Powered by a book like {foo}
Recommendations based on American Spyby Lauren Wilkinson
* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans
The Nickel Boys
by Colson Whitehead
Two boys sentenced to a brutal reform school in Jim Crow-era Florida struggle to survive and maintain their humanity.
Author of The Underground Railroad, Colson Whitehead brilliantly dramatizes another strand of American history through the story of two boys sentenced to a hellish reform school in 1960s Florida. ... (Goodreads)
Long Way Down
by Jason Reynolds
A young boy's journey of grief and redemption, as he seeks retribution for his brother's death.
William Holloman is ready to exact vengeance on the person who murdered his older brother, Shawn. As Will rides the elevator down from his 8th-floor apartment at each floor a new person, who is dead, ... (Wikipedia)
My Sister, the Serial Killer
by Oyinkan Braithwaite
A darkly comedic novel about a Nigerian woman who must cover up her sister's murders.
NOMINATED FOR THE 2019 BOOKER PRIZE, WINNER OF THE LA TIMES BOOK PRIZE FOR MYSTERY/THRILLER,FINALIST FOR THE 2019 WOMEN'S PRIZE, Korede’s sister Ayoola is many things: the favorite child, the ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Sympathizer
by Viet Thanh Nguyen
Vietnam War refugee returns to his homeland and struggles to reconcile conflicting loyalties.
It is April 1975, and Saigon is in chaos. At his villa, a general of the South Vietnamese army is drinking whiskey and, with the help of his trusted captain, drawing up a list of those who will be ... (Goodreads)
The Map of Salt and Stars
by Zeyn Joukhadar
A young Syrian-American girl and her family flee to Syria, retracing the journey of a 12th-century girl who mapped the stars.
It is the summer of 2011, and Nour has just lost her father to cancer. Her mother, a cartographer who creates unusual, hand-painted maps, decides to move Nour and her sisters from New York City back ... (Goodreads)
And the Mountains Echoed
by Khaled Hosseini
Interconnected stories of family and love, tracing the consequences of decisions made throughout life.
The novel opens in the year 1952. Saboor, an impoverished farmer from the fictional village of Shadbagh, decides to sell his three-year-old daughter Pari to a wealthy, childless couple in Kabul. ... (Wikipedia)
These Shallow Graves
by Jennifer Donnelly
A young woman in 1890s New York City defies societal expectations to investigate her father's mysterious death.
Jo Montfort is beautiful and rich, and soon—like all the girls in her class—she’ll graduate from finishing school and be married off to a wealthy bachelor. Which is the last thing she wants. Jo ... (Goodreads)
A Princess in Theory
by Alyssa Cole
Naledi Smith receives an email claiming she's betrothed to an African prince. Romance and royal intrigue ensue.
From acclaimed author Alyssa Cole comes the tale of a city Cinderella and her Prince Charming in disguise . . . Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn’t have time for fairy ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Murder Room
by P.D. James
A group of true crime enthusiasts gather in a museum to discuss notorious murders, but soon find themselves investigating a real-life killing.
The Dupayne Museum is an eclectic collection of English memorabilia from the period between World War I and World War II. The murder room of the title refers to a room displaying relics of murders ... (Wikipedia)
The Illegal
by Lawrence Hill
Keita Ali, a marathon runner and refugee, becomes an illegal immigrant in a country where refugees are not welcome. He fights for his freedom and his life.
Keita Ali is on the run. Desperate to flee Zantoroland, a mountainous island that produces the fastest marathoners in the world, Keita Ali signs on with notorious marathon agent Anton Hamm, who ... (Goodreads)
Rosewater
by Tade Thompson
Kaaro, a government agent with psychic abilities, navigates a mysterious alien biodome in Nigeria.
Tade Thompson's, Rosewater, is the start of an award-winning, cutting edge trilogy set in Nigeria, by one of science fiction's most engaging new voices. Rosewater is a town on the edge. A community ... (Goodreads)
An Unsuitable Job for a Woman
by P.D. James
Young detective Cordelia Gray investigates the apparent suicide of a Cambridge dropout, uncovering dark secrets and danger.
Young private detective Cordelia Gray walks into the London office she shares with former police detective Bernie Pryde to find her partner has committed suicide. Pryde has left everything, including ... (Wikipedia)
Things Fall Apart
by Chinua Achebe
Exploration of African culture and traditions, grappling with the tension between modernity and tradition.
The novel's protagonist , Okonkwo, is famous in the villages of Umuofia for being a wrestling champion, defeating a wrestler nicknamed "Amalinze The Cat" (because he never lands on his back). Okonkwo ... (Wikipedia)
Special Circumstances
by Sheldon Siegel
Attorney Mike Daley defends a young man accused of murder, uncovering a web of corruption and deceit in the process.
Meet Mike Daley. Ex-,priest,. Ex-,public defender,. And as of yesterday, ex-,partner, in one of San Francisco's most prominent law firms. Today he's out on his own, setting up practice on the wrong ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Fear Index
by Robert Harris
A hedge fund manager's AI system goes rogue, causing chaos and threatening his sanity. A thrilling exploration of the dangers of technology.
The story begins as Physicist Dr. Alexander Hoffmann, an American expat living in Switzerland , and the founder of his eponymous hedge fund , receives a first edition copy of The Expression of the ... (Wikipedia)
Orbiting Jupiter
by Gary D. Schmidt
Told through the eyes of a young boy, a story of redemption, love, and family.
