Book recommendations from the Biblioracle

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

1. “I Love Myself When I Am Laughing” by Zora Neale Hurston.

2. “The Library Book” by Susan Orlean

3. “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles

4. “Lillian Boxfish Takes a Walk” by Kathleen Rooney

5. “A Thousand Splendid Suns” by Khaled Hosseini

— Bindy B., Chicago

There is only one Bindy B., and that’s the queen of the limerick, who I featured in a column almost exactly two years ago. Using an assist from Mrs. Biblioracle, it’s a pleasure to recommend the next read for Bindy:

“The Only Woman in the Room” by Marie Benedict.

1. “Treasure Island” by Robert Louis

Stevenson

2. “Three Hours in Paris” by Cara Black

3. “Cher Ami and Major Whittlesey” by Kathleen Rooney

4. “Borges and Me” by Jay Parini

5. “Truth and Beauty” by Ann Patchett

— Susan C., Northfield

One of the books from last year that’s really sticking with me is Raven Leilani’s “Luster,” a kind of millennial coming-of-age novel that deals with issues of race, identity, art and sex in frank and powerful ways.

1. “Cleanness” by Garth Greenwell

2. “The Collected Schizophrenias” by Esmé Weijun Wang

3. “Brain on Fire” by Susannah Cahalan

4. “Hits and Misses” by Simon Rich

5. “The Invention of Sound” by Chuck Palahniuk

— Massey B., New York

For Massey, I’m recommending

“Trust Exercise” by Susan Choi, a book that I hope is going to gain momentum as a lasting classic of this era.