Recommendations based on Bertie Plays the Bluesby Alexander McCall Smith

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

  1. 44 Scotland Street

    by Alexander McCall Smith
    Humorous tale of life in Edinburgh, featuring a cast of quirky characters.

    44 SCOTLAND STREET - Book 1, The residents and neighbors of 44 Scotland Street and the city of Edinburgh come to vivid life in these gently satirical, wonderfully perceptive serial novels, featuring ... (Goodreads)

  2. In the Company of Cheerful Ladies

    by Alexander McCall Smith
    The sixth book in the No. 1 Ladies' Detective Agency series, following the adventures of Mma Ramotswe and her friends in Botswana.

    Mma Ramotswe and her new husband settle down to married life with their foster-children, but problems are piling up. The tenant of Mr JLB Matekoni's house is running an illegal drinking den. Then ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Espresso Tales

    by Alexander McCall Smith
    A collection of stories set in a small Edinburgh coffeehouse, where the patrons share their joys and sorrows over a cup of coffee.

    Pat is still sharing a flat with Bruce, the good-looking egoist, although she is no longer attracted to him. She decides to go back to university and obtains a place at Edinburgh, but still works ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Letters from Skye

    by Jessica Brockmole
    A woman discovers her connections to a family living on a remote Scottish island.

    A sweeping story told in letters, spanning two continents and two world wars, Jessica Brockmole’s atmospheric debut novel captures the indelible ways that people fall in love, and celebrates the ... (Goodreads)

  5. The Well of Lost Plots

    by Jasper Fforde
    A detective story set in a world of books, where characters and stories collide.

    Apprentice Jurisfiction agent and SpecOps -27 operative Thursday Next is taking a vacation inside Caversham Heights , a never-published detective novel inside the titular Well of Lost Plots, while ... (Wikipedia)

  6. The Lost Wife

    by Alyson Richman
    A love story set in WWII Prague, where a young couple is separated by war and reunited decades later.

    There on her forearm, next to a small brown birthmark, were six tattooed numbers. 'Do you remember me now?' he asked, trembling. She looked at him again, as if giving weight and bone to a ghost. ... (Goodreads)

  7. Nights of Rain and Stars

    by Maeve Binchy
    A group of strangers on holiday in a small Greek village, coming together through tragedy and joy.

    In a small town in Greece , a group of people witness a boating accident and subsequently become tangled in each other's lives. Thomas is a California university professor escaping from a tense ... (Wikipedia)

  8. Neverwhere

    by Neil Gaiman
    A mysterious journey through a hidden realm of London, filled with danger and unexpected allies.

    Neverwhere is the story of Richard Mayhew and his trials and tribulations in London. At the start of the story, he is a young businessman, recently moved from Scotland and with a normal life ahead. ... (Wikipedia)

  9. The Garden of Evening Mists

    by Tan Twan Eng
    A story of a woman's journey through grief, as she finds solace in the serenity of a Japanese garden.

    Malaya, 1949. After studying law at Cambrige and time spent helping to prosecute Japanese war criminals, Yun Ling Teoh seeks solace among the jungle fringed plantations of Northern Malaya where she ... (Goodreads)

  10. The Lake House

    by Kate Morton
    A woman's search for answers to the mystery of her mother's disappearance, uncovering secrets of a long-lost family.

    An abandoned house... June 1933, and sixteen-year-old Alice Edevane is preparing for her family's Midsummer Eve party at their country home, Loeanneth. But by the time midnight strikes and fireworks ... (Goodreads)

  11. The House of Silk

    by Anthony Horowitz
    A thrilling detective story set in Victorian England, unravelling a devious criminal plot.

    The House of Silk begins with a brief, personal recounting of events by Watson, much like that in, A Study in Scarlet, by the original author, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The reader is informed of the ... (Wikipedia)

  12. The Secret Keeper

    by Kate Morton
    A woman unravels her family's past, uncovering secrets and lies that span generations.

    During a summer party at the family farm in the English countryside, sixteen-year-old Laurel Nicolson has escaped to her childhood tree house and is happily dreaming of the future. She spies a ... (Goodreads)

  13. How the Light Gets In

    by Louise Penny
    Detective Armand Gamache investigates a murder in a small Canadian town, uncovering secrets and lies.

    Christmas is approaching, and in Québec it's a time of dazzling snowfalls, bright lights, and gatherings with friends in front of blazing hearths. But shadows are falling on the usually festive ... (Goodreads)

  14. Winter Cottage

    by Mary Ellen Taylor
    A woman inherits a cottage in Virginia and discovers secrets about her family's past. She uncovers a mystery that changes her life forever.

    An Amazon Charts bestseller.,, A gripping novel about family secrets…and coming home for the first time., Still grieving the loss of her wandering, free-spirited mother, Lucy Kincaid leaves Nashville ... (Barnes & Noble)

  15. The Snow Child

    by Eowyn Ivey
    A couple's dream of a child comes true in the Alaskan wilderness, but with unexpected consequences.

