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Recommendations based on Wishin' and Hopin'by Wally Lamb
* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans
The Hour I First Believed
by Wally Lamb
A teacher's life is shattered by the Columbine shooting, leading to a journey of self-discovery and healing.
When high school teacher Caelum Quirk and his wife, Maureen, move to Littleton, Colorado, they both get jobs at Columbine High School. In April 1999, while Caelum is away, Maureen finds herself in ... (Barnes & Noble)
She's Come Undone
by Wally Lamb
A young woman's trial-filled journey to self-acceptance and self-preservation.
Dolores Price is heartbroken when her handsome, but irresponsible father, Tony, leaves their suburban home for another woman. She and her mother, Bernice, move into her uptight Catholic grandmother's ... (Wikipedia)
I Know This Much Is True
by Wally Lamb
A man's journey of self-discovery, coming to terms with family trauma and understanding his identity.
The novel takes place in Three Rivers, Connecticut in the early 1990s. Dominick Birdsey's identical twin , Thomas Birdsey, suffers from paranoid schizophrenia . With medication, Thomas is able to ... (Wikipedia)
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)
Speaking from Among the Bones
by Alan Bradley
A young detective investigates the mystery of a decades-old murder in a small English village.
From award-winning author Alan Bradley comes the next cozy British mystery starring intrepid young sleuth Flavia de Luce, hailed by USA Today as “one of the most remarkable creations in recent ... (Goodreads)
A Fatal Grace
by Louise Penny
An intricate murder mystery set in a small Canadian town, as the investigating detective unravels truth and justice.
Inspector Gamache investigates after CC de Poitiers, a sadistic socialite, is fatally electrocuted at a Christmas curling competition in the small Québécois town of Three Pines. CC, who had a ... (Wikipedia)
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)
This is Where I Leave You
by Jonathan Tropper
A family comes together during a week of sitting shiva, rediscovering the joys of being a family.
A riotously funny, emotionally raw New York Times bestselling novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind—whether we like it or not. The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks ... (Goodreads)
4:50 from Paddington
by Agatha Christie
An elderly woman witnesses a murder on a train, and Miss Marple helps solve the case.
Mrs Elspeth McGillicuddy is on her way from a shopping expedition to visit her old friend Jane Marple for Christmas. Her train passes another train running parallel and in the same direction as her ... (Wikipedia)
Chestnut Street
by Maeve Binchy
A collection of short stories set on Chestnut Street, each revealing the secrets and lives of its inhabitants.
Maeve Binchy imagined a street in Dublin with many characters coming and going, and every once in a while she would write about one of these people. She would then put it in a drawer; “for the ... (Goodreads)
The Brutal Telling
by Louise Penny
A murder in a small village uncovers secrets and hidden pasts, threatening the community's peace.
The wise and beleaguered Chief Inspector Armand Gamache returns to Three Pines, The Brutal Telling, the fifth book in Louise Penny's #1, New York Times, bestselling series., Chaos is coming, old son. ... (Barnes & Noble)
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)
The Mapping of Love and Death
by Jacqueline Winspear
A gripping mystery of espionage and murder set in the World War I era.
The story opens in August 1914 in the Santa Ynez Valley in California. Michael Clifton—youngest son of an Englishman who had emigrated to America when he was in his late teens, in search of his ... (Goodreads)
The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie
by Alan Bradley
A young girl's detective journey to solve a murder mystery in a picturesque English village.
As the novel opens, Flavia Sabina de Luce schemes revenge against her two older sisters, Ophelia (17) and Daphne (13), who have locked her inside a closet in Buckshaw, the family's country manor home ... (Wikipedia)
Skeletons at the Feast
by Chris Bohjalian
A family's journey through war-torn Germany during WWII, facing danger, loss, and unexpected connections.
The plot of the story centers around a young Prussian girl, Anna Emmerich, and the broken remnants of her family as they flee westward from the advancing Russian army . Along with them they are ... (Wikipedia)
The Storyteller
by Jodi Picoult
A storyteller's quest to restore faith in the power of storytelling and to mend the wounds of her past.
25-year-old Sage Singer lives in the small town of Westerbrook, New Hampshire . , A couple of years before the story began, Sage and her mother were in a car accident while Sage was driving. Sage's ... (Wikipedia)
Wish You Well
by David Baldacci
A family's journey to reclaim their heritage in the Appalachian Mountains.
