Summer Reading With the Biblioracle

Summer is reading’s high season. But all good books must come to an end, and then what do you do? Have no fear—the Biblioracle is here. Discover your next favorite novel today, from 2-3:00 p.m. ET.

Summer Reading With the Biblioracle
Arlington Gregg, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons

It’s summer, which means we’re reading, right? That’s what they say about summer: people read. Vacation, I suppose. Free time on the beach or poolside, plane flights and car rides here and there—all good time for reading. Nothing good on television, except Breaking Bad, which is just an hour a week.

We’re also supposed to read differently in the summer—fun reads, fluffier things, page-turners (whatever that means). I’ve been out and about, looking around to see what people are reading, and just like last summer, and the summer before that, it’s The Help. At some point, you’d think everyone would’ve read The Help, but apparently not. It’s everywhere. Same goes for Steig Larson’s Millenium Trilogy.

And Game of Thrones. Lots of people reading Game of Thrones. I haven’t read Game of Thrones. Should I read Game of Thrones? Am I missing something by not reading Game of Thrones?

Should we worry that the most popular books are tied to movies and television? Or should we celebrate the fact that books can become so popular that they cross over to the more broadly popular visual mediums?

Somehow people are still discovering these books, which is a fine and good thing, but I say let’s bring some fresh titles into the conversation. Which is just my way of saying that the Biblioracle is ready to bring it, massive heat-wave style.

You may know the drill, but if not, list the last five books you’ve read in the comments section below, and I shall tell you what book you should read next. Given how many people tend to participate, the comments section will be open for one hour today, Wednesday, July 27, 2011, from 2:00-3:00 p.m., Eastern Time. All free recommendations come with a money-back guarantee. Hosannas and raspberries are equally welcome at biblioracle@gmail.com.

The Biblioracle will be open today from 2:00 to 2:30 p.m. ET. These comments are now closed.

102 comments

K
KatrinaJuly 27, 2011

this is where i leave you by jonathan tropper
the glass castle by jeannette walls
the elegance of the hedgehog by muriel barber
freedom by jonathan franzen
into the wild by jon krakauer

J
JohnJuly 27, 2011

Okay - here are my five. Mostly candy, but it is summer...

The Kill Artist - Daniel Silva
The Girl Who Kicked the Hornet's Nest - Steig Larsson
Case Histories - Kate Atkinson
Savages - Don Winslow
Wolf Hall - Hilary Mantel

Thanks, Biblioracle!

J
JustinJuly 27, 2011

Awesome!

Pynchon - Inherent Vice
Chomsky - Understanding Power
Stegner - The Gathering of Zion
Celine - Journey to the End of the Night
Houellebecq - The Elementary Particles

JW
John WarnerJuly 27, 2011

Looks like we're up and running. Post your books then look for your name with @ in front of it for your recommendation.

K
KateJuly 27, 2011

The Financial Lives of Poets
Swamplandia!
Northanger Abbey
Union Atlantic
A Red Herring Without Mustard by Alan Bradley

E
emilyJuly 27, 2011

tolstoy: anna karenina
banks: the darling
grossman: to the end of the land
baker: the fermata
franzen: freedom

thank you biblioracle!

M
MoiraJuly 27, 2011

Hi, Bioblioracle.

How happy I am to see you back.

My last five books:
Open City – Teju Cole (A+)
Peace Like a River – Leif Enger (B-)
Look at Me – Jennifer Egan (C)
World and Town – Gish Jen (A)
Case Histories – Kate Atkinson (B)

Currently reading: Old Filth – Jane Gardam (finding it wonderful so far)

K
KatieJuly 27, 2011

So Long, See You Tomorrow (William Maxwell)
The White Album (Joan Didion)
The Signal (Ron Carlson)
A Gate at the Stairs (Lorrie Moore)
The Long Ride Home (Will Allison)

M
MuzamilJuly 27, 2011

The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
The City & the City by China Mieville
Guns, Germs and Steel by Jared Diamond
Super Sad True Love Story by Gary Shteyngart
The Devil in the White City by Erik Larson

k thx bye

DH
Drew HendricksonJuly 27, 2011

The Night Circus - Erin Morgenstern
Ready Player One - Ernest Cline
Art of Fielding - Chad Harbach
Zone One - Colson Whitehead
Geek Love - Katherine Dunn

E
ElenaJuly 27, 2011

Monsieur Pain - Roberto Bolano
The Corrections - Jonathan Franzen
Mother Night - Kurt Vonnegut
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson
Slapstick - Kurt Vonnegut

