Recommendations based on Breakfast with Buddhaby Roland Merullo

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

  1. The Art of Racing in the Rain

    by Garth Stein
    An uplifting story of a race car driver and the bond between humans and animals.

    Enzo knows he is different from other dogs: a philosopher with a nearly human soul (and an obsession with opposable thumbs), he has educated himself by watching television extensively, and by ... (Goodreads)

  2. Standing in the Rainbow

    by Fannie Flagg
    A comedic story of a small town in Alabama and its eccentric inhabitants, highlighting the beauty of human relationships.

    Along with Neighbor Dorothy, the lady with the smile in her voice, whose daily radio broadcasts keep us delightfully informed on all the local news, we also meet Bobby, her ten-year-old son, destined ... (Goodreads)

  3. The Witch of Portobello

    by Paulo Coelho
    A spiritual journey of a woman's search for identity and purpose.

    As the book begins, Athena is dead. How she ended up that way creates the intrigue sustaining the book. , The child, Sherine Khalil renames herself Athena after her uncle was discussing with her ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Year of Wonders

    by Geraldine Brooks
    A small English village grapples with the effects of the bubonic plague.

    When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of ... (Goodreads)

  5. Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values

    by Robert M. Pirsig
    A philosophical exploration of the meaning of life, seen through the lens of a cross-country motorcycle journey.

    Robert M. Pirsig's Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an examination of how we live, a meditation on how to live better set around the narration of a summer motorcycle trip across America's ... (Goodreads)

  6. Out to Canaan

    by Jan Karon
    An inspiring story of a small-town community overcoming obstacles to create a better future.

    As the story of Father Tim's Episcopalian Mitford parish continues, he finds himself in the very thick of things. Far from the bachelor life he knew for 62 years, he now finds himself opening his ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Can't Wait to Get to Heaven

    by Fannie Flagg
    A Southern small-town woman's life is changed by mysterious events that open her eyes to a larger world.

    Elner Shimfissle, an octogenarian who doesn't know her own age since her sister Ida buried the family Bible to conceal hers, is known and liked by a large circle of friends and admirers. One morning ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Dog on It

    by Spencer Quinn
    A private investigator and his canine partner search for a missing girl.

    ONE I could smell him – or rather the booze on his breath -- before he even opened the door, but my sense of smell is pretty good, probably better than yours. The key scratched against the lock, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  9. Buddha: A Story of Enlightenment

    by Deepak Chopra
    A fictionalized account of the life of Siddhartha Gautama, the man who became the Buddha, and his journey to enlightenment.

    Bestselling author Deepak Chopra brings the Buddha back to life in this gripping novel of the young prince who abandoned his inheritance to discover his true calling. This iconic journey changed the ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove

    by Christopher Moore
    A quirky and surreal journey into a small town filled with strange characters.

    Pine Cove suffers a major crisis when the town psychiatrist, Val Riordan — who has been haphazardly issuing prescriptions instead of dealing with the real mental problems of her patients — suffers a ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Snow Flower and the Secret Fan

    by Lisa See
    Story of two women in 19th-century China, exploring the power of female friendship.

    In rural Hunan province called Puwei (nicknamed the Common Beauty Village), a county in China, Lily is destined to become a, laotong, pair with Snow Flower, a girl of the same age from Tongkou (the ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry

    by Gabrielle Zevin
    Life of an isolated bookseller is transformed when an unexpected visitor brings unexpected joy.

    “Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”—, The Washington Post, A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his ... (Barnes & Noble)

  13. Son of a Witch

    by Gregory Maguire
    A story of redemption set in a fantastical world, as a young man searches for his true identity.

    Liir hid in the shadows of the castle after Dorothy did in the Witch. Left for dead in a gully, the teen is shattered in spirit and body. But silent novice Candle tends him at the Cloister of Saint ... (Goodreads)

  14. Manuscript Found in Accra

    by Paulo Coelho
    A gathering of wisdom from the people of Accra, inspiring courage and hope.

    The latest novel from the #1 internationally best-selling author of The Alchemist. There is nothing wrong with anxiety.,Although we cannot control God's time, it is part of the human condition to ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Good Earth

    by Pearl S. Buck
    A story of humble farmers facing the struggles of poverty and the upheaval of social change.

    The story begins on Wang Lung 's wedding day and follows the rise and fall of his fortunes. The House of Hwang, a family of wealthy landowners, lives in the nearby town, where Wang Lung's future ... (Wikipedia)

  16. The Hummingbird's Daughter

    by Luis Alberto Urrea
    A Mexican girl's journey to self-acceptance, discovering the power of faith and family.

