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Recommendations based on Pay It Forwardby Catherine Ryan Hyde
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Forrest Gump
by Winston Groom
A story of an intellectually disabled man's incredible journey through life, with all its turns and surprises.
Forrest Gump, named after Klu Klux Klan Grand Wizard Nathan Bedford Forrest , narrates the story of his life. The author uses misspellings and grammatical errors to indicate his Southern accent, ... (Wikipedia)
The First Wives Club
by Olivia Goldsmith
Three middle-aged women seek revenge on their ex-husbands who left them for younger women. A humorous and empowering story of friendship and second chances.
Don't get mad. Get everything. When their best friend commits suicide over her divorce, Elise, Brenda and Annie decide enough is enough. Each was crucial to her husband's career. But now that the men ... (Goodreads)
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)
What's Eating Gilbert Grape
by Peter Hedges
A young man struggles to care for his mentally disabled brother and obese mother in a small town.
In the small town of Endora, Iowa , Gilbert Grape ( Johnny Depp ) is busy caring for Arnie ( Leonardo DiCaprio ), his mentally impaired brother who is turning 18, as they wait for the many tourists' ... (Wikipedia)
Walk Me Home
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
A heartwarming story of two unlikely friends, a young girl and an elderly man, who embark on a journey of healing and self-discovery.
From, New York Times, bestselling author Catherine Ryan Hyde comes a story of two young sisters who embark on a journey across the American Southwest to uncover what it really means to be a family. ... (Goodreads)
The Guardian
by Nicholas Sparks
A young widow and a single father fall in love, but their pasts threaten to tear them apart.
Julie Barenson's young husband left her two unexpected gifts before he died: a Great Dane puppy named Singer and the promise that he would always be watching over her. Now, four years have passed. ... (Goodreads)
Like Water for Chocolate
by Laura Esquivel
Magical tale of forbidden love, crossed by cultural and family traditions.
The book is divided into 12 sections named after the months of the year, starting in January and ending in December. Each section begins with a Mexican recipe . The chapters connect each dish to an ... (Wikipedia)
Beaches
by Iris Rainer Dart
A lifelong friendship between two women, their ups and downs, and how they support each other through life's challenges.
Loudmouthed, redheaded Cee Cee Bloom has her sights set on Hollywood. Bertie White, quiet and conservative, dreams of getting married and having children. In 1951, their childhood worlds collide in ... (Goodreads)
Nights in Rodanthe
by Nicholas Sparks
Two strangers find solace in an unlikely romance while weathering a fierce storm.
The story begins in 2002 in Rocky Mount, North Carolina . Adrienne Willis, a part-time librarian and divorced mother of three, is helping her daughter, Amanda, cope with depression. Amanda is having ... (Wikipedia)
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)
Dead Poets Society
by N.H. Kleinbaum
A new English teacher inspires his students to embrace poetry and seize the day, but faces resistance from the school's administration.
In the autumn of 1959, Todd Anderson begins his senior year of high school at Welton Academy, an all-male , elite prep school . He is assigned one of Welton's most promising students, Neil Perry, as ... (Wikipedia)
Ask Him Why
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
A family is torn apart when a teenage boy goes missing. His sister sets out to uncover the truth and heal their broken family.
From the bestselling author of, Pay It Forward, comes the stunning and emotional story of a young soldier’s unthinkable act…and the bonds of a sister and brother’s love. Ruth and her little brother, ... (Goodreads)
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)
Where We Belong
by Catherine Ryan Hyde
A young girl's life is turned upside down when she discovers her biological father and must navigate the complexities of family and identity.
Fourteen-year-old Angie and her mom are poised at the edge of homelessness…again. The problem is her little sister, Sophie. Sophie has an autism-like disorder, and a tendency to shriek. No matter ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Bridges of Madison County
by Robert James Waller
An unexpected and passionate love affair between a married woman and a traveling photographer.
The story of Robert Kincaid, the photographer and free spirit searching for the covered bridges of Madison County, and Francesca Johnson, the farm wife waiting for the fulfillment of a girlhood ... (Goodreads)
The Impossible Knife of Memory
by Laurie Halse Anderson
A high school girl struggles to cope with her father's PTSD as they move from place to place.
For the past five years, Hayley Kincain and her father, Andy, have been on the road, never staying long in one place as he struggles to escape the demons that have tortured him since his return from ... (Goodreads)
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)
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)
The Lucky One
by Nicholas Sparks
A Marine finds a photograph of a woman while on duty in Iraq and sets out to find her. They fall in love, but secrets threaten their happiness.
The book starts from Keith Clayton's perspective. Keith is a local police officer. He is at a location where local college students go for nude swimming. He is carrying a camera he borrowed from the ... (Wikipedia)
The Thorn Birds
by Colleen McCullough
A powerful tale of forbidden love, set in rural Australia in the early 20th century.
The story begins in New Zealand on 8 December 1915, the fourth birthday of Meghann "Meggie" Cleary who is the only daughter of Padriac ("Paddy"), an Irish farm labourer, and Fiona ("Fee"), his wife. ... (Wikipedia)
Chocolat
by Joanne Harris
An enchanting tale of love, belonging, and the power of chocolate.
Vianne Rocher, with her daughter Anouk, come to the small French village of Lansquenet-sous-Tannes. They are brought by "the wind" during the last days of Carnival to open a, chocolaterie, , La ... (Wikipedia)
Perfect
by Rachel Joyce
A man's quest to find his long-lost brother and uncover the truth of his past.
In 1972, two seconds were added to time. It was in order to balance clock time with the movement of the earth. Byron Hemming knew this because James Lowe had told him and James was the cleverest boy ... (Goodreads)
The Land of Painted Caves
by Jean M. Auel
A young girl's journey of self-discovery as she faces a harsh prehistoric landscape.
In The land of Painted Caves , Jean M. Auel brings the ice-age epic Earth's Children series to an extraordinary conclusion. Ayla, one of the most remarkable and beloved heroines in contemporary ... (Goodreads)
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
by Fredrik Backman
An imaginative quest to uncover the truth behind a beloved grandmother's mysterious stories.
The story takes place in Sweden and follows Elsa, a 7-year-old who knows she is different from other children her age. Elsa has a habit of correcting others' grammar, she is smart for her age, and is ... (Wikipedia)
The 5th Wave
by Rick Yancey
A teenage girl struggles to survive in a world overtaken by alien invaders.
After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the un lucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one. Now, it's the ... (Goodreads)
Sounder
by William H. Armstrong
A poor African American family in the 19th century struggles to survive and keep their dignity intact. Their loyal dog, Sounder, provides comfort and hope.
The black sharecropper's family is poor and hungry. The father and his dog, Sounder, go hunting each night, but the hunting is inadequate. The family subsists on fried corn mush, biscuits, and milk ... (Wikipedia)
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)
Different Seasons
by Stephen King
Four novellas exploring the power of morality, justice, and redemption.
Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption–the most satisfying tale of unjust imprisonment and offbeat escape since The Count of Monte Cristo. Apt Pupil--a golden California schoolboy and an old man ... (Goodreads)
Saving Fish from Drowning
by Amy Tan
A group of friends on a spiritual journey in the jungles of Burma, meeting unexpected turns of fate.
The story concerns a group of American tourists travelling the Burma Road from China to Myanmar, and the comic confusions that occur when they are kidnapped by a group of Karen people who believe one ... (Wikipedia)
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
by Gabrielle Zevin
Life of an isolated bookseller is transformed when an unexpected visitor brings unexpected joy.
“Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”—, The Washington Post, A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his ... (Barnes & Noble)
