All Time Favourite Reads

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

My most favourite books are:
- Notes on a Scandal by Zoe Heller
- Flowers in the Attic by Virginia Andrews
- Taming of the Beast by Emily Maguire

What books would you recommend to other people?

[Sam]

Having recently finished it I would definitely recommend Life of Pi, it was an incredible book and one I can certaintly see me reading again.

I would also suggest Schindler's List and Survival in Auschwitz if you want to learn about the real cost of the Holocaust (again I've read these fairly recently too).

Other than that I would suggest just diving in to any book you can get your hands on as you can never tell how good it's going to be until you open the cover and read it :-)

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel]

My all time favourites are The Stand by Stephen King, Lady Chatterley's Lover by DH Lawrence and Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

I have that I've never read any of them books! Feel free to add them to the group's favourites bookshelf if you want

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

Very hard to choose! I loved Life of Pi too. A Prayer for Owen Meany and Cider House Rules by John Irving. Music and Silence by Rose Tremain, Oscar & Lucinda by Peter Carey and The Blind Assasin by Margaret Atwood. Atonement & Enduring Love by Ian McEwan. All books I never wanted to end...

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

I haven't read any of them either, I do have Life of Pi on my bookshelf waiting to be read though!

[Tash]

All time favourite? The Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher, Atonemnet by Ian McEwan and The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks.

[Harriet]

Favourites would have to be...
Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen (excuse the cliché)
Little Women - Louisa May Alcott
Amsterdam - Ian McEwan
The Host - Stephenie Meyer
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte
The Other Boleyn Girl - Philippa Gregroy
A bit of a range there...!

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

I've been wanting to read Little Women ever since it was on Friends!

[Harriet]

Zoe wrote: "I've been wanting to read Little Women ever since it was on Friends!"

Yes! When Joey muddles up the characters' genders! I love friends :)
It's a really good book, as is the 1st sequel, 'Good Wives'. The film version (with Susan Sarandon, Winona Ryder etc) is also amazing, but is actually both the books in one film. Definitely worth a read (and a watch). Haven't read any of the other sequels as they're pretty impossible to track down in the UK.

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

I'll have to keep an eye out for it in the library! I didn't realise there were sequels to it.

[Harriet]

Yeh, I think it's "Jo's Boys" and then something else. I really want to read them as well!

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

Yeah, Jo's Boys and Little Men are the last two, I read them when I was about 13 and loved them, but the first two are definitely the best. Jo becomes far too serious when she becomes a mum!
I like Ian McEwan too - Amsterdam is surprisingly funny...
And Jane Eyre is fab, really lives up to the 'classic' label. One of the few books we were given at school that I really enjoyed (that and Lord of the Flies, oh and Far from the Madding Crowd...)

[Harriet]

Liz wrote: "Yeah, Jo's Boys and Little Men are the last two, I read them when I was about 13 and loved them, but the first two are definitely the best. Jo becomes far too serious w..."

Little Men, that's it! I thought the last 2 must have not been as good considering they're so hard to get hold of. Will definitely keep an eye out for them though.
Ian McEwan is amazing :) But I have to say that because he's an alumnus of my uni...
One of my modules at uni this term has Jane Eyre as a set text, so am looking forward to re-reading it in the next few weeks! Have you read Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier?

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

Rebecca is great, so terribly, terribly British! A real period piece. Very melodramatic and full of repressed sensuality....

[ModernAlexandrian]

As I primarily read childrens books, my favourites are somewhat in that vein -
The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
The Magicians' Trilogy - Trudi Canavan
The Mortal Instruments - Cassandra Clare
Wicked Lovely - Melissa Marr
oh and anything by Graham Joyce is amazing :)

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

Do you like Enid Blyton books?

[ModernAlexandrian]

I really liked The Faraway Tree series when I was younger! Haven't read many others though :)

[Harriet]

Liz wrote: "Rebecca is great, so terribly, terribly British! A real period piece. Very melodramatic and full of repressed sensuality...."

Yeh, I liked Rebecca, but as I read it in the shadow of Jane Eyre (we read them both at school one after the other), I've never thought of it as good, but just very similar. Might have to read it again soon and put Jane Eyre to the back of my mind whilst doing so!

[Nick 2E0NAQ]

My favorite book I think is My Left Foot by Christy Brown . How every I have read tones of other books but My left foot is at the top of my list for favorites books. Because I can relete to a lot of things in the story and I recamend it to anyone to read and the film is as good as the book.

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

What's it about? There's no information about it on Goodreads!

[Nick 2E0NAQ]

Ohh sorry Zoe. My left foot is about a boy cald christy Brown who was born with Cerebral Palsy and growing up in Ireland. I think he died in the 1980s

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

Ooh sounds like a book I might be interested in, I'll have to have a look out for it :)

[Nick 2E0NAQ]

Zoe wrote: "Ooh sounds like a book I might be interested in, I'll have to have a look out for it :)"

yes Zoe it is a good book and you should try and see the film too. After my friends and family watch the film they all said that it could of been a film about me. I then decided that I would try to write a book of all the things that I have over come with my disability. I have written 41,000 words so far, an friend how is an author told me that publishers like the minimum of 70,000 word so I have a little way to go.

