Literary theme analysis, by a book like {foo}
Books about Grief
The Year of Magical Thinking
by Joan Didion
A woman's reflections on life and death after the sudden loss of her husband.
'An act of consummate literary bravery, a writer known for her clarity allowing us to watch her mind as it becomes clouded with grief.' From one of America's iconic writers, a stunning book of ... (Goodreads)
A Separate Peace
by John Knowles
A coming-of-age story about two boys and their complex friendship set during World War II.
Gene Forrester returns to his old prep school, Devon (a thinly veiled portrayal of Knowles's alma mater, Phillips Exeter Academy ), , 15 years after he graduated, to visit two places he regards as ... (Wikipedia)
Wintergirls
by Laurie Halse Anderson
A teenage girl struggles with anorexia and the lingering trauma of her best friend's death.
Lia Overbrook, an 18-year-old girl, just found out that her ex-best friend Cassie has died. Cassie had called Lia 33 times the night of her death. However, Lia never answered the phone. Cassie was ... (Wikipedia)
The Book Thief
by Markus Zusak
A young girl's journey of survival in Nazi Germany, preserving the power of words.
Narrated by Death , a male voice who over the course of the book proves to be morose yet caring. The plot follows Liesel Meminger as she comes of age in Nazi Germany during World War II . After the ... (Wikipedia)
The Fault in Our Stars
by John Green
Two teenagers with cancer find love and explore life's fragility and beauty.
Despite the tumor-shrinking medical miracle that has bought her a few years, Hazel has never been anything but terminal, her final chapter inscribed upon diagnosis. But when a gorgeous plot twist ... (Goodreads)
Everything Is Illuminated
by Jonathan Safran Foer
A young man's journey to trace his family's past, uncovering the secrets of the Holocaust.
Jonathan Safran Foer (the author), a young American Jew, who is vegetarian and an avid collector of his family's heritage, journeys to Ukraine in search of Augustine, the woman who saved his ... (Wikipedia)
Hamlet
by William Shakespeare
A prince's struggle with grief, revenge, and morality in the face of a corrupt court.
The protagonist of Hamlet is Prince Hamlet of Denmark, son of the recently deceased King Hamlet , and nephew of King Claudius , his father's brother and successor. Claudius hastily married King ... (Wikipedia)
Maus I: A Survivor's Tale: My Father Bleeds History
by Art Spiegelman
A graphic novel depicting the traumatic experiences of a Holocaust survivor and his son.
The first installment of the Pulitzer Prize-winning graphic novel acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the Holocaust” (Wall Street Journal) and “the first ... (Goodreads)
Maus II: A Survivor's Tale: And Here My Troubles Began
by Art Spiegelman
A graphic novel recounting a Holocaust survivor's harrowing experience and his son's attempt to reconcile with his father's past.
Acclaimed as a quiet triumph and a brutally moving work of art, the first volume of Art Spieglman's Maus introduced readers to Vladek Spiegleman, a Jewish survivor of Hitler's Europe, and his son, a ... (Goodreads)
Water for Elephants
by Sara Gruen
An elderly man's reminiscences of his time as a circus performer during the Great Depression.
The story is told through a series of memories by Jacob Jankowski, a 93-year-old man who lives in a nursing home. In the nursing home, Jacob's life lacks excitement and he's now a tired old man whose ... (Wikipedia)
A Thousand Splendid Suns
by Khaled Hosseini
Two women's stories of resilience in the face of war and oppressive patriarchy in Afghanistan.
On the outskirts of Herat , a girl named Mariam lives with her embittered and estranged mother, Nana. Mariam's father, Jalil, is a businessman who owns a cinema and lives in Herat with his three ... (Wikipedia)
All Quiet on the Western Front
by Erich Maria Remarque
A soldier's harrowing experience of the horrors of war.
The book tells the story of Paul Bäumer, who belongs to a group of German soldiers on the Western Front during World War I . The patriotic speeches of his teacher Kantorek had led the whole class to ... (Wikipedia)
Julius Caesar
by William Shakespeare
Tragedy of political power and ambition as Rome's leader is betrayed by those closest to him.
