Recommendations based on Skeletons at the Feastby Chris Bohjalian

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

  1. The Sandcastle Girls

    by Chris Bohjalian
    A love story set during the Armenian Genocide, exploring the complexities of human relationships and the horrors of war.

    The Sandcastle Girls is a sweeping historical love story steeped in Chris Bohjalian's Armenian heritage. When Elizabeth Endicott arrives in Aleppo, Syria she has a diploma from Mount Holyoke, a crash ... (Goodreads)

  2. Year of Wonders

    by Geraldine Brooks
    A small English village grapples with the effects of the bubonic plague.

    When an infected bolt of cloth carries plague from London to an isolated village, a housemaid named Anna Frith emerges as an unlikely heroine and healer. Through Anna's eyes we follow the story of ... (Goodreads)

  3. Careless in Red

    by Elizabeth George
    Detective Lynley retreats to Cornwall after a personal tragedy, but is drawn into a murder investigation.

    From, New York Times, bestselling author Elizabeth George, a stunning mystery featuring Detective Inspector Thomas Lynley that explores the perfect crime—,now available as a limited Olive Edition ... (Barnes & Noble)

  4. The Double Bind

    by Chris Bohjalian
    A young woman working at a homeless shelter becomes obsessed with the photographs of a former client. A psychological thriller that explores the nature of memory and trauma.

    In Chris Bohjalian's astonishing novel, nothing is what it at first seems. Not the bucolic Vermont back roads college sophomore Laurel Estabrook likes to bike. Not the savage assault she suffers ... (Goodreads)

  5. 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)

  6. Mudbound

    by Hillary Jordan
    Two families, one black and one white, struggle to survive and thrive in rural Mississippi during and after World War II.

    In the winter of 1946, Henry McAllen moves his city-bred wife, Laura, from their comfortable home in Memphis, Tennessee to a remote cotton farm in the Mississippi Delta —a place she finds both ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands

    by Chris Bohjalian
    After a nuclear disaster, a teenage girl navigates a dangerous world alone, haunted by her past and struggling to survive.

    A heartbreaking, wildly inventive, and moving novel narrated by a teenage runaway, from the best-selling author of Midwives and The Sandcastle Girls. Close Your Eyes, Hold Hands is the story of Emily ... (Goodreads)

  8. 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)

  9. The Truth According to Us

    by Annie Barrows
    A story of a family in small-town America and the secrets they keep.

    In the summer of 1938, Layla Beck’s father, a United States senator, cuts off her allowance and demands that she find employment on the Federal Writers’ Project, a New Deal jobs program. Within days, ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Third Angel

    by Alice Hoffman
    Three women's lives intertwine in a London hotel, each seeking love and redemption. A haunting tale of love, loss, and the power of storytelling.

    In The Third Angel , Hoffman weaves a magical and stunningly original story that charts the lives of three women in love with the wrong men: Headstrong Madeleine Heller finds herself hopelessly ... (Goodreads)

  11. Wishin' and Hopin'

    by Wally Lamb
    A coming-of-age story set in the 1960s, following a young boy's journey through Catholic school and his first crush.

    Fifth-grader Felix Funicello (Ralff), the cousin of famous Mickey Mouse Club Mousekteer and teen idol / movie actress Annette Funicello , lives in the fictional small town of Three Rivers, ... (Wikipedia)

  12. Just One Evil Act

    by Elizabeth George
    A mother's desperate search for her kidnapped daughter leads to a web of lies and deceit.

    Sergeant Barbara Havers is at a loss: The daughter of her friend Taymullah Azhar has been taken by her mother, and Barbara can’t really help—Azhar had never married Angelina, and his name isn’t on ... (Goodreads)

  13. The Silver Linings Playbook

    by Matthew Quick
    A man with bipolar disorder tries to rebuild his life after being released from a mental institution. He finds hope and love in unexpected places.

    The book is narrated through the eyes of Pat Peoples, and occasionally Tiffany's through letters. A former history teacher who has moved back to his childhood home in Collingswood, New Jersey , after ... (Wikipedia)

  14. People of the Book

    by Geraldine Brooks
    A journey through time as an ancient book is discovered and its secrets revealed.

    The "complex and moving" ( The New Yorker ) novel by Pulitzer Prize winner Geraldine Brooks follows a rare manuscript through centuries of exile and war. Inspired by a true story, "People of the ... (Goodreads)

  15. What She Left Behind

    by Ellen Marie Wiseman
    Abandoned by her mother in a mental institution, Clara uncovers the truth about her family's past.

