The movie is sh*t... so I thought anyway.

i kinda watched the movie-it was a background noise cos i was reading the paper-try the book mate

I read my sons book, The boy in the striped pyjamas..oh gawd I cried....

Hmmm... hard to tell from that what you actually enjoy pirate... But on the assumption that you liked the mystical element to Lovely Bones, I really loved 'The Girl on the Landing' by Paul Torday when I read it earlier this year. 

i never thought id enjoy that sort of book-i suprised myself!

Try The Shack by William Young.   It took me to a weird place - and left me there

I`ve read it..heart wrenching stuff


I don`t know of anything similar pirate but I recommend "Notes on a scandal" by Zoe Heller. It`s one of those book, once you start reading, you can`t put it down.

is that the judi dench film?

Ooh that one's a bit deep!

thats why tidds cant get out

Haven't read the Lovely Bones so don't know what to suggest that is similar.
I have recently read The Kite Runner and A Thousand Splendid Suns by Khaled Hosseini. Can't recommend them both highly enough - wonderful books full of really memorable characters.
For something a bit different try A Company of Liars by Karen Maitland. It's set during the time of the Plague and is about a group of travellers and their own stories. Different and engrossing.

cheers veggie-i'll have a look
some good ideas, thanks to everyone

i intend to buy them for my girl and say I  chose them

then borrow 'em

Yes, but the book is much better than the film pirate. I posted this earlier, tried to edit and it went wooosh!

I`ve read the Kite Runner, Veggie..it`s a wonderful book. I`ll definitely look out for the other one you`ve mentioned. The Karen Maitand book sounds interesting too. I love a good book.

Yes try A Thousand Splendid Suns Scotty. I found it far more heartbreaking than The Kite Runner tbh but still so wonderful. It's about the lives of women in Afghanistan I suppose really but as with the Kite Runner he really brings the country and the chaos to life
The Karen Maitland one I picked up in a charity shop. Apparently it's been compared to The Canterbury Tales but I never read that so don't know. It is slightly outside the box which Pirate seemed to be asking for.
Oh and anything by Manda Scott but especially her Boudica quartet (Dreaming the Eagle etc)
I could talk about books all day lol

the film creeped me out big time i didn't like it at all made me really uncomfortable

Me too Veggie. I`ve just been speaking to my wee sis..she`s a prolific reader. I`ve given your recomendations to her...she says thanks..me too  She`s read A Thousand Splendid Suns.
She`s bringing it to me tomorrow. I`m looking forward to it.  

I don`t whether you`ve read any of these but this her recommendations
to you...
The Reluctant Fundamanetalist - Moshin Hamid
The White Tiger - Aravind Adiga
Baby Zero - Emer Martin (I`ve read it..it`s wonderful)

I get so absorbed by books..I forget to wash the dishes..conveniently.

Thanks Scotty, I've written those down so I can have a look at the library this week, thanks to your sister too!
I can find any excuse not to do housework tbh but reading would be my main one

If you liked the you'll like 'The Bookseller of Khabul' ..........................I really enjoyed that and .........a bit of a different read but puts modern day Afghanistan into focus is 'The Last Kestrel' by Jill McGivering (a war correspondent) I don't think it's actually out on the shelves until August (I got a proof read) .......really good read - so descriptive of the soldiers lives out there and also Afghan families ..............not the best book I've read but a cracking read all the same.

I HAVE to read this now!!

I also read this book( The Lovely Bones) in a sitting ... I wasn't quite sure why I kept reading ... not the kind of book that would normally appeal to me - but it held me.  I've never seen the film

Given some of the choices in here I think that many of you would like The Other Hand by Chris Cleave, and if you do, then his other books also

I read this book, although it left me with an "empty feeling"  It did go on a bit..mixed emotions  

I feel much the same ........it was a bit different but - that doesn't make it good IMO. A good effort by the author but I think you were supposed to feel moved by it ..............I didn't - it was rather hollow and I didn't really connect with it or any of the characters.

I did read the book.
I think it was recommended by the richard and judy reading group or something like that.
I finished the book  but it didn't really do anything for me.
I felt it was overrated.

I'm going to recommend ....

We Need to Talk About Kevin ~  by Lionel Shriver.

And I'm going to recommend 'The Divine Secrets of the Ya Ya Sisterhood' - very much a laydees book though.

Lots of my friends also loved that book. I absolutely hated it I'm afraid. I felt like I needed a shower after I had read it. I couldn't find any sympathy for any of the main characters in it - a really awful bunch

I read it through to the end but like you - it didn't really move me. I was shocked at the ending though ...........shortly after reading it I was on a flight and the lady in the next row was reading it .......she was right near the end and I kept looking for her reaction. As we got off the plane I said to her 'ooooooh what did you think of the ending'. She told me that she had read the last couple of pages first ..........said she always did that.

Can you believe that?

Nope - I can't understand people who do that.... I've seen me flick to the end to see how many pages I've left to read and I shield my eyes in case I see any text!    


I did like (not the right word really) Something About Kevin though, although it haunted me for ages afterwards.


I love these threads by the way - I never have much time to read, but I check out the recommendations and add to my Amazon wishlist for the next time I'm ordering.

That one is good. I think I read that around the same time as 'Memoirs of a Geisha' by Arthur Golden....that was a cracking story (film was awful!).

Usually the case. I can think of very few exceptions ........I would say The Green Mile and One flew Over the Cuckoos Nest lived up to expectations but that's about it. Not that i'm much of a film buff mind.

Godfather (1 & 2) were way better than the book, and quite a few Austen stories have been filmed well.

I thought the film of The Shining was as good as the book - both very scary

Thanks Veggie...for the Maitland reccommendation....I'll search that one out

I read the Lovely Bones....thought it was 'different'...not seen the film
A Thousand Splendid Suns....had me hooked from the off....a brilliant read.

Try CJ Sanson's *Dissolution*...you'll be watching it on the tellybox soon with Kenneth Branagh in the lead.

Right I need help (shut it ) whats that book that has 'bees' in the title.

Thats the one


'The secret life of bees' ordered and on its way.

Ooooh I'd forgotten how many good tips you get for books on this forum! Glad to be back!  *pops to amazon to place an order*