The Oxford School Shakespeare has become the preferred introduction to the literary legacy of the greatest playwright in the English language. This exclusive collection of the Bard's best works has ... (Goodreads)
King Lear
by William Shakespeare
An aging king's descent into madness reveals the consequences of pride and vanity.
Shakespeare’s King Lear challenges us with the magnitude, intensity, and sheer duration of the pain that it represents. Its figures harden their hearts, engage in violence, or try to alleviate the ... (Goodreads)
Beartown
by Fredrik Backman
A small-town hockey team and its community grapple with the consequences of a traumatic event.
Peter Andersson, in his forties, is the general manager of the ice hockey club in Beartown, a small town located somewhere in Sweden. Peter grew up in Beartown and was a junior hockey star. He went ... (Wikipedia)
Salt to the Sea
by Ruta Sepetys
Vivid tale of a group of refugees struggling to survive in WWII Europe.
New York Times, Bestseller and winner of the Carnegie Medal! ,"Masterfully crafted",—,The Wall Street Journal,For readers of, Between Shades of Gray, and, All the Light We Cannot See, Ruta Sepetys, ... (Barnes & Noble)
My Grandmother Asked Me to Tell You She's Sorry
by Fredrik Backman
An imaginative quest to uncover the truth behind a beloved grandmother's mysterious stories.
The story takes place in Sweden and follows Elsa, a 7-year-old who knows she is different from other children her age. Elsa has a habit of correcting others' grammar, she is smart for her age, and is ... (Wikipedia)
Columbine
by Dave Cullen
Investigation into the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, exploring the perpetrators and the aftermath.
"The tragedies keep coming. As we reel from the latest horror . . . " So begins a new epilogue, illustrating how Columbine became the template for nearly two decades of "spectacle murders." It is a ... (Goodreads)
Between the World and Me
by Ta-Nehisi Coates
A letter to his son, exploring the realities of racism in America.
“This is your country, this is your world, this is your body, and you must find some way to live within the all of it.” In a profound work that pivots from the biggest questions about American ... (Goodreads)
The Goldfinch
by Donna Tartt
A young boy's journey of self-discovery as he navigates his way through a world of art and crime.
The Goldfinch is told in retrospective first-person narration by Theodore "Theo" Decker. As a thirteen-year-old boy, Theo's life is turned upside down when he and his mother visit the Metropolitan ... (Wikipedia)
Tell the Wolves I'm Home
by Carol Rifka Brunt
A young girl's journey of grief and healing as she discovers the secrets of her beloved uncle's life.
June Elbus is a 14-year-old girl living in Westchester in 1986. She is in love with her gay uncle, Finn Weiss, a fact she is scared to admit even to herself. Finn is dying of AIDS. Being a ... (Wikipedia)
The Complete Maus
by Art Spiegelman
A graphic novel depicting a Jewish survivor of the Holocaust and his son's journey to understand the past.
On the occasion of the twenty-fifth anniversary of its first publication, here is the definitive edition of the book acclaimed as “the most affecting and successful narrative ever done about the ... (Goodreads)
Les Misérables
by Victor Hugo
Epic tale of love, loss, and redemption set against the backdrop of 19th-century France.
The story begins in 1815 in Digne , as the peasant Jean Valjean , just released from 19 years' imprisonment in the Bagne of Toulon —five for stealing bread for his starving sister and her family and ... (Wikipedia)
The Bad Beginning
by Lemony Snicket
Three orphans must use their wits to survive a cruel and unusual guardian.
Dear Reader, I'm sorry to say that the book you are holding in your hands is extremely unpleasant. It tells an unhappy tale about three very unlucky children. Even though they are charming and ... (Goodreads)
A Monster Calls
by Patrick Ness
A young boy's journey of self-discovery, coming to terms with his mother's terminal illness.
Thirteen-year-old Conor O'Malley awakens from the same nightmare he has been experiencing for the past few months, "the one with the darkness and the wind and the screaming". At seven minutes after ... (Wikipedia)
Pet Sematary
by Stephen King
A family's terrifying journey of life and death, as the line between the living and the dead blurs.
Louis Creed, a doctor from Chicago , is appointed director of the University of Maine 's campus health service. He moves to a large house near the small town of Ludlow with his wife Rachel, their two ... (Wikipedia)
The Good Daughter
by Karin Slaughter
A woman's quest for justice, uncovering secrets and lies that threaten to tear her family apart.
