The ones I turn to when I need a good reread-long and meaty and satisfying

...and Ladies of the Club Helen Hoven Santmyer
In This House of Brede Rumer Godden

Others I might suggest-they will all take you out of your time and place:

Snow Flower and the Secret Fan
Shadow Divers
The Autobiography of Henry VIII Margaret George
anything by Sharon Kay Penman

Try Water for Elephants.

If you're in the mood for non-fiction, I'd recommend anything by Anne Fadiman, Tony Horwitz or Bill Bryson.

I really liked Wolf Hall.

What type of books do you enjoy reading? I recently read "Comfort & Joy" by Kristin Hannah I really enjoyed that, very light & refreshing. Look up the reviews on it.

I second ccrdmrbks' choice "In this House of Brede"
Very satisfying.

The only book I can recall having to stay up nearly all night reading because I could not put it down was "The Godfather". This was after I scolded my husband for doing that very same thing on the previous night, when he had to be up to start a 4am news shift!
This may be a novel you have already read, being a seventies or thereabouts book or not to your taste. It was a horribly fascinating and gripping story.

Well I 'm another who likes Sharon Penman. If you haven't read her books, I think Here Be Dragons is the best to start with.
I also loved Wolf Hall and Water For Elephants, and could add Q & A by Vikas Swarup for something different. It is the book on which the movie Slumdog Millionaire was based, but I gather the movie was quite different.

If you'd like to travel to another place in your mind, try Rohinton Mistry's books -- A Fine Balance is a door stopper, but sucks you right in to learn about the relationships of the people who live in this apartment block.... Brilliant (I thought)...

Or "Brick Lane" by Monica Ali (about the issue of integration of an arranged Indian marriage wife when she comes to England - again fascinating...)

These are just a couple that I really enjoyed....

Some others that have come to mind since I posted:
The Lymond Chronicles by Dorothy Dunnett-set in sixteenth century Scotland, France, Malta, Turkey, Northern Africa, Russia and England, there are six full-bodied, layered books in all, and they will absorb every waking minute of your day, and you will remember the characters. I have attached a link to an article about the series.

The Greatest Knight and The Scarlet Lion by Elizabeth Chadwick, about the life of William Marshall.
I also enjoyed Lady Macbeth by Susan Fraser King, and The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. That one I read, finished, and started right over at page 1 again. I had hesitated-too many accolades-but am so glad I read it. And reread it. And own it so I can reread it again.

Here is a link that might be useful: The Lymond Chronicles

Oh, and the Morland Dynasty series by Cynthia Harrod-Eagles. There are enough of them to last you awhile, and they are very good.

Good thinking on the Morlands, Carolyn, I love those books. Should be a new one soon, too.

Thank you !

I have some great suggestions to work on.

carolyn and astrokath,
I had the great pleasure to read the first of the series
"The Founding" I was unable to follow up the rest, it was a great read.

I also read the first of the Poldark series "Ross Poldark" I think it was, great, then could not get book two and jumped to book three, lots of characters had changed and I was unable to keep up with it, shame.

yoyobon,
you can not go wrong with Cynthia Harrod-Eagles, she will keep you happy for a long time.

If you haven't read Edgar Sawtelle, I would suggest that one.

Sarah Addison Allen's The Sugar Queen. Everyone I've lent my copy to has loved it (and these are people with all sort of reading tastes).

Have you read any of Richard Russo's books. I have loved them all. Despite their life's problems, his characters make me laugh. They are endearing.

If you've never read Larry McMurtry's "Lonesome Dove," I highly recommend it. I read it based on several recommendations here. Also, "One Thousand White Women" (Jim Fergus - I think) was a good read.

Other favorites of mine are:
"A Tree Grows in Brooklyn" - Betty Smith
"Bean Trees" and "Pigs in Heaven" - Barbara Kingsolver
"Women of the Silk" and "Language of the Threads" - Gail Tsukiyama

I hope you find a really good one to read. Reading a good book really helps to be feel better.

