Recommendations based on Last Bus to Wisdomby Ivan Doig

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

  1. The Whistling Season

    by Ivan Doig
    A coming-of-age story set in rural Montana in 1909, following a family's struggles and triumphs during the homesteading era.

    "Can't cook but doesn't bite." So begins the newspaper ad offering the services of an "A-1 housekeeper, sound morals, exceptional disposition" that draws the hungry attention of widower Oliver ... (Goodreads)

  2. News of the World

    by Paulette Jiles
    Captain Kidd travels through Texas in 1870, reading the news to townspeople. He is tasked with returning a young girl to her family.

    The book opens in 1870 on the wild border between Texas and Indian Territory , where a 10-year-old girl has been released after four years of captivity. Kiowa raiders had killed her family and taken ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Miller's Valley

    by Anna Quindlen
    A coming-of-age story of Mimi Miller, who grows up in a small town that is slowly being flooded.

    For generations the Millers have lived in Miller’s Valley. Mimi Miller tells about her life with intimacy and honesty. As Mimi eavesdrops on her parents and quietly observes the people around her, ... (Goodreads)

  4. Be Frank With Me

    by Julia Claiborne Johnson
    A touching story of a young girl's bond with her eccentric guardian, set in Hollywood.

    AN AMERICAN BOOKSELLERS ASSOCIATION ADULT DEBUT HONOR BOOK WINNER OF THE AUDIE AWARD FOR BEST FEMALE NARRATOR, LOS ANGELES TIMES, BESTSELLER A sparkling talent makes her fiction debut with this ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. At the Edge of the Orchard

    by Tracy Chevalier
    A family's journey from Ohio to California during the Gold Rush, with a focus on their struggles with apple farming and family dynamics.

    From internationally bestselling author Tracy Chevalier, a riveting drama of a pioneer family on the American frontier 1838: James and Sadie Goodenough have settled where their wagon got stuck - in ... (Goodreads)

  6. Off the Grid

    by C.J. Box
    A thrilling adventure story of a family trying to survive in the wilderness.

    New York Times,–bestselling author C. J. Box returns with a suspenseful new Joe Pickett novel. Nate Romanowski is off the grid, recuperating from wounds and trying to deal with past crimes, when he ... (Goodreads)

  7. The Last Days of Night

    by Graham Moore
    In 19th century New York City, a lawyer battles a powerful inventor in a fight over patents and the future of electricity.

    NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • ,“A world of invention and skulduggery, populated by the likes of Edison, Westinghouse, and Tesla.”—Erik Larson, , ,“A model of superior historical fiction . . . an ... (Barnes & Noble)

  8. Beartown

    by Fredrik Backman
    A small-town hockey team and its community grapple with the consequences of a traumatic event.

    Peter Andersson, in his forties, is the general manager of the ice hockey club in Beartown, a small town located somewhere in Sweden. Peter grew up in Beartown and was a junior hockey star. He went ... (Wikipedia)

  9. The Crossing

    by Michael Connelly
    Thriller involving a homicide detective's search for a serial killer in Los Angeles.

    In this "tense" thriller and #1, New York Times, bestseller, Detective Harry Bosch teams up with Lincoln Lawyer Mickey Haller to track down a killer who just might find them first (,Wall Street ... (Barnes & Noble)

  10. The Wrong Side of Goodbye

    by Michael Connelly
    A retired detective is hired to investigate a mysterious case, uncovering secrets from the past.

    This novel finds semi-retired Harry Bosch alternating between two investigations. As a private detective he is summoned by billionaire industrialist Whitney Vance. The elderly, never-married Vance ... (Wikipedia)

  11. A Great Reckoning

    by Louise Penny
    A murder mystery set in a sleepy Quebec village, uncovering dark secrets and hidden dangers.

    Instant, New York Times, bestseller:,#1 in Hardcover Fiction,#1 in E-book Fiction,#1 in Combined Print and E-book Fiction,"Deep and grand and altogether extraordinary....Miraculous.",—,The Washington ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Our Souls at Night

    by Kent Haruf
    An elderly couple's exploration of love, loneliness, and companionship.

    A spare yet eloquent, bittersweet yet inspiring story of a man and a woman who, in advanced age, come together to wrestle with the events of their lives and their hopes for the imminent future. In ... (Goodreads)

  13. My Name Is Lucy Barton

    by Elizabeth Strout
    A woman's journey of self-reflection, uncovering secrets from her past.

    Lucy Barton is recovering slowly from what should have been a simple operation. Her mother, to whom she hasn't spoken for many years, comes to see her. Her unexpected visit forces Lucy to confront ... (Goodreads)

  14. Glass Houses

    by Louise Penny
    A suspenseful murder mystery set in a remote Quebec village.

