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Recommendations based on The Book of Bright Ideasby Sandra Kring
* statistically, based on millions of data-points provided by fellow humans
Standing in the Rainbow
by Fannie Flagg
A comedic story of a small town in Alabama and its eccentric inhabitants, highlighting the beauty of human relationships.
Along with Neighbor Dorothy, the lady with the smile in her voice, whose daily radio broadcasts keep us delightfully informed on all the local news, we also meet Bobby, her ten-year-old son, destined ... (Goodreads)
The Weight of Silence
by Heather Gudenkauf
Two young girls go missing in the woods, and their families must confront their secrets and fears to find them.
When two little girls disappear in the night, the truth about what happened lies in the words they cannot speak.,As dawn’s shimmering light drenches the humid Iowa air, two families wake to find ... (Barnes & Noble)
Where the Heart Is
by Billie Letts
A journey of resilience and courage, as a young woman faces her struggles with poverty and hardship.
This novel opens with Novalee and Willy Jack, her then boyfriend, traveling from Tennessee to California , where Willy Jack claims he was promised by his cousin, J. Paul, a job working at a train ... (Wikipedia)
The Shell Seekers
by Rosamunde Pilcher
A family explores their past, present, and future while examining the importance of treasured objects.
Shifting in time, the novel tells the story of Penelope Keeling, the daughter of unconventional parents (an artist father and his much-younger French wife), examining her past and her relationships ... (Wikipedia)
Plain Truth
by Jodi Picoult
A young Amish woman faces the consequences of a difficult decision, navigating the boundaries of faith, justice, and freedom.
The novel recounts the story of how a dead infant found on an Amish farm rocks the entire community. As the police investigate the death, they discover that the baby was not stillborn , but instead ... (Wikipedia)
Big Cherry Holler
by Adriana Trigiani
The sequel to "Big Stone Gap" follows Ave Maria as she navigates marriage, motherhood, and a new career in the big city.
It has been eight years since pharmacist and longtime spinster Ave Maria Mulligan married. What she hasn't counted on is that fate and the ghosts of the past will come to haunt her, and test the love ... (Goodreads)
One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd
by Jim Fergus
In 1875, May Dodd and a group of women are sent to marry Cheyenne warriors. May's journal tells of her journey and the relationships she forms.
Based on an actual historical event but told through fictional diaries, this,, is the story of May Dodd—a remarkable woman who, in 1875, travels through the American West to marry the chief of the ... (Barnes & Noble)
Back Roads
by Tawni O'Dell
After his mother's imprisonment, a young man struggles to care for his three younger sisters in a small Pennsylvania town.
Harley Altmyer should be in college drinking beer and chasing girls. He should be freed from his stifling coal town with its lack of jobs and no sense of humor. Instead he's marooned in the ... (Wikipedia)
The Kindness of Strangers
by Katrina Kittle
A woman's life is changed when she takes in a homeless teenager. A story of compassion, love, and the power of human connection.
A young widow raising two boys, Sarah Laden is struggling to keep her family together. But when a shocking revelation rips apart the family of her closest friend, Sarah finds herself welcoming yet ... (Goodreads)
The Nanny Diaries
by Emma McLaughlin
A young woman's struggle to balance her professional and personal obligations as a nanny.
Wanted: One young woman to take care of four-year-old boy. Must be cheerful, enthusiastic and selfless–bordering on masochistic. Must relish sixteen-hour shifts with a deliberately nap-deprived ... (Goodreads)
Cutting for Stone
by Abraham Verghese
A sweeping journey of two twin brothers and their search for identity, belonging and family.
The story is told by the protagonist, Marion Stone. He and his conjoined twin Shiva are born at Mission Hospital (called "Missing" in accordance with the local pronunciation), Addis Ababa , in ... (Wikipedia)
Her Fearful Symmetry
by Audrey Niffenegger
Two sisters explore a haunted London estate, uncovering secrets of a mysterious past.
Elspeth dies of leukemia. Her apartment, located beside Highgate cemetery in London, is left for the daughters of Edwina, her estranged twin sister. Elspeth's nieces, identical twins Julia and ... (Wikipedia)
A Dog's Purpose
by W. Bruce Cameron
A dog's journey to discovering its true purpose, through multiple lifetimes and owners.
The narrator first starts out as a feral Beagle / German Shepherd / terrier mix puppy. A few weeks later, after being nursed by their mother, a feral as well, the dog and his siblings Fast, Sister, ... (Wikipedia)
Peace Like a River
by Leif Enger
A young boy's journey of faith, hope, and courage in the midst of tragedy.