    The prizewinning writer Luis Alberto Urrea's long-awaited novel is an epic mystical drama of a young woman's sudden sainthood in late 19th-century Mexico. It is 1889, and the civil war is brewing in ... (Goodreads)

  17. The Tale of the Body Thief

    by Anne Rice
    A vampire navigates the dark underworld, seeking to reclaim his stolen humanity.

    At the beginning of the story, Lestat grows depressed and becomes remorseful because of his vampiric nature. Although he tries to limit his victims to murderers, serial killers and other criminals, ... (Wikipedia)

  18. 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)

  19. White Oleander

    by Janet Fitch
    A young girl's struggles to survive in a series of foster homes, finding strength in her resilience.

    Astrid Magnussen is a 12-year-old girl living in Los Angeles , California with her mother, Ingrid Magnussen, a self-centered and eccentric poet. Astrid's father, Klaus Anders, left before Astrid was ... (Wikipedia)

  20. The Pilgrimage

    by Paulo Coelho
    A spiritual journey of a man in search of himself, his purpose, and God.

    The story begins in 1986 when Coelho undertakes his initiation into the order Regnus Agnus Mundi (RAM), which he subsequently fails. He is then told that he must embark on a pilgrimage along the ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Americanah

    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    An exploration of race, identity, and belonging as two Nigerian immigrants experience life in America and beyond.

    Ifemelu and Obinze are young and in love when they depart military-ruled Nigeria for the West. Beautiful, self-assured Ifemelu heads for America, where despite her academic success, she is forced to ... (Goodreads)

  22. Atlas Shrugged

    by Ayn Rand
    A tale of a dystopian future where the strongest minds take control of society.

    This is the story of a man who said that he would stop the motor of the world and did. Was he a destroyer or the greatest of liberators? Why did he have to fight his battle, not against his enemies, ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Rainmaker

    by John Grisham
    A young lawyer's quest to bring justice to a family in need.

    Rudy Baylor is about to graduate from Memphis State Law School . He secures a position with a Memphis law firm , who then loses his job when the firm is bought out by the large Memphis law firm ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Matterhorn

    by Karl Marlantes
    A Vietnam War novel about the journey of a Marine lieutenant and his platoon in the jungles of Vietnam.

    Featured in PBS's, The Vietnam War, series by Ken Burns & Lynn Novick. The, New York Times, bestselling, "powerhouse" (,TIME, Magazine) debut from Vietnam War veteran, Karl Marlantes. An incredible ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. Memnoch the Devil

    by Anne Rice
    A supernatural journey of temptation, faith, and redemption.

    After stalking and killing Roger, a ruthless but passionate mobster , Lestat is approached by Roger's ghost. Roger asks him to take care of his daughter Dora, a devout and popular televangelist , ... (Wikipedia)

  26. The Black Stallion

    by Walter Farley
    A young boy's friendship with a wild horse, overcoming challenges and finding courage.

    Published originally in 1941, this book is about a young boy, Alec Ramsay who finds a wild black stallion at a small Arabian port on the Red Sea. Between the black stallion and young boy, a strange ... (Goodreads)

  27. A Dog's Purpose

    by W. Bruce Cameron
    A dog's journey to discovering its true purpose, through multiple lifetimes and owners.

    The narrator first starts out as a feral Beagle / German Shepherd / terrier mix puppy. A few weeks later, after being nursed by their mother, a feral as well, the dog and his siblings Fast, Sister, ... (Wikipedia)

  28. The Celestine Prophecy

    by James Redfield
    A spiritual journey of discovery, unlocking the ancient mysteries of the universe.

    Are three decades of interest in modern physics, ecology, mystical religion and interpersonal psychology finally synthesizing into a new spiritual "common sense"? Are we now beginning to live this ... (Goodreads)

  29. Enduring Love

    by Ian McEwan
    A story of obsession and its consequences, as two men clash over a woman's affections.

    Joe planned a postcard-perfect afternoon in the English countryside to celebrate his lover's return after 6 weeks in the States. The perfect day turns to nightmare however, when they are involved in ... (Goodreads)

  30. People of the Book

    by Geraldine Brooks
    A journey through time as an ancient book is discovered and its secrets revealed.

    The "complex and moving" ( The New Yorker ) novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks follows a rare manuscript through centuries of exile and war. Inspired by a true story, "People of the ... (Goodreads)