Recommendations based on Big Troubleby Dave Barry

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

  1. Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ's Childhood Pal

    by Christopher Moore
    A retelling of the life of Jesus Christ, told through the eyes of his childhood best friend.

    Biff is resurrected in the 20th Century to complete missing parts of the Bible , under the inefficient supervision of Raziel ; wherefore Biff narrates that he and Joshua (by Biff's account, the ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Island of the Sequined Love Nun

    by Christopher Moore
    A madcap adventure set on a remote tropical island, involving pirates, a mad scientist, and a mysterious nun.

    Tucker Case (Tuck), is a pilot for a cosmetics company, who crashes the company plane while having sex. This event causes Tuck to be blacklisted from flying in the United States, so he accepts a ... (Wikipedia)

  3. A Dirty Job

    by Christopher Moore
    A comedic journey of a man's life as he is forced to confront death and the underworld.

    The story centers on Charlie Asher, a "beta-male" (as opposed to " alpha-male ") who leads a satisfying life as the owner and proprietor of a second-hand store in San Francisco. At the moment when ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Stormy Weather

    by Carl Hiaasen
    A comedic adventure through the Florida Keys involving a mysterious storm, a drug-smuggling conspiracy, and a motley crew of characters.

    NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER,"Hysterically funny...Hiaasen at his satirical best." -, USA Today, Two honeymooners wake up early, make love twice, and brace themselves for a spectacle they won't be ... (Goodreads)

  5. Sick Puppy

    by Carl Hiaasen
    A wild and chaotic adventure involving a hapless protagonist and a crooked politician.

    Robert Clapley, a former drug smuggler -turned-real estate developer, plans to build high-rise condominiums and golf courses on Toad Island, the home to a large population of oak toads . The project ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Cafe

    by Fannie Flagg
    A nostalgic tale of friendship, courage and resilience set in the American South.

    Throughout the novel the narrator and time period change, and the reader relies on the chapters' headings to establish the date and the source of the chapter. Some of the narration comes in the form ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Skinny Dip

    by Carl Hiaasen
    A woman’s revenge plot against her husband for attempting to murder her.

    Charles Regis "Chaz" Perrone, PhD, is a young marine biologist who has devoted his life solely to the lazy pursuit of a hedonistic existence. His insatiable greed drives him to collude with Samuel ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Foundation

    by Isaac Asimov
    Exploring the possibilities of a galactic empire in a future driven by science and technology.

    For twelve thousand years the Galactic Empire has ruled supreme. Now it is dying. But only Hari Seldon, creator of the revolutionary science of psychohistory, can see into the future – to a dark age ... (Goodreads)

  9. The Essential Calvin and Hobbes: A Calvin and Hobbes Treasury

    by Bill Watterson
    A collection of beloved Calvin and Hobbes comic strips, exploring life’s adventures with childlike wonder.

    Beginning with the day Hobbes sprang into Calvin's tuna fish trap, the first two, Calvin and Hobbes, collections,, Calvin and Hobbes, and, Something Under The Bed Is Drooling, are brought together in ... (Barnes & Noble)

  10. The Fourth Hand

    by John Irving
    A journalist loses his hand to a lion and receives a transplant from a man who died in India. He then falls in love with the widow of the donor.

    While reporting a story from India, Patrick Wallingford, a New York television journalist, has his left hand eaten by a lion. Millions of TV viewers witness the accident, and Patrick achieves instant ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Testimony

    by Anita Shreve
    A sex scandal rocks a prestigious New England boarding school, unraveling the lives of those involved.

    Librarian's note: An alternate cover edition can be found, here, At a New England boarding school, a sex scandal is about to break. Even more shocking than the sexual acts themselves is the fact that ... (Goodreads)

  12. Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat

    by Bill Watterson
    A hilarious and heart-warming comic strip about a boy and his pet tiger.

    Homicidal Psycho Jungle Cat chronicles another segment of the multifarious adventures of this wild child and his faithful, but skeptical, friend. If the best cartoons compel readers to identify ... (Barnes & Noble)

  13. Rise of a Merchant Prince

    by Raymond E. Feist
    Follow the journey of a young man as he rises from poverty to become a powerful merchant prince in a world of political intrigue and magic.

    Erik von Darkmoor and Rupert Avery (Roo), have returned to Krondor after serving in Calis special unit that was sent down to the continent of Novindus. Erik plans on staying in the army as a corporal ... (Wikipedia)

  14. X-Men: Days of Future Past

    by Chris Claremont
    Mutant heroes team up to save the future by altering the past.

    The storyline alternates between the present year of 1980 and the future year of 2013. In the future, Sentinels rule a dystopian United States, and mutants are hunted and placed in internment camps . ... (Wikipedia)

  15. The Gathering Storm

    by Robert Jordan
    Epic fantasy adventure featuring battles between the forces of good and evil.

