Recommendations based on The Sands of Ammonby Valerio Massimo Manfredi

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

  1. Twenty Love Poems and a Song of Despair

    by Pablo Neruda
    Collection of poems exploring love, heartache, and the complexities of relationships.

    When it appeared in 1924, this work launched into the international spotlight a young and unknown poet whose writings would ignite a generation. W. S. Merwin's incomparable translation faces the ... (Goodreads)

  2. Gates of Fire

    by Steven Pressfield
    Epic tale of ancient Spartan warriors on a mission of heroism and sacrifice.

    The novel is narrated by Xeones, a perioikos and one of only three Greek survivors of the Battle of Thermopylae . His story is dictated to King Xerxes and transcribed by his court historian , ... (Wikipedia)

  3. Job: A Comedy of Justice

    by Robert A. Heinlein
    An entertaining and thought-provoking exploration of faith and morality.

    The story examines religion through the eyes of Alex, a Christian political activist who is corrupted by Margrethe, a Danish Norse cruise ship hostess—and who loves every minute of it. Enduring a ... (Wikipedia)

  4. Blindness

    by José Saramago
    A society is plunged into chaos when everyone suddenly loses their sight.

    Blindness is the story of an unexplained mass epidemic of blindness afflicting nearly everyone in an unnamed city, and the social breakdown that swiftly follows. The novel follows the misfortune of a ... (Wikipedia)

  5. The Queen of the South

    by Arturo Pérez-Reverte
    A thrilling story of revenge, as a woman rises to the top of the drug trafficking world.

    Guero Davila is a pilot engaged in drug-smuggling for the local cartels. Teresa Mendoza is his girlfriend, a typical narco's morra– quiet, doting, submissive. But then Guero's caught playing both ... (Goodreads)

  6. The Iliad

    by Homer
    Epic tale of the Trojan War, depicting heroism and tragedy.

    Dating to the ninth century B.C., Homer’s timeless poem still vividly conveys the horror and heroism of men and gods wrestling with towering emotions and battling amidst devastation and destruction, ... (Goodreads)

  7. Genghis: Lords of the Bow

    by Conn Iggulden
    The rise of Genghis Khan and his conquests, as he unites the Mongol tribes and builds an empire.

    Genghis unites Mongol tribes to cross the Gobi Desert and fight the Chin - gleaming cities, soaring walls, and canals. Laying siege to one fortress after another, Genghis cunningly crushes each enemy ... (Goodreads)

  8. 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)

  9. The Divine Comedy

    by Dante Alighieri
    A poetic journey through the afterlife, guided by the Roman poet Virgil.

    The Divine Comedy describes Dante's descent into Hell with Virgil as a guide; his ascent of Mount Purgatory and encounter with his dead love, Beatrice; and finally, his arrival in Heaven. Examining ... (Goodreads)

  10. Aztec

    by Gary Jennings
    Epic historical fiction, following a boy's journey to manhood in the Aztec Empire.

    Aztec is the extraordinary story of the last and greatest native civilization of North America. Told in the words of one of the most robust and memorable characters in modern fiction, Mixtli-Dark ... (Goodreads)

  11. The Last Temptation of Christ

    by Nikos Kazantzakis
    A fictionalized account of the life of Jesus, exploring his humanity and struggles with temptation.

    The internationally renowned novel about the life and death of Jesus Christ. Hailed as a masterpiece by critics worldwide, The Last Temptation of Christ is a monumental reinterpretation of the ... (Goodreads)

  12. Faceless Killers

    by Henning Mankell
    A Swedish detective investigates a murder and uncovers a complex web of secrets and lies.

    It was a senselessly violent crime: on a cold night in a remote Swedish farmhouse an elderly farmer is bludgeoned to death, and his wife is left to die with a noose around her neck. And as if this ... (Goodreads)

  13. Leo Africanus

    by Amin Maalouf
    An epic historical novel, tracing the journey of a North African explorer and diplomat in the 16th century.

    "I, Hasan the son of Muhammad the weigh-master, I, Jean-Leon de Medici, circumcised at the hand of a barber and baptized at the hand of a pope, I am now called the African, but I am not from Africa, ... (Goodreads)

  14. The Gospel According to Jesus Christ

    by José Saramago
    A retelling of the life of Jesus Christ, delving into his motivations and emotions.

    This is a skeptic' s journey into the meaning of God and of human existence. At once an ironic rendering of the life of Christ and a beautiful novel, Saramago' s tale has sparked intense discussion ... (Goodreads)

  15. Rooftops of Tehran

    by Mahbod Seraji
    A coming-of-age story set in Tehran during the Iranian Revolution, exploring love, friendship, and the struggle for freedom.

