Recommendations based on Memoirs of an Imaginary Friendby Matthew Dicks

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

  1. Still Alice

    by Lisa Genova
    A woman's struggle to hold on to her identity in the face of a devastating diagnosis of early-onset Alzheimer's disease.

    Still Alice is a compelling debut novel about a 50-year-old woman's sudden descent into early onset Alzheimer's disease, written by first-time author Lisa Genova, who holds a Ph. D in neuroscience ... (Goodreads)

  2. The Unlikely Pilgrimage of Harold Fry

    by Rachel Joyce
    An elderly man's unexpected quest of faith, discovering the power of hope and love.

    Harold Fry, 65, has cut the lawn outside his home at Kingsbridge on the south coast of Devon when he receives a letter. A colleague of twenty years ago, Queenie Hennessy, has cancer and is in a ... (Wikipedia)

  3. The Light Between Oceans

    by M.L. Stedman
    A lighthouse keeper and his wife make a heartbreaking decision that has lifelong repercussions.

    Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found, here, Australia, 1926. After four harrowing years fighting on the Western Front, Tom Sherbourne returns home to take a job as the lighthouse ... (Goodreads)

  4. Orphan Train

    by Christina Baker Kline
    A story of two women's intertwined lives, spanning generations and crossing continents.

    The #1 New York Times Bestseller “A lovely novel about the search for family that also happens to illuminate a fascinating and forgotten chapter of America’s history. Beautiful.”—Ann Packer Moving ... (Barnes & Noble)

  5. 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)

  6. Life After Life

    by Kate Atkinson
    A woman lives multiple lives, reflecting on choices and consequences and the power of love.

    The novel has an unusual structure, repeatedly looping back in time to describe alternative possible lives for its central character, Ursula Todd, who is born on 11 February 1910 to an ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Home Front

    by Kristin Hannah
    A family's struggle to survive in wartime, and the emotional toll it takes.

    In this powerhouse of a novel, Kristin Hannah explores the intimate landscape of a troubled marriage with this provocative and timely portrait of a husband and wife, in love and at war. All marriages ... (Goodreads)

  8. My Sister Lives on the Mantelpiece

    by Annabel Pitcher
    A young boy's story of loss and the search for identity.

    Ten-year-old Jamie hasn't cried since it happened. He knows he should have—Jasmine cried, Mum cried, Dad still cries. Roger didn't, but then he is just a cat and didn't know Rose that well, really. ... (Goodreads)

  9. Handle with Care

    by Jodi Picoult
    A story of a family struggling with difficult decisions, facing tough truths about life.

    The story follows the life of a young girl, Willow O'Keefe, and her family. Willow has Type III osteogenesis imperfecta (OI), a disease also known as brittle bone syndrome. To her parents, Sean and ... (Wikipedia)

  10. One Day

    by David Nicholls
    A story of friendship and love, exploring the complexities of life and relationships.

    Dexter and Emma spend the night together following their graduation from the University of Edinburgh , in 1988. They talk about how they will be once they are 40. While they do not become ... (Wikipedia)

  11. The Age of Miracles

    by Karen Thompson Walker
    An exploration of the effects of a global phenomenon on a young girl's life.

    NAMED ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR BY,, People ∙ O: The Oprah Magazine ∙ Financial Times ∙ Kansas City Star ∙ BookPage ∙ Kirkus Reviews ∙ Publishers Weekly ∙ Booklist, , , With a voice as ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Midwives

    by Chris Bohjalian
    A midwife's journey of self-discovery, uncovering secrets of her own past.

    The time is 1981, and Sibyl Danforth has been a dedicated midwife in the rural community of Reddington, Vermont, for fifteen years. But one treacherous winter night, in a house isolated by icy roads ... (Goodreads)

  13. Madame Tussaud: A Novel of the French Revolution

    by Michelle Moran
    Historical novel of a young woman's struggle to survive in tumultuous 18th century France.

    The world knows Madame Tussaud as a wax artist extraordinaire... but who was this woman who became one of the most famous sculptresses of all time? In these pages, her tumultuous and amazing story ... (Goodreads)

  14. Will Grayson, Will Grayson

    by John Green
    Two teenage boys with the same name discover each other and form an unlikely friendship.

    Will Grayson meets Will Grayson. One cold night, in a most unlikely corner of Chicago, two strangers are about to cross paths. From that moment on, their world will collide and lives intertwine. It's ... (Goodreads)

  15. The Chocolate War

    by Robert Cormier
    A boy's struggle against an oppressive school environment, where he must decide between conformity or standing up for what's right.

    Jerry is a freshman attending an all-boys Catholic high school called Trinity, while coping with depressive feelings and existential questions that stem largely from his mother's recent death and his ... (Wikipedia)

  16. 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)

  17. The Kitchen House

    by Kathleen Grissom
    A young Irish girl is taken in by a plantation family in Virginia and becomes entangled in the lives of the slaves who work there.

