Based on the last 5 books I read ?

Question

what book would you recommend I read next?

(Not anything by the same authors please)

My Sister's Keeper by Jodi Picoult (didn't really like though)
The Boleyn Inheritance by Philippa Gregory
The Stranger by Albert Camus
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
The Return by Victoria Hislop

Additional Details

Sarah - are you a little slow today? I've already read all these books - a new recommendation please.

Mushu - you as well.

Felicity - thanks, but I've read most of Kafka already.

Allatsea - thanks. The book does sound like a self-help and I probably wouldn't have given it a second glance if you hadn't mentioned it was a novel. I can't abide self-help books.

Amazingwoo - Already read Atonement, found it underwhelming, but thanks for the other suggestion.

And Qwerty - thanks for your recs too.

Grace - have already read The Other Boleyn Girl, it's my favourite of Gregory's books - but I did ask for recs from other authors and not the ones already listed. As to My Sister's Keeper - the premise was interesting, and the lead character Anna was compelling, but I found it very cliched and poorly written. I also disliked most of the other characters.

Upsy - I loved the Night Watch. One of the best books I've read this year.

Deb - thanks - i've read most of the books you have listed already but haven't had a go at Plath's Bell Jar - should try that out soon. thanks again.

Caring Carer - thanks for the list. I've read most of the classics listed and Jonathan Strange which I loved. I really cannot stand Tolkien though. But there are a few books there that I may check out.

Answer 1

Best Answer - Chosen by Asker

Clown Girl by Monica Drake
The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Dermaphoria by Craig Clevenger
The Handmaid's Tale' A Novel by Margaret Atwood
Reasons to Live by Amy Hempel
The Little Friend by Donna Tartt
LEss Than Zero by Bret Easten Ellis
Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov
Nights at the Circus by Angela Carter
Dear Diary by Lesley Anfin
The Girls by Lori Lansens
The Awakening by Kate Chopin
Grendel by John Gardner
The Bell Jar: A Novel by Sylvia Plath

Anya Seton:
My Theodosia
Katherine
Devil Water
Avalon
Green Darkness
Dragonwyck

Philippa Gregory:
A Respectable Trade
The Virgin's Lover
The Queen's Fool
The Other Queen
The Constant Princess
The Wise Woman
Meridon
The Favored Child

Abundance: A Novel of Marie Antoinette by Sena Jeter Naslund
Mademoiselle Boleyn by Robin Maxwell
The Memoirs of Cleopatra: A Novel by Margaret George
Nefertiti by Michelle Moran
Forever Amber by Kathleen Winsor
The King's Pleasure by Norah Lofts
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden

Source(s):

An Avid reader......if you like historical romance, check out:
www.historicalromancewriters.com

Asker's Rating:

Asker's Comment:

thanks for the (long) list!

Answer 2

Try some of these

Pillars of the Earth and World Without End by Ken Follet – historical fiction, some romance
Ingo Series by Helen Dunmore 1-4 – fantasy mermaid story
On Chesil Beach by Ian McEwen - romance
Before I Die by Jenny Downham – Young adult – some romance
Memoirs of a Geisha by Arthur Golden
Only human by Jenny Diske – story of Abraham
The Four Feathers by AEW Mason – War
The Knitting Circle by Ann Hood – General fiction
To Kill a Mocking Bird by Harper Lee - classic
Sorting out Billy by Jo Brand – Adult Romance
The Best of Fathers by Anne Baker - Romance
Dating Hamlet by Lisa Fielder – take on Shakespeare – young adult
The Sunday Philosophers Club by Alexander McCall Smith – general fiction
Cranford by Elizabeth Gaskill - classic
Gods Behaving Badly by Marie Phillips – Humour/fantasy –some romance
Time Travelers Wife by Audrey Neffenigger – fantasy romance
American Gods by Neil Gainham - fantasy
5th Child by Doris Lessing – weird!
Heart Shaped Box by Joe Hill – Horror/ghost story
The Pest House by Jim Crace – historical fiction
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathon Swift – fantasy/Teen
Swimming with Fishes and Swimming without a Net by MaryJanice Davidson – fantasy romance – features mermaids
No! I don't want to join a book club by Virgina Ironside – general fiction/humorous
21/2 Pillars of Wisdom by Alexander McCall Smith - humourous
The Inheritors by William Golding - classic
My Legendary Girlfriend by Mike Gayle – romance from guys view point
The Pearl by Steinbeck - classic
Whistling for Elephants by Sandi Toksvic – fiction – suitable for young adult
Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd – fiction – suitable for your adult
Song of the Sound by Adam Armstrong – Environment-protecting dolphins/romance
A Room with a View by E M Forster - classic
Jonathon Strange and Mr Norrell by Susanne Clark – fantasy/magic
The Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanne Clark - fantasy/magic
A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks - romance
6th Wife by Suzanna Dunn – historical fiction
Maximum Ride Angel Experiment by James Patterson – young adult fantasy
Inkheart by Cornelia Funkte – fantasy – pre-teens onward
The Five People You Meet in Heaven by Mitch Album – fantasy
Breakfast at Tiffany’s by Truman Capote - classic
The Trouble With Angels by Debbie Macomber – fantasy/christmas
Odd Thomas by Dean Koontz – fantasy horror
Girl with a Pen – story of Charlotte Bronte by Elizabeth Kyle - biography
The Road by Cormac McCarthy – fantasy/horror
Ladies of Grace Adieu by Susanne Clark – fantasy magic
The Book Thief by Markus Zuzack – Young adult – world war 2
My Best Friend’s Girl by Dorothy Koomson - romance
The Prime of Miss Jean Brodie by Muriel Sparks - classic
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks - Romance
The Turn of the Screw by Henry James – classic/ghost story
Heavenly Date and Other Flirtations by Alexander McCall Smith – humour
Mr Commitment by Mike Gayle – romance and funny
English Fairy Tales by Joseph Jacobs
Aesop’s Fables
Jane Eyre
The Hobbit
Maximum Ride – Schools out forever by James Patterson
Maximum Ride – Saving the World and other extreme sports by James Patterson
Maximum Ride – The Final Warning by James Patterson
The Children of Hurin by J R R Tolkien
The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho
Watership Down by Richard Adams

