Recommendations based on Ordinary Lifeby Elizabeth Berg

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

  1. What We Keep

    by Elizabeth Berg
    A mother and daughter's relationship is explored through the discovery of a long-hidden family secret.

    Do you ever really know your mother, your daughter, the people in your family? In this rich and rewarding new novel by the beloved bestselling author of Talk Before Sleep and The Pull of the Moon , a ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Story of Arthur Truluv

    by Elizabeth Berg
    A young boy and two older people form an unlikely friendship, finding solace in one other amidst life's struggles.

    A beautiful, life-affirming novel about a remarkably loving man who creates for himself and others second chances at happiness. A moving novel about three people who find their way back from loss and ... (Goodreads)

  3. Talk Before Sleep

    by Elizabeth Berg
    A group of women come together to support their dying friend, sharing stories and memories as they face the end of life.

    "Until that moment, I hadn't realized how much I'd been needing to meet someone I might be able to say everything to." They met at a party. It was hate at first sight. Ruth was far too beautiful, too ... (Goodreads)

  4. Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant

    by Anne Tyler
    A family grapple with their disappointments, as they come to terms with the past.

    Pearl Tull is a rigid perfectionist. She has three children with her husband, traveling salesman Beck, who abandons the family. After Beck leaves, Pearl struggles to maintain a front as if nothing is ... (Wikipedia)

  5. A Patchwork Planet

    by Anne Tyler
    A young man's journey of self-discovery and finding his place in the world.

    The novel is narrated by 30-year-old Barnaby, whose life has gone off the rails since he was caught robbing neighborhood homes as an adolescent. To the despair of his distant father, his social ... (Wikipedia)

  6. The Bazaar of Bad Dreams

    by Stephen King
    A collection of short stories exploring the dark corners of the human mind.

    A master storyteller at his best—the O. Henry Prize winner Stephen King delivers a generous collection of stories, several of them brand-new, featuring revelatory autobiographical comments on when, ... (Goodreads)

  7. Pigs in Heaven

    by Barbara Kingsolver
    A young girl and her adoptive mother fight for their family's rights and the power of love.

    Mother and adopted daughter, Taylor and Turtle Greer, are back in this spellbinding sequel about family, heartbreak and love. Six-year-old Turtle Greer witnesses a freak accident at the Hoover Dam ... (Goodreads)

  8. 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)

  9. 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)

  10. Plum Island

    by Nelson DeMille
    A mysterious investigation into a series of strange, unexplained events on a remote island.

    In 1997, NYPD detective John Corey is on the back porch of his uncle's waterfront home on the North Fork of Long Island recovering from three gunshot wounds while working in his town of Manhattan, ... (Wikipedia)

  11. The Going to Bed Book

    by Sandra Boynton
    A bedtime story filled with funny animals and soothing rhymes.

    Getting ready for sleep is tons of fun in this Sandra Boynton classic. The sun has set not long ago. Now everybody goes below to take a bath in one big tub with soap all over—SCRUB SCRUB SCRUB! This ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. The Guest Cottage

    by Nancy Thayer
    A couple's summer rental of their guest cottage to a young woman and her six-year-old son leads to unexpected romance and self-discovery.

    Sensible thirty-six-year-old Sophie Anderson has always known what to do. She knows her role in life: supportive wife of a successful architect and calm, capable mother of two. But on a warm summer ... (Goodreads)

  13. The Good Mother

    by Sue Miller
    A divorced mother's life is turned upside down when her ex-husband accuses her of sexually abusing their child.

    New York Times Bestseller “This powerful novel proves as subtle as it is dramatic, as durable—in its emotional afterlife—as it is instantly readable.”—,New York Times, Sue Miller’s critically ... (Barnes & Noble)

  14. The First Husband

    by Laura Dave
    Annie's life is turned upside down when her ex-husband reappears on the eve of her wedding to a new man.

    A savvy, page-turning novel about a woman torn between her husband and the man she thought she'd marry. Annie Adams is days away from her thirty-second birthday and thinks she has finally found some ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Food of Love

    by Amanda Prowse
    A woman's journey through love, loss, and self-discovery as she navigates the complexities of relationships and the healing power of food.

    A loving mother. A perfect family. A shock wave that could shatter everything., Freya Braithwaite knows she is lucky. Nineteen years of marriage to a man who still warms her soul and two beautiful ... (Barnes & Noble)

  16. The Private School Murders

    by James Patterson
    Wealthy students at a prestigious private school are being murdered, and detective Cross must solve the case before it's too late.

    In the sequel to the #1 New York Times bestseller Confessions of a Murder Suspect , James Patterson keeps the confessions coming breathlessly as Tandy Angel delves deeper into her own tumultuous ... (Goodreads)

  17. Songs of the Humpback Whale

    by Jodi Picoult
    A woman leaves her husband, taking their daughter to find solace in the songs of humpback whales. Told from multiple perspectives.