    The series' storyline has been leading up to the "Last Battle" ( Tarmon Gai'don )—a fight between the forces of Light and Shadow. According to prophecy in the series the primary protagonist Rand ... (Wikipedia)

  16. A Son of the Circus

    by John Irving
    A doctor's search for his father and his own identity amidst a chaotic life of a traveling circus.

    A Hindi film star . . . an American missionary . . . twins separated at birth . . . a dwarf chauffeur . . . a serial killer . . . all are on a collision course. In the tradition of A Prayer for Owen ... (Goodreads)

  17. Night Watch

    by Terry Pratchett
    A comedic fantasy adventure story of a man who must save the world with the help of magic and unlikely allies.

    On the morning of the 30th anniversary of the Glorious Revolution of the Twenty-Fifth of May (and as such the anniversary of the death of John Keel, Vimes' hero and former mentor), Sam Vimes — whose ... (Wikipedia)

  18. Life, the Universe and Everything

    by Douglas Adams
    An intergalactic quest to find the answer to the ultimate question of life.

    After being stranded on pre-historic Earth after the events in, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, , Arthur Dent is met by his old friend Ford Prefect , who drags him into a space-time eddy , ... (Wikipedia)

  19. Rising Sun

    by Michael Crichton
    A murder mystery set in the world of Japanese business and politics, exploring cultural differences and corporate corruption.

    Nakamoto Corporation is celebrating the grand opening of its new headquarters, the Nakamoto Tower, in Downtown Los Angeles ; the 45th floor of the building is awash with celebrities, dignitaries and ... (Wikipedia)

  20. Another Fine Myth

    by Robert Lynn Asprin
    A comedic fantasy adventure of a young mage and his quest to save the world.

    Skeeve was a magician's apprentice–until an assassin struck and his master was killed. Now, with a purple-tongued demon named Aahz as a companion, he's on a quest to get even. ... (Goodreads)

  21. The Door Into Summer

    by Robert A. Heinlein
    A man travels to the future to reclaim his lost love and his invention.

    The idea for the novel came from an incident outlined by Heinlein later: The novel opens in 1970 with Daniel Boone Davis, an engineer and inventor, well into a long drinking binge. He has lost his ... (Wikipedia)

  22. The Brethren

    by John Grisham
    Three former judges, imprisoned for different crimes, hatch a daring plan to scam millions.

    The "Brethren" are three former judges who are incarcerated at Trumble, a fictional federal minimum security prison located in northern Florida . The trio embark on a scam to deceive and exploit ... (Wikipedia)

  23. Can You Keep a Secret?

    by Sophie Kinsella
    A young woman discovers her life is filled with secrets when a random encounter sparks a new adventure.

    Emma Corrigan is a young woman in London, England . She is in a stable, but dull, relationship with the "perfect" man, and is currently attempting to climb the corporate ladder at Panther Cola, a ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Murder Must Advertise

    by Dorothy L. Sayers
    Detective story featuring Lord Peter Wimsey in a race against time to solve a mysterious murder.

    Death Bredon arrives at Pym's Publicity Ltd, an advertising agency, to take up the post of junior copywriter. He is assigned the room of his predecessor Victor Dean, who has died in a fall down the ... (Wikipedia)

  25. The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    by Douglas Adams
    An eccentric space adventure filled with comedic misadventures and cosmic revelations.

    At last in paperback in one complete volume, here are the five novels from Douglas Adams's Hitchhiker series. "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy" Seconds before the Earth is demolished for a ... (Goodreads)

  26. Legend

    by David Gemmell
    Epic fantasy saga of a young leader's quest to protect his kingdom from a powerful enemy.

    The Drenai Empire is under threat. The tribal Nadir people have been united for the first time by the great warleader Ulric, who has forged a massive empire in the North. The Drenai leader Abalayn is ... (Wikipedia)

  27. A Widow for One Year

    by John Irving
    A complex story of love, loss and redemption told across four different time periods.

    The year is 1958 and Ruth Cole is 4 years old. Although she is a loved child, her parents do not have a happy marriage. Her two older brothers died several years earlier in a tragic accident, and she ... (Wikipedia)

  28. The Rosie Effect

    by Graeme Simsion
    A professor's unexpected journey of self-discovery, learning to embrace change.

    Don Tillman and Rosie Jarman are back. The Wife Project is complete, and Don and Rosie are happily married and living in New York. But they're about to face a new challenge because - surprise - Rosie ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Hunt for Red October

    by Tom Clancy
    A thrilling adventure of a submarine captain's race against the clock in a thrilling game of cat and mouse.

    During the Cold War ,(the story must be set in 1982, according to the days assigned to the dates in the novel, e.g. Dec. 17 was a Friday only in 1982,1976 and 1971 ) Marko Ramius, a Soviet Navy ... (Wikipedia)

  30. The Curse of Chalion

    by Lois McMaster Bujold
    A man's spiritual journey to heal the kingdom and free himself from a powerful curse.

    Cazaril was formerly a noble in the land of Chalion, but was betrayed and sold into slavery. He returns to a regional court where he is hired as tutor to Iselle (second in line for the throne of ... (Wikipedia)