Recommendations based on Pogingen iets van het leven te maken: Het geheime dagboek van Hendrik Groen, 83¼ jaarby Hendrik Groen

* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans

  1. The Rosie Effect

    by Graeme Simsion
    A professor's unexpected journey of self-discovery, learning to embrace change.

    Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are back. The Wife Project is complete, and Don and Rosie are happily married and living in New York. But they're about to face a new challenge because - surprise - Rosie ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Discovery of Heaven

    by Harry Mulisch
    An epic tale of three men's search for a divine stone, testing the boundaries of faith and science.

    An angel -like being is ordered to return to Heaven the stone tablets containing the Ten Commandments . The divine being, however, cannot himself travel to Earth, and on several occasions in the book ... (Wikipedia)

  3. The Circle

    by Dave Eggers
    A cautionary tale of a powerful tech company that blurs the boundaries between privacy and surveillance.

    Mae Holland, a recent college graduate, lands a job at The Circle, a powerful technology company run by the "Three Wise Men"—Tom Stenton, a ruthless businessman; Eamon Bailey, a likeable public ... (Wikipedia)

  4. The Eighth Life

    by Nino Haratischwili
    A family saga spanning a century, following the lives of eight generations of a Georgian family.

    Six romances, one revolution, the story of the century. 'That night Stasia took an oath, swearing to learn the recipe by heart and destroy the paper. And when she was lying in her bed again, ... (Goodreads)

  5. The 100-Year-Old Man Who Climbed Out the Window and Disappeared

    by Jonas Jonasson
    An adventurous old man escapes a nursing home for an unexpected journey of self-discovery.

    Allan Karlsson is about to celebrate his hundredth birthday, and his retirement home in Malmköping is planning to throw a party. Allan is not interested. Instead, he climbs out the window and ... (Wikipedia)

  6. A Little Life

    by Hanya Yanagihara
    A powerful tale of four friends navigating life's hardships and the devastating effects of trauma.

    The novel follows the lives of four friends in New York City from college through to middle-age. It focuses particularly on Jude, a lawyer with a mysterious past, ambiguous ethnicity, and unexplained ... (Wikipedia)

  7. The Discomfort of Evening

    by Marieke Lucas Rijneveld
    A Dutch family's grief and trauma after the death of their son. Told through the eyes of a young girl who grapples with her own fears and desires.

    WINNER OF THE 2020 INTERNATIONAL BOOKER PRIZE,A stark and gripping tale of childhood grief from one of the most exciting new voices in Dutch literature,Ten-year-old Jas lives with her strictly ... (Barnes & Noble)

  8. The Librarian of Auschwitz

    by Antonio Iturbe
    Based on a true story, a young girl in Auschwitz risks her life to protect and share books with fellow prisoners.

    Based on the experience of real-life Auschwitz prisoner Dita Kraus, this is the incredible story of a girl who risked her life to keep the magic of books alive during the Holocaust. Fourteen-year-old ... (Barnes & Noble)

  9. Sarah's Key

    by Tatiana de Rosnay
    A French journalist unravels an untold story of the Holocaust, uncovering hidden secrets.

    From beloved international sensation and #1, New York Times, bestselling author Tatiana de Rosnay come's her most celebrated novel, Sarah's Key,—now in mass market paperback!, Paris, July 1942: ... (Barnes & Noble)

  10. When God Was a Rabbit

    by Sarah Winman
    A family story of love and loss, capturing a childhood in all its innocence and complexity.

    When God was a Rabbit is an incredibly exciting debut from an extraordinary new voice in fiction. Spanning four decades, from 1968 onwards, this is the story of a fabulous but flawed family and the ... (Goodreads)

  11. Salt to the Sea

    by Ruta Sepetys
    Vivid tale of a group of refugees struggling to survive in WWII Europe.

    New York Times, Bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal! ,"Masterfully crafted",—,The Wall Street Journal,For readers of, Between Shades of Gray, and, All the Light We Cannot See, Ruta Sepetys, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Extremely Loud & Incredibly Close

    by Jonathan Safran Foer
    A young boy's quest to find the lock that matches a mysterious key his father left behind.

    Nine-year-old Oskar Schell is an inventor, amateur entomologist, Francophile, letter writer, pacifist, natural historian, percussionist, romantic, Great Explorer, jeweller, detective, vegan, and ... (Goodreads)

  13. Butcher's Crossing

    by John Williams
    An adventure tale of a young man in the American West, searching for a place to belong.

    William Andrews, a Harvard student in the early 1870s, , is not happy with the mundanities of everyday life. After becoming inspired by the poetry and philosophy of Ralph Waldo Emerson, , he decides ... (Wikipedia)

  14. Your Perfect Year

    by Charlotte Lucas
    A man receives a diary from a stranger, which leads him on a journey of self-discovery and unexpected love.

    A man consumed by a meaningless life is going to do something he’s never considered doing before. He’s going to enjoy the day…, For hyper-particular publishing heir Jonathan Grief, the day starts ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. A Secret Kept

    by Tatiana de Rosnay
    A family vacation turns into a journey of self-discovery and uncovering long-buried family secrets.