$
$8174942July 27, 2011

Moneyball by Michael Lewis
Selected works of T.S. Pivet by Reif Larsen
Pale King by David Foster Wallace
Orientation by Daniel Orozco
The Privileges by Jonathan Dee

M
MichaeljcoJuly 27, 2011

The Imperfectionists - Tom Rachman (your selection and a good call)
Skippy Dies - Paul Murray
A Supposedly Fun Thing I'll Never Do Again - David Foster Wallace
The Finkler Question - Howard Jacobsen
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

AS
Andy SchultzJuly 27, 2011

State of Wonder - Ann Patchett
How to Live Safely in a Science Fictional Universe - Charles Yu
Bright's Passage - Josh Ritter
Citrus County - John Brandon
The Graveyard Book - Neil Gaiman

M
MFSJuly 27, 2011

The Winter's Tale (William Shakespeare)
Ender's Game (Orson Scott Card)
The Sister Knot (Terri Apter)
My Man Jeeves (P.J. Wodehouse)
Acceptance: A Legendary Guidance Counselor Helps Seven Kids Find the Right Colleges--and Find Themselves (Dave Marcus)

TS
Thom SullivanJuly 27, 2011

Sixty Stories by Donald Barthelme
Everything That Rises Must Converge by Flannery O'Connor
Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan
Slowness by Milan Kundera
The Autumn of the Patriarch by Gabriel García Márquez

LB
Laura BJuly 27, 2011

Handling Sin - Michael Malone

Skippy Dies - Paul Murray

Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer

Sag Harbor - Colson Whitehead

The Love Letter - Cathleen Schine

JW
John WarnerJuly 27, 2011

@katrina: The Financial Lives of the Poets - Jess Walter

@John: The Devil All the Time - Donald Ray Pollack

@Justin: The Savage Detectives - Roberto Bolano

L
LauraJuly 27, 2011

Unbroken, by Laura Hillenbrand
East of the Sun, by Julia Gregson
Brideshead Revisited, by Evelyn Waugh
The Gargoyle, by Andrew Davidson
For Those I Loved, by Martin Gray

L
LisaJuly 27, 2011

Them: Adventures With Extremists - Jon Ronson
Gringos - Charles Portis
Personal Days - Ed Park
True Grit - Charles Portis
Jane Eyre - Charlotte Bronte

C
carolineJuly 27, 2011

The Gin Closet, Leslie Jamison
We the Animals, Justin Torres
Goodbye to All That, Robert Graves
Open City, Teju Cole
For All the Tea in China, Sarah Rose

DM
Dawn McDowellJuly 27, 2011

Brooklyn - Colm Toibin (also read The South but didn't like it as much)
Elementary Particles - Michel Houellebecq
Case Histories - Kate Atkinson
One Good Turn - Kate Atkinson
When Will There be Good News? - Kate Atkinson (I really enjoy the interior monologue of her characters)

BL
Brandon LJuly 27, 2011

The entire ‘A Song of Ice and Fire’ series, by George R.R. Martin (A Game of Thrones, a Clash of Kings, etc. Seeing as that's five books by itself, I'll include some others)
Skippy Dies, by Paul Murray
St. Lucy’s Home for Girls Raised by Wolves, by Karen Russell (surprisingly meh)
Heat, by Bill Buford (re-read)
A Call for the Dead, by John le Carre

M
MarcJuly 27, 2011

the insufferable gaucho - roberto bolano
edouard leve - suicide
there once lived a woman who tried to kill her neighbor's baby: scary fairy tales - ludmilla petrushevskaya
infinite jest - david foster wallace
super sad true love story - gary shteyngart

LC
Luis CorreaJuly 27, 2011

You made miracles happen last time with "Everything Matters!"!

The Lost Years of Merlin series by T. A. Barron
Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
The Avian Gospels I & II by Adam Novy
The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck
Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell

S
SayerJuly 27, 2011

Infinite Jest, David Foster Wallace
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
Islands in the Stream, Hemingway
The Dirty Life, Kristin Kimball
The Master and Margarita, Mikhail, Bulgakov

B
blaireJuly 27, 2011

1) The Paris Wife
2) Cutting for Stone
3) Art of Racing in the Rain
4) Housekeeper and the Professor
5) Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks

LD
leah dieterichJuly 27, 2011

collected stories of lydia davis
bossypants by tina fey
murder in the kitchen alice b toklas
the two kinds of decay by sarah manguso
particular sadness of lemon cake by aimee bender

L
LydiaJuly 27, 2011

Thanks! I'm headed to the shore tomorrow.