I did the same as cc... with The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Read it twice and no doubt will read it again at some point.
Another book I recall enjoying very much is The Help.
Some advice would be: Don't waste either time or money on Her Fearful Symmetry.
At the moment I'm reading a non-fiction "meat and potatoes" book called The World without Us," which is interesting but not the kind to relax with on the beach. Anne Tyler's latest, Noah's Compass is waiting in the wings. Her books are "peanut butter and jelly sandwiches" for me so I'm hoping it will be as good as most of her others.
It's so difficult to suggest books for others as tastes vary widely. But I hope you find just the right one for you.

I really enjoyed Barbara Kingsolver's "Prodigal Summer." Also liked "The Help", and Dodie Smith's "I Capture the Castle."

I can highly recommend for a Magical read.
"Love in the Time of Cholera" by Gabriel Garcia Marquez.

In our reading club we have just finished Josef Haslinger's Opera Ball - austrian writer. Although everybody talks about terrorism as the main theme book is about the world, any society and every individual.
Recommend, recommend, recommend.

I see that on Jan. 11 I was beginning Anne Tyler's Noah's Compass. Now I can tell you that it is definitely not up to par with her usual writing. I found it dull and a waste of time.
Haven't found that "special" book lately so will keep an eye on this thread for ideas from all of you. When at least three posters recommend the same book, I take a closer look at it.

Lemonhead....another good book about India is Nectar In a Sieve by Kamala Markandaya. A smaller book, not as epic as Mistry's or Ali's but just as gripping.

Here are a variety of suggestions:

The Swan Thieves-Elizabeth Kostova
The Wrong Mother- sorry it is a mystery (but such a page turner!)
If Nights could talk by Marsha Recknagel
A Short History of Tractors in the Ukrainian by Marina Lewycka
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane (a thriller)
Cloud Atlas-David Mitchell
What was She Thinking?:Notes on a scandal by Zoe Heller

I second Shutter Island.

Ooooh.... Notes on a Scandal is un-put-downable....

The Girl with the Dragon Tatoo and The Girl Who Played with Fire. Both are can't put down books but read the tattoo book first before the fire. you will get hooked!

drove2u,
I agree with you and love those 2 books. Lisbeth Salander is just a fabulous character!

rosaearth,

Have you read the third book? I can't wait for it. I'm borrowing a copy from someone who got it from the UK. I was so sad to hear that the author died. He planned to write a series of 10 books.

drove2u-I am waiting for the third book too! I had no idea that he was planning to write a 10 book series, makes me so sad. I really love his writing.

I also noticed you are reading some similar books to me (People of the Book). I would love to know what you thought of the book when you are finished.:.)

The Art of Racing in the Rain--a book told from the dog's point of view. A few things are unrealistic (and it's not the thinking dog), but it made me cry. Really.

The third book of the Millenium series has been out here for a few months - it is every bit as good as the others, so I am sure you will enjoy it.
And cathy, I enjoyed The Art of Racing in the Rain too.

I really enjoyed "After River" by Donna Milner. It was a page turner for me.

Here is a link that might be useful: After River

Here's an old one for you but still fun to read. "The Third Eye" by T. Lobsang Rampa.

Has anyone read a Confederacy of Dunces? Maybe I'm a day late and a dollar short.

A really good thrill is "The Day of The Jackal". It's a British suspense thriller about a professional assassin who's hired to kill President De Gaulle (sp?). Written by Frederick Forsyth, who was a Brit. spy in real life. There's a lot of glamour in it: posh hotels; French Riviera; Paris; etc. It's very old (1970s), so maybe you've read it. The movie is shown on TV once in awhile, and is fabulous -- dead-on perfect casting; tight directing; wonderful acting (esp., Cyril Cusack!).

Also, on Charlie Rose a couple nights ago, they were talking about a Scandinavian mystery writer who sounds like riveting reading. He wrote (only) three mysteries before he died a short while ago. All of them are smash critical and popular successes in US and Eur. I haven't read them, but am planning on picking one up tomorrow (as soon as I finish "Old Filth"),

Lauramarie, the Scandinavian mystery writer you mentioned is Steig Larsson, who wrote a trilogy of mysteries before his untimely death. I tried very hard to get into the first one: "The Girl With the Dragon Tatoo" but found the style and characters too convoluted to follow easily, so gave it up. A movie has been made of this one, however.