The story starts out with the Cardinal family going on a trip to relieve them from some unknown stress. On the way back, it is revealed that the Cardinal family plans to move to California, due to ... (Wikipedia)
The House We Grew Up In
by Lisa Jewell
A family's idyllic life is shattered by tragedy, leading to years of dysfunction and secrets. Can they find a way to heal and move forward?
Meet the Bird family. They live in a honey-colored house in a picture-perfect Cotswolds village, with rambling, unkempt gardens stretching beyond. Pragmatic Meg, dreamy Beth, and tow-headed twins ... (Goodreads)
The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake
by Aimee Bender
A girl discovers she can taste emotions in food, leading to a painful realization about her family.
The story begins before Rose's ninth birthday, when her mother, Lane, bakes her a cake for the occasion. Rose knows that Lane is unhappy with her life, but Lane’s emotions show otherwise. From the ... (Wikipedia)
A Reliable Wife
by Robert Goolrick
A dark tale of deception, secrecy and manipulation between two strangers in rural Wisconsin.
Rural Wisconsin, 1909. In the bitter cold, Ralph Truitt, a successful businessman, stands alone on a train platform waiting for the woman who answered his newspaper advertisement for "a reliable ... (Barnes & Noble)
South of Broad
by Pat Conroy
A group of friends navigate life in Charleston, South Carolina, through love, loss, and tragedy.
The story is divided into five parts. Part one focuses on introducing the reader to Leopold Bloom King (Leo), his family, and his set of friends who he meets on a fateful Bloomsday (June 16, 1969). ... (Wikipedia)
The Kalahari Typing School for Men
by Alexander McCall Smith
Mma Ramotswe's detective agency faces new challenges as she takes on a case of a missing person and navigates the complexities of love.
Mma Ramotswe talks with her fiance Mr JLB. Matekoni about the future of her assistant, Mma Makutsi, who seems to have difficulty finding suitable men. Later the two women discuss the same topic. At ... (Wikipedia)
The Full Cupboard of Life
by Alexander McCall Smith
A heartwarming story of a woman's journey of self-discovery, finding joy in life.
Mma Ramotswe is now engaged to the mechanic Mr. JLB Matekoni, but he seems reluctant to set a wedding date, which makes her a little unhappy. She takes on an interesting investigation: Mma Holonga, a ... (Wikipedia)
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)
Morality for Beautiful Girls
by Alexander McCall Smith
A tale of adventure and morality as a young woman navigates complex relationships.
Mma Ramotswe's business, the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency, has clients but needs to cut costs and increase revenue from fees. To reduce costs, she and her fiancé Mr JLB Matekoni decide to move the ... (Wikipedia)
S is for Silence
by Sue Grafton
A female detective investigates a missing persons case that reveals a sinister family secret.
In 1953, Violet Sullivan vanishes after going out for a Fourth of July party in the small town of Serena Station, California. The exact reason for her disappearance is unknown, but rumors abound that ... (Wikipedia)
Her Fearful Symmetry
by Audrey Niffenegger
Two sisters explore a haunted London estate, uncovering secrets of a mysterious past.
Elspeth dies of leukemia. Her apartment, located beside Highgate cemetery in London, is left for the daughters of Edwina, her estranged twin sister. Elspeth's nieces, identical twins Julia and ... (Wikipedia)
A Tree Grows in Brooklyn
by Betty Smith
A coming of age story set in Brooklyn, depicting a young girl's struggles and growth.
The novel is split into five "books", each covering a different period in the characters' lives. Book One opens in 1912 and introduces 11-year-old Francie Nolan, who lives in the Williamsburg ... (Wikipedia)
White Oleander
by Janet Fitch
A young girl's struggles to survive in a series of foster homes, finding strength in her resilience.
Astrid Magnussen is a 12-year-old girl living in Los Angeles , California with her mother, Ingrid Magnussen, a self-centered and eccentric poet. Astrid's father, Klaus Anders, left before Astrid was ... (Wikipedia)
Hercule Poirot's Christmas
by Agatha Christie
A murder mystery set during the holiday season, as the renowned detective solves a perplexing case.
Multi-millionaire Simeon Lee, frail in his old age, unexpectedly invites his family to gather at his home for Christmas . The gesture is met with suspicion by the guests. Simeon is not given to warm ... (Wikipedia)
