You really must read this book!!!

[[deleted user]]

I thought it might be nice to start a thread where we recommend those 5+* books we've come across - and perhaps when someone reads one of them as a result, they could say what they thought of it?

[[deleted user]]

My first 3 recommendations are:

The Raw Shark Texts I've never read any thing quite like this book - and everyone I've recommended it to (so far) has really loved it. (And it features a cat named Ian.)

We Have Always Lived in the Castle- a beautifully disturbing, poetic and dark fairy story featuring poisonings, angry mobs and a unique heroine (sort of)

When to Walk - You'll either love or hate this book. It's a rambling stream of thoughts and anecdotes narrated by a lovably eccentric character in the middle of a crisis caused by the sudden departure of her boyfriend. Stick with it for at least 3 chapters - you have to get used to her.

[Hilary]

My TBR list is getting longer and longer. I'll have to think about my offerings!

[Shirley]

Interesting that you should choose The Raw Shark Texts, I found this a very odd book, but in a good way because it stretches your reading to the very limit!

[[deleted user]]

Shirley wrote: "Interesting that you should choose The Raw Shark Texts, I found this a very odd book, but in a good way because it stretches your reading to the very limit!"

It really makes you think doesn't it - and some of the concepts in it really delight me.

[[deleted user]]

The next instalment:

Behind the Scenes at the Museum I've read this book so many times - a very black comedy - following 4 generations of a tragedy prone family.
I may have made it sound a bit depressing but it's not at all.

Mist Over Pendle My Dad lent me this book when I was 16 - I loved it then and I love it now.
Its a retelling of the events running up to the Pendle Witch Trials, it's genuinely thrilling and creepy with lots of local and historical colour and a endearing heroine and two charming heros

The Uninvited Guests judging from the reviews - this is a marmite book. It's a bit like An Inspector Calls - but funnier, more touching and much more supernatural.

[Laurel]

These look good - Behind the scenes at the museum has been on my tbr for a while and the Pendle Witches book looks right up my street!

[Shirley]

Lee wrote: "My first 3 recommendations are:

The Raw Shark Texts I've never read any thing quite like this book - and everyone I've recommended it to (so far) has really loved it. (And it features a cat named ..."

I've just ordered
We Have Always Lived in the Castle from the library, so hope to read this fairly soon!

[Laurel]

It's great Shirley! Hope you enjoy it

[Shirley]

Laurel wrote: "It's great Shirley! Hope you enjoy it"

Thanks, I'm hoping it will be in before Halloween!

[Hilary]

We all seem to like spooky things!

Can I suggest The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks. Brilliant non fiction book about the calls which formed the basis of all the genetic and DNA research that's been done. Sounds dry but is fascinating, I couldn't stop reading and have recommended it to everyone.

[Hilary]

Obviously calls should read cells, how can I switch off this damned autocomplete function which keeps changing my words!

[Laurel]

Hilary wrote: "We all seem to like spooky things!



We should have a spooky side read for Hallowe'en in October!

[[deleted user]]

@ Hilary - sounds really good - I think it's already on my must get this sometime list - might have to move it to my TBR mountain

[[deleted user]]

@ Laurel - sounds good - what do we think - all suggest a couple and then vote or each choose their own?

[Laurel]

We could vote - then we would all be discussing the same thing - a lot of the classic gothic horror novels are fairly short anyway or we could do some spooky short stories??

[Jo]

American Hods by Neil Gaiman is a book that people have to read it is awesome :)

Winter in Madrid by C. J. Sansom is really good.

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova

Anything by Carlos Ruiz Zafon you can never go wrong with in my opinion :)

[[deleted user]]

The Historian is the one that you recommended to me isn't it? I did acquire a copy but setting up a book club seemed to take up rather more time than I was expecting! I'm trying to reduce my TBR pile so I shall promote The Historian to the top of the list.

I'm sure that I have Winter in Madrid on my kindle also.

[Laurel]

I absolutely loved The Historian - hope you enjoy it Lee.

In fact the only one of Jo's recommendations I haven't read is Winter in Madrid so will have to check that one out!

[Hilary]

I loved The Historian too and also Shadow of the Wind by Zafron but the second one I read, The Angels Game, I couldn't really get engrossed in although I did finish it. But just to show that everyone's different, I didn't like Winter in Madrid at all although I love his Shardlake books.

[[deleted user]]

@ Hilary - the Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - £2.99 on kindle - couldn't resist

[Jo]

@Lee Yeah I think I did recommend it to you, I recommend it to everyone lol I adore that book.

I really enjoyed her second novel called The Swan Thief but it has nothing on The Historian :)

@Hilary I love his Shardlake series too :)

[[deleted user]]

Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood is a totally mesmerising book. This fictional retelling of the life of a Victorian murderess is passionate, mysterious and very gothic.

Just listen to this -"I watch the peonies out of the corners of my eyes. I know they shouldn't be here: it's April, and peonies don't bloom in April. There are three more now, right in front of me, growing out of the path itself. Furtively I reach out my hand to touch one. It has a dry feel, and I realize it's made of cloth.
Then up ahead I see Nancy, on her knees, with her hair fallen over and the blood running down her eyes. Around her neck is a white cotton kerchief printed with blue flowers, love -in-a-mist, it's mine. She's lifting up her face, she's holding out her hands to me for mercy; in her ears are the little gold ear-rings I used to envy- but I no longer begrudge them, Nancy can keep them, because this time it will be different, this time I will run to help, I will lift her up and wipe away the blood with my skirt, I will tear a bandage from my petticoat and none of it will have happened"

There - you have to read it now don't you?

[Hilary]

I think Alias Grace and the Handmaid's Tale are her best books. Others I've read haven't stayed with me in the same way.

[Laurel]

I haven't read that one although I have read some of her others - it's one I definitely want to read though, especially now!

[[deleted user]]

Alias Grace was the first Atwood book I read - and though I've enjoyed others by her I've never come across one that has taken hold of me so completely.

[Joy]

I read The Raw Shark Texts while away last week. I thought I was going to love it; it started in such an intriguing way (view spoiler)[ I was wondering if it was some sort of government conspiracy, if the doctor wasn't to be trusted, if Clio might not be really dead, even that it might be all happening inside a computer. (hide spoiler)] I was quite happy when it seemed to change from psychological thriller to magical realism as I like that genre. However I then felt it lost its way, became repetitive and I was on the verge of giving up when (view spoiler)[ I got to the shark shapes (hide spoiler)] . I decided to keep going but must admit I skipped through the last part. I was so disappointed with the ending - (view spoiler)[ it turned out to be simply a nervous breakdown in essence didn't it? Or did I miss something crucial? (hide spoiler)]
Sorry Lee - I know this is one you love!

[[deleted user]]

Hi Joy - hope you enjoyed your hols. Sorry you didn't enjoy the Raw Shark Texts :o( . My ideas of what happens at the end are rather fuzzy but (view spoiler)[ I think that he somehow does breakthrough into the world of pure thought/memories where Clio still exists- I think that, at the point that the picture of his house was beginning to come to life, he could have chosen to go back to the real world and , no longer pursued by the word shark, could have lived a normal life, but he chose instead to exist in thought and so let his real body die - sorry if this doesn't make much sense - it just feels right to me (hide spoiler)]