daiLlafyn t1_j5nwb24 wrote on January 24, 2023 at 9:41 AM

Love the Bone Clocks. Re-read loads of books - LotR most regularly. Terry Pratchett, Julian May, AS Byatt... Getting into seasonal re-readings - re-read The Dark is Rising last Christmas, and this Christmas had the BBC World Service podcast. Re-read my Terry Pratchett collection after my sister died - needed something comforting and wise with no unpleasant shocks.

ackthisisamess OP t1_j5oquzr wrote on January 24, 2023 at 2:52 PM

Hmm never heard of those authors! I might try them out given that I know very few people who know of/enjoy the bone clocks in real life :)

I'm sorry to hear about your loss, and I'm glad that you found a read that helps you cope/brings you comfort.

daiLlafyn t1_j5orr3v wrote on January 24, 2023 at 2:58 PM

AS Byatt - Possession Julian May - The Pliocene Saga (and others) Terry Pratchett - you're kidding, right? :D Susan Cooper - The Dark is Rising Sequence, and its second novel, set in the rural Thames Valley in England. - read it at Christmas though, from the 20th December. Don't forget Alan Garner.

Bone Clocks is brilliant - should be better known. Have you read his other stuff - Black Swan Green, Number9 Dream, Cloud Atlas?

What else have you read that you might recommend?

And thanks. It was 17 years ago now.

ackthisisamess OP t1_j5s2n6w wrote on January 25, 2023 at 3:59 AM

Adore Ghostwritten to the moon and back. I had a bit more trouble connecting to some of the other books (I've read Black Swan Green, Number9dream, Cloud Atlas, Slade House, and The Jacob de Zoet one). Number9dream I loved the descriptions of Japan but I remember a pretty violent part that put me off. Slade House I remember enjoying but it wasnt exactly a "feel good" type of enjoyment. Black Swan Green I did not enjoy and Jacob de Zoet I found a bit confusing. Cloud Atlas I also found certain parts confusing. Ghostwritten might be my all time favourite book though.

I used to love Murakami books but a lot of the violent/sexual descriptions I now find off-putting and sadly ruined the books a bit for me. I do currently love After Dark though, and Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is very interesting and lacks overly explicit content (mostly). I did find a few parts confusing but I can reccomend. 1Q84 is absolutely masterful in my opinion, however, again there are some parts that I currently find too off putting to read it again.

I also used to really love this book called Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. However, now I find some of the explicit content a bit off putting. He also wrote a book called Anathem that I found confusing when I read it, but I'm thinking I might attempt it again.

A more "wholesome" read I've recently found is The Miracles of the Namiya General Store by Higashino. Beautiful little book! A bit short though.

Another book I recently read and very much enjoyed was Piranesi by Clarke. I do wish it was longer though, and had a hit more character development.

I cant seem to find a match to Ghostwritten and Bone Clocks. I think they will forever be my favourites. Just beautiful beautiful books.

And thank you for sharing your book list with me. I love books that describe England and Japan. Take care!