“,The Good Daughter, is like, Law and Order, meets, The Good Wife,.” —theSkimm, Instant, New York Times, Bestseller,, theSkimm Book Club Pick!,, The stunning new novel from the international #1 ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Death of Ivan Ilych
by Leo Tolstoy
A man's journey of self-reflection in the face of death, confronting mortality and the meaning of life.
Ivan Ilyich lives a carefree life that is "most simple and most ordinary and therefore most terrible". Like everyone he knows, he spends his life climbing the social ladder. Enduring marriage to a ... (Wikipedia)
A Little Life
by Hanya Yanagihara
A powerful tale of four friends navigating life's hardships and the devastating effects of trauma.
The novel follows the lives of four friends in New York City from college through to middle-age. It focuses particularly on Jude, a lawyer with a mysterious past, ambiguous ethnicity, and unexplained ... (Wikipedia)
The Murder of Roger Ackroyd
by Agatha Christie
Amateur detective investigates the mysterious murder of a wealthy landowner.
In King's Abbot, wealthy widow Mrs Ferrars unexpectedly commits suicide, which distresses her fiancé, widower Roger Ackroyd. At dinner that evening in Ackroyd's home of Fernly Park, his guests ... (Wikipedia)
Schindler's List
by Thomas Keneally
Story of a German businessman who saved hundreds of Jews during the Holocaust.
This novel tells the story of Oskar Schindler , self-made entrepreneur and, bon viveur, who almost by default found himself saving Polish Jews from the Nazi death machine. Based on numerous ... (Wikipedia)
New Moon
by Stephenie Meyer
A teenage girl's struggle to cope with the complexities of growing up and the power of love.
On Bella Swan 's eighteenth birthday, Edward Cullen , the vampire she loves, and his family host her a birthday party at their residence. While unwrapping a gift, Bella receives a paper cut , which ... (Wikipedia)
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks
by Rebecca Skloot
A riveting exploration of the power of medical science and its implications for medical ethics.
Her name was Henrietta Lacks, but scientists know her as HeLa. She was a poor Southern tobacco farmer who worked the same land as her enslaved ancestors, yet her cells—taken without her ... (Goodreads)
Code Name Verity
by Elizabeth Wein
Two female spies' harrowing mission during WWII and the secrets they discover.
In 1943 Nazi-occupied France, a British Lysander spy plane crashes in the fictional town of Ormaie. On board are two best friends, a pilot (Maddie, code name: Kittyhawk) and a spy (Julie, code name: ... (Wikipedia)
Speak
by Laurie Halse Anderson
A young woman's process of healing from trauma, reclaiming her voice.
The first ten lies they tell you in high school. "Speak up for yourself—we want to know what you have to say." From the first moment of her freshman year at Merryweather High, Melinda knows this is a ... (Goodreads)
Norwegian Wood
by Haruki Murakami
A young man's journey of love and loss set against the backdrop of the 1960s.
Toru, a quiet and preternaturally serious young college student in Tokyo, is devoted to Naoko, a beautiful and introspective young woman, but their mutual passion is marked by the tragic death of ... (Goodreads)
Memory Man
by David Baldacci
A detective investigates a suspicious death, unraveling a complex web of secrets and lies.
This "impossible to put down" #1, New York Times, bestseller introduces Amos Decker, a gifted police detective with a perfect memory who must solve a mystery he wishes he could forget: his family's ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Black Dahlia
by James Ellroy
A 1940s Los Angeles detective story, exploring the depths of a gruesome unsolved murder.
On January 15, 1947, the torture-ravished body of a beautiful young woman is found in a vacant lot. The victim makes headlines as the Black Dahlia—and so begins the greatest manhunt in California ... (Goodreads)
The Lovely Bones
by Alice Sebold
A haunting tale of a young girl's afterlife, exploring the grief of her family and those around her.
On December 6, 1973, 14-year-old Susie Salmon takes her usual shortcut home from her school through a cornfield in Norristown, Pennsylvania . George Harvey, her 36-year-old neighbor, a bachelor who ... (Wikipedia)
The Virgin Suicides
by Jeffrey Eugenides
A dark and mysterious tale about the mysterious suicides of five teenage sisters in a suburban town.
