Recommendations based on العبراتby مصطفى لطفي المنفلوطي

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

  1. The Forty Rules of Love

    by Elif Shafak
    A story of romance and spiritual enlightenment, exploring the teachings of a Sufi master.

    Ella Rubenstein is forty years old and unhappily married when she takes a job as a reader for a literary agent. Her first assignment is to read and report on Sweet Blasphemy , a novel written by a ... (Goodreads)

  2. Midaq Alley

    by Naguib Mahfouz
    A story of life in a small Egyptian alleyway, exploring the interwoven lives of its inhabitants.

    Never has Nobel Prize-winner Naguib Mahfouz's talent for rich and luxurious storytelling been more evident than in Midaq Alley , which centers around the residents of one of the hustling, teeming ... (Goodreads)

  3. Chess Story

    by Stefan Zweig
    A chess master's attempt to regain his lost skill, and the psychological battle he faces.

    The narrator opens the story on a passenger liner traveling from New York to Buenos Aires. Driven to mental anguish as the result of total isolation by the Nazis , Dr B, a securities expert hiding ... (Wikipedia)

  4. The Prophet

    by Kahlil Gibran
    Collection of poetic musings about life, spirituality, and love.

    Kahlil Gibran’s masterpiece, The Prophet, is one of the most beloved classics of our time. Published in 1923, it has been translated into more than twenty languages, and the American editions alone ... (Goodreads)

  5. Sophie's World

    by Jostein Gaarder
    A journey of philosophical discovery told through a young girl's exploration of the world.

    Sophie Amundsen is a 14-year-old girl who lives in Lillesand , Norway. The book begins with Sophie receiving two messages in her mailbox and a postcard addressed to Hilde Møller Knag. Afterwards, she ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Samarkand

    by Amin Maalouf
    Epic tale of a man's journey to discover his identity and the truths of his ancestry.

    The first half of the story is set in Persia (present day Iran ) and Central Asia in the 11th century, and revolves around the scientist, philosopher, and poet Omar Khayyám . It recounts the creation ... (Wikipedia)

  7. A Hero of Our Time

    by Mikhail Lermontov
    A story of a young man's journey through life and his experiences of love, betrayal and morality.

    In its adventurous happenings, its abductions, duels, and sexual intrigues, A Hero of Our Time looks backward to the tales of Sir Walter Scott and Lord Byron, so beloved by Russian society in the ... (Goodreads)

  8. The Hen Who Dreamed She Could Fly

    by Sun-mi Hwang
    A hen's quest to break free of her mundane life and fulfill her dream of flying.

    A Korean, Charlotte's Web,More than 2 million copies sold, This is the story of a hen named Sprout. No longer content to lay eggs on command, only to have them carted off to the market, she glimpses ... (Goodreads)

  9. Frankenstein in Baghdad

    by Ahmed Saadawi
    A quest for justice in a war-torn Baghdad, as a supernatural creature stalks the city.

    In the aftermath of the U.S. invasion of Iraq , a junk-dealer named Hadi al-Attag collects the scattered body parts of bomb victims with the intention of giving them a proper burial. Al-Attag first ... (Wikipedia)

  10. Please Look After Mom

    by Shin Kyung-sook
    A family's journey of grief and healing following the disappearance of their mother.

    When sixty-nine-year-old So-Nyo is separated from her husband among the crowds of the Seoul subway station , her family begins a desperate search to find her. Yet as long-held secrets and private ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Bel-Ami

    by Guy de Maupassant
    A man rises to power by manipulating the powerful people around him.

    The story chronicles the rise to power of journalist Georges Duroy from a poor ex-NCO to one of the most successful men in Paris – most of which he achieves by means of a series of powerful, ... (Barnes & Noble)

  12. Leo Africanus

    by Amin Maalouf
    An epic historical novel, tracing the journey of a North African explorer and diplomat in the 16th century.

    "I, Hasan the son of Muhammad the weigh-master, I, Jean-Leon de Medici, circumcised at the hand of a barber and baptized at the hand of a pope, I am now called the African, but I am not from Africa, ... (Goodreads)

  13. The Broken Wings

    by Kahlil Gibran
    A philosophical tale of love and loss, exploring the journey of life and death.

    This is the exquisitely tender story of love that beats desperately against the taboos of Oriental tradition. With great sensitivity, Gibran describes his passion as a youth for Selma Karamy, the ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Bastard of Istanbul

    by Elif Shafak
    Exploring the shared history between Turkey and the US while uncovering secrets of a family’s past.

    From one of Turkey’s most acclaimed and outspoken writers, a novel about the tangled histories of two families. In her second novel written in English, Elif Shafak confronts her country’s violent ... (Goodreads)

  15. By the River Piedra I Sat Down and Wept

    by Paulo Coelho
    A woman reunites with her childhood love and embarks on a spiritual journey to discover her true self and purpose in life.

    From Paulo Coelho, author of the bestselling The Alchemist , comes a poignant, richly poetic story that reflects the depth of love and life. Rarely does adolescent love reach its full potential, but ... (Goodreads)

  16. Kafka on the Shore

    by Haruki Murakami
    A surreal journey of self-discovery, exploring the boundaries between the real and surreal.