    This stunning novel from Tatiana de Rosnay, author of the acclaimed New York Times bestseller Sarah's Key, plumbs the depths of complex family relationships and the power of a past secret to change ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Girl in the Spider's Web

    by David Lagercrantz
    A hacker teams up with a journalist to battle a criminal organization and save the world.

    Computer scientist Frans Balder abandons a prestigious job in Silicon Valley and returns to Sweden to take custody of his autistic son August. Balder is informed by several law enforcement agencies ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Ripper

    by Isabel Allende
    A string of murders in San Francisco leads a group of amateur detectives, including a teenage girl, to uncover a dark conspiracy.

    “Literary icon Isabel Allende mesmerizes . . . this race-against-the-clock thriller is pure magic.”— People Magazine , Four Stars NOW WITH A NEW DEAR READER LETTER,, New York Times, bestselling ... (Barnes & Noble)

  18. 1Q84

    by Haruki Murakami
    A surreal journey of two people entangled in a mysterious dual-world conspiracy.

    The events of 1Q84 take place in Tokyo during a fictionalized year of 1984, with the first volume set between April and June, the second between July and September, and the third between October and ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Britt-Marie Was Here

    by Fredrik Backman
    A woman's quest for independence and self-discovery, learning to embrace life and take risks.

    The plot of the novel focuses on a "nag-hag" woman who has recently left her cheating husband and has taken on a job in the city of Borg, working at the recreation center. The city itself is barely a ... (Wikipedia)

  20. The Girls

    by Emma Cline
    An exploration of the dark side of teenagehood, as a young girl is drawn into a cult.

    Northern California, during the violent end of the 1960s. At the start of summer, a lonely and thoughtful teenager, Evie Boyd, sees a group of girls in the park, and is immediately caught by their ... (Goodreads)

  21. Beautiful Ruins

    by Jess Walter
    A romantic story of fate, secrets, and destiny, spanning from Italy in the 1960s to present day.

    "The best novel of the year." — Maureen Corrigan, NPR's Fresh Air A #1 New York Times bestseller, this “absolute masterpiece” (Richard Russo) is the story of an almost-love affair that begins on the ... (Goodreads)

  22. Harry's Trees

    by Jon Cohen
    After losing his wife, Harry finds solace in a young girl and her mother, leading him on a journey of healing and self-discovery.

    USA TODAY BESTSELLER! A grieving widower, a determined girl, a courageous librarian and a mysterious book come together in an uplifting tale of love, loss, friendship and redemption. ... (Barnes & Noble)

  23. The Forgetting Time

    by Sharon Guskin
    A single father's journey to uncover the mystery of his son's memories from a past life.

    “What if what you did mattered more because life happened again and again, consequences unfolding across decades and continents?…A relentlessly paced page-turner and a profound meditation on the ... (Barnes & Noble)

  24. After We Collided

    by Anna Todd
    Tessa and Hardin's relationship continues to be tumultuous as they navigate trust issues and past traumas.

    One month after his breakup with Tessa Young, Hardin Scott meets an unknown man whom he rebuffs when he attempts to talk to him. Meanwhile, Tessa, on her first day as an intern at Vance Publishing, ... (Wikipedia)

  25. The Underground Railroad

    by Colson Whitehead
    An escaped slave's daring escape to freedom, fighting against the brutality of slavery.

    The story is told in the third person, focusing mainly on Cora. Scattered single chapters also focus on Cora's mother Mabel, the slavecatcher Ridgeway, a reluctant slave sympathizer named Ethel, and ... (Wikipedia)

  26. I Am Pilgrim

    by Terry Hayes
    A former operative is called back into action to track down a terrorist plotting a global attack.

    A breakneck race against time...and an implacable enemy. An anonymous young woman murdered in a run-down hotel, all identifying characteristics dissolved by acid. A father publicly beheaded in the ... (Goodreads)

  27. Summer House with Swimming Pool

    by Herman Koch
    A doctor's summer vacation with his family turns into a nightmare when a patient dies after visiting their rented house.

    The blistering, compulsively readable new novel from Herman Koch, author of the instant New York Times bestseller, The Dinner., When a medical procedure goes horribly wrong and famous actor Ralph ... (Goodreads)

  28. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

    by Fredrik Backman
    An imaginative quest to uncover the truth behind a beloved grandmother's mysterious stories.

    The story takes place in Sweden and follows Elsa, a 7-year-old who knows she is different from other children her age. Elsa has a habit of correcting others' grammar, she is smart for her age, and is ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Playing with Fire

    by Tess Gerritsen
    A female detective confronts a sinister cult while investigating a murder case.

    A beautiful violinist is haunted by a very old piece of music she finds in a strange antique shop in Rome. The first time Julia Ansdell picks up The Incendio Waltz, she knows it’s a strikingly ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Iron Daughter

    by Julie Kagawa
    A fairy princess discovers her true power as she battles supernatural forces to save her kingdom.

    From the limitless imagination of New York Times and USA Today bestselling author Julie Kagawa, return to the world of The Iron Fey. Half Summer faery princess, half human, Meghan has never fit in ... (Barnes & Noble)