Recommendations based on Waveby Sonali Deraniyagala

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

  1. Men We Reaped

    by Jesmyn Ward
    A memoir examining the death of five young African-American men, and the societal issues that contributed to their demise.

    Named one of the Best Books of the Century by, New York, Magazine, Two-time National Book Award winner Jesmyn Ward (,Salvage the Bones, Sing, Unburied, Sing,) contends with the deaths of five young ... (Barnes & Noble)

  2. Hyperbole and a Half: Unfortunate Situations, Flawed Coping Mechanisms, Mayhem, and Other Things That Happened

    by Allie Brosh
    A humorous and candid account of the author's life, exploring the highs and lows of everyday life.

    #1, New York Times, Bestseller “Funny and smart as hell” (Bill Gates), Allie Brosh’s, Hyperbole and a Half, showcases her unique voice, leaping wit, and her ability to capture complex emotions with ... (Barnes & Noble)

  3. Help Thanks Wow: The Three Essential Prayers

    by Anne Lamott
    An exploration of how to use prayer and faith to create meaningful connections with God.

    A, New York Times, bestseller from the author of, Hallelujah Anyway,, Bird by Bird, and, Almost Everything,Author Anne Lamott writes about the three simple prayers essential to coming through tough ... (Goodreads)

  4. Fun Home: A Family Tragicomic

    by Alison Bechdel
    An autobiographical story of a daughter's complex relationship with her father and her own journey of self-discovery.

    The narrative of Fun Home is non-linear and recursive. , Incidents are told and re-told in the light of new information or themes. , Bechdel describes the structure of Fun Home as a labyrinth , ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Dopesick: Dealers, Doctors, and the Drug Company that Addicted America

    by Beth Macy
    A harrowing account of the opioid epidemic in America, exposing the greed and corruption that fueled it.

    Beth Macy takes us into the epicenter of America's twenty-plus year struggle with opioid addiction. From distressed small communities in Central Appalachia to wealthy suburbs; from disparate cities ... (Goodreads)

  6. Five Days at Memorial: Life and Death in a Storm-Ravaged Hospital

    by Sheri Fink
    The gripping story of a hospital during Hurricane Katrina, examining issues of medical ethics and life-saving decisions.

    In the tradition of the best investigative journalism, physician and reporter Sheri Fink reconstructs 5 days at Memorial Medical Center and draws the reader into the lives of those who struggled ... (Goodreads)

  7. The End of Your Life Book Club

    by Will Schwalbe
    Exploration of the importance of books and relationships through the story of a mother and son's book club.

    The inspiring story of a son and his dying mother, who form a "book club" that brings them together as her life comes to a close. Mary Anne Schwalbe is waiting for her chemotherapy treatments when ... (Goodreads)

  8. Love Is a Mix Tape: Life and Loss, One Song at a Time

    by Rob Sheffield
    A memoir of music, love, and loss told through a collection of mix tapes.

    In this stunning memoir, Rob Sheffield, a veteran rock and pop culture critic and staff writer for Rolling Stone magazine, tells the story of his musical coming of age, and how rock music, the first ... (Goodreads)

  9. Just Kids

    by Patti Smith
    Chronicles of two young artists in New York City, finding friendship and inspiration in each other.

    In Just Kids , Patti Smith's first book of prose, the legendary American artist offers a never-before-seen glimpse of her remarkable relationship with photographer Robert Mapplethorpe in the epochal ... (Goodreads)

  10. A Girl Named Zippy

    by Haven Kimmel
    A charming account of growing up in rural Indiana, exploring the joys and hardships of life.

    When Haven Kimmel was born in 1965 in Mooreland, Indiana, it was a sleepy little hamlet of three hundred people. Nicknamed "Zippy" for the way she would bolt around the house, this small girl was ... (Goodreads)

  11. Alive: The Story of the Andes Survivors

    by Piers Paul Read
    Story of a group of Uruguayan rugby players who survive a plane crash in the Andes and must fight to stay alive.

    On October 12, 1972, a plane carrying a team of young rugby players crashed into the remote, snow-peaked Andes. Out of the forty-five original passengers and crew, only sixteen made it off the ... (Goodreads)

  12. A Walk in the Woods: Rediscovering America on the Appalachian Trail

    by Bill Bryson
    A humorous account of a man's attempt to hike the Appalachian Trail, reflecting on the beauty and history of the American wilderness.

    The book starts with Bryson explaining his curiosity about the Appalachian Trail near his house. He and his old friend Stephen Katz start hiking the trail from Georgia in the South , and stumble in ... (Wikipedia)

  13. M Train

    by Patti Smith
    A memoir of Patti Smith's travels, musings, and creative inspirations, from cafes in New York to graves in Paris.

    M Train begins in the tiny Greenwich Village café where Smith goes every morning for black coffee, ruminates on the world as it is and the world as it was, and writes in her notebook. Through prose ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Hare With Amber Eyes: A Family's Century of Art and Loss

    by Edmund de Waal
    A journey through time, tracing the history of a family's collection of art and their struggles with loss.

    The Ephrussis were a grand banking family, as rich and respected as the Rothschilds, who “burned like a comet” in nineteenth-century Paris and Vienna society. Yet by the end of World War II, almost ... (Goodreads)

  15. Between the World and Me

    by Ta-Nehisi Coates
    A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.