    From "a striking new talent"(Sandra Dallas, author of Tallgrass) comes an unforgettable debut novel of young love and coming of age in an Iran headed toward revolution. In this poignant, eye-opening ... (Goodreads)

  16. The Name of the Rose

    by Umberto Eco
    A Franciscan friar investigates a series of murders in a medieval monastery, uncovering a sinister plot.

    In 1327, Franciscan friar William of Baskerville and Adso of Melk , a Benedictine novice travelling under his protection, arrive at a Benedictine monastery in Northern Italy to attend a theological ... (Wikipedia)

  17. Don Quixote

    by Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra
    An aging knight's adventures and misadventures, filled with chivalry, honor, and satire.

    Don Quixote has become so entranced by reading chivalric romances that he determines to become a knight-errant himself. In the company of his faithful squire, Sancho Panza, his exploits blossom in ... (Goodreads)

  18. 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)

  19. 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)

  20. Steppenwolf

    by Hermann Hesse
    The inner struggles of a tortured soul as he searches for redemption.

    The book is presented as a manuscript written by its protagonist , a middle-aged man named Harry Haller, who leaves it to a chance acquaintance, the nephew of his landlady. The acquaintance adds a ... (Wikipedia)

  21. Silk

    by Alessandro Baricco
    Adventure of a 19th century French trader who travels to Japan to find rare silkworm eggs.

    The novel tells the story of a French silkworm merchant-turned-smuggler named Hervé Joncour in 19th century France who travels to Japan for his town's supply of silkworms after a disease wipes out ... (Wikipedia)

  22. The Angel's Game

    by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
    A writer's journey through a supernatural world of secrets and lies.

    The Angel's Game is set in Barcelona in the 1920s and 1930s and follows a young writer, David Martin. In a once-abandoned mansion at the heart of Barcelona, Martín makes his living by writing ... (Wikipedia)

  23. Narcissus and Goldmund

    by Hermann Hesse
    An exploration of the spiritual journey of two men, contrasting their different paths.

    Narcissus and Goldmund tells the story of two medieval men whose characters are diametrically opposite: Narcissus, an ascetic monk firm in his religious commitment, and Goldmund, a romantic youth ... (Goodreads)

  24. Death in a White Tie

    by Ngaio Marsh
    A murder mystery set in high society London, where a young man's death leads to a web of secrets and lies.

    A body in the back of a taxi begins an elegantly constructed mystery, perhaps the finest of Marsh's 1930s novels.The season had begun. Debutantes and chaperones were planning their luncheons, teas, ... (Goodreads)

  25. The Gemini Contenders

    by Robert Ludlum
    A man uncovers a conspiracy involving the Vatican and a secret society, leading to a dangerous race to uncover the truth.

    In 1939, Savarone Fontini-Cristi is the padrone of an immensely wealthy and powerful Italian family. At this time, the Order of Xenope, a remote Greek monastic brotherhood, possesses ancient ... (Wikipedia)

  26. The Return

    by Victoria Hislop
    A woman travels to Spain to uncover her family's hidden past during the Spanish Civil War.

    Beneath the majestic towers of the Alhambra, Granada's cobbled streets resonate with music and secrets. Sonia Cameron knows nothing of the city's shocking past; she is here to dance. But in a quiet ... (Goodreads)

  27. American Psycho

    by Bret Easton Ellis
    A corporate psychopath's descent into homicidal madness, exposing the dark side of 1980s New York.

    Set in Manhattan during the Wall Street boom of the late 1980s, American Psycho follows the life of wealthy young investment banker Patrick Bateman. Bateman, in his mid-20s when the story begins, ... (Wikipedia)

  28. The Last Conversation

    by Paul Tremblay
    A man is dying and has a final conversation with his wife, but things are not as they seem.

    What’s more frightening: Not knowing who you are? Or finding out? A Bram Stoker Award–winning author explores the answer in a chilling story about identity and human consciousness. Imagine you’ve ... (Goodreads)

  29. Pretty Guardian Sailor Moon, Vol. 2

    by Naoko Takeuchi
    Sailor Moon and her friends continue their battle against the Dark Kingdom, while also dealing with school and personal relationships.

    The mysterious Tuxedo Mask has revealed his identity, forcing Usagi to come to terms with her growing affections for the masked vigilante, all the while defending the people of Earth from renewed ... (Goodreads)

  30. 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)