Recommendations based on Midnight at the Bright Ideas Bookstoreby Matthew J. Sullivan

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

  1. The Rules of Magic

    by Alice Hoffman
    A family of magical siblings discovering the power of their lineage and the responsibility that comes with it.

    An instant New York Times bestseller and Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick from beloved author Alice Hoffman—the spellbinding prequel to Practical Magic . Find your magic. For the Owens family, love ... (Barnes & Noble)

  2. 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)

  3. The Chilbury Ladies' Choir

    by Jennifer Ryan
    A community of women uniting against a backdrop of wartime turmoil to form an unlikely choir.

    The village of Chilbury in Kent is about to ring in some changes.,This is a delightful novel of wartime gumption and village spirit that will make your heart sing out. Kent, 1940. In the idyllic ... (Goodreads)

  4. My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry

    by Fredrik Backman
    An imaginative quest to uncover the truth behind a beloved grandmother's mysterious stories.

    The story takes place in Sweden and follows Elsa, a 7-year-old who knows she is different from other children her age. Elsa has a habit of correcting others' grammar, she is smart for her age, and is ... (Wikipedia)

  5. These High, Green Hills

    by Jan Karon
    A small-town pastor's journey of faith, as he learns to accept himself and his place in the world.

    For years, Mitford's sixtysomething rector has been happily married to his parish. Now he's also married to Cynthia, his vivacious next-door neighbor. For Father Tim, life in Mitford has never been ... (Goodreads)

  6. 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)

  7. The Long Way Home

    by Louise Penny
    Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns to Three Pines to solve a murder and confront his past.

    Happily retired in the village of Three Pines, Armand Gamache, former Chief Inspector of Homicide with the Sûreté du Québec, has found a peace he’d only imagined possible. On warm summer mornings he ... (Goodreads)

  8. Lost For Words

    by Stephanie Butland
    Loveday Cardew, a bookshop worker with a tragic past, finds solace in books until a mysterious poet enters her life.

    You can trust a book to keep your secret . . . Loveday Cardew prefers books to people. If you look closely, you might glimpse the first lines of the novels she loves most tattooed on her skin. But ... (Goodreads)

  9. Ripper

    by Isabel Allende
    A string of murders in San Francisco leads a group of amateur detectives, including a teenage girl, to uncover a dark conspiracy.

    “Literary icon Isabel Allende mesmerizes . . . this race-against-the-clock thriller is pure magic.”— People Magazine , Four Stars NOW WITH A NEW DEAR READER LETTER,, New York Times, bestselling ... (Barnes & Noble)

  10. Then She Was Gone

    by Lisa Jewell
    A mother's desperate search for her missing daughter reveals secrets of a dark family history.

    #1, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER From the, New York Times, bestselling author of, Invisible Girl, and, The Truth About Melody Browne, comes a “riveting” (,PopSugar,) and “acutely observed family drama” ... (Barnes & Noble)

  11. Lying in Wait

    by Liz Nugent
    A twisted tale of a family's dark secrets and the consequences of their actions.

    My husband did not mean to kill Annie Doyle, but the lying tramp deserved it. On the surface, Lydia Fitzsimons has the perfect life—wife of a respected, successful judge, mother to a beloved son, ... (Goodreads)

  12. The Rumor

    by Elin Hilderbrand
    A rumor spreads through a small island community, causing chaos and revealing secrets.

    Madeline King and Grace Pancik are best friends and the envy of Nantucket for their perfect marriages, their beautiful kids, their Sunday night double dates with their devoted husbands. But this ... (Goodreads)

  13. The Twelve Lives of Samuel Hawley

    by Hannah Tinti
    A father-daughter journey of healing, as they confront the secrets of the past.

    A father protects his daughter from the legacy of his past and the truth about her mother's death in this thrilling new novel from the prize-winning author of, The Good Thief., After years spent ... (Goodreads)

  14. Proven Guilty

    by Jim Butcher
    Harry Dresden, wizard detective, investigates a series of mysterious deaths at a horror convention. He uncovers dark magic and a conspiracy.

    Nearly a year after the events in Dead Beat , Warden Harry Dresden attends the trial and execution of a sixteen-year-old Korean boy for mentally controlling his friends and family. After the ... (Wikipedia)

  15. The School of Essential Ingredients

    by Erica Bauermeister
    A cooking class helps its students find personal growth and explore the power of food in their lives.

    Reminiscent of, Chocolat, and, Like Water for Chocolate, a gorgeously written novel about life, love, and the magic of food. The School of Essential Ingredients follows the lives of eight students ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Outcast Dead

    by Elly Griffiths
    Forensic archaeologist Ruth Galloway investigates a child murder case that leads to a dangerous conspiracy.

    Ruth Galloway uncovers the bones of what might be a notorious Victorian child murderess and a baby snatcher known as "The Childminder" threatens modern-day Norfolk in the latest irresistible mystery ... (Goodreads)

  17. Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk

    by Kathleen Rooney
    An elderly woman's journey through the streets of New York, reflecting on her extraordinary life.

