Recommendations based on Gold Fame Citrusby Claire Vaye Watkins

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

  1. Fates and Furies

    by Lauren Groff
    A tale of the secrets and passions of a marriage, exploring the depths of private lives.

    Every story has two sides. Every relationship has two perspectives. And sometimes, it turns out, the key to a great marriage is not its truths but its secrets. At the core of this rich, expansive, ... (Goodreads)

  2. On Such a Full Sea

    by Chang-rae Lee
    In a dystopian future, a young woman named Fan searches for her missing boyfriend. Her journey takes her through different social classes and reveals the harsh realities of society.

    Against a vividly imagined future America, Lee tells a stunning, surprising, and riveting story that will change the way readers think about the world they live in. On Such a Full Sea takes Chang-rae ... (Goodreads)

  3. Station Eleven

    by Emily St. John Mandel
    Post-apocalyptic exploration of a world drastically changed after a pandemic.

    An audacious, darkly glittering novel set in the eerie days of civilization’s collapse,, Station Eleven, tells the spellbinding story of a Hollywood star, his would-be savior, and a nomadic group of ... (Barnes & Noble)

  4. A Little Life

    by Hanya Yanagihara
    A powerful tale of four friends navigating life's hardships and the devastating effects of trauma.

    The novel follows the lives of four friends in New York City from college through to middle-age. It focuses particularly on Jude, a lawyer with a mysterious past, ambiguous ethnicity, and unexplained ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The Cartel

    by Don Winslow
    An explosive battle of power and greed between Mexico's drug cartels and the US government.

    From the internationally best-selling author of the acclaimed novel The Power of the Dog comes The Cartel, a gripping, true-to-life, ripped-from-the-headlines epic story of power, corruption, ... (Goodreads)

  6. Ragtime

    by E.L. Doctorow
    Interweaving stories of disparate individuals as they navigate the changing social and cultural landscape of early 20th century America.

    The novel centers on a wealthy family living in New Rochelle, New York , referred to as Father, Mother, Mother's Younger Brother, Grandfather, and 'the little boy', Father and Mother's young son. The ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Cry, the Beloved Country

    by Alan Paton
    A journey of faith in a divided land, seeking justice and reconciliation.

    In the remote village of Ndotsheni, in the Natal province of eastern South Africa , the Reverend Stephen Kumalo receives a letter from a fellow minister summoning him to Johannesburg . He is needed ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Carry On

    by Rainbow Rowell
    Follows two boys on their journey of magical self-discovery as they battle evil forces.

    Simon Snow is an 18 year old orphaned magician returning to Watford School of Magicks for his eighth and final year. Raised among the "Normals" (humans without magical powers) Simon was discovered as ... (Wikipedia)

  9. Midnight's Children

    by Salman Rushdie
    A magical tale of India's history told through the story of a boy born at the stroke of midnight.

    Saleem Sinai is born at the stroke of midnight on August 15, 1947, the very moment of India’s independence. Greeted by fireworks displays, cheering crowds, and Prime Minister Nehru himself, Saleem ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe

    by Hiawyn Oram
    Four siblings enter a magical world of Narnia, ruled by the evil White Witch. They must unite with Aslan, the lion, to defeat her and restore peace.

    A picture book retelling of C. S. Lewis's classic story, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe , for the youngest fans! Introduce them to the magic of Narnia with this picture book featuring ... (Goodreads)

  11. Hausfrau

    by Jill Alexander Essbaum
    A bored American housewife in Switzerland seeks fulfillment through a series of affairs, leading to tragic consequences.

    For readers of Claire Messud and Mary Gaitskill comes a striking debut novel of marriage, fidelity, sex, and morality, featuring a fascinating heroine who struggles to live a life with meaning. ... (Goodreads)

  12. The Beginning of Everything

    by Robyn Schneider
    Ezra's life changes after a tragic accident, leading him to question his identity and relationships in high school.

    Robyn Schneider's The Beginning of Everything is a witty and heart-wrenching teen novel that will appeal to fans of books by John Green and Ned Vizzini, novels such as The Perks of Being a Wallflower ... (Barnes & Noble)

  13. 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)

  14. The Corrections

    by Jonathan Franzen
    A family drama exploring the complexities of relationships, aging and life’s choices.

    The novel shifts back and forth through the late 20th century, intermittently following spouses Alfred and Enid Lambert as they raise their children Gary, Chip, and Denise in the traditional ... (Wikipedia)

  15. Oryx and Crake

    by Margaret Atwood
    An exploration of a post-apocalyptic world, and the power of human nature.