    When a white servant girl violates the order of plantation society, she unleashes a tragedy that exposes the worst and best in the people she has come to call her family. Orphaned while onboard ship ... (Goodreads)

  18. Tell the Wolves I'm Home

    by Carol Rifka Brunt
    A young girl's journey of grief and healing as she discovers the secrets of her beloved uncle's life.

    June Elbus is a 14-year-old girl living in Westchester in 1986. She is in love with her gay uncle, Finn Weiss, a fact she is scared to admit even to herself. Finn is dying of AIDS. Being a ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Reconstructing Amelia

    by Kimberly McCreight
    A mother unravels the truth behind her teenage daughter's death, uncovering secrets from the past.

    In Reconstructing Amelia , the stunning debut novel from Kimberly McCreight, Kate's in the middle of the biggest meeting of her career when she gets the telephone call from Grace Hall, her daughter’s ... (Goodreads)

  20. Lone Wolf

    by Jodi Picoult
    A family's journey to find redemption and reconnection in the aftermath of tragedy.

    Edward Warren has been living in Thailand for nearly 6 years, when he receives a frantic telephone call: His estranged family have been badly injured in a car accident in New Hampshire . Warren's ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Whistling Past the Graveyard

    by Susan Crandall
    A young girl's journey of self-discovery, overcoming challenges on a journey to be reunited with her family.

    The summer of 1963 begins like any other for nine-year-old Starla Claudelle. Born to teenage parents in Mississippi, Starla is being raised by a strict paternal grandmother, Mamie, whose worst fear ... (Goodreads)

  22. The Forgotten Garden

    by Kate Morton
    A woman's quest to uncover the secrets of her family's past, leading to a mysterious garden.

    At Nell's joyous 21st birthday party her world falls apart when her father tells her she was adopted as a 4-year-old in 1913, seemingly abandoned on an Australian wharf and unable to remember her ... (Wikipedia)

  23. A Red Herring Without Mustard

    by Alan Bradley
    A young girl investigates a mysterious murder in a quaint English village.

    Award-winning author Alan Bradley returns with another beguiling novel starring the insidiously clever and unflappable eleven-year-old sleuth Flavia de Luce. The precocious chemist with a passion for ... (Goodreads)

  24. The Weed That Strings the Hangman's Bag

    by Alan Bradley
    Flavia de Luce, a precocious 11-year-old chemist and amateur detective, solves another murder mystery in her small English village.

    From Dagger Award-winning and internationally bestselling author Alan Bradley comes this utterly beguiling mystery starring one of fiction's most remarkable sleuths: Flavia de Luce, a dangerously ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Pact

    by Jodi Picoult
    A tragic story of teenage friends struggling with a tragic lapse in judgment.

    In the fall of 1979, the Golds, consisting of a recently pregnant Melanie Gold and her husband Michael Gold, moved into the small town of Bainbridge, New Hampshire . They moved in next door to the ... (Wikipedia)

  26. The Revised Fundamentals of Caregiving

    by Jonathan Evison
    A man becomes a caregiver for a disabled teenager and embarks on a road trip, discovering the true meaning of life and friendship.

    The book (and adapted film) follow a 39 year old man who has experienced personal tragedy and is currently climbing out of depression and grief. His estranged wife has been waiting for months for him ... (Wikipedia)

  27. The City of Ember

    by Jeanne DuPrau
    A city on the brink of destruction, two young people race against time to unlock its secrets.

    As the book starts off, a coalition of architects, scientists, and doctors known as "The Builders" have built Ember, an isolated, underground city with enough supplies for its inhabitants to survive ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Doctor Sleep

    by Stephen King
    A man confronts his dark past as he defends a young girl from a supernatural evil.

    Following the events of The Shining , after receiving a settlement from the owners of the Overlook Hotel, Danny Torrance remains psychologically traumatized as his mother Wendy slowly recovers from ... (Wikipedia)

  29. A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty

    by Joshilyn Jackson
    Three generations of women confront secrets and tragedies in a small Mississippi town. A story of love, family, and redemption.

    A Grown Up Kind of Pretty, is a powerful saga of three generations of women, plagued by hardships and torn by a devastating secret, yet inextricably joined by the bonds of family. Fifteen-year-old ... (Barnes & Noble)

  30. One Breath Away

    by Heather Gudenkauf
    A small town is held hostage by a school shooter, as the lives of a mother, daughter, and teacher intertwine.

    In her most emotionally charged novel to date, New York Times bestselling author Heather Gudenkauf explores the unspoken events that shape a community, the ties between parents and their children and ... (Goodreads)