    It’s the last day of 1984, and 85-year-old Lillian Boxfish is about to take a walk. As she traverses a grittier Manhattan, a city anxious after an attack by a still-at-large subway vigilante, she ... (Goodreads)

  18. Bridge of Clay

    by Markus Zusak
    A family saga about five brothers and their father, centered around the building of a bridge. A story of love, loss, and redemption.

    The Dunbar boys live in a suburb of Sydney, in a house of mayhem and madness that only five young boys can cause. Left to their own devices after their mother, Penny Dunbar, died of cancer, and their ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Small Great Things

    by Jodi Picoult
    A gripping story of racism and justice, exploring the intersections of power and privilege.

    #1, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER • With richly layered characters and a gripping moral dilemma that will lead readers to question everything they know about privilege, power, and race,, Small Great ... (Barnes & Noble)

  20. Rules of Civility

    by Amor Towles
    An ambitious young woman looks to make her mark in 1930s New York, learning the complex rules of high society.

    This sophisticated and entertaining first novel presents the story of a young woman whose life is on the brink of transformation. On the last night of 1937, twenty-five-year-old Katey Kontent is in a ... (Goodreads)

  21. Did You Ever Have a Family

    by Bill Clegg
    A tragic event shatters a woman's life, forcing her to leave her hometown and confront her past. A story of grief, loss, and redemption.

    The novel focuses on June Reid, a beautiful, rich Connecticut woman. On the night before her daughter’s wedding, June Reid loses her daughter, her daughter’s fiancé, her ex-husband, and her boyfriend ... (Wikipedia)

  22. Delicious!

    by Ruth Reichl
    A food critic's exploration of the culinary world, showcasing the beauty of gourmet food.

    In her bestselling memoirs Ruth Reichl has long illuminated the theme of how food defines us, and never more so than in her dazzling fiction debut about sisters, family ties, and a young woman who ... (Goodreads)

  23. Beneath a Scarlet Sky

    by Mark T. Sullivan
    True story of a young Italian man's courage and heroism during WWII.

    Based on the true story of a forgotten hero,, Beneath a Scarlet Sky, is the triumphant, epic tale of one young man’s incredible courage and resilience during one of history’s darkest hours., Pino ... (Goodreads)

  24. The Last Mrs. Parrish

    by Liv Constantine
    A woman's mission to gain the life she's always wanted by manipulating those around her.

    THE INTERNATIONAL BESTSELLER AND A REESE WITHERSPOON HELLO SUNSHINE BOOK CLUB PICK “Will keep you up. In a ‘can’t put it down’ way. It’s ‘The Talented Mr. Ripley’ with XX chromosomes.” —The Skimm ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. Behind Her Eyes

    by Sarah Pinborough
    Psychological suspense novel following a woman's tangled web of secrets, lies and relationships.

    Why is everyone talking about the ending of Sarah Pinborough's, Behind Her Eyes?, Louise is a single mom, a secretary, stuck in a modern-day rut. On a rare night out, she meets a man in a bar and ... (Goodreads)

  26. The Leavers

    by Lisa Ko
    A story of the struggles and triumphs of two individuals navigating the complexities of immigration and identity.

    Told in four parts, the novel begins as Deming Guo's mother Polly suddenly disappears from the family's New York City apartment without warning. Deming is placed into foster care , ultimately to be ... (Wikipedia)

  27. The Women in the Castle

    by Jessica Shattuck
    Three women unite in a quest to survive in war-torn Germany and seek justice for their pasts.

    The story begins at the site of a Bavarian castle in 1938, with detailed descriptions of the society of the pre-war days in Germany among a certain class of landed aristocrats. Countess Marianne von ... (Wikipedia)

  28. The Strange Library

    by Haruki Murakami
    A young boy's surreal journey inside a mysterious library, discovering its secrets.

    From internationally acclaimed author Haruki Murakami—a fantastical illustrated short novel about a boy imprisoned in a nightmarish library. Opening the flaps on this unique little book, readers will ... (Goodreads)

  29. Hag-Seed

    by Margaret Atwood
    A modern retelling of Shakespeare's "The Tempest" with a cast of unique characters.

    Hag-Seed follows the life of Felix, once experimental Artistic Director of the Makeshiweg theatre festival, now an exiled man who speaks to his daughter's ghost. Felix's fall from the theatrical ... (Wikipedia)

  30. And Every Morning the Way Home Gets Longer and Longer

    by Fredrik Backman
    A grandfather's memories of life and love, intertwined with his grandson's journey of growing up.

    A little book with a big heart—from the New York Times bestselling author of, A Man Called Ove, and, Anxious People,. “I read this beautifully imagined and moving novella in one sitting, utterly ... (Barnes & Noble)