    In this stunning new novel, the acclaimed author of THE PLUM TREE merges the past and present into a haunting story about the nature of love and loyalty—and the lengths we will go to protect those ... (Goodreads)

  16. I Am Pilgrim

    by Terry Hayes
    A former operative is called back into action to track down a terrorist plotting a global attack.

    A breakneck race against time...and an implacable enemy. An anonymous young woman murdered in a run-down hotel, all identifying characteristics dissolved by acid. A father publicly beheaded in the ... (Goodreads)

  17. Glory Over Everything: Beyond The Kitchen House

    by Kathleen Grissom
    A slave's story of freedom and its unexpected complications.

    The latest New York Times bestseller from the author of the beloved book club favorite The Kitchen House is a heart racing story about a man’s treacherous journey through the twists and turns of the ... (Barnes & Noble)

  18. 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)

  19. With No One as Witness

    by Elizabeth George
    A serial killer is on the loose in London, targeting black boys. Detective Lynley and Havers race against time to catch the killer.

    The police never suspected a serial killer was at large until they found the third murdered boy, the first white victim, his body draped over a tomb in a London graveyard. Suddenly a series of crimes ... (Goodreads)

  20. The Physick Book of Deliverance Dane

    by Katherine Howe
    A graduate student uncovers a family secret and a mysterious book, leading her on a journey to uncover the truth about her ancestors and their involvement in the Salem witch trials.

    Harvard graduate student Connie Goodwin needs to spend her summer doing research for her doctoral dissertation. But when her mother asks her to handle the sale of Connie’s grandmother’s abandoned ... (Wikipedia)

  21. The Stars Are Fire

    by Anita Shreve
    A woman’s struggle to survive devastating wildfires in the post-WWII era.

    In October 1947, after a summer-long drought, fires break out all along the Maine coast from Bar Harbor to Kittery and are soon racing out of control from town to village. Five months pregnant, Grace ... (Goodreads)

  22. The Invention of Wings

    by Sue Monk Kidd
    A powerful story about a girl's journey to freedom, despite the limitations of slavery.

    Writing at the height of her narrative and imaginative gifts, Sue Monk Kidd presents a masterpiece of hope, daring, the quest for freedom, and the desire to have a voice in the world—and it is now ... (Goodreads)

  23. The Gift of Rain

    by Tan Twan Eng
    A young man's journey of self-discovery in Malaya during World War II.

    The novel is set in Penang . It concerns Philip Hutton, of mixed Chinese-English heritage, and his relationship with Hayato Endo, a Japanese diplomat who teaches him aikido . As war looms and the ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Necessary Lies

    by Diane Chamberlain
    A young social worker in 1960s rural North Carolina uncovers a dark secret that threatens to upend the lives of those around her.

    It is 1960 in North Carolina and the lives of Ivy Hart and Jane Forrester couldn't be more different. Fifteen-year-old Ivy lives with her family as tenants on a small tobacco farm, but when her ... (Barnes & Noble)

  25. World Without End

    by Ken Follett
    Epic tale of love and war, tracing the lives of two families over centuries.

    The novel begins in the fictional city of Kingsbridge, England in the year 1327 . Four children - Merthin, Caris, Gwenda, and Merthin's brother Ralph - head into the woods on All Hallows Day . ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Cutting for Stone

    by Abraham Verghese
    A sweeping journey of two twin brothers and their search for identity, belonging and family.

    The story is told by the protagonist, Marion Stone. He and his conjoined twin Shiva are born at Mission Hospital (called "Missing" in accordance with the local pronunciation), Addis Ababa , in ... (Wikipedia)

  27. The Time in Between

    by María Dueñas
    A remarkable tale of resilience and courage, as a woman embarks on a journey of self-discovery.

    The story begins in 1934. Between Youth and Adulthood... Sira Quiroga is a young and attractive seamstress living a humble life in Madrid with her single mother Dolores. During a festival she meets ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Nights of Rain and Stars

    by Maeve Binchy
    A group of strangers on holiday in a small Greek village, coming together through tragedy and joy.

    In a small town in Greece , a group of people witness a boating accident and subsequently become tangled in each other's lives. Thomas is a California university professor escaping from a tense ... (Wikipedia)

  29. The Crystal Cave

    by Mary Stewart
    Arthurian legend comes to life as Merlin embarks on a quest to use his magical powers to protect the young king.

    This novel covers the time from Merlin's sixth year until he becomes a young man. The Romans have recently left Britain , which is now divided into a number of kingdoms loosely united under a High ... (Wikipedia)

  30. 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)