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

Oooh cool! Keep us updated and let us know when it's published! I'd be interested in having a read! :)

[Nick 2E0NAQ]

ok yes I will and if it will be prosible I'l sign you a copy to ok LOL

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

That'd be great! :D

[Nick 2E0NAQ]

;)

[Dani]

I think I would have to put my all time favourite book as Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes. When I read it a few years ago, it was so different from everything else I'd read and it really captured my imagination. I really felt for the characters and felt that I knew the main character, Charlie, as a close and personal friend by the end of the novel.

My other favourite books are The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver and The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold. Oh, and all the Sookie Stackhouse (true blood) novels as well, of course!

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

Louise wrote: " I change my mind all the time! Enid Blyton's The Magic Faraway Tree series..."

I LOVED Enid Blyton when I was younger! She definitely helped to make me like reading!

Life of Pi is on my bookshelf waiting to be read :)


And Dani, I've read The Lovely Bones and thought it was a good book but think I was a little too young to appreciate it completely. Have you read Lucky? Also by her!

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

Is anyone intending to go and see The Lovely Bones film?

[Suzanne]

Hi all, i read the lovely bones and recently saw the film.. they did a pretty good job of it i think, a lot less 'dark' than the book i'd say, I enjoyed both though! :)

[Liz, Your Friendly Moderator]

I've read The Lovely Bones, I thought it was great, although rather sad. You know I just can't remember how it ends. The film might remind me! I bet there's a load of 'voice-over' in the film - as it's all from the point of view of the deceased....

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

Yeah, it would be interesting to see how they did it in the film..

[Dani]

Zoe wrote: "Louise wrote: " I change my mind all the time! Enid Blyton's The Magic Faraway Tree series..."

I LOVED Enid Blyton when I was younger! She definitely helped to make me like reading! ..."

I haven't read Lucky, no, but I have The Almost Moon on my bookcase to read :)
Perhaps you should try reading The Lovely Bones again? I think it's one of the most beautiful and poetic modern books.

[Sean]

I've got The Lovely Bones on my buy list. I've such a stack to-read though! I used to absolutely love Enid Blyton when I was younger. Definately one of the main reasons I read so much.

Best book ever though? The Godfather. Hands down.

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

Yeah, I might try Lovely Bones again sometime!

[Lynne - The Book Squirrel]

I have just got cineworlds unlimited card for £13.50 a month I can go and see any film in a cineworld anytime and as many in a month as I like! (except London). Well worth it as its over £7 per film!

I have a list of films to go and see including Lovely Bones.

[Sam]

Lynne wrote: "I have just got cineworlds unlimited card for £13.50 a month I can go and see any film in a cineworld anytime and as many in a month as I like! (except London). Well worth it as its over £7 per fi..."

I've got one of those too and I love it. I end going to see films I wouldn't usually so I get my money's worth and sometimes they turn out to be quite good (admittedly sometimes I wish I hadn't bothered but there you go)

[Drew]

hi guys
I thought the lovely bones was a great book. Have any of you read her autobiography "Lucky" its really good.

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

I've read Lucky, I think I preferred it to the Lovely Bones, but it was a while ago since I read them both.

[grebrim]

Proust - In Search of Lost Time
Mann - The Magic Mountain
Saint-Exupéry- Night Flight
Hugo - The Hunchback of Notre Dame

This year, my plan is to finally read some British and American classics, so the list my look different, soon.

[Drew]

so what genres are you all really into? i like all genres personally but i do tend sto go more towards action/thriller and comedy/sci-fi. Particular favourites are stephen king,dean koontz, christopher moore and terry pratchett. Any recomendations?

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

I've read two of Dean Koontz's books - Velocity and Life Expectancy. I think I preferred the latter though.
When I want a light read I tend to go for chick flicks as they're easy to read and relaxing, but I do like books by authors such as Torey Hayden, who writes about the lives of children with psychological problems.

[Em]

Drew wrote: "hi guys
I thought the lovely bones was a great book. Have any of you read her autobiography "Lucky" its really good.
"

I've read both books too, although I did enjoy The Lovely Bones - I thought it was original and was totally absorbed by it for the most part but then it got to a point near the end and for some reason it lost me just a bit. I preferred Lucky, although a difficult subject to read about, I thought it was a better book. Having said that I still plan on seeing the Peter Jackson film of Lovely Bones!

[Drew]

I think like a few of the others i'll wait for the DVD to see it. In regards to torey hayden, although i have read a few of her books i find her a bit too heavy. I know what you mean about the chick lit though my wife to be leaves out a few of hers. Sophie kinsella is quite good but latey its stephanie meyers. (oh the shame lol) Although The Host was actually quite good when i got into it.

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

Hehe, I've only read Twilight by her and thought that it was a little 'teenagery', never got round to reading Sophie Kinsella yet but am intending to! I liked Melissa Nathan and Sheila O'Flanagan, but you can tell that all their books are written by them and sometimes it's like you're reading the same book but just with different people.

[Drew]

i know what you mean. Meyers writing style is definately targeted to teens. Ive not read either of the other 2 authors you mentioned but my good lady has read sheila o'flanagan. So have you always been a reader or is it something you got into later in life?
(btw my fiance or fiancee i always get them confused said that if you like chick lit then Lisa Jewell is good)

[Zoe, UK Book Club Founder]

I always liked reading when I was younger, but there were a few years where I didn't read much before getting into it again. Last year I did't have much time to read either (first year at uni - lots of going out and drinking!) but this year I've made more of an effort :)

[Drew]

lol well thats what uni is for. so what did you study?