British author book recommendations

[CmoantheHibs]

What British authors do people recommend? I am looking to try different authors. It's mainly fiction I read but would be interested in people's opinions on any genre, both fiction and non fiction.

[Smartie]

I love John Niven, he writes comedy.

If you're in any way into golf, I'd recommend "The Amateurs", set I think in Ayrshire. I was laughing through it so much that Mrs Smartie (who isn't into golf) read it and loved it.

The Crow Road by Iain Banks is still one of my favourite books.

[grunt]

The Crow Road by Iain Banks is still one of my favourite books.Pretty much all of Iain Banks' books are enjoyable to read IMO. Especially his sci-fi books if you're into that. Sci-fi books written under Iain M Banks.

[Greentinted]

Jenni Fagan (The Panopticon); similar to Irvine Welsh
Nick Harkaway
Eleanor Oliphant
Neil Gaimen
AL Kennedy
Gregory David Roberts (Australian but brilliant)
Andrew Taylor
Tim Shipman (non-fiction, political but fast-paced)

Just what’s lying around me the now.

[Tornadoes70]

Read a lot of fiction. Just finished reading Alex Gray's Still Dark which I'm now given to the local charity shop. Martina Cole, Karen Rose, Mark Billingham, etc.

[CropleyWasGod]

I love John Niven, he writes comedy.

If you're in any way into golf, I'd recommend "The Amateurs", set I think in Ayrshire. I was laughing through it so much that Mrs Smartie (who isn't into golf) read it and loved it.

The Crow Road by Iain Banks is still one of my favourite books.

The Crow Road has my favourite opening line ever. "It was the day my grandmother exploded"

I'd also suggest Grahame Greene.

[Moulin Yarns]

Christopher Brookmyre. His Jack Parlabane series in particular.

Peter May

Stuart McBride

[Bangkok Hibby]

Almost anything by Tom Sharp for belly laughs. I've just finished "Dead men's trousers" by Irvine Welsh. Looks like the last story for Begbie, sickboy et al. A great read.

[Bangkok Hibby]

The late, great Christopher Hitchens if you're of a "non religious" persuasion. Likewise Richard Dawkins but with some understandable science thrown in.

Stephen Fry writes beautifully and with intelligence and passion about anything he wants.

[G15 Hibs]

I'd also suggest Grahame Greene.

"The Power and the Glory" is possibly my favourite novel, the only one I've read multiple times certainly. Not very British though, I suppose.

[JeMeSouviens]

Peter May's Lewis trilogy starting with the Black House.
Philip Pulman's Dark Materials, allegedly children's novels but I read them in my late 30s and thought they were stunning.

[JeMeSouviens]

non-fiction: I just finished reading Provided You Don't Kiss Me - a sort of autobiography/biography of Brian Clough written by the Forest correspondent of the local paper. Brilliant read.

[Danderhall Hibs]

Christopher Brookmyre. His Jack Parlabane series in particular.

Peter May

Stuart McBride

Haven’t read Peter May but the other 2 mentioned here are very good.

Also read a book by a guy called Tony Kent called Killer Intent and it was a real page turner. His 2nd book is due out next month I think.

I enjoyed the Quintin Jardine series (Edinburgh policeman) - the stories are great but the characters become so far up their own arse that they are hard to like.

Ian Rankin and Rebus as well obviously.

Steve Kavanagh is good as well - I read his book “Thirteen” in the summer - really good and fast paced.

[Peevemor]

William Woodruff - 'The Road to Nab End' and 'Beyond Nab End'. They're autobiographies about the author's impoverished upbringing in a Lancashire weaving community. A bit like Angela's Ashes but less embellished (my impression).

I'll look through my shelves when I get in tonight as there are others I'd recommend but I can never remember names.

[The_Exile]

RR Haywood if you like a zombie story, his The Undead series is bloody good. Nick Hornby is probably my favourite British writers. Obvious mentions to Irvine Welsh, Ian Rankin, George Orwell, Ian Fleming, Robert Harris (only found out he's Nick Hornby's brother in law a few weeks ago! Enigma is a great read and the film stars our very own Dougray Scott), Lee Child, the list could go on and on!

[Carheenlea]

I love John Niven, he writes comedy.

If you're in any way into golf, I'd recommend "The Amateurs", set I think in Ayrshire. I was laughing through it so much that Mrs Smartie (who isn't into golf) read it and loved it.

The Crow Road by Iain Banks is still one of my favourite books.

Agree, I enjoy John Niven and his “No Good Deed” had one of the funniest description of a game of golf that only golfers would really get!

Read Alan Bisset’s “Pack Men” over Christmas there and really enjoyed that. Set during a day out to Manchester for Rangers UEFA Cup Final, but don’t let that put you off!

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Pack-Men-Alan-Bissett/dp/0755319443

[Mibbes Aye]

What British authors do people recommend? I am looking to try different authors. It's mainly fiction I read but would be interested in people's opinions on any genre, both fiction and non fiction.