    Jane Jones, a speech pathologist , has been married to Oliver Jones for almost twenty years. Together, they have a teenage daughter named Rebecca. Oliver is a world-renowned marine biologist . ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Twelve Days of Christmas

    by Debbie Macomber
    A heartwarming Christmas romance about a woman who receives gifts from a secret admirer for twelve days straight.

    Continuing in a festive annual tradition, #1, New York Times, bestselling author Debbie Macomber returns with a new original holiday novel full of romance and cheer—and the magical prospect of ... (Goodreads)

  19. Panic

    by Lauren Oliver
    In a small town, a game of Panic is played every summer, where the stakes are high and the risks are deadly.

    From New York Times bestselling author Lauren Oliver comes a captivating, thrilling novel of fear, friendship, courage, and hope that will leave readers gasping for air. Panic began as so many things ... (Barnes & Noble)

  20. Sisters One, Two, Three

    by Nancy Star
    A family drama about a woman who must confront her past and secrets when her estranged sister returns home.

    After a tragic accident on Martha’s Vineyard, keeping secrets becomes a way of life for the Tangle family. With memories locked away, the sisters take divergent paths. Callie disappears, Mimi keeps ... (Barnes & Noble)

  21. Perfect

    by Judith McNaught
    A young woman's life is turned upside down when she falls in love with a wealthy man who has a dark past.

    Discover the sensual and sweeping power of love in New York Times bestselling author Judith McNaught’s contemporary romances that will make “you laugh, cry, and fall in love again” ( RT Book Reviews ... (Barnes & Noble)

  22. The Book That Matters Most

    by Ann Hood
    A woman joins a book club and chooses a book that matters most to her, leading her on a journey of self-discovery and healing.

    Ava’s twenty-five-year marriage has fallen apart, and her two grown children are pursuing their own lives outside of the country. Ava joins a book group, not only for her love of reading but also out ... (Goodreads)

  23. Her One Mistake

    by Heidi Perks
    A mother's worst nightmare comes true when her best friend's daughter goes missing under her care. Secrets and lies unravel as the search intensifies.

    What should have been a fun-filled, carefree day takes a tragic turn for the worse for one mother when her best friend’s child goes missing in this “seriously page-turning” (Lisa Jewell,, New York ... (Barnes & Noble)

  24. Gone

    by James Patterson
    A serial killer is on the loose, and the FBI agent tasked with catching him must confront her own dark past to solve the case.

    A crime lord has declared war on America. Only Detective Michael Bennett knows why. Manuel Perrine doesn't fear anyone or anything. A charismatic and ruthless leader, Perrine slaughters rivals as ... (Goodreads)

  25. NYPD Red 2

    by James Patterson
    NYPD Red detectives investigate a Hollywood starlet's murder while juggling their own personal dramas.

    NYPD Red's finest detectives are about to investigate a brutal crime scene in Central Park . . . but even their training can't prepare them for the biggest case of their careers. When NYPD Red ... (Barnes & Noble)

  26. The Whole Town's Talking

    by Fannie Flagg
    A small town's inhabitants, both living and dead, share their stories and experiences over the course of a century.

    Elmwood Springs, Missouri, is a small town like any other, but something strange is happening at the cemetery. Still Meadows, as it’s called, is anything but still. Original, profound, The Whole ... (Goodreads)

  27. Where the Heart Is

    by Billie Letts
    A journey of resilience and courage, as a young woman faces her struggles with poverty and hardship.

    This novel opens with Novalee and Willy Jack, her then boyfriend, traveling from Tennessee to California , where Willy Jack claims he was promised by his cousin, J. Paul, a job working at a train ... (Wikipedia)

  28. The Girl in the Red Coat

    by Kate Hamer
    A mother's search for her missing daughter, who was abducted at a festival. Told from both perspectives, it explores the bond between parent and child.

    Librarian note: An alternative cover for this edition can be found here She is the missing girl. But she doesn't know she's lost. Carmel Wakeford becomes separated from her mother at a local ... (Goodreads)

  29. Only You Can Save Mankind

    by Terry Pratchett
    A boy named Johnny finds himself in a video game where he must save an alien race from annihilation.

    Twelve-year-old Johnny receives a pirate edition of the new video game Only You Can Save Mankind from his friend Wobbler. However, he has not been playing for long when the ScreeWee Empire surrenders ... (Wikipedia)

  30. The Elegance of the Hedgehog

    by Muriel Barbery
    A story of two unlikely outcasts who find solace and comfort in each other's company.

    The story revolves mainly around the characters of Renée Michel and Paloma Josse, residents of an upper-middle class Left Bank apartment building at 7 Rue de Grenelle – one of the most elegant ... (Wikipedia)