Recommendations based on Charles and Emma: The Darwins' Leap of Faithby Deborah Heiligman

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

  1. Wesley the Owl: The Remarkable Love Story of an Owl and His Girl

    by Stacey O'Brien
    A remarkable story of an owl's unconditional love and the bond between a woman and her beloved pet.

    When biologist Stacey O'Brien first met a four-day-old baby barn owl with nerve damage in one wing, she knew he had no hope of surviving on his own in the wild, so gave him a permanent home living ... (Goodreads)

  2. No Ordinary Time: Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt: The Home Front in World War II

    by Doris Kearns Goodwin
    Examines the lives of Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt during WWII and their impact on the nation.

    Winner of the Pulitzer for History, No Ordinary Time is a chronicle of one of the most vibrant & revolutionary periods in US history. With an extraordinary collection of details, Goodwin weaves ... (Goodreads)

  3. Dreams from My Father: A Story of Race and Inheritance

    by Barack Obama
    An exploration of the Obama family history, tracing the threads of identity and race.

    In this lyrical, unsentimental, and compelling memoir, the son of a black African father and a white American mother searches for a workable meaning to his life as a black American. It begins in New ... (Goodreads)

  4. 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)

  5. Quiet: The Power of Introverts in a World That Can't Stop Talking

    by Susan Cain
    An exploration of the power of introversion, examining the implications of modern society's emphasis on extroversion.

    The book that started the Quiet Revolution, At least one-third of the people we know are introverts. They are the ones who prefer listening to speaking; who innovate and create but dislike ... (Goodreads)

  6. Who Thought This Was a Good Idea?: And Other Questions You Should Have Answers to When You Work in the White House

    by Alyssa Mastromonaco
    A memoir of Alyssa Mastromonaco's time as Deputy Chief of Staff under President Obama, offering insights into the inner workings of the White House.

    If your funny older sister were the former deputy chief of staff to President Barack Obama, her behind-the-scenes political memoir would look something like this . . . Alyssa Mastromonaco worked for ... (Barnes & Noble)

  7. The Fact of a Body: A Murder and a Memoir

    by Alexandria Marzano-Lesnevich
    An exploration of the intersection between personal experience and a murder case, delving into questions of morality and justice.

    Before Alex Marzano-Lesnevich begins a summer job at a law firm in Louisiana, working to help defend men accused of murder, they think their position is clear. The child of two lawyers, they are ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing

    by Marie Kondō
    A guide to mastering the art of decluttering and organizing for a more fulfilling life.

    #1, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • The book that sparked a revolution and inspired the hit Netflix series, Tidying Up with Marie Kondo,: the original guide to decluttering your home once and for all. ... (Barnes & Noble)

  9. Where Am I Now?

    by Mara Wilson
    A memoir by former child actress Mara Wilson, reflecting on her life in and out of the spotlight.

    For readers of Lena Dunham, Allie Brosh and Roxane Gay, this funny, poignant, daringly honest collection of personal essays introduces Mara Wilson—the former child actress best known for her starring ... (Goodreads)

  10. My Dog: The Paradox: A Lovable Discourse about Man's Best Friend

    by Matthew Inman
    A humorous and heartwarming comic book about the joys and challenges of owning a dog.

    Matthew Inman dishes another helping of hilarity from his online comic The Oatmeal in My Dog: The Paradox . After years of carefully observing his own dog, Rambo, Inman follows his #1 New York Times ... (Goodreads)

  11. Imagine: How Creativity Works

    by Jonah Lehrer
    Exploring the science and psychology of creativity to understand how ideas are born and flourish.

    Did you know that the most creative companies have centralized bathrooms? That brainstorming meetings are a terrible idea? That the color blue can help you double your creative output? From the New ... (Goodreads)

  12. Agatha Christie: An Autobiography

    by Agatha Christie
    A memoir documenting the life, struggles and successes of the world's best-selling author.

    When Agatha Christie died on 12 January 1976, she was known throughout the world as the Queen of Crime, unrivalled as the best-selling novelist of all time with two billion books sold in more than ... (Goodreads)

  13. Intuitive Eating: A Revolutionary Program That Works

    by Evelyn Tribole
    A guide to breaking free from diet culture and learning to trust your body's signals to nourish yourself intuitively.

    We've all been there-angry with ourselves for overeating, for our lack of willpower, for failing at yet another diet that was supposed to be the last one. But the problem is not you, it's that ... (Goodreads)

  14. Better Than Before: Mastering the Habits of Our Everyday Lives

    by Gretchen Rubin
    A practical guide to creating and maintaining good habits, based on personal experiences and scientific research.

    NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • The author of, The Happiness Project, and “a force for real change” (Brené Brown) examines how changing our habits can change our lives. “If anyone can help us stop ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. The Elements of Style

    by William Strunk Jr.
    A practical guide to written English, providing guidance on grammar and style.

