UKC

Having read the thread discussing the fact the average person has only read 6 books from a list of what are considered 100 classic books, I feel that I should do some reading because I've only read one book on the list(and that was because I had to read it for GCSE english 12 years ago).

The problem is that i'm easily distracted. If I start reading a book and it doesn't captivate me entirely within the first chapter I'll put it down and never pick it up again.

So, the challenge is, can anyone recommend me a book that will do this?

In reply to gethin_allen:

Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. Yes it is in any case my favourite novel, so I may be biased, but the first chapter DOES hook you in rather well.

In reply to gethin_allen:
One mans poison etc. I can only agree with you, if a book is worth reading you will know it by the first chapter. Life's too short and there's too many good books to read without wasting time on the ones that you don't enjoy.
If you can read through the first chapter and on to the second then Ian Banks. The Bridge will captivate. As will Walking on glass.
Paul Auster's American Trilogy is worth a read.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Also most easy-reading light modern "bloke-lit" is designed to be page-turning stuff from the off. Think Nick Hornby etc (I've only read High Fidelity - not high art but compelling enough)

Or do you want a book off that list?

In reply to gethin_allen:



Of some that I've read from the top 100 list, all of these start (and continue) well. The start of Heart of Darkness provides some of the best and most famous opening lines of any book and is truly captivating.

Heart of Darkness
The Wasp Factory
The Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Far From The Madding Crowd
The Lovely Bones

If you've got a short attention span, don't even think about 100 Years of Solitude!

In reply to estivator:

The Bridge I like a lot - Walking on Glass felt like 3 weakly connected stories.

Anthony Powell - A Dance to the Music of Time series - get past the first book then you're away!

In reply to gethin_allen:
I wasn't looking for anything from the list. The list had merely highlighted the fact that I hadn't read any substantial text that wasn't work related for many years.
I've just finished my PhD so now I have the time and the inclination to read something other than the 200+ scientific papers I read for my thesis.

In reply to Bulls Crack:
Having read an excerpt, "the bridge" does seem to be on the shortlist.

In reply to Bulls Crack:
Yes I agree, but all 3 stories are very entertaining, with a nice twist.
Also agree 100% with Anthony Powell.
For a bit of lighter reading (if not subject matter) try The Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafón,

In reply to gethin_allen:

It's not a long book and if you treat the 1st chapter as a prologue you'll enjoy this book.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Ive read 8

2 The Lord of the Rings
4 Harry Potter series - JK Rowling
10 Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
16 The Hobbit - JRR Tolkien
18 Catcher in the Rye - JD Salinger
40 Winnie the Pooh - AA Milne
42 The Da Vinci Code - Dan Brown
47 Far From The Madding Crowd - Thomas Hardy

Ive probably started another 20 and havent completed, War and Peace being an example, over 1500 different characters, no wonder I got bored

Find something you enjoy and carry on, have a few beers and listen to Allan Bennett reading winnie the pooh, its a classic. If you dont enjoy it, then dont do it

In reply to gethin_allen:
Star of the Sea by Joseph O'Connor. AS they say, I could not put it down.

In reply to gethin_allen:

You want us to recommend you a boring book? I don't understand.

If you want a book that grabs you by the throat in the opening chapter, you want to read something by Ian McEwan: A Child in Time, Enduring Love and (I think, it's been a while) Comfort of Strangers all have gripping starts. Most of his books are pretty compelling.

If your wrists can take it (stop sniggering) Bonfire of the Vanities gets hold of you early on...

Oh, there are loads.

In reply to gethin_allen:
Read 'Shantaram' by Gregory David Roberts.
When I first picked it up to read I ended up particularly tired at work the next day, finished it at about 4am

In reply to gethin_allen:

I have to admit the last book to draw me in like that was The DaVinci Code. Okay, so it's not high literature but it's certainly a page-turner.

In reply to anonymouse:

Your pedantry is misplaced. The "this" in Gethin's "...will do this", refers to "captivate me entirely within the first chapter" - so the request is grammatically correct!

In reply to estivator:

Good to see some Powell fans

In reply to Blue Straggler:


I got about 60 pages in and gave up some years back! Which is very rare for me. Must've been when I was a pothead... Might give it another go if I've still got it.

Anyway, back to the OP - you don't get much more page-turning than Elmore Leanord.

In reply to Blue Straggler:
I've no problem with the grammar, only the ambiguous nature of the post.

In reply to gethin_allen: I'd recommend Hannah's Gift: Lessons from a Life Fully Lived by Maria Housden. Possibly the most captivating and moving book I've ever read.

In reply to gethin_allen:

To Kill A Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

I read it for GCSE English literature and have probably read it about half a dozen times. I'll probs read it about a dozen more times before it'll get dull

Amazing book.

In reply to 2pints:

I'll usually persevere with a book to the end unless I absolutely hate it, but what I really love is to find a book that grips you so much that you don't actually want to get to the end because you are enjoying it so much.

In reply to GreyPilgrim:

Yeh I know what you mean, I'm a bit like that with films too.

I was shouting at the screen when This Is England finished!

In reply to gethin_allen: Two of my favourite very catchy, easy to get into reads are Timolean Vieta Come Home by Dan Rhodes, and A Spot Of Bother by Mark Haddon. Both made me laugh a lot. Come to think of it, A Spot Of Bother isn't absolutely gripping straight away, but it's very easy going.

I'd second The Wasp Factory: very catchy and memorable, but I don't rate many of Iain Bank's others.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Anything by Christopher Brookmyre

In reply to Blue Straggler:
Wow, possibly the first person ever to defend my grammar; my supervisor certainly didn't.

In reply to gethin_allen:

I would say Glass Books of the Dream Eaters, and it's sequel The Dark Volume are amazing.

Also Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, but it starts off pretty slow, does get better if you stick with it though.

In reply to gethin_allen:

I found "Cold Mountain" did this and I really liked "thirteen Moons", both by the same author.

I suspect it is a combination of topic and style and that will be a personal thing.

In reply to gethin_allen:

For years I've found books much easier to buy than to read - so many that once I've put them down I can't pick them up - but I've been rediscovering the pleasure of enjoying a well told story thanks to John Grisham. I'd highly recommend most of his, although "Painted House" is a bit slow. Improbable that books about law could be fascinating, but they are. Don't think he makes it on to the Beeb's list though.

In reply to gethin_allen:

Northern Lights - warning: if you like this, you'll have to to read the others
Secret History

In reply to gethin_allen:

Lebanese Radiators 1987-1991 Terry Waite