Recommendations based on Trumpetby Jackie Kay

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

  1. Fingersmith

    by Sarah Waters
    A thrilling tale of two women who conspire to swindle a wealthy gentleman.

    Sue Trinder, an orphan raised in "a Fagin -like den of thieves" by her adoptive mother, Mrs Sucksby, is sent to help Richard "Gentleman" Rivers seduce a wealthy heiress. Posing as a maid, Sue is to ... (Wikipedia)

  2. Rubyfruit Jungle

    by Rita Mae Brown
    A coming-of-age story of a young girl's journey of self-acceptance and finding her place in the world.

    The novel focuses on Molly Bolt, the adopted daughter of a poor family, who possesses remarkable beauty and who is aware of her lesbianism from early childhood. Her relationship with her mother is ... (Wikipedia)

  3. The Night Watch

    by Sarah Waters
    A suspenseful story of ordinary people living through the turmoil of World War II.

    Kay The novel begins with Kay Langrish-a woman broken by the war. She spends her days locked in her room in London, watching her landlord's patients arrive and leave at precisely the same hours every ... (Wikipedia)

  4. The Price of Salt

    by Patricia Highsmith
    Two women build a relationship against all odds, navigating a taboo romance.

    Therese Belivet is a lonely young woman, just beginning her adult life in Manhattan and looking for her chance to launch her career as a theatre set designer . When she was a small girl, her widowed ... (Wikipedia)

  5. Mrs. Dalloway

    by Virginia Woolf
    A day in the life of a high-society woman, delving into her inner thoughts and feelings.

    Clarissa Dalloway goes around London in the morning, getting ready to host a party that evening. The nice day reminds her of her youth spent in the countryside in Bourton and makes her wonder about ... (Wikipedia)

  6. Innocent Erendira and Other Stories

    by Gabriel García Márquez
    Short stories exploring the depths of human emotion and the power of love.

    This is the story of a twelve year old who accidentally sets fire to the house where she lives with her grandmother. The grandmother decides that Erendira must pay her back for the loss, and sells ... (Wikipedia)

  7. Death of a Salesman

    by Arthur Miller
    Tragic story of a man's attempt to find success and happiness in a world of false promises.

    'For a salesman, there is no rock bottom to life. He don't put a bolt to a nut, he don't tell you the law or give you medicine. He's a man way out there in the blue, riding on a smile and a ... (Goodreads)

  8. This Is How It Always Is

    by Laurie Frankel
    A family's journey of acceptance and love, as they navigate their child's gender identity.

    New York Times, Bestseller The Reese Witherspoon x Hello Sunshine Book Club Pick ,“Every once in a while, I read a book that opens my eyes in a way I never expected.” —Reese Witherspoon (Reese’s Book ... (Barnes & Noble)

  9. The Importance of Being Earnest

    by Oscar Wilde
    A lighthearted comedy of manners, full of witty dialogue and satirizing Victorian society.

    Oscar Wilde's madcap farce about mistaken identities, secret engagements, and lovers entanglements still delights readers more than a century after its 1895 publication and premiere performance. The ... (Goodreads)

  10. Brooklyn

    by Colm Tóibín
    A young Irish woman's migration to America, exploring themes of identity and belonging.

    Eilis Lacey is a young woman who is unable to find work in 1950s Ireland . Her older sister Rose organises a meeting with a Catholic priest called Father Flood on a visit from New York City , who ... (Wikipedia)

  11. Written on the Body

    by Jeanette Winterson
    A genderless narrator recounts their passionate love affairs with a married woman, exploring the complexities of desire and identity.

    Written on the Body is a secret code only visible in certain lights: the accumulation of a lifetime gather there. In places the palimpsest is so heavily worked that the letters feel like braille. I ... (Goodreads)

  12. Autumn

    by Ali Smith
    A novel about the friendship between an elderly man and a young woman, exploring themes of memory, time, and the changing of seasons.

    Daniel Gluck, a 101-year-old former songwriter, lies asleep and dreaming in his care home. He is regularly visited by 32-year-old Elisabeth Demand, who had been his next door neighbour as a young ... (Wikipedia)

  13. The Penelopiad

    by Margaret Atwood
    A retelling of Homer's "The Odyssey" from the perspective of Penelope, wife of Odysseus. A feminist take on a classic tale.

    The novel recaps Penelope 's life in hindsight from 21st century Hades; she recalls her family life in Sparta , her marriage to Odysseus , her dealing with suitors during his absence, and the ... (Wikipedia)

  14. The Pillowman

    by Martin McDonagh
    A darkly comic tale of a writer accused of murder, testing the limits of storytelling.

    Ariel and Tupolski interrogate Katurian in a police room, adopting a good cop/bad cop routine with Ariel happily playing the bad cop. At first Katurian does not know why he is being questioned, and ... (Wikipedia)

  15. Tipping the Velvet

    by Sarah Waters
    A coming of age story of a young woman's queer journey through Victorian England.

