The book you just couldn't put down

FruitLover

Neal Stephenson's Cryptonomicon. It's a reasonably hefty tome, but I flew through it, and was still hungry for more by the end.

ReacherCreature

Recently 'Apache' by Ed Macy and 'In The Company Of Heroes' by Michael Durant. Brilliant books by Helicopter pilots.

Miskatonic

Persiancowboy wrote: »

The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova - an absolutely fantastic story and read. The Secret History by Donna Tartt was anoter book that you just can't help getting totally lost in.

Agree with you there on The Historian, excellent book. I read (or struggled through!) The Little Friend by Donna Tartt and that really just put me off reading anymore of her books.

Probably the most recent one I just had to keep reading was the Time Travellers Wife.

Alfasud

Mink wrote: »

I know there are very similar threads about, but I thought this was a fairly precise book category.

So what book could you just not put down (or was a bit mentally painful when you did) & then you were horrified when you finished it and didn't know what to read next???

The book "Where Are You Now" by Mary Higgins Clarke was such a read

silvine

The Historian? Ugh I hated that drawn out drivel.

The Road was very hard to put down. Also A Year on the Killing Streets and War and Peace (after the first two hundred pages)

Mink

pikachucheeks wrote: »

Memoirs of a Geisha.

Loved that book!

+1 Loved it

UpCork

There are several books that I have to say, I would have cancelled something very important if I had to, in order to sit down and finish them. Also, these books I also read in a very short period of time as they were so engrossing.

In no particular order they are:

"We Need to Talk about Kevin" by Lionel Shriver
"Star of the Sea" by Joseph O' Connor
"The Book Thief" by Marcus Zusak*
'The Kite Runner" by Khaled Hosseini
"The 19th Wife" by David Ebershoff
" A Thousand Splendid Suns" by Khaled Hosseini.

I have read many, many other 'good' books, but these six I would class as 'excellent' books and are the ones that I have thought about for some time after reading them.

CelineLarr

Uhmmmm ......when I finished the Harry Potter series, I did feel like my reasons for living had diminished somewhat ...lol!

Other books I was addicted to, read impatiently and then was bitterly unhappy once finished are:
The Secret History
We Need to Talk about Kevin
The Thirteenth Tale
The Time Traveler's Wife
Special Topics in Calamity Physics

I'm sure there are others, but these stand out :rolleyes:

CelineLarr

Miskatonic wrote: »

Agree with you there on The Historian, excellent book. I read (or struggled through!) The Little Friend by Donna Tartt and that really just put me off reading anymore of her books.

Probably the most recent one I just had to keep reading was the Time Travellers Wife.

Yay to the Time Traveler's Wife, but bad choice on reading The Little Friend first. The Secret History is her masterpieces and you really do have to read it. I seriously disliked The Little Friend!

UpCork

CelineLarr wrote: »

Yay to the Time Traveler's Wife, but bad choice on reading The Little Friend first. The Secret History is her masterpieces and you really do have to read it. I seriously disliked The Little Friend!

Have never read any Donna Tartt books.

I read 'The Time Traveller's Wife' over a year ago and I'm still undecided as to whether I like it or not. At times I thought it was great, at times badand then disturbing. But maybe what I'm missing is combining all these factors together and making it great

oxygen_old

I might get lambasted for this, but I think people are naming brilliant books they liked, instead of page turner books that the couldnt put down. For example, any gripping thriller, say a bourne book is a page turner. Its not as good as, for example, Star of the Sea, but more page turnery than star of the sea. Thats the way it is written.

The absolute most addictive page turner I read was The Day after Tomorrow by Allan Folsom (nothing to do with the rubbish movie). I remember reading that book over a weekend, and its a big one 700+ pages afair. Its literally the most unputdownable book Ive read, not the best, but the most unputdownable.

And then after all that, bam, the ending f**king rocks. Rocks socks.

In case its not clear I recommend this book highly.

Hermy

oxygen wrote: »

I might get lambasted for this, but I think people are naming brilliant books they liked, instead of page turner books that the couldnt put down. For example, any gripping thriller, say a bourne book is a page turner. Its not as good as, for example, Star of the Sea, but more page turnery than star of the sea. Thats the way it is written.

The absolute most addictive page turner I read was The Day after Tomorrow by Allan Folsom (nothing to do with the rubbish movie). I remember reading that book over a weekend, and its a big one 700+ pages afair. Its literally the most unputdownable book Ive read, not the best, but the most unputdownable.

And then after all that, bam, the ending f**king rocks. Rocks socks.

In case its not clear I recommend this book highly.

