A book that has made you think long after you have finished reading it

I discovered a new author Phaedra Patrick and read The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper. This book had me totally gripped from the very first page. It totally took me on a journey with the person and discovered many interesting places that he explored whilst discovering the Charms. I cannot express how much I enjoyed this book and have since read 3 more by this author of which I have enjoyed.

Not sure how I could forget to list 'The Road'by Cormack McCarthy - pulls you into the relationship between father and son.

"South" by Ernest Shackleton. A detailed account of his Endurance expedition to Antarctica 1914-1917 describing the bravery and endurance of himself and the crew after the Endurance was crushed by ice and the miraculous voyage in an open lifeboat to South Georgia to get help to rescue the rest of his crew off Elephant Island. All this before radio and satnavs were even dreamt of! No one lost their life but on return some of the crew went off to the war that was still raging and perished. His story inspired me to go on an expedition myself to Antarctica via the Falkland Islands and South Georgia, although somewhat more safely and comfortably.

Five chimneys, by Olga Lengyel. Harrowing and heartbreaking..
I read this when I was 17, it has stayed with me ever since.

So pleased to be reminded of so many valued books - thank you all. I would add to this list Virginia Nicholson's 'Singled Out' - How Two Million Women Survived Without Men After The First World War'. (Penguin; History). It was described as 'a vivid and moving portrait of a unique generation of women.' It gripped me; and left me with so much admiration for so many, whose names may be forgotten, but whose lives and influence should not be.

I have just read A Boy and His Dog at the End of the World by C.A.Fletcher.
A fascinating story of how life in this world could become. Cant get it out of my head and will read again soon.

Another lover of A Little Life. I have bought it for others. I was so moved. I also really liked the Jalna series, and was so disappointed in the the TV series. I'm sure I could have made a better job of the screenplay!! ( perhaps I'm flattering myself!)

I really like so many of the books already mentioned. In particular though, memorable for me, are Wild Swans, The Book thief, The Night Circus, Tess of the D’urbervilles and Hamnet ?

Jeanio.I’m the same. Never went anywhere without a book when I was younger. I must get back into reading again. I blame the internet.

- Anything by Thomas Hardy, particularly Tess of the d'Urbervilles.
- Just working my way through Charles Dickens beginning at Christmas with A Christmas Carol, Little Dorritt (such a brilliant description of the Circumlocution Office), and currently The Old Curiosity Shop. The humour makes me laugh out loud - I read chunks aloud to OH - and those things I think have changed so much over time are so very much outweighed by how much things have stayed the same. He is so sympathetic to his characters but has some really frighteningly evil ones too.
- The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns although I did find something eventually positive and powerful about Miriam's fate, such an insight into a country I knew nothing about.
- The Red Tent by Anita Diamant
And Elizabeth is Missing by Emma Healey and Still Alice by Lisa Genova made me so much more aware of the effects of dementia on my relative. Similarly about being a carer - Hugh Marriot's The Selfish Pig's Guide to Caring.

A friend has just told me that BBC sounds have a series called Hardys women which includes Tess if the d’Urbevilles and The Woodlanders.

Many books mentioned I have loved reading. My favourite books as a child were Little Women, Tom Sawyer and A Tale of Two Cities. I don't read much now but must get back into the habit.

kathw12

StephLP if u like Mitch Albom read ‘The First Phone Call from Heaven’ it’s wonderful. The first book I read by him and loved it x

Thanks for the recommendation!

Animal Farm by George Orwell and Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey.
Also a lot of books about people's live like
Lemn Sissay My Name Is Why.

There are many, some mentioned on here already such as the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which I read as a primary school aged child and still love to this day, but the one book which made the biggest impression on me was Sylvia Plath's The Bell Jar. I absolutely loved it - and her poetry too. It just spoke to me. I could relate to so much of it - and of course, her writing is simply beautiful too.

The one that stayed with me and the only book I’ve read twice and I’ve read thousands lol was The Shack by William P Young an amazing book x

StephLP if u like Mitch Albom read ‘The First Phone Call from Heaven’ it’s wonderful. The first book I read by him and loved it x

The girl with seven names. Spellbinding real life story of a girl who defected from North Korea, went back again to get her parents out. Edge of the seat stuff. Real life thriller! Food for thought.

I know why the caged bird sings -Maya Angelou. When I finished it I had to immediately order the sequels. It is her autobiography describing her early years and shows how strength of character can overcome racism

Oofy
I was thinking about Pat Barkers Regeneration Trilogy, if anyone hasn’t read them they are really worth it.

Goodbye to All That and the Pat Barker Trilogy for me. A real insight into a way of life long gone, similar times, different approaches. And I love Eleanor Brent-Dyer children’s series, the Chalet School books, especially the republished ones by Girls Gone By, again insights into a different way of life.

The tattooist of Auschwitz and Cilka’s Journey- true stories highlighting man’s inhumanity to man and the determination of the human spirit against all adversity

Janeainsworth
I love all of those, Saturday night and Sunday Morning is a great book, I’ll have to look out for the film.
I suppose they were the Coronation Street of the book world, I also remember reading Billy Liar at school, which was full of bad language, things were changing, exiting times.

The Beekeeper of Aleppo. Enabled me to ‘walk’ in the shoes of a refugee family from Syria. To survive they had no choice about entering the UK illegally. It really made me question what I felt about asylum seekers and economic migrants.

I posted earlier and forgot to mention the one book that I do always recommend and in particular to those who like a bit of an epic. Cutting for Stone, by Abraham Verghese.
It stays with you ......