Some good books I'd like to recommend

Thanks bookaddict I love reading too. In fact by the looks of things Gransnet is made up of bookworms. Good to have recommendations of things that are't necessarily promoted heavily in the bookshops though. Think so many excellent reads are missed that way. I quite like an author called Susanna Kearsley. She does really good historical time-slip books. Will check out your recommendations.

I enjoy a good read too but couldn't find 'Brother to the Ox' or 'Lifting the Latch' at my local library - think they were written some time ago. I have however managed to read 'The Belle Fields' by Lora Adams, I got it on the internet through Amazon.co.uk as an ebook (my grandchildren keep me up to date, just) but it is available as a paperback too if you prefer to hold a book in your hands. I love reading historical romances and this story was very addictive, couldn't put it down once I got into it. There were so many unexpected twists and turns and things never seemed to turn out the way I would have expected. A thoroughly good read, hope there's a sequel, this surely can't be the end!
Will be looking for some of the other books mentioned above ready for my hols.

I would recommend
Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd
The Children's Act by Ian McEwan
The Miniaturist by Jessie Burton

Leticia I downloaded The Children's Act a couple of days ago after my brother recommended it - we both like Ian McEwan's writing. It's next on my list to read.

My recommendations from recent reads (I'll list them as links):

In Falling Snow by Mary Rose MacColl A beautiful and moving novel - an elderly widow looks back on her past as a nurse in war-torn France during The Great War.
An Officer and A Spy by Robert Harris A novel following the famous Dreyfus affair, one of the most notorious scandals in French military history.
The Memory of Midnight by Pamela Hartshorne A time-slip novel. An edge of your seat thriller.
The Fault in our Stars by John Green Aimed at the teen/young adult market, but taken up by many older readers.
A Dog's Purpose by W Bruce Cameron I cannot recommend this enough - written from the dog's perspective, taking you through his several incarnations. Sounds daft, but seriously, read it!
Anything by Amanda Prowse
Anything by Diana Chamberlain

Hello book addict welcome to the forum.Lifting The Latch by Sheila Stewart was written in the 80's, libraries where I live may carry it still but not many others.I Live near Eynsham in Oxfordshire, where Monty the shepherd lived.It's an interesting book, although many people think that Monty embroidered a lot of his stories.Sheila came and gave a talk about her book to my W.I. In about 1990.

I must look up all the other books mentioned by everyone.

Tanks bookaddict you have started a really good post. I am an avid reader and was told by the midwife in the labour ward that 'we were here to have a baby not to read books!' But I still read on until the contractions got really going, then I continued reading.

I'm reading and old book about the Mitford sisters, by Jessica Mitford it was recommended by a friend and I thought it polite to have look at it and its quite a good read.
My all time favorites are Margaret Drabble, Margaret Forster and David Lodge, all three as old as I am and I've followed them from the time when we were all in our thirties. I have all their books and have read them all more than twice.

I love anything by Margaret Forster.

I like anything by Anne Tyler - her latest is on my list.

I've just read Victiria Hislop's the Island and an about to start The Tread. Both set in Greece. A good read, especially if you are heading that way, over the summer! x

Victoria, of course! x

bookaddict thanks for that, I will look out for 'Lifting the Latch' - my ancestors were Oxfordshire shepherds (I wonder if it was one of them although I don't remember any of them being called Old Mont!)

It's not available on Kindle unfortunately, but I may try to order the paperback.

I am reading Still Alice by Lisa Genova, it is about a professor who develops early onset Alzheimer's. An interesting read.

Leticia Anne Tyler is my favourite author. I've got her latest book "A Spool of Blue Thread" and I enjoyed the first part of it. But now it's gone back some years and I'm losing track of who the characters are. I just can't seem to get on with it. Anne Tyler said, I think, that this will be her last book. Her earlier books are my favourites: Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant, Saint Maybe and The Accidental Tourist.

I finished "Us" by David Nicholls the other week. I really enjoyed it - funny, sad and touching - and I loved the main character. Dave Nicholls has written an article in the Guardian Review today saying that he used Google Street View to research the places in his books that he's never visited.

If you enjoy detective stories with a dose of the supernatural, I recommend Phil Rickman's Merrily Watkins series - you need to read them in succession, starting with The Wine of Angels.

Anne Tyler is a great author, my favourite is ' The Ladder of Years'.

It was so believable, I'm sure many women feel as the main character did. x

I am enjoying Penelope Lively's 'The Photograph' and also recommend 'How it All Began' which went down well with our book group. Another author we enjoy is Jojo Moyes. 'Me Before You' has a great balance of humour and a serious theme.

Wow, what a lot of great recommendations, must get on with trying to hold of some, thanks for starting a great chat line bookaddict

Some very interesting suggestions - thanks everyone - will be having a good look into a lot of them! In Lifting the Latch. Old Mont was brought up around North Enstone in Oxfordshire from memory and his full name was Montague Abbott - he lived 'til a ripe old age - what a character!

I think The Belle Fields is set in South Yorkshire with the dialect of some of the characters in the book - there are loads of 'Big Houses' in that part of the woods too - anyone who's enjoyed Downton Abbey will enjoy this one - there's obviously been a lot of research done in the relationships between the rich and the poor around 1900 and the descriptions of celebrating main events of the year and customs etc are good reading. The twists and turns for the main character and the unexpected ending make it a real 'page-turner' - I couldn't put it down!

Fred Kitchen worked around North Nottinghamshire / South Yorkshire and latterly Sheffield as a farm labourer, milkman etc. The descriptions of his carefree early childhood and through necessity too early start in work are very well written of course by himself. Just think much less than 100 years ago and we sometimes say things have changed for the worse?
Good reading everyone.

Wow, really some amazing recommendations and good to see my favorite author Ann Taylor in it. I really love her books.

Glad Christiana managed to get hold of The Belle Fields, I got mine from Amazon too in e-book format and it is available as an actual book - I think it cost me a couple of pounds. I've recommended it to many of my friends who have also enjoyed it. It was surprising how many of the customs celebrating the main events of the year were enjoyed by me when young (Maypole dancing etc) although it is set in the very early 1900s. It's good to know a lot of these celebrations were enjoyed into the 1950's and beyond! It also looks like the twists and turns in the story line and unexpected end also intrigued Christiana as much as me! I do hope there's a sequel - I really want the character William to get his due comeuppance and how will Emily and Sarah fair??? If others get to read it, it's sad, funny, twisting and turning and the events were all too common just a couple of generations ago!

I'm reading 'The Truth about the Harry Quebert Affair' by Joël Dicker. It's a Richard and Judy Summer Book Club choice (not that this is why I bought it), and it's brilliant.

It's the story of a struggling author who falls in love with a 15 year old girl, set in 1975. She disappears and 33 years later her body is dug up in his yard, along with a copy of his book that made him famous.

I thoroughly recommend it, it's a gripping story.

I will highly recommend The Pillars of the Earth and World Without End by Ken Follett. The first is set in the 1100's and the second two centuries later. I did not think they were my kind of book at all but was encouraged to read them by DD. Both are hefty volumes (1200 pages) but don't let that put you off - you will not want to put them down and it will seem more like 200 pages. I think they are probably the best books I have ever read.