Books like The Book of Lost and Found — picked by fans

This is one of my long-time favorite books because of the relationships of these sisters and the way they react to a vicious dictatorship in their home country, the Dominican Republic.

Birthed from a true story, this author deftly weaves the tensions of the times with the real impact the violence has on each character. The bravery of these woman calls me to reread the dramatic, beautifully crafted book from time-to-time. 

This book mixes history, social classes, cultures, and repression in a broiling stew of love, fear, and the will to survive that kept me captivated.

I wanted to see the characters overcome their own weaknesses as they built their survival skills in this captivating story that takes place in Spain during the Franco dictatorship.

I enjoyed seeing these characters who are pushed out of their routines and into a competition situation that challenges their foraging and cooking skills while also giving them opportunities to grow.

As a cook and gardener, I wanted to explore the Michigan forest and meet farmers with them. I wanted to taste their creations. Their challenges and reactions to the situations they encountered encouraged me to be fully invested in what happened to them. I also appreciated following them slightly beyond their competition experience to see what the experience manifested in their lives.

This story expertly weaves together the tensions of a struggling family, a faltering business and a natural disaster that pushes them all to consider new ways of being. I was especially intrigued by the attempt of the characters to save wildlife after an oil spill in Louisiana. In addition, the stories of characters outside of the family provided a variety of points of view about what was happening.

The spirit of the characters encourages me to remember that there are always choices and new options if I’m willing to explore them.

When Maggie returns to her family’s grand but decaying English estate, Cloudesley, to care for her ailing grandmother, Maggie uncovers hidden truths about her family’s history. Having left Cloudesley due to unresolved, painful issues, Maggie returns to assist her grandmother out of a sense of duty.

However, this particular visit divulges secrets, including the truth behind her once beautiful grandmother’s seemingly happy, although secretly unhappy, marriage and the consequences of a forbidden love affair her grandmother had during her youth. Faced with this truth and upending all she has previously believed, Maggie is led not only to a deeper understanding of her family but, by confronting past mistakes, gains a deeper understanding of herself.

I loved the book because of my deep interest in its theme: the radicalization of Muslim youth in Europe. It’s a convincing account of a young Londoner getting drawn to ISIS, which upends a family already mired in tragedy.

The key characters shine in their own narrative, and their respective truths speak to me. I also loved that the writer gives us a snapshot of the lives of the ISIS recruits living in Syria.   

Oh the tangled webs we weave, when first we attempt to deceive. The book was recommended by my granddaughter. I had no idea what to expect. I was dumbfounded at some of the things that happened and the excuses for them. How does a famous author get her life so twisted up? I was beginning to think I was glad I never knew people like this. When I realized I did know people this twisted for other reasons.

I dare you to put this one down. I am now looking forward to reading more by Colleen Hoover. Had it not been recommended to me, I’d have missed out on a great read. Because, in truth, we all know someone devious and diabolical. 

The book is a page-turner; you can’t put it down. I love it when a writer pulls me right into the pages like I am standing in the… show more.

Amanda’s dual-time novel is like reading a poem—the prose is breathtaking, the story compelling, the characters real and wounded, and the love story! In the wake of WWII, a grieving fisherman, Robert Bliss, submits a poem to a local newspaper and his humble words change the tide of a nation. Decades later, Annie Bliss is summoned back to Ansel-by-the-Sea when she learns her Great-Uncle Robert, the man who became her refuge during the hardest summer of her youth, is now the one in need of help. The time slip is expertly done, the story wild and wonderful, and again, I was inspired to try my hand at a time-slip novel after having soaked up every last drop of the water on the sand in Whose Waves These Are.

Even though the marriage in Oh William! ends in divorce while my marriage ended (without my consent) in my husband’s untimely death, the book brought me back to the unconventional nature of my marriage. Elizabeth Strout’s uncanny ability to say much in a single sentence had me traveling back in time and heart to the many moments that made our marriage. The tendernesses and fears, the deep trust and insecurities that quietly but forcefully bound us together made up the subtle mysteries of our uncommon relationship. What makes people move apart yet remain forever close, as in Lucy Barton and her ex-husband, William, or what holds two people together when there are many factors that might drive them apart, as in my marriage? These questions made reading this book a thought-provoking and enriching experience.

I love this book for a few reasons. 1.) I love a book where the location becomes a character in and of itself. This book takes place in the San Yuan Islands of Washington State, a location that is near and dear to my heart as I grew up in the area. I spent most of my childhood roaming the shores and popping into the little boutique shops dotting the islands.

The vivid descriptions of the landscape brought me back to those days. 2.) I loved the way this story focuses on a mother/daughter relationship that isn’t the typical “happy family” dynamic. A sprinkle of romance and a touch of culinary had me turning the pages until the very end.