    The novel focuses on a post-apocalyptic character called "Snowman", living near a group of primitive human-like creatures whom he calls Crakers . Flashbacks reveal that Snowman was once a boy named ... (Wikipedia)

  16. The Smell of Other People's Houses

    by Bonnie-Sue Hitchcock
    Four teenagers in Alaska navigate love, loss, and family in the 1970s. Their stories intertwine in unexpected ways.

    In Alaska, 1970, being a teenager here isn’t like being a teenager anywhere else. Ruth has a secret that she can’t hide forever. Dora wonders if she can ever truly escape where she comes from, even ... (Goodreads)

  17. Heroes of the Frontier

    by Dave Eggers
    A mother takes her two children on a road trip through Alaska, escaping her past and searching for a new beginning.

    A captivating, often hilarious novel of family, loss, wilderness, and the curse of a violent America, Dave Eggers's Heroes of the Frontier is a powerful examination of our contemporary life and a ... (Goodreads)

  18. White Teeth

    by Zadie Smith
    A multi-generational saga exploring identity, race, and culture in modern-day London.

    On New Year's Day 1975, Archie Jones, a 47-year-old Englishman whose disturbed Italian wife has just walked out on him, is attempting to take his own life by gassing himself in his car when a chance ... (Wikipedia)

  19. The Animators

    by Kayla Rae Whitaker
    Two female animators create a hit film, but their personal lives unravel as they confront their past traumas.

    In the male-dominated field of animation, Mel Vaught and Sharon Kisses are a dynamic duo, the friction of their differences driving them: Sharon, quietly ambitious but self-doubting; Mel, brash and ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Black Dahlia

    by James Ellroy
    A 1940s Los Angeles detective story, exploring the depths of a gruesome unsolved murder.

    On January 15, 1947, the torture-ravished body of a beautiful young woman is found in a vacant lot. The victim makes headlines as the Black Dahlia—and so begins the greatest manhunt in California ... (Goodreads)

  21. Infinite Jest

    by David Foster Wallace
    A journey through the absurdist world of entertainment, drugs, addiction & death.

    There are four major interwoven narratives: , These narratives are connected via a film, Infinite Jest , also referred to in the novel as "the Entertainment" or "the samizdat ". The film is so ... (Wikipedia)

  22. The Almost Sisters

    by Joshilyn Jackson
    A Southern family navigates the complexities of identity, culture, and relationships.

    With empathy, grace, humor, and piercing insight, the author of gods in Alabama pens a powerful, emotionally resonant novel of the South that confronts the truth about privilege, family, and the ... (Barnes & Noble)

  23. Cloud Atlas

    by David Mitchell
    A dynamic narrative spanning centuries, exploring the interconnectedness of humanity.

    The book consists of six nested stories; each is read or observed by a main character of the next, thus they progress in time through the central sixth story. The first five stories are each ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Nutcracker

    by E.T.A. Hoffmann
    A young girl's Christmas toy comes to life and takes her on a magical journey through a world of sweets and adventure.

    The tale of Nutcracker , written by E.T.A. Hoffmann in 1816, has fascinated and inspired artists, composers, and audiences for almost two hundred years. It has retained its freshness because it ... (Goodreads)

  25. Where Angels Fear to Tread

    by E.M. Forster
    A young widow travels to Italy and falls in love with a local man, causing a clash between English and Italian cultures.

    On a journey to Tuscany with her young friend and travelling companion Caroline Abbott, widowed Lilia Herriton falls in love with Gino, a handsome Italian man much younger than herself, and decides ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Stoner

    by John Williams
    An academic's life of quiet desperation, finding solace in literature.

    William Stoner is born on a small farm in 1891. After high school, the county agent advises he go to agriculture school. Stoner enrolls in the University of Missouri , where all agriculture students ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Bone Gap

    by Laura Ruby
    A mysterious young woman disappears, and two brothers must unravel the mystery of her disappearance.

    Everyone knows Bone Gap is full of gaps—gaps to trip you up, gaps to slide through so you can disappear forever. So when young, beautiful Roza went missing, the people of Bone Gap weren’t surprised. ... (Goodreads)

  28. The 17th Suspect

    by James Patterson
    Detective Lindsay Boxer and the Women's Murder Club investigate a string of murders in San Francisco.

    San Francisco Police Sergeant Lindsay Boxer is the main character of this book. It has two plots. The main plot involves a number of unsolved murders of homeless people. The second involves a charge ... (Wikipedia)

  29. 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)

  30. One Last Thing Before I Go

    by Jonathan Tropper
    A washed-up musician faces his mortality and tries to make amends with his estranged family.

    “Mistakes have been made.” Drew Silver has begun to accept that life isn’t going to turn out as he expected. His fleeting fame as the drummer for a one-hit wonder rock band is nearly a decade behind ... (Goodreads)