    An instant, New York Times Bestseller, and August 2017 LibraryReads pick!, “Penny’s absorbing, intricately plotted 13th Gamache novel proves she only gets better at pursuing dark truths with ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. Apprentice in Death

    by J.D. Robb
    Detective Eve Dallas solves a series of gruesome murders in a twisted game of revenge.

    Lieutenant Eve Dallas returns in a fast-paced new novel from #1, New York Times, bestselling author J. D. Robb., Nature versus nurture..., The shots came quickly, silently, and with deadly accuracy. ... (Goodreads)

  16. Ordinary Grace

    by William Kent Krueger
    A Midwestern family's journey of grief and healing, grappling with tragedy and the power of grace.

    “That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.” New Bremen, ... (Goodreads)

  17. In This Grave Hour

    by Jacqueline Winspear
    Detective Maisie Dobbs investigates a possible German spy in the midst of World War II.

    Sunday September 3rd 1939. At the moment Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain broadcasts to the nation Britain’s declaration of war with Germany, a senior Secret Service agent breaks into Maisie Dobbs' ... (Goodreads)

  18. The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian

    by Sherman Alexie
    A young Native American boy's struggles to survive in a difficult world.

    The book follows a fourteen-year-old boy living with his family on the Spokane Indian Reservation near Wellpinit, Washington for a school year. It is told in episodic diary style, moving from the ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Girl Waits with Gun

    by Amy Stewart
    A young woman's quest for justice, and her unexpected journey of bravery and empowerment.

    A novel based on the forgotten true story of one of the nation’s first female deputy sheriffs. Constance Kopp doesn’t quite fit the mold. She towers over most men, has no interest in marriage or ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper

    by Phaedra Patrick
    An elderly man embarks on an unexpected journey of self-discovery and healing.

    Look for Phaedra Patrick’s newest perfectly charming read, The Secrets of Love Story Bridge . “An endearing celebration of life.” -RealSimple.com Perfect for fans of A Man Called Ove , this curiously ... (Barnes & Noble)

  21. The Ape Who Guards the Balance

    by Elizabeth Peters
    Ancient Egyptian mystery, involving the theft of a sacred artifact and a quest to restore balance.

    Luxor , 1906-1907. The Emerson clan is trying to determine where to dig during the upcoming season. But before they even leave England, they encounter Sethos and foil an attempt to kidnap Amelia . ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Cutting for Stone

    by Abraham Verghese
    A sweeping journey of two twin brothers and their search for identity, belonging and family.

    The story is told by the protagonist, Marion Stone. He and his conjoined twin Shiva are born at Mission Hospital (called "Missing" in accordance with the local pronunciation), Addis Ababa , in ... (Wikipedia)

  23. A Piece of the World

    by Christina Baker Kline
    A woman's journey of self-discovery as she comes to terms with a painting that made her famous.

    A New York Times bestseller. "Exquisite. A must-read.” —Kristin Hannah From the #1, New York Times, bestselling author of the smash bestseller, Orphan Train, a stunning and atmospheric novel of ... (Barnes & Noble)

  24. Gone, Baby, Gone

    by Dennis Lehane
    Private detectives search for a missing four-year-old girl in an urban environment.

    Boston private detectives Patrick Kenzie and Angela Gennaro are hired to find four-year-old Amanda McCready, abducted from her bed on a warm, summer night. They meet her stoned-out, strangely ... (Goodreads)

  25. Home

    by Harlan Coben
    An investigation into the disappearance of a teenage girl, uncovering a web of secrets.

    After a year in hiding, Win contacts Myron to say he has located Patrick Moore, now 16, one of two boys kidnapped ten years ago from the home of Brooke Baldwin, Win's cousin. The other six-year old ... (Wikipedia)

  26. The Japanese Lover

    by Isabel Allende
    Unexpected love story between two unlikely people, spanning generations and continents.

    From New York Times bestselling author Isabel Allende, “a magical and sweeping” ( Publishers Weekly , starred review) love story and multigenerational epic that stretches from San Francisco in the ... (Barnes & Noble)

  27. Eventide

    by Kent Haruf
    An exploration of life in a small rural community, and the struggles of its inhabitants.

    Kent Haruf, award-winning, bestselling author of Plainsong returns to the high-plains town of Holt, Colorado, with a novel of masterful authority. The aging McPheron brothers are learning to live ... (Goodreads)

  28. 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)

  29. Before the Fall

    by Noah Hawley
    A mysterious plane crash leads to a tangled web of secrets, lies, and betrayal.

    On a foggy summer night, eleven people—ten privileged, one down-on-his-luck painter—depart Martha's Vineyard on a private jet headed for New York. Sixteen minutes later, the unthinkable happens: the ... (Barnes & Noble)

  30. Their Eyes Were Watching God

    by Zora Neale Hurston
    A woman's journey of self-discovery, liberation and empowerment.

    Fair and long-legged, independent and articulate, Janie Crawford sets out to be her own person – no mean feat for a black woman in the '30s. Janie's quest for identity takes her through three ... (Goodreads)