Once in a great while, we encounter a novel in our voluminous reading that begs to be read aloud. Leif Enger's debut, Peace Like a River , is one such work. His richly evocative novel, narrated by an ... (Goodreads)
The Other Boleyn Girl
by Philippa Gregory
A historical fiction recounting the rivalry between two sisters vying for the love of King Henry VIII.
In 1521 England, Queen Catherine of Aragon's failure to provide King Henry VIII a male heir has strained their marriage. Thomas Boleyn and his brother-in-law Thomas Howard, the Duke of Norfolk, plan ... (Wikipedia)
Firefly Lane
by Kristin Hannah
A lifelong friendship between two women, navigating through life's ups and downs.
From the New York Times bestselling author of On Mystic Lake comes a powerful novel of love, loss, and the magic of friendship. . . . In the turbulent summer of 1974, Kate Mularkey has accepted her ... (Goodreads)
The Power of One
by Bryce Courtenay
A young man's journey of self-discovery, overcoming the odds and finding strength in adversity.
The Power of One follows an English-speaking South African boy named Peekay from 1939 to 1951. The story begins when Peekay's mother has a nervous breakdown, and Peekay ends up being raised by a Zulu ... (Wikipedia)
These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901
by Nancy E. Turner
A young woman's struggle for independence, chronicles her journey through the American Southwest.
“Belongs on your must-read list. This novel is a gem.” — Omaha World-Herald Nancy E. Turner's unforgettable, These Is My Words, melds the sweeping adventures and dramatic landscapes of, Lonesome ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Storyteller
by Jodi Picoult
A storyteller's quest to restore faith in the power of storytelling and to mend the wounds of her past.
25-year-old Sage Singer lives in the small town of Westerbrook, New Hampshire . , A couple of years before the story began, Sage and her mother were in a car accident while Sage was driving. Sage's ... (Wikipedia)
Go Ask Alice
by Beatrice Sparks
A teenage girl's diary chronicling her journey into drug addiction and eventual redemption.
In 1968, a 15-year-old girl begins keeping a diary, in which she records her thoughts and concerns about issues such as crushes, weight loss, sexuality, social acceptance, and relating to her ... (Wikipedia)
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)
The Tommyknockers
by Stephen King
A small town is affected by a mysterious force after a buried alien spacecraft is discovered.
While walking in the woods near the small town of Haven, Maine, Roberta "Bobbi" Anderson, a writer of Wild West -themed fiction, stumbles upon a metal object that turns out to be a protrusion of a ... (Wikipedia)
The Watsons Go to Birmingham - 1963
by Christopher Paul Curtis
The Watson family travels from Michigan to Alabama during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, experiencing racism and tragedy.
The Newbery Honor-winning American classic, The Watsons Go to Birmingham–1963 , celebrates 20 years with this anniversary edition featuring a special letter from Christopher Paul Curtis and an ... (Goodreads)
Her Pretty Face
by Robyn Harding
A psychological thriller about two women, one with a dark past, and the other with a secret. Their lives intertwine in unexpected ways.
Frances Metcalfe is struggling to stay afloat. A stay-at-home mom whose troubled son is her full-time job, she thought that the day he got accepted into the elite Forrester Academy would be the day ... (Goodreads)
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)
Burying the Honeysuckle Girls
by Emily Carpenter
A young woman returns to her family's haunted plantation in Alabama to uncover the truth about her mother's disappearance and the curse that plagues her family.
Althea Bell is still heartbroken by her mother’s tragic, premature death—and tormented by the last, frantic words she whispered into young Althea’s ear:, Wait for her. For the honeysuckle girl. ... (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)
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)
Sweetheart
by Chelsea Cain
A serial killer is on the loose, and detective Archie Sheridan must work with his captor, the beautiful and twisted Gretchen Lowell, to catch him.
, Portland detective Archie Sheridan, the former head of the Beauty Killer Task Force, hunted Gretchen Lowell for years before she kidnapped him, tortured him, and then let him go. Now that she is ... (Goodreads)
The Gift of the Magi
by O. Henry
A young couple's story of love and sacrifice as they give up their most prized possessions for one another.
On Christmas Eve , Della Young discovers that she has only $1.87 to buy a present for her husband Jim. She visits the nearby shop of a hairdresser, Madame Sofronie, who buys Della's long hair for ... (Wikipedia)