As an ambulance arrives for the body of Cecilia Lisbon, a group of anonymous adolescent neighborhood boys recalls the events leading up to her death. The Lisbons are a Catholic family living in the ... (Wikipedia)
Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory
by Caitlin Doughty
A journey through the funeral industry, exploring death, grief, and the beauty of life.
"Morbid and illuminating" ( Entertainment Weekly )—a young mortician goes behind the scenes of her curious profession. Armed with a degree in medieval history and a flair for the macabre, Caitlin ... (Barnes & Noble)
Before We Were Yours
by Lisa Wingate
Family torn apart is reunited across generations, revealing a powerful tale of resilience and hope.
Memphis, 1939. Twelve-year-old Rill Foss and her four younger siblings live a magical life aboard their family’s Mississippi River shantyboat. But when their father must rush their mother to the ... (Goodreads)
She's Come Undone
by Wally Lamb
A young woman's trial-filled journey to self-acceptance and self-preservation.
Dolores Price is heartbroken when her handsome, but irresponsible father, Tony, leaves their suburban home for another woman. She and her mother, Bernice, move into her uptight Catholic grandmother's ... (Wikipedia)
In Cold Blood
by Truman Capote
A gripping story of a family's murder, told through a journalist's meticulous investigation.
On November 15, 1959, in the small town of Holcomb, Kansas, four members of the Clutter family were savagely murdered by blasts from a shotgun held a few inches from their faces. There was no ... (Goodreads)
The Storied Life of A.J. Fikry
by Gabrielle Zevin
Life of an isolated bookseller is transformed when an unexpected visitor brings unexpected joy.
“Marvelously optimistic about the future of books and bookstores and the people who love both.”—, The Washington Post, A. J. Fikry’s life is not at all what he expected it to be. He lives alone, his ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Song of Achilles
by Madeline Miller
Epic tale of love and war, featuring the legendary Greek hero Achilles.
Patroclus , the son of King Menoetius , is presented as a potential suitor to Helen . He is then obliged to take a blood oath in defense of her marriage to Menelaus . After Patroclus accidentally ... (Wikipedia)
Ordinary Grace
by William Kent Krueger
A Midwestern family's journey of grief and healing, grappling with tragedy and the power of grace.
“That was it. That was all of it. A grace so ordinary there was no reason at all to remember it. Yet I have never across the forty years since it was spoken forgotten a single word.” New Bremen, ... (Goodreads)
The Shack
by William Paul Young
A man's spiritual journey of healing and understanding, following a traumatic event.
The novel is set in the American Northwest . The main character is Mackenzie Allen Phillips, a father of five called "Mack" by his family and friends. Four years prior to the main events of the ... (Wikipedia)
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)
Still Life
by Louise Penny
A murder investigation leads to the discovery of secrets surrounding a small Canadian town.
Winner of the New Blood Dagger, Arthur Ellis, Barry, Anthony, and Dilys awards., Chief Inspector Armand Gamache of the Surêté du Québec and his team of investigators are called in to the scene of a ... (Barnes & Noble)
Hopeless
by Colleen Hoover
A young girl's journey to find hope and strength in the midst of life's darkest moments.
From the #1, New York Times, bestselling author of, All Your Perfects, comes the beginning of Sky and Dean’s passionate love story—where well-kept secrets threaten to opens wounds of a dark past. ... (Barnes & Noble)
All the Bright Places
by Jennifer Niven
Two teens struggling to find hope in the face of depression and grief, discovering the power of love.
Theodore Finch and Violet Markey are two teenagers who badly want to escape from their small Indiana town. Violet is a popular girl who is secretly dealing with survivor's remorse, and Finch is a boy ... (Wikipedia)
I Know This Much Is True
by Wally Lamb
A man's journey of self-discovery, coming to terms with family trauma and understanding his identity.
The novel takes place in Three Rivers, Connecticut in the early 1990s. Dominick Birdsey's identical twin , Thomas Birdsey, suffers from paranoid schizophrenia . With medication, Thomas is able to ... (Wikipedia)
If I Stay
by Gayle Forman
Young girl must decide between life and death after a devastating car accident.