Love Stories in This Town by Amanda Eyre Ward
The Fan Man by William Kotzwinkle
Mr. Peanut by Adam Ross
Bullfighting: Stories by Roddy Doyle
Silver Sparrow by Tayari Jones

KD
Kaitlyn DJuly 27, 2011

currently:
The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle, Haruki Murakami
Modern and Normal, Karen Solie (poetry)

previously:
Finding the Words, ed. Jared Bland (collection of personal essays)
Still Life With Woodpecker, Tom Robbins
The Great Perhaps, Joe Meno

A
aJuly 27, 2011

Swamplandia! - Karen Russel
Tattoos on the Heart - Gregory Boyle
This is a Book - Demetri Martin
My Cousin, My Gastroenterologist - Mark Leyner
The Year of Magical Thinking - Joan Didion

Thanks, Biblioracle!

K
KaraJuly 27, 2011

Memory Wall: Stories, Anthony Doerr
Lark and Termite, Jayne Anne Phillips
Salt, Mark Kurlansky
Home, Marilynne Robinson
A Visit from the Goon Squad, Jennifer Egan

D
DavidTomlinsonJuly 27, 2011

- Middlemarch (George Eliot)
- 2666 (Roberto Bolano)
- Tree of Smoke (Denis Johnson)
- Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell (Susanna Clarke)
- Libra (Don DeLillo)

Thanks so much!

JM
Justin M.July 27, 2011

Infinite Jest - David Foster Wallace
Catch-22 - Joseph Heller
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J. K. Rowling
The AP Stylebook - Associated Press
I Hope Like Heck - Sarah Palin (Michael Solomon ed.)

C
CeilidhJuly 27, 2011

Black Swan Green - David Mitchell
Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson
My Mother She Killed Me, My Father He Ate Me - edited by Kate Bernheimer
Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann
Hunger Games trilogy (shh!)

R
RebeccaJuly 27, 2011

My Antonia, Willa Cather
Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows, JK Rowling
Freedom, Jonathan Franzen
Eight Months on Ghazzah Street, Hilary Mantel
Funeral for a Dog, Thomas Pletzing

GD
Girl DetectiveJuly 27, 2011

Mrs. Dalloway by Woolf
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Last Report on the Miracles at Little No Horse by Erdrich
Wordy Shipmates by Sarah Vowell
Finder: Voice GN by Carla Speed McNeil

FYI, you've been spot on for previous recs, which were Pattern Recognition and Notes on a Scandal.

D
DanJuly 27, 2011

Look forward to the recommendation!

Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are Dead - Tom Stoppard
A Farewell to Arms - Ernest Hemingway
Travels with Charley - Jon Steinbeck
Sea of Poppies - Amitav Ghosh
Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson

C
ChuckJuly 27, 2011

Model Home - Eric Puchner
Next - James Hynes
The Likeness - Tana French
Coraline - Neil Gaiman
Good Omens - Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett

JW
John WarnerJuly 27, 2011

@kate: Miss Hemple Chronicles - Sarah Shun-lien Bynum

@emily: The Gate at the Stairs - Lorrie Moore

@Moira - Netherland - Joseph O'Neil

@Katie - The Imperfectionists - Tom Rachman

@drewsof - The Quiet American - Graham Greene

@muzamil - The Talented Mr. Ripley - Patricia Highsmith

@Drew Hendrickson - You've got some access to pre-pubs I see. I'm envious. How was Zone One? Your rec: Cruddy - Lynda Barry

E
ErikaJuly 27, 2011

The Cazalet Chronicle (vol 1-4)- Eliz. Jane Howard
The Big Short - Michael Lewis
The Tiger's Wife -Tea Obreht
The Complete Essays - Michel de Montainge
How to Live -Sarah Bakewell

JC
Jake ChristieJuly 27, 2011

Embassytown - China Mieville
The Late Shift - Bill Carter
Devil May Care - Sebastian Faulks
Pastoralia - George Saunders
God is Dead - Ron Currie, Jr.

S
SarahJuly 27, 2011

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows
The Hunger Games (all three)
Freedom's Landing by Anne McCaffrey
Girl with the Dragon Tattoo
A People's History of the United States

K
KateJuly 27, 2011

Thank you!!!

