Recommendations based on The Risk Poolby Richard Russo

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

  1. Straight Man

    by Richard Russo
    A university professor's humorous journey of self-discovery as he navigates campus politics.

    William Henry Devereaux, Jr., spiritually suited to playing left field but forced by a bad hamstring to try first base, is the unlikely chairman of the English department at West Central Pennsylvania ... (Goodreads)

  2. Nobody's Fool

    by Richard Russo
    Sully, a 60-year-old handyman, navigates life in a small town, dealing with family drama and personal struggles.

    Richard Russo's slyly funny and moving novel follows the unexpected operation of grace in a deadbeat town in upstate New York—and in the life of one of its unluckiest citizens, Sully, who has been ... (Goodreads)

  3. Empire Falls

    by Richard Russo
    A small town's citizens struggle to find meaning and find their place in a rapidly changing world.

    Set in the decaying, nearly bankrupt, small town of Empire Falls, Maine, this is the story of the unassuming manager of the Empire Grill, Miles Roby, who has spent his life in the town. The town, and ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Breakfast of Champions

    by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
    A humorous exploration of life's absurdities, through a madcap journey of a protagonist.

    Kilgore Trout is a widely published, but ignored and virtually invisible writer who is invited to deliver a keynote address at a local arts festival in distant Midland City. Dwayne Hoover is a ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Labor Day

    by Joyce Maynard
    A single mother and her son take in an escaped convict over Labor Day weekend, leading to unexpected consequences.

    Henry Wheeler, a man in his early 30s, recounts his thirteenth year. As Labor Day weekend approaches, 13-year-old Henry sees no reason why this weekend should be any different. He expects it to be as ... (Wikipedia)

  6. The Complete Stories

    by Flannery O'Connor
    A collection of stories that explore aspects of the human condition through surreal and darkly comedic lenses.

    This is the original cover edition of, ISBN: 0374515360, (ISBN13: 9780374515362 Winner of the National Book Award The publication of this extraordinary volume firmly established Flannery O'Connor's ... (Goodreads)

  7. Cat's Cradle

    by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
    A satirical exploration of human folly, exposing the dangers of unchecked science and technology.

    Told with deadpan humour and bitter irony, Kurt Vonnegut's cult tale of global destruction preys on our deepest fears of witnessing Armageddon and, worse still, surviving it ... Dr Felix Hoenikker, ... (Goodreads)

  8. Sacred Hearts

    by Sarah Dunant
    In 16th century Italy, a young noblewoman is forced into a convent against her will and must navigate the complex politics and relationships within its walls.

    The year is 1570, and in the convent of Santa Caterina, in the Italian city of Ferrara, noblewomen find space to pursue their lives under God's protection. But any community, however smoothly run, ... (Goodreads)

  9. Independence Day

    by Richard Ford
    A Midwestern family's struggles to hold on to their values in the face of economic hardship.

    The novel follows Frank Bascombe, a New Jersey real estate agent (and ex-sportswriter), through the titular holiday weekend as he visits his ex-wife, his troubled son, his current lover, the tenants ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Olive Kitteridge

    by Elizabeth Strout
    An exploration of the life of a small-town woman, revealing her struggles and emotional complexities.

    Winner of the Pulitzer Prize, Olive Kitteridge offers profound insights into the human condition – its conflicts, its tragedies and joys, and the endurance it requires. At times stern, at other times ... (Goodreads)

  11. You Shall Know Our Velocity!

    by Dave Eggers
    Two friends travel around the world, seeking adventure and an understanding of life's purpose.

    Will has surprisingly come into a large amount of money, around $32,000. His photograph screwing in a light bulb has been made a silhouette and is being used as a picture for the company's light bulb ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Interpreter of Maladies

    by Jhumpa Lahiri
    Collection of stories exploring the struggles of Indian-American immigrants in the US.

    A married couple, Shukumar and Shoba, live as strangers in their house until an electrical outage brings them together when all of sudden "they [are] able to talk to each other again" in the four ... (Wikipedia)

  13. Another Roadside Attraction

    by Tom Robbins
    A quest for the meaning of life, exploring the boundaries between reality and fantasy.

    The novel follows the adventures of John Paul Ziller and his wife Amanda—lovable prophetess and promiscuous earth mother, inarguably the central protagonist—who open "Captain Kendrick's Memorial Hot ... (Wikipedia)

  14. She's Come Undone

    by Wally Lamb
    A young woman's trial-filled journey to self-acceptance and self-preservation.

    Dolores Price is heartbroken when her handsome, but irresponsible father, Tony, leaves their suburban home for another woman. She and her mother, Bernice, move into her uptight Catholic grandmother's ... (Wikipedia)

  15. Weaveworld

    by Clive Barker
    Fictional world hidden within a tapestry, a group of humans protecting it from evil.