When Jack meets his new foster brother, he already knows three things about him: Joseph almost killed a teacher. He was incarcerated at a place called Stone Mountain. He has a daughter. Her name is ... (Goodreads)
The Silver Pigs
by Lindsey Davis
In ancient Rome, private investigator Marcus Didius Falco is hired to find a missing silver shipment. A thrilling mystery ensues.
This first novel in the Marcus Didius Falco Mysteries series introduces the main characters as well as establishes relationships that continue and grow throughout the series. Falco stumbles upon a ... (Wikipedia)
The Turner House
by Angela Flournoy
The Turner family's Detroit home is at the center of their struggles as they confront their past and present.
The novel tells the story of a Detroit family with 13 children as it responds to the economic woes of the city, in both the 1940s, and then in 2008. The house that sees the changes in the family, ... (Wikipedia)
Silver Sparrow
by Tayari Jones
Two teenage girls navigate their complicated relationship as sisters and daughters of a bigamist father in 1980s Atlanta.
Dana Lynn Yarboro's parents meet in Atlanta, Georgia when her father is buying an anniversary present for his wife. Her mother, a young divorcée named Gwen Yarboro, becomes James Witherspoon's ... (Wikipedia)
The Miracles of the Namiya General Store
by Keigo Higashino
Three delinquent boys seek refuge in an abandoned store and receive life-changing advice from letters written 30 years ago.
In 1980, the Namiya General Store becomes popular with citizens after its owner, Yūji Namiya, accepts peoples' advice letters to seek advice for anything troubling them, similar to an agony aunt . ... (Wikipedia)
Two Old Women: An Alaskan Legend of Betrayal, Courage and Survival
by Velma Wallis
Tale of two elderly women struggling to survive in the harsh Alaskan wilderness.
Long before the Europeans came, nomads roamed the polar region of Alaska in constant search for game. The people of the Gwich'in , who belong to the Athabaska tribes, wander the areas around the ... (Wikipedia)
B is for Burglar
by Sue Grafton
Private investigator Kinsey Millhone is hired to find a missing sister, but the case takes a dangerous turn.
Private investigator Kinsey Millhone is hired by Beverly Danziger to locate her missing sister, Elaine Boldt, whose name is needed on some paperwork regarding an inheritance. Elaine was last seen ... (Wikipedia)
V is for Vengeance
by Sue Grafton
A private detective investigates a cold case leading her to uncover a sinister plot.
For the fourth straight novel in the Alphabet Mystery series, the viewpoint alternates between Millhone and other characters, principally Nora Vogelsang and Lorenzo Dante. The opening chapter, ... (Wikipedia)
The Shell Collector
by Anthony Doerr
A collection of short stories that explore the beauty and fragility of life through the lens of characters connected to the sea.
The exquisitely crafted stories in Anthony Doerr's acclaimed debut collection take readers from the African coast to the pine forests of Montana to the damp moors of Lapland, charting a vast physical ... (Goodreads)
IQ
by Joe Ide
A brilliant private investigator solves complex cases in the gang-ridden streets of Los Angeles.
A resident of one of LA's toughest neighborhoods uses his blistering intellect to solve the crimes the LAPD ignores. , East Long Beach. The LAPD is barely keeping up with the neighborhood's high ... (Goodreads)
The Art of Hearing Heartbeats
by Jan-Philipp Sendker
An epic search for the truth, discovering the power of love and the beauty of forgiveness.
A poignant and inspirational love story set in Burma, The Art of Hearing Heartbeats spans the decades between the 1950s and the present. When a successful New York lawyer suddenly disappears without ... (Goodreads)
Future Home of the Living God
by Louise Erdrich
A pregnant woman embarks on a journey to find safety in a world of deteriorating evolution.
Louise Erdrich paints a startling portrait of a young woman fighting for her life and her unborn child against oppressive forces that manifest in the wake of a cataclysmic event in this dystopian ... (Goodreads)
Queenie
by Candice Carty-Williams
Queenie, a Jamaican British woman, navigates life, love, and race in London while dealing with anxiety and trauma.
ONE OF, TIME,’S 100 BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR ONE OF NPR’S BEST BOOKS OF 2019 NAMED ONE OF THE MOST ANTICIPATED BOOKS OF 2019 BY, WOMAN’S DAY,, NEWSDAY,, PUBLISHERS WEEKLY,, BUSTLE, AND, BOOK RIOT,! ... (Barnes & Noble)
Y is for Yesterday
by Sue Grafton
Private investigator searches for a missing teenage girl while uncovering the secrets of her past.
On August 30, 2017, "Y" Is for Yesterday topped, USA Today, 's best-seller list. , On September 1, 2017, it topped, The New York Times, Best Seller list and was later placed on its Fiction Best ... (Wikipedia)
The Curious Charms of Arthur Pepper
by Phaedra Patrick
An elderly man embarks on an unexpected journey of self-discovery and healing.
Look for Phaedra Patrick’s newest perfectly charming read, The Secrets of Love Story Bridge . “An endearing celebration of life.” -RealSimple.com Perfect for fans of A Man Called Ove , this curiously ... (Barnes & Noble)
