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Recommendations based on Lake Wobegon Daysby Garrison Keillor
* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans
The Museum of Extraordinary Things
by Alice Hoffman
A love story set in early 20th century New York City, featuring a museum of oddities and two young people searching for their place in the world.
The “spellbinding” (,People, 4 stars),, New York Times, bestseller from the author of, The Dovekeepers,: an extraordinary novel about an electric and impassioned love affair—“an enchanting love story ... (Barnes & Noble)
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)
Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry Into Values
by Robert M. Pirsig
A philosophical exploration of the meaning of life, seen through the lens of a cross-country motorcycle journey.
Robert M. Pirsig's Zen & the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance is an examination of how we live, a meditation on how to live better set around the narration of a summer motorcycle trip across America's ... (Goodreads)
All the King's Men
by Robert Penn Warren
A powerful political drama that follows a governor's rise and fall as he grapples with ambition, morality and power.
All the King's Men is a 1946 novel by Robert Penn Warren. Its title is drawn from the nursery rhyme "Humpty Dumpty". The novel tells the story of charismatic populist governor Willie Stark and his ... (Goodreads)
Plainsong
by Kent Haruf
Interconnected stories of rural life in small-town America, and the struggles of the people living there.
A heartstrong story of family and romance, tribulation and tenacity, set on the High Plains east of Denver. In the small town of Holt, Colorado, a high school teacher is confronted with raising his ... (Goodreads)
The Alienist
by Caleb Carr
A gripping murder-mystery set in 19th century New York, exposing the dark underbelly of the city.
Narrated from the first-person perspective of John Moore, a crime reporter for, The New York Times, , the novel begins on January 8, 1919, the day that Theodore Roosevelt is buried. Moore has dinner ... (Wikipedia)
Welcome to the Monkey House
by Kurt Vonnegut Jr.
A collection of short stories exploring the absurdities of human life.
Welcome to the Monkey House is a collection of Kurt Vonnegut’s shorter works. Originally printed in publications as diverse as The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction and The Atlantic Monthly , ... (Goodreads)
Cold Mountain
by Charles Frazier
A Confederate soldier's homecoming journey, filled with danger and adventure.
The novel opens in a Confederate military hospital near Raleigh, North Carolina , where Inman is recovering from battle wounds during the American Civil War . The soldier is tired of fighting for a ... (Wikipedia)
Play It As It Lays
by Joan Didion
A woman's search for identity amidst the glamour and emptiness of 1960s Hollywood.
The novel begins with an internal monologue by the 31-year-old Maria Wyeth, followed by short reminiscences of her friend Helene, and ex-husband, film producer Carter Lang. The further narration is ... (Wikipedia)
Wild Irish Heart
by Tricia O'Malley
A young woman discovers her Irish heritage and magical powers while navigating a romance with a mysterious man.
From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Tricia O'Malley, comes a romance series set on the rocky shores of Ireland.It is time...An ancient book, a power untouched, and a heart unloved ... (Barnes & Noble)
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)
Gideon's Corpse
by Douglas Preston
FBI agent Gideon Crew races against time to stop a deadly virus from being unleashed on the world.
A top nuclear scientist goes mad and takes an innocent family hostage at gunpoint, killing one and causing a massive standoff. A plume of radiation above New York City leads to a warehouse where, it ... (Goodreads)
William Shakespeare's: A Midsummer Night's Dream
by Bruce Coville
A retelling of Shakespeare's classic comedy, where fairies and mortals collide in a magical forest on a midsummer night.
One night two young couples run into an enchanted forest in an attempt to escape their problems. But these four humans do not realize that the forest is filled with fairies and hobgoblins who love ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Great Divorce
by C.S. Lewis
A spiritual journey through Heaven and Hell, exploring the consequences of our decisions.
The narrator inexplicably finds himself in a grim and joyless city, the "grey town", where it rains continuously, even indoors, which is either Hell or Purgatory depending on whether or not one stays ... (Wikipedia)
The Last Days of Dogtown
by Anita Diamant
A tale of survival and resilience in a dying Massachusetts town in the early 1800s, told through the lives of its inhabitants and their dogs.
“An excellent novel. A lovely and moving portrait of society’s outcasts…affirms the essential humanity of its poor and stubborn residents, for whom each day of survival is a victory” (,The New York ... (Goodreads)
The Corrections
by Jonathan Franzen
A family drama exploring the complexities of relationships, aging and life’s choices.