    Comprising two distinct but interrelated plots, the narrative runs back and forth between both plots, taking up each plotline in alternating chapters. The odd-numbered chapters tell the 15-year-old ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Zorba the Greek

    by Nikos Kazantzakis
    A man embarks on a journey of self-discovery, learning to embrace life with gusto and joy.

    The book opens in a café in Piraeus , just before dawn on a gusty autumn morning. The year is most likely 1916. The narrator, a young Greek intellectual, resolves to set aside his books for a few ... (Wikipedia)

  18. The Hunchback of Notre-Dame

    by Victor Hugo
    A story of love, loyalty and redemption set amidst the stunning architecture of 15th century Paris.

    The story is set in Paris in 1482 during the reign of Louis XI . The Romani Esmeralda (born as Agnes) captures the hearts of many men, including those of Captain Phoebus and Pierre Gringoire , but ... (Wikipedia)

  19. The Realm of Possibility

    by David Levithan
    A novel in verse that explores the interconnected lives of high school students, their struggles, and their search for identity and love.

    This collection of linked poems from David Levithan, the author of the, New York Times, bestseller, Every Day, and the groundbreaking classic, Boy Meets Boy, and the co-author of, Will Grayson, Will ... (Barnes & Noble)

  20. The Green Mile: The Screenplay

    by Frank Darabont
    A death row supervisor in the 1930s South discovers a miraculous inmate with supernatural powers.

    At a Louisiana assisted-living home in 1999, elderly retiree Paul Edgecomb becomes emotional while viewing the film, Top Hat, . His companion Elaine becomes concerned, and Paul explains to her that ... (Wikipedia)

  21. When the Moon is Low

    by Nadia Hashimi
    A family flees Afghanistan, facing danger and uncertainty as they seek refuge in Europe.

    Mahmoud's passion for his wife Fereiba, a schoolteacher, is greater than any love she's ever known. But their happy, middle-class world—a life of education, work, and comfort—implodes when their ... (Goodreads)

  22. Sisters

    by Danielle Steel
    After a family tragedy, four sisters must navigate their own paths in life, facing love, loss, and the bonds of sisterhood.

    Four sisters, a Manhattan brownstone, and a tumultuous year of loss and courage are at the heart of Danielle Steel's new novel about a remarkable family, a stunning tragedy–and what happens when four ... (Goodreads)

  23. Where Angels Fear to Tread

    by E.M. Forster
    A young widow travels to Italy and falls in love with a local man, causing a clash between English and Italian cultures.

    On a journey to Tuscany with her young friend and travelling companion Caroline Abbott, widowed Lilia Herriton falls in love with Gino, a handsome Italian man much younger than herself, and decides ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Dead Man's Folly

    by Agatha Christie
    A murder mystery set in a country house, where a game of murder becomes all too real. Hercule Poirot must solve the case before it's too late.

    Poirot is summoned to Nasse House in Devon by Ariadne Oliver, who is staging a Murder Hunt as part of a summer fête the next day. At Nasse House, Mrs Oliver explains that small aspects of her plans ... (Wikipedia)

  25. Braveheart

    by Randall Wallace
    Epic tale of William Wallace, a Scottish warrior who leads his people in a rebellion against English rule.

    In 1280, King Edward "Longshanks" invades and conquers Scotland following the death of Alexander III of Scotland , who left no heir to the throne. Young William Wallace witnesses Longshanks' betrayal ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Notes from Underground

    by Fyodor Dostoevsky
    A portrait of the struggles of a troubled man, exploring his inner turmoil.

    The novel is divided into two parts. Serving as an introduction into the mind of the narrator, the first part of Notes from Underground is split into nine chapters: The narrator observes that utopian ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Murder Is Easy

    by Agatha Christie
    Amateur sleuth investigates a series of suspicious deaths in a small village.

    Upon his return to England after his overseas job in the police, Luke Fitzwilliam shares a London-bound train carriage with Lavinia Pinkerton. She talks with him about her reason to travel to ... (Wikipedia)

  28. Oliver Twist

    by Charles Dickens
    An orphan's journey of survival and resilience in the face of poverty and injustice.

    Oliver Twist is born into a life of poverty and misfortune, raised in a workhouse in the fictional town of Mudfog , located 70 miles (110 km) north of London . , , , He is orphaned by his father's ... (Wikipedia)

  29. Pavilion of Women

    by Pearl S. Buck
    Madame Wu, a wealthy Chinese woman, seeks to break free from traditional gender roles and societal expectations in 1930s China.

    Pavilion of Women was met with negative reviews. On Rotten Tomatoes the film has a rating of 6% based on reviews from 31 critics, with an average score of 3.1/10. The site's consensus is: "Generating ... (Wikipedia)

  30. Blindness

    by José Saramago
    A society is plunged into chaos when everyone suddenly loses their sight.

    Blindness is the story of an unexplained mass epidemic of blindness afflicting nearly everyone in an unnamed city, and the social breakdown that swiftly follows. The novel follows the misfortune of a ... (Wikipedia)