On that subject - and I'll probably be banned for saying so - The DaVinci Code was a great page turner!:o
But regarding tales well told The Summer of Katya by Trevanian was unputdownable.

damselnat

Any of the Harrry Potter series....I'm sure some records must have been set how quickly I devoured those tomes....though I'm not sure how much it counts, as some of that was racing my friends to be the first to know the ending!
It's a long time since I've read a book I really couldn't wait to get back to...oh how I miss sneaking novels inside my schoolbooks!

getz

i found a old book in a shop it was from 1866 the book its called -;the life of charlotte bronte; it is by ec gaskell .it opened my eyes to the victorians, i often now go to haworth where charlotte and her sisters lived just so i can understand how life was at that time-

Lovecat

I read The Beach by Alex Garland when I was in Irish college on Cape Clear...the weather was perfect so it seemed very fitting. I couldn't put it down for the three days I was reading it and all my friends were giving out to me for being antisocial!
Another brilliant (and unsung) one is I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak; I read it through twice in one week. The only other person I know who's read it is the friend who lent it to me.

Blush_01

getz wrote: »

i found a old book in a shop it was from 1866 the book its called -;the life of charlotte bronte; it is by ec gaskell .it opened my eyes to the victorians, i often now go to haworth where charlotte and her sisters lived just so i can understand how life was at that time-

I love Mrs Gaskell - she has a fantastic writing style. I thought North and South was a page turner.

Sebastian Barry - Secret Scripture, Gregory David Roberts - Shantaram, Stephanie Meyer - The Host, Jeffrey Eugenides - Middlesex and Jasper Fforde's first three Tuesday Next books were all recent page turners for me. I couldn't put them down. I also loved Donna Tartt's The Little Friend and Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake. Whether they're critically acclaimed or not, once I really started reading those books and found my rhythm I devoured them. They were all compulsive reads in their own way. (Or maybe I'm just a compulsive person...)

Blush_01

Lovecat wrote: »

Another brilliant (and unsung) one is I am the Messenger by Markus Zusak; I read it through twice in one week. The only other person I know who's read it is the friend who lent it to me.

I've only read The Book Thief but that was another serious page-turner. I've read it a few times since, and each time I find myself going back into the book like I did the first time and burning a trail through it!

satcie101

Cain and Abel

Victor McDade

Wonderland Avenue - Danny Sugerman

He also wrote Jim Morrison's autobiography (No one here gets out alive) but his own was a better page turner IMO. Fantastic stuff.

turgon

savemejebas wrote: »

He also wrote Jim Morrison's autobiography

Morzadec

oxygen wrote: »

I might get lambasted for this, but I think people are naming brilliant books they liked, instead of page turner books that the couldnt put down. For example, any gripping thriller, say a bourne book is a page turner. Its not as good as, for example, Star of the Sea, but more page turnery than star of the sea. Thats the way it is written.

Yeah good point Star of the Sea only really became 'unputdownable' about halfway through for me, but its a great book.

The winner for me would be The Sceret History. Read it when I was 16 and it just completely absorbed me. I really must read it again even though it left such an impact that I think I remember all the plot events.

More recently: The Past is a Foreign Country by Gianrico Carofiglio really grabbed me. Italian authour (pretty obviously by the name!) if anyone hasn't heard about him so his books are translations but the guy can really write. I would highly recommend this book, not just an excellent thrilling plot but an amazing character depiction of a young guy about my age that I really could identify with, and the odd phrase of real insight and clarity about life/human behaviour as well that kinda makes you nod your head and say 'that's pretty spot on'. That last part might sound a bit cheesy but its true! Give it a read and you might see what I mean.

I've lent it to 3 others (my mum included) and they all really enjoyed it.

Morzadec

Forgot about the one that really should've been top of my list.

Fatherland by Robert Harris.

LoLth

Latest for me was World War Z by max brooks.

really liked the interview style and some of the tales almost made made me miss my luas stop! not everyone's cup of tea but I really enjoyed it. My better half is giving it a read now.

ríomhaire

I once read two of the Series of Unfortunate Events books in one day. I rather liked the plot of those books, but the writing style and narrator was driving me mad. In the end I just couldn't stand reading it anymore and read the plot summary of the last two books on wikipedia.

Also, I've fallen asleep reading both Terry Pratchett and George R. R. Martin due to refusing to put the books down while reading them in bed at 4 or 5 in the morning. In fact, in the case of the latter, I woke up, discovered that the book was on my chest and the light was still on, and started reading again.

eZe^

Grapes of Wrath = Perfection.

TheDrog

To be honest most books I read I tend to read straight through. I like to immerse myself in any book, it can be a little annoying for those around me but they understand

ally2

I agree with the other poster re The Magus. The tale itself is incredible and the writing draws you in. The author John Fowles also wrote The Collector which is facinating and a little horrible too.

Another great book is We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver. I thought it was a very brave story and she writes beautifully.

Novella

cecilwinthorpe wrote: »

2 books that i couldnt put down were "My Sisters Keeper" and "The Pact" by Jodi Picoult.

+1
Jodi Picoult is amazing.

Flairpinnedme

Most of Kazuo Ishiguro's books.

HalloweenJack

I recently started James Ellroy's LA Quartet and couldn't wait to get through all four of them. It only took me about two weeks.

I was absolutely hooked and because it had been a while since I'd read them all I was dying to remember how they ended.