The novel shifts back and forth through the late 20th century, intermittently following spouses Alfred and Enid Lambert as they raise their children Gary, Chip, and Denise in the traditional ... (Wikipedia)
Alert
by James Patterson
A terrorist group threatens to release a deadly virus in America. FBI agent discovers a plot to destroy the country.
In this, New York Times, bestseller, Detective Michael Bennett must race against time to save New York City from chaos by tracking down the source of two mysterious attacks. New Yorkers aren't easily ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Lost Island
by Douglas Preston
A team of scientists and adventurers embark on a dangerous expedition to a remote island in search of a lost civilization and treasure.
Gideon Crew—brilliant scientist, master thief—is living on borrowed time. When his mysterious employer, Eli Glinn, gives him an eyebrow-raising mission, he has no reason to refuse. Gideon's task: ... (Barnes & Noble)
Lonesome Dove
by Larry McMurtry
Epic tale of two former Texas Rangers on a cattle drive from Texas to Montana.
It is the late 1870s. , Captain Woodrow F. Call and Captain Augustus "Gus" McCrae, two famous retired Texas Rangers , run the Hat Creek Cattle Company and Livery Emporium in the small Texas border ... (Wikipedia)
The Mirror of Her Dreams
by Stephen R. Donaldson
A woman's quest to discover her true identity amidst a fantastical world of dreams and magic.
Terisa Morgan opens the series living a vacant life, supported by her father from afar and volunteering at a mission for lack of anything more purposeful to do with her time. She fills her apartment ... (Wikipedia)
A Boy Made of Blocks
by Keith Stuart
A father reconnects with his autistic son through the video game Minecraft, learning to understand and accept him for who he is.
A Boy Made of Blocks is a funny, heartwarming story of family and love inspired by the author's own experiences with his son, the perfect latest obsession for fans of The Rosie Project, David ... (Goodreads)
Mrs. Poe
by Lynn Cullen
A fictionalized account of the tumultuous relationship between Edgar Allan Poe and poet Frances Osgood, told from Osgood's perspective.
A vivid and compelling novel about a woman who becomes entangled in an affair with Edgar Allan Poe—at the same time she becomes the unwilling confidante of his much-younger wife. It is 1845, and ... (Goodreads)
Free Food for Millionaires
by Lee Min-jin
A young woman navigates the complexities of class, race, and identity in New York City.
The daughter of Korean immigrants, Casey Han has refined diction, a closeted passion for reading the Bible, a popular white boyfriend, and a magna cum laude degree in economics from Princeton, but no ... (Goodreads)
Traitor's Blade
by Sebastien de Castell
Three musketeers-like tale of a disbanded group of swashbuckling heroes fighting for justice in a corrupt kingdom.
Falcio is the first Cantor of the Greatcoats. Trained in the fighting arts and the laws of Tristia, the Greatcoats are travelling Magisters upholding King’s Law. They are heroes. Or at least they ... (Goodreads)
For Whom the Bell Tolls
by Ernest Hemingway
A soldier's story of courage and survival in the Spanish Civil War.
The novel graphically describes the brutality of the Spanish Civil War. It is told primarily through the thoughts and experiences of the protagonist, Robert Jordan. It draws on Hemingway's own ... (Wikipedia)
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)
One Summer
by David Baldacci
A gripping story of justice and revenge, as two characters race to uncover a dark conspiracy.
David Baldacci delivers a moving, family drama about learning to love again after terrible heartbreak and loss in this classic, New York Times, bestseller., It's almost Christmas, but there is no joy ... (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)
To Rise Again at a Decent Hour
by Joshua Ferris
A successful dentist questions his identity and purpose after discovering a fake website impersonating him.
A big, brilliant, profoundly observed novel about the mysteries of modern life by National Book Award Finalist Joshua Ferris, one of the most exciting voices of his generation Paul O'Rourke is a man ... (Goodreads)
The Woman in Blue
by Elly Griffiths
When a woman is found dead in a church, Ruth Galloway is called to investigate. The case becomes personal as she uncovers secrets from her own past.
“Ruth Galloway is a captivating amateur sleuth — an inspired creation.” — Louise Penny, “Readers will look forward to learning more about [Ruth Galloway].” —, USA Today, , “Ruth is a terrific ... (Barnes & Noble)