    Alaska, 1920: a brutal place to homestead, and especially tough for recent arrivals Jack and Mabel. Childless, they are drifting apart–he breaking under the weight of the work of the farm; she ... (Goodreads)

  16. Defending Jacob

    by William Landay
    A father must defend his son who is accused of murder, unraveling the truth of a complex crime.

    Andy Barber is an assistant district attorney in Newton , Massachusetts. He is investigating the murder of a 14-year-old boy, Ben Rifkin, who was a classmate of his son Jacob and was found stabbed to ... (Wikipedia)

  17. The Language of Flowers

    by Vanessa Diffenbaugh
    A young woman's journey of healing and redemption through the power of flowers.

    The Victorian language of flowers was used to convey romantic expressions: honeysuckle for devotion, asters for patience, and red roses for love. But for Victoria Jones, it’s been more useful in ... (Goodreads)

  18. Dance Dance Dance

    by Haruki Murakami
    A man's journey through a surreal dreamscape in search of meaning and solace.

    The novel follows the surreal misadventures of an unnamed protagonist who makes a living as a commercial writer. He is compelled to return to the Dolphin Hotel, a seedy establishment where he once ... (Wikipedia)

  19. 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)

  20. The Murderer's Daughters

    by Randy Susan Meyers
    Sisters struggle to cope with the aftermath of their father's murder and their mother's imprisonment.

    Lulu and Merry’s childhood was never ideal, but on the day before Lulu’s tenth birthday their father drives them into a nightmare. He’s always hungered for the love of the girl’s self-obsessed ... (Goodreads)

  21. Down the Darkest Road

    by Tami Hoag
    A mother's search for her missing daughter leads her to a small town with dark secrets and dangerous inhabitants.

    Once upon a time I had the perfect family. I had the perfect husband. I had the perfect children. I had the perfect life in the perfect home. And then, as in all fairy tales, evil came into our ... (Goodreads)

  22. 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)

  23. Christmas on the Island

    by Jenny Colgan
    A London-based baker travels to a remote Scottish island to help a friend, and finds love and a sense of belonging in the process.

    From the New York Times bestselling author of The Café by the Sea —whose novels are “an evocative, sweet treat” (JOJO MOYES)—comes this heartwarming holiday novel set on a charming Scottish island., ... (Barnes & Noble)

  24. Free Preview - The Husband's Secret

    by Liane Moriarty
    A woman discovers a letter from her husband with a secret that could destroy their lives and those around them.

    A free preview of Liane Moriarty's, The Husband's Secret, including a special essay bythe author., At the heart of, The Husband’s Secret, is a letter, that’s not meant to be read, , My darling ... (Goodreads)

  25. Firefly Summer

    by Maeve Binchy
    A small Irish town is turned upside down when an American millionaire arrives to buy the local estate. Secrets and passions are revealed.

    Set in the 1960s, the plot revolves around the people of a rural Irish town named Mountfern. Patrick O'Neill, an Irish-American businessman, settles with his children in "the land of his ancestors" ... (Wikipedia)

  26. Trash

    by Andy Mulligan
    Three boys living in a dumpsite in Brazil find a wallet and become embroiled in a dangerous mystery.

    In an unnamed Third World country, in the not-so-distant future, three “dumpsite boys” make a living picking through the mountains of garbage on the outskirts of a large city. One unlucky-lucky day, ... (Goodreads)

  27. The Expatriates

    by Janice Y.K. Lee
    Three American women living in Hong Kong navigate their personal and professional lives, facing loss, love, and identity crises.

    Mercy, a young Korean American and recent Columbia graduate, is adrift, undone by a terrible incident in her recent past. Hilary, a wealthy housewife, is haunted by her struggle to have a child, ... (Goodreads)

  28. Songs of Willow Frost

    by Jamie Ford
    A young Chinese-American boy searches for his mother in Depression-era Seattle. A tale of love, loss, and hope.

    Twelve-year-old William Eng, a Chinese-American boy, has lived at Seattle’s Sacred Heart Orphanage ever since his mother’s listless body was carried away from their small apartment five years ago. On ... (Goodreads)

  29. Not a Drop to Drink

    by Mindy McGinnis
    In a world where water is scarce, a young girl fights to protect her pond and survive in a harsh, unforgiving environment.

    Fans of classic frontier survival stories, as well as readers of dystopian literature, will enjoy this futuristic story where water is worth more than gold. New York Times bestselling author Michael ... (Barnes & Noble)

  30. Life After Life

    by Kate Atkinson
    A woman lives multiple lives, reflecting on choices and consequences and the power of love.

    The novel has an unusual structure, repeatedly looping back in time to describe alternative possible lives for its central character, Ursula Todd, who is born on 11 February 1910 to an ... (Wikipedia)