Webb's The Unseen and Diane Setterfield's The Thirteenth Tale. Based on those likes, can anyone recommend me a good read?

 

Many thanks for your help.

 

xx

[Kate Morton fans, who to try next?]

Hi, I love Kate Morton too. Have you read her most recent novel, The Distant Hours? It is probably my favourite of the three she has written.

 

I see that you've already read The Thirteenth Tale, which would have been one of my recommendations. As a KM fan, others that I'd recommend are The Unseen by Katherine Webb (I've just finished this and I LOVED it), The Observations by Jane Harris and Hothouse Flower by Lucinda Riley.