Answer 3

Try "Flowers in the Attic" by Virginia Andrews. I finished it only a couple of days ago and absolutely loved it! Here's the blurb:

"The four children have perfect lives in a happy, golden family. Suddenly their father dies and the children now live alone, hidden in an airless attic. Their mother promised they would stay only long enough for her to inherit the fortune but gradually she forgets how much she adored them."

I really recommend it. Just check it out. At first I was really sceptical but when I got into it, I couldn't put it down. The things that happen to the children... it made me speechless.

Before that I read "Shadow in the Wind" , I know someone else already recommended it. It's amazingly well written, there are soooo many twists and turns.

Answer 4

Here's a book I don't think you'll have read - it's a Victorian novel and believe me it's amazing, one of those books you can't put down! It's 'East Lynne' by Mrs Henry Wood. It's about love, scandal, murder, intrigue, all with an amazing twist. Do try to get hold of it, it's really worth reading!

(It was labelled as 'indecent' when it was published, as it involves a young woman leaving her fine, upstanding husband for another man - a rogue of course!)

Answer 5

I think from the ones you've aleady read that The Other Boleyn Girl may interest you. Personally i really enjoyed it and liked the film too although there is quite a bit of sex and violence in it so if you dont like that that i wouldn't recommend it.
Recently read My Sister's Keeper and really enjoyed it so was shocked you didn't like it but everyone has there own opinion so fair enough.

Answer 6

I just read The Night Watch by Sarah Waters and the fact that I'm still thinking about it a week later tells me it was good. It has a unique chronology which meant that the reading experience was turned on it's head. I really enjoyed the process, Waters isn't for everyone but I thought that it was very interesting.

Answer 7

The Trail by Kafka. 'The Plague, by Camus.

I don't know if there is an English translation, but you might try, Henri Troyat's 'La Neige en Dueil' which might have been translated as 'Snow in Mourning' - a sad story, but not quite as depressing as Camus.

Answer 8

The House at Riverton - Kate Morton
Atonement - Ian McEwan.

Riverton is an absolutely gorgeous book, one you just don't want to end, has twists and the final page was so sad.

* Edit *
I must admit to liking the film more than the book!

Answer 9

I've only read one of the books you mentioned (The Boleyn Inheritance, which I really enjoyed).

Some books I've recently read that I really liked are:

The Book Thief by Markus Zusack
Bel Canto by Ann Patchett
The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon

Answer 10

the stranger or the return

Answer 11

geek love

Answer 12

I've only read the top two on your list and didn't like the Picoult much either. I'm going to take you away from these choices based on the premise that, since I like Phillipa Gregory, you might like a choice I make for you. I therefore recommend A. M Holmes - This Book Will Change Your Life. It's not self-help - it's a novel. It's about a man reassessing his life. That sounds a bit boring but it's a life affirming book and beautifully written. You might also like Precious Bane - Mary Webb. It has the historic background you like and is a wonderful story. It's written colloquially so you have to stick with it. There is a scene where Precious is in the attic and the description of the smell of stored apples is so overwhelming that I could almost smell them myself.