"The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists" by Robert Tressell.

Out of interest, why only British authors? There's literally a world of great authors, who write in English or translation.

[nellio]

non-fiction: I just finished reading Provided You Don't Kiss Me - a sort of autobiography/biography of Brian Clough written by the Forest correspondent of the local paper. Brilliant read.

I've read that. An excellent collection of stories. Not a book but if you look on youtube I'm sure you can listen to Dean Saunders story about clough when Cloughie was trying to sign him for Forest.

[CmoantheHibs]

"The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists" by Robert Tressell.

Out of interest, why only British authors? There's literally a world of great authors, who write in English or translation.


The reason for asking about British authors was simply because that in my experience I enjoy them more than other authors.I seem to relate to the character's more and find them more believable. To be honest this is based mainly against American authors. I also feel that with many of the American authors when a book is nearing it's conclusion they get way too excited and the main characters almost become superhuman.
Thanks to everyone for their recommendations and I better go as I have a pile of books to get through.

[G15 Hibs]

"The Ragged-Trousered Philanthropists" by Robert Tressell.



Agreed, comrade.

[Bangkok Hibby]

The reason for asking about British authors was simply because that in my experience I enjoy them more than other authors.I seem to relate to the character's more and find them more believable. To be honest this is based mainly against American authors. I also feel that with many of the American authors when a book is nearing it's conclusion they get way too excited and the main characters almost become superhuman.
Thanks to everyone for their recommendations and I better go as I have a pile of books to get through.

I agree, I find that in a lot of American movies the plot just gets too nonsensical and I have often walked out before the end.

[heretoday]

I agree, I find that in a lot of American movies the plot just gets too nonsensical and I have often walked out before the end.

That's the nature of fiction though. You have to keep coming up with something new and that can risk stretching credibility.

[Mibbes Aye]

The reason for asking about British authors was simply because that in my experience I enjoy them more than other authors.I seem to relate to the character's more and find them more believable. To be honest this is based mainly against American authors. I also feel that with many of the American authors when a book is nearing it's conclusion they get way too excited and the main characters almost become superhuman.
Thanks to everyone for their recommendations and I better go as I have a pile of books to get through.

That's fair enough.

The last book by a non-Western writer I read was "The Palace of Dreams" by Ismail Kadare. It's an imaginative work set somewhere around the early 20th century where the Ottoman Empire has flourished and it employs a vast bureaucracy who read daily reports of what people dreamed, on the basis that these dreams will inform what happens to the Sultan.

It's simply superb.

[CmoantheHibs]

That's fair enough.

The last book by a non-Western writer I read was "The Palace of Dreams" by Ismail Kadare. It's an imaginative work set somewhere around the early 20th century where the Ottoman Empire has flourished and it employs a vast bureaucracy who read daily reports of what people dreamed, on the basis that these dreams will inform what happens to the Sultan.

It's simply superb.

Cheers for that. I will give it a read when I get a chance.
I am hopeless with names but I read a book, I think, about 15 years ago. The author didn't have a particularly common or easily remembered name but I still remember it so it obviously made quite an impression on me. His name was Palden Gyatso a Buddhist monk in Tibet and the story is about his experiences and imprisonment during the Chinese invasion of Tibet. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea but a very inspiring book.Oh nearly forgot, the book is called fire under the snow.

[Hibee87]

I found a couple of books on Holiday last year by a James Twinning to be pretty good. Think there is 3 or 4 of them about a art thief / ex secret agent. Fast paced and can be a bit unbelievable at times, but easy reading packed with action.

[Peevemor]

William Woodruff - 'The Road to Nab End' and 'Beyond Nab End'. They're autobiographies about the author's impoverished upbringing in a Lancashire weaving community. A bit like Angela's Ashes but less embellished (my impression).

I'll look through my shelves when I get in tonight as there are others I'd recommend but I can never remember names.I've just had a quick look.

I've read and enjoyed a few books by Robert Goddard. They're crime /mystery things based mostly in English coastal towns and normally with a (recent) historical element. The plots and characters aren't far fetched at all and I find them to be a good read.

[JeMeSouviens]

Cheers for that. I will give it a read when I get a chance.
I am hopeless with names but I read a book, I think, about 15 years ago. The author didn't have a particularly common or easily remembered name but I still remember it so it obviously made quite an impression on me. His name was Palden Gyatso a Buddhist monk in Tibet and the story is about his experiences and imprisonment during the Chinese invasion of Tibet. Maybe not everyone's cup of tea but a very inspiring book.Oh nearly forgot, the book is called fire under the snow.

The Kite Runner and Thousand Splendid Suns are both great novels with a side order of understanding the last few decades in Afghanistan. I wasn't quite as keen on "And the Mountains Echoed".

Edit - the author is not Brit though, he's an Afghan exiled in the US.