On a snowy day in Portland, Oregon , Mia, her mother, her father, and her little brother, Teddy, decide to go for a morning drive. The snow causes their car to swerve into another lane where a car ... (Wikipedia)
Nineteen Minutes
by Jodi Picoult
A small town is rocked by a school shooting, examining lives of those involved and the aftermath.
The story begins on March 6, 2007 in the small town of Sterling, New Hampshire , tracking the lives of a number of characters on an "ordinary day." The characters include Alex Cormier, a superior ... (Wikipedia)
Burial Rites
by Hannah Kent
A woman awaits her execution in 19th-century Iceland, reliving her story of hardship, loss and faith.
Burial Rites tells the story of Agnes Magnúsdóttir, a servant in northern Iceland who was condemned to death after the murder of two men, one of whom was her employer, and became the last woman put ... (Wikipedia)
This is Where I Leave You
by Jonathan Tropper
A family comes together during a week of sitting shiva, rediscovering the joys of being a family.
A riotously funny, emotionally raw New York Times bestselling novel about love, marriage, divorce, family, and the ties that bind—whether we like it or not. The death of Judd Foxman’s father marks ... (Goodreads)
Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10
by Marcus Luttrell
A riveting account of a heroic mission gone wrong, and the courage and strength of the Navy SEALS who faced impossible odds.
On a clear night in late June 2005, four U.S. Navy SEALs left their base in northern Afghanistan for the mountainous Pakistani border. Their mission was to capture or kill a notorious al Qaeda leader ... (Goodreads)
P.S. I Love You
by Cecelia Ahern
A woman's journey of grief, recovery, and courage in the wake of her husband's death.
Holly and Gerry are a married couple who live in Dublin. They are deeply in love, but they fight occasionally. By winter that year, Gerry suddenly dies of a brain tumor and Holly realizes how much he ... (Wikipedia)
The Dry
by Jane Harper
A small town in rural Australia is rocked by a murder, leading a local detective to uncover secrets and lies.
A small town hides big secrets in this atmospheric, page-turning debut mystery by award-winning author Jane Harper. In the grip of the worst drought in a century, the farming community of Kiewarra is ... (Goodreads)
The Prince of Tides
by Pat Conroy
A man's search for solace and understanding in his troubled family's past.
Tom Wingo is a middle-aged man with a wife and three young daughters who has recently lost his job as a high school English teacher and football coach. He learns that his twin sister, Savannah, has ... (Wikipedia)
Magic Hour
by Kristin Hannah
A woman's journey of self-discovery and healing, finding strength and courage to confront her past.
Dr. Julia Cates was one of the country's preeminent child psychiatrists until a shocking tragedy ruined her career. Retreating to her small western Washington hometown, Julia meets an extraordinary ... (Goodreads)
The Truth About Forever
by Sarah Dessen
A teenage girl's journey to self-acceptance and the power of friendship.
Macy is still recovering from the sudden loss of her father. Since he died during one of their habitual morning runs, Macy gives up running and keeps all of her feelings to herself. This results in ... (Wikipedia)
Losing Hope
by Colleen Hoover
A journey of healing and redemption as a broken couple finds their way back to each other.
#1, New York Times, bestselling author Colleen Hoover held readers spellbound with her novel, Hopeless, the story of what happened when a troubled girl named Sky encountered a long-lost childhood ... (Barnes & Noble)
Sing, Unburied, Sing
by Jesmyn Ward
A family's journey through the Mississippi Delta, confronting a traumatic past.
It is Jojo's thirteenth birthday. To step into his new role as a man, Jojo tries to bravely help his grandfather, Pop, kill a goat. Jojo ends up throwing up at the sight although Pop is sympathetic. ... (Wikipedia)
We Are Okay
by Nina LaCour
A teenage girl's journey to confront her past and find closure.
You go through life thinking there’s so much you need…,Until you leave with only your phone, your wallet, and a picture of your mother. Marin hasn’t spoken to anyone from her old life since the day ... (Goodreads)
The Husband's Secret
by Liane Moriarty
A woman's life unravels when she discovers her husband's long-kept secret.