I read the first Millenium book in my native Swedish and I found it too convoluted and too violent as well. Will not read the sequels.

Karalk, thank you for reminding me of Nectar in a sieve. I bought this book in 1968 from Amrit Book Co. in Connaught Circus in New Delhi and haven't read it since. I looked up the bookstore on the Internet and it still exists on the same premises. It was a delightful place. My husband and I spent five months in India as newlyweds and when we got back to Delhi from our visit to the south and Sri Lanka (Ceylon in those days) we'd read all the books we'd brought from Sweden and were starved for reading matters. We bought books by Prem Chand and Bhabani Bhattacharya, R.K. Narayan, Rabindranath Tagore and Thakazhi S. Pillai and love songs by 14th century poet Vidyapati translated by Deben Bhattacharya. They are probably even better in the original Maithili but we read these poems so many times that we can still quote them in English. I also bought a cookbook I still use. The only other English language book I'd found before this was a copy of Mansfield Park I found in Madurai, perhaps the greatest book related joy I've experienced. We travelled third class going north on the train, which meant wooden benches, but with my unread Jane Austen I was too comfortable to notice.

I second so many of the titles here, especially Shadow Divers, Guernsey and A Tree Grows in Brooklym.

A few older titles that I loved so much that I hunted down hardcover copies to keep forever:

The Agony and the Ecstasy - Irving Stone (A very well-researched yet fictional account of the life of Michaelangelo.)

Sarum, Russka, and London by Edward Rutherfurd

New Grub Street by George Gissing

The Historian - Elizabeth Kostova

Old Goriot - Honore de Balzac

The Sea, the Sea - Iris Murdoch

ENJOY! And keep us posted on your choices!
PAM

PAM, I was assigned the section of the Sistine Chapel ceiling where God's hand is reaching for that of Adam to write a paper on. I remember sitting up one Saturday night to watch the midnight TV showing of The Agony and the Ecstasy to help me with my paper--on which I got an A so it must have been worth the effort, although I never did read the book. I will have to remedy that.

mariannese -

I liked "Mansfield Park", too. Have read all the Jane Austen books, except her juvenilia. BTW: There's a riveting critique of it in a book by Vladimir Nabokov (he devotes a whole chapter to "Mansfield Park"! --- He liked it a lot). It's from a lecture he gave at a university.

I also read The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo and while I admire his wordcraft (albeit in translation) I will not read the rest-too graphically violent for my sensitivities. Others in my book club were not of the same mind, though, so maybe I am overly squeamish. So be it. I read to be entertained, not horrified.

I am watching with interest the legal battle between his long-time but never legally married companion and his father and brother over the estate. So far, the father and brother have been awarded the $$, supposedly against Larsson's stated but not written down (!!!!a writer who did not make a will-astounding!!!!) wishes.....but she has his computer, and there is a rumor that on that computer is the 4th of his planned (I think)10 books in the series. Hope she printed it out and lodged it safely with an attorney....computers have a way of meeting with accidents.
I am sure somewhere there is a book being written based on all this!

Carolyn-I took an art class in college that covered most of the famous artwork across many cultures. For part of the final, we each chose a manila envelope from a table at the entrance, and had to write a blue book about the picture inside-who did we think painted it, style, technique, subject matter, etc. I studied harder for this final than any other that semester, since it could be any picture by any artist we studied.
Mine was God's finger touching Adam's hand.

After reading some of the messages here about "The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo", et al (same author), I'm put off it now. Was going to buy it this weekend. Think I'll stick w/my original plan -- to buy that "Major Pettigrew" book I saw a couple weeks ago (at book store). It's had such good comments here.

Also: Have any of you read the E.F. Benson "Mapp & Lucia" books? Those are on my "wish list" for the summer. Did you like them?

lauramaire-yes, I have read and reread them. I adore them.

carolyn, oh yes! Do pick up The Agony and the Ecstasy! For me, it was one of those books that made the world stop for me... nothing mattered but getting to read just one more page, then one more page, then just maybe one more...
PAM

lauramarie -- Major Pettigrew stole my heart. Hope you enjoy him, too.