Book recommendations from the Biblioracle

John Warner tells you what to read based on the last five books you’ve read.

1. “The Grandest Madison Square Garden: Art, Scandal, and Architecture in Gilded Age New York” by Suzanne Hinman

2. “After Me Comes the Flood” by Sarah Perry

3. “The Governor’s Wife” by Michael Harvey

4. “The Goldfinch” by Donna Tartt

5. “Bright and Distant Shores” by Dominic Smith

— Sharon R., Wheaton

I’m hoping that Sharon is in the mood for another family saga told with great skill, “& Sons” by David Gilbert.

1. “The Henna Artist” by Alka Joshi

2. “This is Happiness” by Niall Williams

3. “Bad Blood: Secrets and Lies in a Silicon Valley Startup” by John Carreyrou

4. “Rabbits for Food” by Binnie Kirshenbaum

5. “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins

— Lenette O., Chicago

Alright, this is a book club pick, which makes me want to go safe since I’m risking the fates of a whole group. At the same time, I have a strong urge to shake things up a bit. For that reason, I’m recommending two books. The safe one, because it is excellent and endorsed by Reese Wither spoon herself, is “Such a Fun Age” by Kiley Reid. The less safe novel, because of its somewhat more experimental nature — though it also won a Pulitzer — is “A Visit fromthe Goon Squad” by Jennifer Egan.

1. “East of Eden” by John Steinbeck

2. “A Touch of the Creature” by Charles Beaumont

3. “The Bad Seed” by William March

4. “The Black Dahlia” by James Ellroy

5. “The Tombs of Atuan” by Ursula K. Le Guin

— Randy H., Long Beach, California What a fun and intriguing list of reads. I’m going to dip back into the past for this one, a book that I know my Mom sold by the bucketful back in the late ’70s and early ’80s when she owned the Book Bin, in Northbrook: “The Onion Field” by Joseph Wambaugh.