    “This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)

  16. Brain on Fire: My Month of Madness

    by Susannah Cahalan
    A journalist's journey of survival and recovery from a rare autoimmune disorder.

    An award-winning memoir and instant New York Times bestseller that goes far beyond its riveting medical mystery, Brain on Fire is the powerful account of one woman’s struggle to recapture her ... (Goodreads)

  17. Tiny Beautiful Things: Advice on Love and Life from Dear Sugar

    by Cheryl Strayed
    Collection of heartfelt advice from a wise and compassionate storyteller.

    Life can be hard: your lover cheats on you; you lose a family member; you can’t pay the bills - and it can be great: you've had the hottest sex of your life; you get that plum job; you muster the ... (Goodreads)

  18. Flyboys: A True Story of Courage

    by James D. Bradley
    The story of nine American airmen shot down over Chichi Jima during World War II and their brutal treatment by the Japanese.

    Over the remote Pacific island of Chichi Jima, nine American flyers-Navy and Marine pilots sent to bomb Japanese communications towers there-were shot down., Flyboys, a story of war and horror but ... (Goodreads)

  19. Modern Romance

    by Aziz Ansari
    A humorous exploration of contemporary love, using the latest research and personal anecdotes.

    At some point, every one of us embarks on a journey to find love. We meet people, date, get into and out of relationships, all with the hope of finding someone with whom we share a deep connection. ... (Goodreads)

  20. Citizen: An American Lyric

    by Claudia Rankine
    Poetic exploration of racial injustice, highlighting the everyday experiences of racism.

    A provocative meditation on race, Claudia Rankine's long-awaited follow up to her groundbreaking book Don't Let Me Be Lonely: An American Lyric. Claudia Rankine's bold new book recounts mounting ... (Goodreads)

  21. Sh*t My Dad Says

    by Justin Halpern
    Collection of humorous musings and witticisms from an elderly father.

    After being dumped by his longtime girlfriend, twenty-eight-year-old Justin Halpern found himself living at home with his seventy-three-year-old dad. Sam Halpern, who is "like Socrates, but angrier, ... (Goodreads)

  22. Animal, Vegetable, Miracle: A Year of Food Life

    by Barbara Kingsolver
    A family's journey to eat locally grown, sustainable food.

    Author Barbara Kingsolver and her family abandoned the industrial-food pipeline to live a rural life—vowing that, for one year, they'd only buy food raised in their own neighborhood, grow it ... (Goodreads)

  23. Behind the Beautiful Forevers: Life, Death, and Hope in a Mumbai Undercity

    by Katherine Boo
    Explores the lives of the people living in Mumbai's slums and the harsh realities they face.

    From Pulitzer Prize-winner Katherine Boo, a landmark work of narrative nonfiction that tells the dramatic and sometimes heartbreaking story of families striving toward a better life in one of the ... (Goodreads)

  24. The Year of Magical Thinking

    by Joan Didion
    A woman's reflections on life and death after the sudden loss of her husband.

    'An act of consummate literary bravery, a writer known for her clarity allowing us to watch her mind as it becomes clouded with grief.' From one of America's iconic writers, a stunning book of ... (Goodreads)

  25. French Lessons: Adventures with Knife, Fork, and Corkscrew

    by Peter Mayle
    A humorous and informative memoir of a man's culinary adventures in France, exploring the country's food, wine, and culture.

    A delightful, delicious, and best-selling account of the gustatory pleasures to be found throughout France, from the beloved author of A Year in Provence . The French celebrate food and drink more ... (Goodreads)

  26. Wild Swans: Three Daughters of China

    by Jung Chang
    A family memoir spanning decades of Chinese history, exploring the power of resilience.

    The story of three generations in twentieth-century China that blends the intimacy of memoir and the panoramic sweep of eyewitness history—a bestselling classic in thirty languages with more than ten ... (Goodreads)

  27. To Heaven and Back: The True Story of a Doctor's Extraordinary Walk with God

    by Mary C. Neal
    A doctor's near-death experience and spiritual journey after a kayaking accident.

    Is there life after death? Is God real? Is there sufficient reason to live by faith? Dr. Mary Neal's walk with God has been both ordinary and extraordinary, brimming with the gift and privilege of ... (Goodreads)

  28. Small Fry: A Memoir

    by Lisa Brennan-Jobs
    A memoir of Lisa Brennan-Jobs, daughter of Apple co-founder Steve Jobs, and her complicated relationship with her father.

    Born on a farm and named in a field by her parents–artist Chrisann Brennan and Steve Jobs--Lisa Brennan-Jobs's childhood unfolded in a rapidly changing Silicon Valley. When she was young, Lisa's ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Boys in the Boat: Nine Americans and Their Epic Quest for Gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics

    by Daniel James Brown
    An inspiring story of a rowing crew battling against the odds to win gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics.

    This novel is about the University of Washington eight-oared crew that represented the United States in the 1936 Olympics in Berlin, and narrowly beat out Italy and Germany to win the gold medal. The ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Meaty

    by Samantha Irby
    A collection of hilarious and brutally honest essays about life, love, and the pursuit of happiness.

    Samantha Irby explodes onto the printed page with her debut collection of brand-new essays about trying to laugh her way through failed relationships, being black, taco feasts, bouts with Crohn's ... (Goodreads)