Authors you want to shout about

Grandmabatty
The Shipping News is my all time favourite book. I read it about fifteen years ago, and nothing has knocked it off the top spot yet.

I am really enjoying this thread, being reminded of so many brilliant writers, and knowing other people appreciate them as we.

There are so many writers, that I love, and have to keep reading, that I have to make an effort to try something new,

I confess to reading Jean Plaidy during my teenage years, my interest fired up by a nun teaching us history, who uttered a bizarre pronouncement on a specific book by that author, kind of advocating it on the one hand, but with the caveat "it will give you some knowledge of that particular period, but don't read between the pages of whatever and whatever, because even married people don't do that" To us at 15 that sounded irresistible! naturally we all acquired the book if only to access those pages. We concluded she'd got that book mixed up with something else, that maybe she'd been reading covertly "The Tropic of Cancer" or "Lady Chatterly" possibly!!! I guess she knew what she had in mind, but as far as I could see, it wasn't in a Jean Plaidy, I read quite a few after that.

Loved the Frieda Kline series by Nicci French who I believe are a husband and wife team who write together,

I discovered William Boyd last year, would really recommend his Ordinary Thunderstorms to those who enjoy a thriller.

Always intended to read some more Patrick Gale, loved his Notes from an Exhibition.

TerriBull
I bought and read all the Jean Plaidy books on holiday in the Lake District with my family. I was probably about twelve or thirteen, and didn’t want to do anything with them, I just spent two weeks sat on a bench reading

About the same time I really got into Anya Seyton (not sure if that’s spelled correctly) and some books about a house called Jalna but I can’t remember who wrote those.

I think my other teenage reading other than lots of Jean Plaidy books, were umpteen Agatha Christies. I think I read them all. Around mid teens my mum gave me her Gone with the Wind to read, I remember falling in love with that and feeling bereft when I finished it.

I like a John Boyne’s books; ‘The Heart’s Invisible Furies’, and particularly “The House of Special Purpose”. The only ones I couldn’t connect with were ‘The Ladder to the Sky’ which didn’t have a single likeable character in it; and ‘The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas’, which I couldn’t bring myself to finish. My two all time favourite authors are both no longer with us: Mary Renault, whose faultless and impeccably researched novels about Ancient Greece, and Alexander the Great, were mesmerising; and Ariana Franklin, who wrote brilliant historical fiction set in the early Middle Ages. She began writing as Diana Norman (wife of Barry Norman), and died while writing the last of her novels as Ariana Franklin. Her daughter finished it for her and whilst it’s not seamless, it’s was a very worthwhile effort, and a fitting tribute to her mother.

I jut love Dervla Murphy, she is a travel writer, most of the books are about her adventures on a bike. The one I love best is Where The Indus is Young and she travels with her very young daughter and believe me you will find it hard to imagine doing it yourself.

I too read Jean Plaidy in my mid teens. I was really into historical novels then. However I think TerriBull that your nun was a wiley bird and said that on purpose, knowing what the result would be - you all read the book!!

rowyn

Nightsky2
I totally agree that many people will have enjoyed Richard Osman's book, just as many will not have enjoyed some of the books recommended by others. In no way did I suggest that he had not written his book.
I did however, suggest that some celebrities may not have done so.
As for the quality of his writing, I accept that other people may disagree, but stand by my opinion.
And if I have somehow annoyed you by sharing my opinion, then I apologise, but thought that was the whole point of these forums.

I’m not sure why it annoyed me when I read it and even more how or why I reacted to it!. It was a dreadful overreaction on my part and I do apologise.?.

Two more favourites A S Byatt. Everything she’s written is brilliant.
Doris Lessing, loved most, a couple not so good, when I started reading her books with Martha Quest I think, I felt they were different to anything I’d read before.