    Decades prior to the book's opening, a magical race known as the Seerkind combined all of their powers to create a secret world known as "the Fugue", a carpet into which they wove their most beloved ... (Wikipedia)

  16. Secret Daughter

    by Shilpi Somaya Gowda
    An Indian woman's journey to find her daughter and redeem her past.

    Somer's life is everything she imagined it would be — she's newly married and has started her career as a physician in San Francisco — until she makes the devastating discovery she never will be able ... (Goodreads)

  17. As I Lay Dying

    by William Faulkner
    A family's struggle to fulfill the dying wish of their mother, amidst personal and societal challenges.

    The book is narrated by 15 different characters over 59 chapters. It is the story of the death of Addie Bundren and her poor, rural family's quest and motivations—noble or selfish—to honor her wish ... (Wikipedia)

  18. This is Where I Leave You

    by Jonathan Tropper
    A family comes together during a week of sitting shiva, rediscovering the joys of being a family.

    A riotously funny, emotionally raw New York Times bestselling novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind—whether we like it or not. The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks ... (Goodreads)

  19. A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius

    by Dave Eggers
    An autobiographical account of a young man dealing with grief and responsibility.

    'When you read his extraordinary memoir you don't laugh, then cry, then laugh again; you somehow experience these emotions all at once.' "Well, this was when Bill was sighing a lot. He had decided ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Interestings

    by Meg Wolitzer
    A group of friends meet at a summer camp and navigate their way through life's ups and downs, successes and failures.

    The Interestings explores the meaning of talent; the nature of envy; the roles of class, art, money, and power; and how all of it can shift and tilt precipitously over the course of a friendship and ... (Goodreads)

  21. A Confederacy of Dunces

    by John Kennedy Toole
    A satirical tale of an eccentric slacker's misadventures in New Orleans.

    Alternate cover for this ISBN can be found, here, "A green hunting cap squeezed the top of the fleshy balloon of a head. The green earflaps, full of large ears and uncut hair and the fine bristles ... (Goodreads)

  22. Wise Blood

    by Flannery O'Connor
    A darkly comic Southern Gothic tale of faith and sin, and a man's struggle to find redemption.

    Recently discharged from service in World War II and surviving on a government pension for unspecified battle wounds, Hazel Motes returns to his family home in Tennessee to find it abandoned. Leaving ... (Wikipedia)

  23. The Story of Edgar Sawtelle

    by David Wroblewski
    An epic tale of family and loyalty set in a rural Wisconsin landscape.

    Forte's Children Edgar comes from a line of dog breeders. After buying a farm, his grandfather, John Sawtelle, rents out the farmland and starts dog breeding . He and his wife have two sons, Edgar's ... (Wikipedia)

  24. On Beauty

    by Zadie Smith
    A story of two families, their struggles with identity, race, and class, and the beauty that can be found in unexpected places.

    On Beauty centres on the story of two families and their different yet increasingly intertwined lives. The Belsey family consists of university professor Howard, a white Englishman; his ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Snow

    by Orhan Pamuk
    A man's journey of self-discovery in a politically charged atmosphere in Turkey.

    Though most of the early part of the story is told in the third person from Ka's point of view, an omniscient narrator sometimes makes his presence known, posing as a friend of Ka's who is telling ... (Wikipedia)

  26. The Sportswriter

    by Richard Ford
    A sportswriter navigates through life after the death of his son, reflecting on his past relationships and current struggles.

    As a sportswriter, Frank Bascombe makes his living studying people–men, mostly--who live entirely within themselves. This is a condition that Frank himself aspires to. But at thirty-eight, he suffers ... (Goodreads)

  27. Plainsong

    by Kent Haruf
    Interconnected stories of rural life in small-town America, and the struggles of the people living there.

    A heartstrong story of family and romance, tribulation and tenacity, set on the High Plains east of Denver. In the small town of Holt, Colorado, a high school teacher is confronted with raising his ... (Goodreads)

  28. Geek Love

    by Katherine Dunn
    A family of self-made circus freaks navigates love, loyalty, and morality in a world that shuns them for their differences.

    The novel takes place in two interwoven , time periods: the first deals with the Binewski children's constant struggle against each other through life. They especially have to deal with the ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Surrender Your Love

    by J.C. Reed
    A steamy romance between a successful businesswoman and a mysterious man with a dark past.

    Meeting Jett was like lightning. Dangerous. Better left untouched. And better forgotten. But lightning always strikes twice. Brooke Stewart, a realtor in New York, doesn’t do relationships. When ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Art of Fielding

    by Chad Harbach
    A college baseball team's success and failures are intertwined with the lives of five individuals.

    Henry Skrimshander begins the novel as a 17-year-old playing on a Legion baseball team in Lankton, South Dakota. Although physically short and not muscular, Henry has an unusual gift for fielding, ... (Wikipedia)