At the heart of, The Husband’s Secret, is a letter that’s not meant to be read,My darling Cecilia, if you’re reading this, then I’ve died..., Imagine that your husband wrote you a letter, to be ... (Goodreads)
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)
Dolores Claiborne
by Stephen King
A woman accused of murder recounts her life story, revealing dark family secrets.
Dolores Claiborne, an opinionated 65-year-old widow living on the tiny Maine community of Little Tall Island, is suspected of murdering her wealthy, elderly employer, Vera Donovan. The novel is ... (Wikipedia)
Final Girls
by Riley Sager
A gripping tale of survival, as a woman confronts her past and the dark secrets of a notorious group.
Ten years ago, college student Quincy Carpenter went on vacation with five friends and came back alone, the only survivor of a horror movie–scale massacre. In an instant, she became a member of a ... (Goodreads)
I Let You Go
by Clare Mackintosh
A mother's heartbreaking journey of grief and guilt as she struggles to come to terms with the death of her son.
THE, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER,One of, The New York Times Book Review’,s 10 Best Crime Novels of 2016!,Now in paperback—the next blockbuster thriller for those who loved, The Girl on the Train, and, ... (Barnes & Noble)
Bag of Bones
by Stephen King
A grieving novelist's haunted journey to uncover the secrets of a small New England town.
The narrator, Mike Noonan, a bestselling novelist, suffers severe writer's block after his pregnant wife Jo suddenly dies due to a brain aneurysm. Four years later, Mike, still grieving, is plagued ... (Wikipedia)
Killing Lincoln: The Shocking Assassination that Changed America Forever
by Bill O'Reilly
A detailed account of the assassination of President Abraham Lincoln and its impact on the nation.
A riveting historical narrative of the heart-stopping events surrounding the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, and the first work of history from mega-bestselling author Bill O'Reilly, The anchor of, ... (Goodreads)
The Closers
by Michael Connelly
A homicide detective's pursuit of justice, determined to solve a decades-old case.
Detective Harry Bosch is back with the LAPD with the sole mission of closing unsolved cases. The murder of a 16 year old girl in 1988 is his first file. A DNA match makes the case very much alive ... (Goodreads)
We Were Liars
by E. Lockhart
A story of family secrets, forbidden love, and a tragic mystery unravelling.
Cadence Sinclair Eastman is the eldest grandchild of the wealthy Harris Sinclair. Although her family pretends to be perfect, Cadence knows that beneath the surface, wealth and privilege have taken ... (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)
On the Jellicoe Road
by Melina Marchetta
A young girl's search for her identity and her place in the world.
I'm dreaming of the boy in the tree. I tell him stories. About the Jellicoe School and the Townies and the Cadets from a school in Sydney. I tell him about the war between us for territory. And I ... (Goodreads)
Fly Away
by Kristin Hannah
Mother and daughter battle a terminal cancer diagnosis, discovering strength and hope along the way.
The #1 New York Times bestselling author returns to the characters in, Firefly Lane, in her next blockbuster novel,, Fly Away. , Once, a long time ago, I walked down a night-darkened road called ... (Barnes & Noble)
Then She Was Gone
by Lisa Jewell
A mother's desperate search for her missing daughter reveals secrets of a dark family history.
#1, NEW YORK TIMES, BESTSELLER From the, New York Times, bestselling author of, Invisible Girl, and, The Truth About Melody Browne, comes a “riveting” (,PopSugar,) and “acutely observed family drama” ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Mothers
by Brit Bennett
An exploration of motherhood, faith, and identity in a close-knit Black community.
Living in Southern California, 17-year-old Nadia, grieving her mother's suicide, becomes pregnant by her boyfriend Luke, a local pastor's son. She has an abortion and leaves her hometown to attend ... (Wikipedia)
Tell No One
by Harlan Coben
A man's quest to uncover the truth behind the disappearance of his wife, uncovering a deeper mystery.
For Dr. David Beck, the loss was shattering. And every day for the past eight years, he has relived the horror of what happened. The gleaming lake. The pale moonlight. The piercing screams. The night ... (Goodreads)
Ghosts
by Raina Telgemeier
A young girl's journey of self-discovery as she navigates her family's secrets, cultural heritage and spiritual beliefs.