    Nancy "Nan" Astley is a sheltered 18-year-old living with her working-class family and helping in their oyster restaurant in Whitstable, Kent. She becomes instantly and desperately enamoured with a ... (Wikipedia)

  16. Beloved

    by Toni Morrison
    A haunting story of loss and resilience in the aftermath of slavery.

    Beloved begins in 1873 in Cincinnati, Ohio , where the protagonist Sethe, a formerly enslaved woman, has been living with her eighteen-year-old daughter Denver at 124 Bluestone Road. The book ... (Wikipedia)

  17. The Uncommon Reader

    by Alan Bennett
    A humorous look at the journey of a monarch who discovers the joy of reading.

    The title's "uncommon reader" ( Queen Elizabeth II ) becomes obsessed with books after a chance encounter with a mobile library . The story follows the consequences of this obsession for the Queen, ... (Wikipedia)

  18. The Complete Fairy Tales

    by Oscar Wilde
    A collection of enchanting and whimsical fairy tales that explore the human condition through magical and fantastical elements.

    The Complete Fairy Tales of Oscar Wilde includes the two definitive story collections The Happy Prince and Other Tales (1888) and A House of Pomegranates (1891). This volume collects exquisite and ... (Goodreads)

  19. Purple Hibiscus

    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    A young girl's struggle to find her place in a family and society torn apart by political turmoil.

    A previously published edition of ISBN 9781616202415 can be found, here., Fifteen-year-old Kambili and her older brother Jaja lead a privileged life in Enugu, Nigeria. They live in a beautiful house, ... (Goodreads)

  20. Convenience Store Woman

    by Sayaka Murata
    A darkly comic story of a woman's search for acceptance and belonging in a society that doesn't fit her.

    Keiko Furukura is a 36-year old woman who has been working part-time at a convenience store , or konbini , for the last 18 years. She has known since childhood that she is "different" and that ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Metamorphoses

    by Ovid
    A collection of tales of transformation, featuring gods and mortals.

    Prized through the ages for its splendor and its savage, sophisticated wit, The Metamorphoses is a masterpiece of Western culture–the first attempt to link all the Greek myths, before and after ... (Goodreads)

  22. Perfume: The Story of a Murderer

    by Patrick Süskind
    A murder mystery set in 18th century France, exploring the depths of human obsession.

    An acclaimed bestseller and international sensation, Patrick Suskind's classic novel provokes a terrifying examination of what happens when one man's indulgence in his greatest passion—his sense of ... (Goodreads)

  23. Possession

    by A.S. Byatt
    Two modern academics uncover a hidden romance between two Victorian poets.

    Obscure scholar Roland Michell, researching in the London Library , discovers handwritten drafts of a letter by the eminent Victorian poet Randolph Henry Ash, which lead him to suspect that the ... (Wikipedia)

  24. Half of a Yellow Sun

    by Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie
    Story of two sisters navigating a civil war in Nigeria, and the effects of colonialism.

    The novel takes place in Nigeria prior to and during the Nigerian Civil War (1967–70). The effect of the war is shown through the relationships of five people's lives including the twin daughters of ... (Wikipedia)

  25. The Bloody Chamber and Other Stories

    by Angela Carter
    A collection of subversive, darkly fantastical tales exploring the power of femininity.

    Angela Carter was a storytelling sorceress, the literary godmother of Neil Gaiman, David Mitchell, Audrey Niffenegger, J. K. Rowling, Kelly Link, and other contemporary masters of supernatural ... (Goodreads)

  26. Anthem

    by Ayn Rand
    An individual's quest for freedom amidst a dystopian society determined to control thought and behavior.

    Equality 7-2521, a 21-year-old man writing by candlelight in a tunnel under the earth, tells the story of his life up to that point. He exclusively uses plural pronouns ("we", "our", "they") to refer ... (Wikipedia)

  27. Nausea

    by Jean-Paul Sartre
    A philosophical exploration of the nature of existence and human freedom.

    Nausea is the story of Antoine Roquentin, a French writer who is horrified at his own existence. In impressionistic, diary form he ruthlessly catalogues his every feeling and sensation about the ... (Goodreads)

  28. Mr Salary

    by Sally Rooney
    A short story about a young woman's relationship with her older, wealthier lover.

    My love for him felt so total and so annihilating that it was often impossible for me to see him clearly at all. Years ago, Sukie moved in with Nathan because her mother was dead and her father was ... (Goodreads)

  29. The Last Queen

    by C.W. Gortner
    A historical fiction novel about the life of Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spain. Her tumultuous reign and personal struggles are explored.

    Juana of Castile, the last queen of Spanish blood to inherit her country's throne, has been for centuries an enigmatic figure shrouded in lurid myth. Was she the bereft widow of legend who was driven ... (Goodreads)

  30. I Was Born for This

    by Alice Oseman
    Two teens, a fan and a musician, navigate their way through fandom, friendship, and the pressures of fame.

    For Angel Rahimi, life is only about one thing: The Ark – a pop-rock trio of teenage boys who are currently taking the world by storm. Being part of The Ark’s fandom has given her everything – her ... (Goodreads)