Looking for a book to read ........

Have you read any William Boyd? He writes well, tales with a good plot and characterisation.

The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard is a series of books following a family over years I thought was brilliant I coudnt put it down . I think it’s 4 altogether it’s a while since I read them. I recommend

SueDonim

Have you read any William Boyd? He writes well, tales with a good plot and characterisation.

I’d agree, Any Human Heart is quite a meaty read.

Any Human Heart is a terrific book

I’ve just read The Little Library of Banned Books by Kirsten Miller. Very pertinent to today and cleverly written.
The title put me off at first, it was a Bookclub choice, but I really enjoyed it.

William Boyd's Any Human Heart is a wonderful book as is The Romantic also by him. The Cazlet Chronicles another good recommendation.

Kristin Hannah and Kate Atkinson are both wonderful writers. The Women by Kristin Hannah is a novel about an American woman from a wealthy family who joins up to serve as a nurse in Vietnam but it's definitely not miserable! Hannah often writes about women living in difficult circumstances but they're all about resilience and strength. Kate Atkinson writes on a variety of subjects. She has a detective series, the first one being Case Histories. It takes several different, apparently unconnected incidents over a number of years and cleverly weaves them all together, introducing Jackson Brodie, the detective, in the process. I think there are 5 or 6 Jackson Brodie books. Shrines of Gaiety (not a Jackson Brodie book) is set in the underbelly of London around 1930s-1960s, also brilliant. Life After Life and A God in Ruins follow members of the Todd family and are beautifully written. Far too many good books waiting to be read!

I recommend You Are Here by David Nicholls, funny and touching.

Funny books I love:

Cold Comfort Farm by Stella Gibbons

Three men in a boat by Jerome K Jerome

I could well take these on holiday and read them again...

I came here to ask if anyone had read The Women but saw your post.. I’m ‘reading’ this on audiobook and can’t recommend it enough. If you are looking for something a bit more gritty and complex, this is definitely IT! I would love to see your thoughts if you’ve already read it.

I read the Women and really liked it. I recommended it to my daughter whose now travelling in Vietnam and she loved it

Kate Atkinson is a fantastic writer. 'A God in Ruins' has really stayed with me.

Lady Tan’s Circle of Women by Lisa See is good. I listened to it whilst driving or doing housework, then caught up with reading it at bedtime.

TwiceAsNice

The Cazalet Chronicles by Elizabeth Jane Howard is a series of books following a family over years I thought was brilliant I coudnt put it down . I think it’s 4 altogether it’s a while since I read them. I recommend

Funnily enough I just started re-reading these, after a many-years gap - I have them all on my Kindle. Yes, highly recommended.

I was in our local library waiting while the chemist filled out my prescription. I picked up a book just to pass the time,
Cat Out Of Hell by Lynne Truss. I was hooked and had to go for my library card to borrow it. There is a sequel entitled The Lunar Cats which I haven't read yet.

If you're watching Outrageous you might enjoy a book about the fascinating Mitford sisters and any of the books written by Nancy and Jessica .
My book on them has disappeared so I'll replace it .
Meanwhile I'm reading Hons and Rebels by Jessica .
I have to admit in finding the series a bit disappointing,but I'm intrigued by the personality of each daughter .

Lots of thanks - I am just back from watching National Theatre Live's production of A Streetcar Named Desire in our village hall - it lasted 3.5 hours and I am emotionally battered and even more in need of a good read!

It was an extraordinary performance but somewhat emotionally battering. .......

I will seek out your recommendations. I have read some but some are new to me and I will enjoy finding them.

Flora Thompson’s trilogy starting with Lark Rise is one of my go to books when life feels altogether too much. Beautifully written evocations of a world now gone and a reminder of how lucky I was to be a beneficiary of the 1944 Education Act and the NHS.

Lark Rise might be just the antidote I need!

Try the latest Kate Atkinson, At The Sign Of The Rook.
It’s the latest Jackson Brodie but any of them can easily be read as a standalone book.
Well written and funny, be bound to cheer you up.😃

Kate Atkinson's Life after Life, A God in Ruins, Behind the Scenes at the Museum and the first Jackson Brodie, Case Histories were my favourites of hers, she is a great writer, but occasionally I've been underwhelmed by some of her later stuff.

I second Cold Comfort Farm - it's wonderful. I did an English degree btw and also came to the conclusion that most "worthy" books were miserable! I prefer to read non fiction these days!

Another very interesting book is Homage to Catalonia by George Orwell - it's more of an autobiography of his experiences in the Spanish Civil war and has some humorous parts.

The Satsuma Complex and The Hotel Avocado by Bob Mortimer are both really funny in a daft way

I've bought and away too but haven't got round to reading it yet

Clare Chambers 'Small Pleasures' and 'Shy Creatures', recently published, are absorbing, beautifully written books about human relationships developing within complex situations,one set in the 1950s, one on 1964.