Someone at work keeps trying to lend me the Richard Osman book, he tells me it’s brilliant and I’ll love it. To be honest, it doesn’t appeal to me, I heard a bit of it on the radio , but if he brings it in I’ll have to read it.

Sara1954 Life is too short, and too full of excellent books to end up being forced to read one you're not interested in. If he insists, take it then give it back saying you gave it a try, just wasn't your thing.

Loving the Jean Plaidy comments - my teens were her, and Catherine Cookson! haha. Followed by a bit of Colleen McCulloch ( sp?) and some Virginia Andrews. Then I got all intellectual, and probably a bit bored!

Nell
Oh yes, I forgot Virginia Andrews, Flowers in the Attic was lovely, but I’m not sure I’d like it now!
My mother had some Catherine Cookson novels which I would read as a last resort, but never particularly enjoyed them.

I'm loving this thread and looking forward to trying some of these suggestions.
For my part I have two to recommend, Alexandra Sokoloff 's Huntress Moon series, a detective series that will keep you on the edge of your seat. The other is one I want to ask other gransnetters, has anyone else ever read Neil White? Again he' s a crime writer but to my mind utterly brilliant. No-one else seems to have ever heard of him.

Nanny27 I haven't heard of him either - off to look him up!

Oh Bruno - be still my heart!

French police - the Jacquot series by Martin O'Brien, grittier than Bruno
Rocco series by Adrian Magson, set in Picardy in the 60s.
Aimee Leduc (private detective) series, set in Paris by Cara Black

Kristin Hannah. Every book is a winner.

I have just finished Hamnet by Maggie O’Farrell which I loved. I was also fascinated by her book I am, I am , I am.
Other books I’ve loved in the past few months include Where the Crawdads Sing, Once Upon a River and The Testaments ( follow up to Handmaid’s Tale. )
Other favourite authors are Sarah Waters ( particularly Fingersmith), Jessie Burton and Victoria Hislop.
Thank you for starting this thread and telling us about Jess Kidd. Have just downloaded The Hoarder to my kindle.... I think it’s going to be another sleepless night ?

Lulu
Another fan of Hamnet, probably my favourite book of last year.
Have you read ‘This must be the Place’ ? By Maggie O’Farrell?
That’s a really lovely story.

I was disappointed in the Testaments, probably because there was so much hype.

Wonderful thread - agree with so many recommendations, so won’t repeat. I’ll make an exception for Olive Kitteridge however, just adored this and subsequent Olive Again. Also all the Fannie Flagg novels.
Make no apologies for having an opinion, the poster who disliked The Thursday Murder Club as much as I did! Totally overhyped. I can’t recommend Kit de Waal highly enough - please check her out. My personal favourite is The Trick to
Time. Audio books sourced for free from the library have been a wonderful addition to my literary thirst.

Hamnet definitely on my "to read list" I remember thinking what a great book "After you'd Gone" was and have read pretty much most of Maggie O'Farrell's books since discovering her. "The Disappearance of Esme Lennox" was also one of my favourites of hers

A S Byatt's "Possession" was a marvellous book that stayed with me long after I'd read it, as did Colleen McCullough's "The Thorn Birds" Sometimes I forget what I've read, and this thread has reminded of some of the best.

TerriBull
When I started reading Possession, I didn’t think I was going to be able to get into it, I was tempted to abandon it. But I persevered, and it is now one of my top ten ever books.
I also love The Virgin in the Garden series, such a joy to read.

Disco Gran. Thank you. I’ve just downloaded it for free to my kindle. Looking forward to reading it now. I loved Pay it Forward - both the book and the film.

Sarah that's exactly how I felt, until 100 pages in or so, I found it hard work, and there was a hell of a lot of verse from what I remember. I'm glad I persevered I recall, although it was a long time ago, being very moved by it at the end and shedding a few tears. I confess I haven't read any of her others, that was very high profile at the time, think it won The Booker Prize. I do have The Children's Book on my shelves which I intend to get round to sometime.