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Suggest me a good book to read

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Reply 1960

hobnob

Original post by MagicNMedicine

Are you at Oxford then? Is it a complete myth or do you find people like that around?

I've never met any, although I suppose that needn't mean they don't exist. :dontknow:

I just think that it's kind of wrong to conclude that that's 'the Oxford way of life' because obviously most Oxford students aren't like that and would find those kind of people as obnoxious as the next person...

Anyway, defending Oxford wasn't really my point. What I meant was that if a writer places a character like than in an Oxford setting, he's making things too easy for himself because his reader's preconceptions will do the work for him in a way - if they already believe people like that are relatively common at Oxford, they'll find it easy to think of the character as plausible. Whereas if the writer placed such a Mark character at Leeds (or anywhere else, really), it would be less of a lazy approach, and he'd have to work much harder at convincing his readers that the character is credible, because he'll have fewer clichés to fall back on.
Does that make any sense?

Reply 1961

Sugar_Puff_Fairy

Thanks to everyone for their recommendations, and to the mod who moved my original post. I stupidly didn't notice this thread.. but now I'm inundated with recommendations :smile:

Reply 1962

Fingersmith

Original post by MagicNMedicine

When I read the reviews of it, I noticed a theme, that people who had already read The Secret History or Brideshead Revisited, said it was basically the same type of story, and didn't like it. But other people seemed to think it was good (like me). I guess I haven't read those others so that might have helped, although now I'm going to read The Secret History :tongue:

I think the university theme is one that does appeal to students although I do agree it is a bit cliche setting it in Oxford. I'd like to read a novel based around 'university friends' set in a non Oxbridge university in the UK, so you didn't have cliches like Oxford toffs or US jocks/cheerleaders etc.

I'll probably give Lessons and Secret History a go (read Brideshead many times). I think people who know Oxford, Cambridge or anywhere else like to associate with stories set in those places. It's like watching Morse, Lewis or Endeavour to spot the locations. I love it when they walk through the Porters' Lodge of Magdalen and emrge into Tom quad in Christchurch.

Reply 1963

MagicNMedicine

Original post by Sugar_Puff_Fairy

Thank you. The Lessons sounds interesting, I like a book that makes you think.
Will definitely have a look at all of them. The best books I've read have been recommended to me.

Just to finish my original post, I have now finished Lasting Damage, I read the final half of the book in a marathon session today. It was my first Sophie Hannah book and will definitely read some of her others.

The premise of the book is that a woman is convinced that her husband is having an affair because one day when she was driving his car and pressed "home" on his SatNav, the address stored as home wasn't her house, it was a house in Cambridge. She has been stalking this address to try and find out more and notices the house is up for sale so she goes onto the estate agents website and sees it has a 'virtual tour' of the interior...when she goes on it there is a body of a murdered woman in the middle of the floor. But when she goes back to check, or anyone else she tells has a look, the body is not there.

It's a thriller but it's not just a 'whodunnit' its a 'what the heck happened' and there are a lot of twists in the plot so its not really predictable. Also it has good re-readability value because as new information was revealed as the book progressed I kept finding myself going back to read over earlier chapters to look for the subtle clues that were in there that I hadn't picked up first time. Connie (the main character) is obviously a bit of a paranoid person but also very intelligent and determined to get to the bottom of both the murdered woman and also what her husband Kit, who is a man of many secrets, has been up to behind her back. She also has a Sherlock style detective on her side, who is a bit impersonal and unpredictable but him and his boss sense there is something in her story when others don't believe her and they uncover a large back story.

Looking at the reviews, real hard core crime enthusiasts were a bit picky that some of the story was a bit far fetched and certain things the police wouldn't have allowed to happen in real life etc, but I don't mind suspending disbelief a bit.

So yes I fully recommend Lasting Damage.

Reply 1964

Haz606

Captain Corelli's Mandolin - Louis de Bernières (History, war)
Birdsong - Sebastian Faulkes (History, war)
Dark Matter - Michelle Paver (Thriller)
Alone in Berlin - Hans Fallada (History)

just a few of my favourites :smile:

Reply 1965

davidchatman

My favourite novel is Margaret Atwood's 'The Handmaid's Tale'. Atwood is a genius. The novel is has a compelling plot combined with a complex philosophical stance and amazing expression through use of language. I recommend this book to all.

Reply 1966

Einheri

I read Girl, Interrupted by Susanna Kaysen yesterday in the space of about six hours. It was really interesting - a memoir of a young woman's 2 year stay in a mental hospital. I watched the film a couple of years ago (mainly because Angelina Jolie was hot) and tought it was okay, but the book is better.

I'm currently reading Laxdæla saga.

(edited 12 years ago)

Reply 1967

Vampire-Love4ever

I'm going to have 2 weeks break from next week on wards so I'll be having plenty of time in hand.

Any book recommendations ? :h:

Reply 1968

lcsurfer

Original post by Vampire-Love4ever

I'm going to have 2 weeks break from next week on wards so I'll be having plenty of time in hand.

Any book recommendations ? :h:

the Hunger games trilogy - suzannw collins!!
Noughts and crosses series - malorie blackman

Reply 1969

Vampire-Love4ever

Original post by lcsurfer

^Thanks, lcsurfer. :h:

My sister recommended to read The Hunger trilogy as well. :smile:

Reply 1970

lcsurfer

Original post by Vampire-Love4ever

^Thanks, lcsurfer. :h:

My sister recommended to read The Hunger trilogy as well. :smile:

Its so good i read through all 3 books in no time! after you've read the hunger games read divergent by veronica roth :biggrin:

Reply 1971

Vampire-Love4ever

Original post by lcsurfer

^Thanks so much! I'll check them up. :yy:

Reply 1972

Tfaska

La Sombra Del Viento - Carlos Ruíz Zafón.
It's best in Spanish, but there is an English version too.

Reply 1973

RHod

The book in the post above.
The Colour Purple - Alice Walker
On The Road - Jack Kerouac
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo - Stieg Larsson
A Thousand Splendid Suns - Khaled Hosseini

Reply 1974

messy_teardrops

i would recommed the morganville vampire books, once you read one u have to read them all! And no they are not similar to twilight, they are entirely different

if you want a good deal i suggest u buy them from the works, because there are like about 10+ books out now :smile:

Reply 1975

llys

The Scorpio Races
by Maggie Stiefvater

I bought it because I thought it was Fantasy - it is not.. or maybe it is but it doesn't feel like it. A bit like Krabat in that sense. It's easily the best book I've read in a while. (Though that may just be because it is so different to what I usually read.)

Reply 1976

Tfaska

The Things They Carried - Tim O'Brien.

You learn, finally, that you’ll die, and so you try to hang on to your own life, that gentle, naive kid you used to be, but then after a while the sentiment takes over, and the sadness, because you know for a fact that you can’t ever bring any of it back again. You just can’t. Those were the days.

Reply 1977

andrewpeters

Can anyone make recommendations on a book that covers how the body works and and the cells, DNA etc.? I'm hoping for a more interesting read than my A level Biology book.

Reply 1978

Fingersmith

How about 'The Selfish Gene' by Richard Dawkins?

Reply 1979

laura_aka_lolly

I'm looking for good books to read and then review for my new blog. Any suggestions?

My blog is here for anyone interested:
http://oneyearonehundredbooks.blogspot.com/