The novel opens as the family is ordering at the drive-through of an fictional Double-Back Burger (the colors and logos of which are based on In-N-Out Burger ) before leaving southern California for ... (Wikipedia)
Dear Martin
by Nic Stone
An African American student's reflections on racial injustice, sparked by the shooting of an unarmed black teen.
Raw, captivating, and undeniably real, Nic Stone joins industry giants Jason Reynolds and Walter Dean Myers as she boldly tackles American race relations in this stunning debut. Justyce McAllister is ... (Goodreads)
Long Way Down
by Jason Reynolds
A young boy's journey of grief and redemption, as he seeks retribution for his brother's death.
William Holloman is ready to exact vengeance on the person who murdered his older brother, Shawn. As Will rides the elevator down from his 8th-floor apartment at each floor a new person, who is dead, ... (Wikipedia)
Fractured
by Karin Slaughter
A thrilling story of a small town gripped in fear, as a detective attempts to unravel a series of murders.
Six months ago, Atlanta homicide detective Faith Mitchell's police captain mother was the focus of an investigation that resulted in her retirement and the firing of six narcotics officers. It was a ... (Wikipedia)
Queen of Shadows
by Sarah J. Maas
A young woman's quest for power and identity in a magical kingdom.
Everyone Celaena Sardothien loves has been taken from her. But she’s at last returned to the empire—for vengeance, to rescue her once-glorious kingdom, and to confront the shadows of her past… She ... (Goodreads)
A Fall of Marigolds
by Susan Meissner
Two women separated by time and circumstance, brought together by a shared tragedy.
A beautiful scarf, passed down through the generations, connects two women who learn that the weight of the world is made bearable by the love we give away.... September 1911. On Ellis Island in New ... (Goodreads)
Secrets of a Charmed Life
by Susan Meissner
A young woman discovers family secrets, learns the power of forgiveness and finds her place in the world.
The author of, A Bridge Across the Ocean, and, The Last Year of the War, journeys from the present day to World War II England, as two sisters are separated by the chaos of wartime... , , Current ... (Goodreads)
My Sister's Grave
by Robert Dugoni
Detective's investigation into the disappearance of his sister, uncovering a dark mystery.
The first book in the series that has garnered millions of readers across the globe, from, New York Times, bestselling author Robert Dugoni. Tracy Crosswhite has spent twenty years questioning the ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Woods
by Harlan Coben
Detective story of a man searching for the truth behind his long lost sister's disappearance.
Twenty years ago at summer camp, Paul Copeland's sister died in the woods, the alleged victim of a serial killer. Her body was never found. Now, Paul is the prosecutor for Essex County, New Jersey, ... (Goodreads)
Night Road
by Kristin Hannah
A mother's journey of self-discovery, as she struggles to overcome tragedy.
For eighteen years, Jude Farraday has put her children's needs above her own, and it shows—her twins, Mia and Zach, are bright and happy teenagers. When Lexi Baill moves into their small, close-knit ... (Barnes & Noble)
For One More Day
by Mitch Albom
A man's journey through time, exploring the bonds of family, life, and death.
The book's theme is mortality: , it analyzes how people might react to the chance to have a dead relative back for a day. , The book tells the story of Charles "Chick" Benetto, a former baseball ... (Wikipedia)
Requiem
by Lauren Oliver
A young girl's journey of grief and self-discovery as she navigates a post-apocalyptic world.
The third and final book in Lauren Oliver’s powerful New York Times bestselling trilogy about forbidden love, revolution, and the power to choose. Now an active member of the resistance, Lena has ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Sea of Tranquility
by Katja Millay
A young woman's journey of healing and redemption, as she confronts her traumatic past.
A, School Library Journal, Best Book of 2013, An ALA/YALSA Alex Award Winner, I live in a world without magic or miracles. A place where there are no clairvoyants or shapeshifters, no angels or ... (Barnes & Noble)
The Deep End of the Ocean
by Jacquelyn Mitchard
A family coping with the loss of their son and their journey to reunite.
Wisconsin photographer and housewife Beth Cappadora leaves her youngest son, Ben, alone with his older brother for a brief moment in a crowded Chicago hotel lobby, while attending her high school ... (Wikipedia)
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