    This style manual offers practical advice on improving writing skills. Throughout, the emphasis is on promoting a plain English style. This little book can help you communicate more effectively by ... (Goodreads)

  16. 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)

  17. Art Matters

    by Neil Gaiman
    A collection of essays on the importance of art and creativity in our lives, and how they can change the world.

    A stunning and timely creative call-to-arms combining four extraordinary written pieces by Neil Gaiman illustrated with the striking four-color artwork of Chris Riddell. “The world always seems ... (Barnes & Noble)

  18. The Greatest Generation

    by Tom Brokaw
    A narrative of the WWII generation and their struggles and triumphs in an uncertain world.

    "In the spring of 1984, I went to the northwest of France, to Normandy, to prepare an NBC documentary on the fortieth anniversary of D-Day, the massive and daring Allied invasion of Europe that ... (Goodreads)

  19. Blackout: Remembering the Things I Drank to Forget

    by Sarah Hepola
    A candid memoir of a woman's journey to reclaim her life from alcohol abuse.

    A memoir of unblinking honesty and poignant, laugh-out-loud humor,, Blackout, is the story of a woman stumbling into a new kind of adventure — the sober life she never wanted. For Sarah Hepola, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  20. Bomb: The Race to Build—and Steal—the World's Most Dangerous Weapon

    by Steve Sheinkin
    A riveting account of the race to build the world's first atomic bomb during WWII.

    In December of 1938, a chemist in a German laboratory made a shocking discovery: When placed next to radioactive material, a Uranium atom split in two. That simple discovery launched a scientific ... (Goodreads)

  21. A Mother's Reckoning: Living in the Aftermath of Tragedy

    by Sue Klebold
    A mother's story of her son's involvement in a school shooting and her journey of understanding and healing.

    On April 20, 1999, Eric Harris and Dylan Klebold walked into Columbine High School in Littleton, Colorado. Over the course of minutes, they would kill twelve students and a teacher and wound ... (Goodreads)

  22. Living History

    by Hillary Rodham Clinton
    Autobiography of Hillary Rodham Clinton's life, from her childhood to her time as First Lady.

    The Phenomenal #1 Worldwide Bestseller—With a New Afterword Hillary Rodham Clinton is known to hundreds of millions of people around the world. Yet few beyond her close friends and family have ever ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Zookeeper's Wife

    by Diane Ackerman
    A true story of courage and resilience during the Holocaust, as a zookeeper and his wife risk their lives to save hundreds of Jews.

    In the 1930s, Jan Żabiński is the director of a thriving zoo in Warsaw, Poland. His wife, Antonina, has a remarkable empathy with animals, and their villa in the zoo acts as a nursery and residence ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Marley and Me: Life and Love With the World's Worst Dog

    by John Grogan
    A heartfelt journey of a family and their beloved, but mischievous, dog.

    John and Jenny were just beginning their life together. They were young and in love, with a perfect little house and not a care in the world. Then they brought home Marley, a wiggly yellow furball of ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Energy Bus: 10 Rules to Fuel Your Life, Work, and Team with Positive Energy

    by Jon Gordon
    Learn how to create a positive and energizing environment, and become a leader who can inspire and motivate.

    The Energy Bus , an international best seller by Jon Gordon, takes readers on an enlightening and inspiring ride that reveals 10 secrets for approaching life and work with the kind of positive, ... (Goodreads)

  26. Eat to Live: The Revolutionary Formula for Fast and Sustained Weight Loss

    by Joel Fuhrman
    Explores how to lose weight through nutrition and lifestyle changes.

    When Mehmet Oz or any of New York's leading doctors has a patient whose life depends on losing weight, they call on Joel Fuhrman, M.D. In EAT TO LIVE, Dr. Fuhrman offers his healthy, effective, and ... (Goodreads)

  27. The Tender Bar: A Memoir

    by J.R. Moehringer
    An intimate look at an unconventional family and the power of storytelling.

    In the grand tradition of landmark memoirs - a classic American story of self-invention and escape, of the fierce love between a single mother and an only son, it's also a moving portrait of one ... (Goodreads)

  28. Breaking the Spell: Religion as a Natural Phenomenon

    by Daniel C. Dennett
    Examines the origins of religious belief, exploring how it has shaped society.

    An innovative thinker tackles the controversial question of why we believe in God and how religion shapes our lives and our future. For a growing number of people, there is nothing more important ... (Goodreads)

  29. Expecting Better: Why the Conventional Pregnancy Wisdom is Wrong - and What You Really Need to Know

    by Emily Oster
    Evidence-based look at pregnancy and its associated medical advice, challenging conventional wisdom.

    What to Expect When You're Expecting, meets, Freakonomics,: an award-winning economist disproves standard recommendations about pregnancy to empower women while they're expecting. ... (Goodreads)

  30. The Unwinding: An Inner History of the New America

    by George Packer
    An exploration of America's political and economic decline over the last few decades.

    A riveting examination of a nation in crisis, from one of the finest political journalists of our generation American democracy is beset by a sense of crisis. Seismic shifts during a single ... (Goodreads)