A
AnnaMarieJuly 27, 2011

A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
The Imperfectionists by Tom Rachman
This Is Where I Leave You by Jonathan Tropper
Jane Eyre by Charlotte Brontë
Galore by Michael Crummey

M
MoiraJuly 27, 2011

@John Warner
"@Moira - Netherland - Joseph O’Neil"
Thanks! But I have read it. Anything else you might think of?

JW
John WarnerJuly 27, 2011

@elena - Everything Matters! - Ron Currie Jr.

@Nathan - So Much for That - Lionel Shriver

@Michaeljco - The Solitude of Prime Numbers - Paolo Giordano

@Andy - Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides

@MFS: Fifth Business - Robertson Davies

@Thom Sullivan: Mailman - J. Robert Lennon

@Laura B: The Risk Pool - Richard Russo

ME
Marcus EstesJuly 27, 2011

Inherent Vice, Thomas Pynchon
The Medium is the Messenger (Bio), Philip Marchand
Hard Rain Falling, Don Carpenter
Geronimo Rex, Barry Hannah
Found in the Street, Patricia Highsmith

K
katesJuly 27, 2011

The Man Who Was Thursday - GK Chesterton
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell
The Hour of the Star - Clarice Lispector
Shakespeare & Company - Sylvia Beach
In the Woods - Tana French

T
TaraJuly 27, 2011

Hunger Games trilogy
Bright Before Us - Kate Arnold-Ratcliff
State of Wonder - Ann Patchett
Irma Voth - Miriam Toews
Streets of Laredo - Larry McMurtry

B
BrittainiJuly 27, 2011

My Mistress's Sparrow is Dead
The Corrections
Brief Interviews with Hideous Men
The Glass Castle
The New York Regional Mormon Singles Halloween Dance

C
CyndiJuly 27, 2011

Madame Bovary--Gustave Flaubert
One Day--David Nicholls
Water for Elephants--Sara Gruen
The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society--Shaffer and Barrows
The Weird Sisters--Eleanor Brown

M
MFSJuly 27, 2011

@John Warner

Thank you!

M
meghanJuly 27, 2011

the map of true paths - brunonia barry
the time traveler's wife - audrey niffenegger
bird by bird - ann lamott
same kind of different as me - ron hall
sarah's key - Tatiana de Rosnay

A
AbigailWJuly 27, 2011

a visit from the goon squad by jennifer egan
the first word by christine kenneally
the help by kathryn stockett
Amy and Isabelle by Elizabeth Strout
the lost books of the odyssey by zachary mason

KA
Kelsey A.July 27, 2011

What I Talk About When I Talk About Running: Murakami
Mockingjay: Suzanne Collins
Doc: Mary Doria Russell
Lonesome Dove: Larry McMurtry
Woman In White: Wilkie Collins

Thanks so much!

E
ElenaJuly 27, 2011

@John Warner
Thank you!!

SS
Sarah SJuly 27, 2011

Howard Zinn- A People's History of the United States
Nicole Krauss- History of Love
Stieg Larsson- The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo (trilogy)
Shakespeare- Hamlet
Dara Horn- The World To Come

Thank you!!

D
DavidJuly 27, 2011

PG Wodehouse - Very Good, Jeeves!
Diana B Henriques - The Wizard of Lies
Donald Westlake - The Ax
Courtney Summers - Cracked Up to Be
Lily King - The English Teacher

Thanks!

JJ
Joe JohnsJuly 27, 2011

The Left Hand of Darkness by U.K. Leguinn
Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann
Demien by Hermann Hesse
One Day by David Nichols
Logicomix by A. Doxiadis and C.H. Papadimitriou

EC
Erin CJuly 27, 2011

one day - david nicholls
the help - kathyrn stockett
hunger games triology - suzanne collins
the girl with the dragon tattoo - stieg larsson
relentless pursuit - donna foote

B
BrennaJuly 27, 2011

Hi!

Rebecca - Daphne du Maurier (still in the middle of this one, actually, is that cheating?)
The Children's Book - A. S. Byatt
The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
Middlemarch - George Eliot
A Room With A View - E. M Forster

JW
John WarnerJuly 27, 2011

@Laura - The Warmth of Other Suns - Isabel Wilkerson

@Lisa: Rapture Ready - Daniel Radosh

@Caroline - The Glass Room - Simon Mawer

@Dawn McDowell: The Adults - Alison Espach

@Brandon Lueken: Among the Dead - Michael Tolkin

@Marc: You've probably read it, but - Journey to the End of Night - Celine. Backup rec: Nightwood - Djuna Barnes

@Luis Correa: Adam Novy and I went to high school together. Rec: The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera

@ Sayer: Pale Fire - Nabokov

@Blaire: Caleb's Crossing - Geraldine Brooks

@Leah Dieterich: I'm not sure why this is coming to me. It's not particularly suggested by your list, but I can't deny the fates - In Cold Blood - Truman Capote

@Lydia: The Borrower - Rebecca Makkai

@Kaitlyn D: For you, one some of the other readers have been listing - Open City - Teju Cole

@A: The Water Method Man - John Irving

@Kara: Bel Canto - Ann Patchett

@David Tomlinson - Stone Arabia - Dana Spiotta

@Justin M.: Revolutionary Road - Richard Yates

@Celidh: A Friend of the Earth - TC Boyle

@ Rebecca: Black Swan Green - David Mitchell

@Girl Detective: He's my friend, so keep that in mind, but I think you're going to enjoy - The Thousand - Kevin Guilfoile

@Dan: Stoner - John Williams

@Chuck: This recommendation might be a bit light, but it's summer reading, right? - Lamb - Christopher Moore

K
KarinJuly 27, 2011

Manhood for Amateurs - Michael Chabon
We Are on Our Own - Miriam Katin
Ghost World - Daniel Clowes
White Noise - Don DeLillo
The Man Born to Be King - Dorothy L. Sayers

K
KehleyJuly 27, 2011

Out Stealing Horses - Per Petterson
Let the Great World Spin - Colum McCann
The Omnivore's Dilemma - Michael Pollan
Birds of America - Lorrie Moore
The Tenderness of Wolves - Stef Penney

LC
Luis CorreaJuly 27, 2011

@John Warner "@Luis Correa: Adam Novy and I went to high school together. Rec: The Unbearable Lightness of Being - Milan Kundera" Oh no! I've already read it and loved it.

JW
John WarnerJuly 27, 2011

@Erika: Zeitoun - Dave Eggers

@Jake Christie: If you're a sports fan/ESPN viewer (which I'm sensing) - These Guys Have All the Fun - Tom Shales and James Andrew Miller. If not - Straight Man - Richard Russo.

@Sarah: The Fates Will Find Their Way - Hannah Pittard

@Annamarie: The Sisters Brothers - Patrick DeWitt

@Moira: Trying again. All The Sad Young Literary Men - Keith Gessen

B
BerilJuly 27, 2011

The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks - Rebecca Skloot
The Oracle of Stamboul - Michael David Lukas
Middlesex - Jeffrey Eugenides
The Snowman - Jo Nesbo
Mockingjay (Hunger Games #3) - Suzanne Collins

LA
Luther Austin-BrecherJuly 27, 2011

2666 - Roberto Bolano
A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan
Big Machine - Victor La Valle
The Imperfectionists - Tom Rachman
Panopticon - David Bajo

K
KateJuly 27, 2011

The Girl In Hyacinth Blue by Susan Vreeland
The Tiger's Wife by Tea Obreht
Mountains Beyond Mountains by Tracy Kidder
True Compass by Edward M. Kennedy
Afghanistan: A Political and Cultural History by Thomas Barfield
The Wings of the Dove by Henry James

Thanks so much!

E
ErinJuly 27, 2011

Divergent- Roth
The Snowman- Nesbo
The Strain- Hogan/Del Toro
Game of Thrones (the series)- Martin
Skippy Dies- Murray

$
$8174942July 27, 2011

@Nathan - So Much for That - Lionel Shriver

Wonderful suggestion, but I have already read it and loved it.

Anything else perchance?

E
eeepppJuly 27, 2011

Curses* - Kevin Huizenga
The Crying of Lot 49 - Thomas Pynchon
The Pale King - David Foster Wallace
Norwood - Charles Portis
Tikki Tikki Tembo* - Arlene Mosel

* I hope books with pictures count.

F
FelicityJuly 27, 2011

Anna Karenina - Tolstoy (actually in the middle)
Skippy Dies - Murray
Song of Ice and Fire Series - Martin (it's been a giant book summer for me so far)
Caleb's Crossing - Geraldine Brooks
(I will say that, unexpectedly, Skippy Dies was my favorite book in a long time... though I am loving Anna also)

M
MoiraJuly 27, 2011

@John Warner
"@Moira: Trying again. All The Sad Young Literary Men - Keith Gessen"
Thanks for the additional suggestion, John. Looking forward to it.

B
BrandiJuly 27, 2011

Medium Raw by Anthony Bourdain
The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Steig Larsson
The Fires of Heaven (#5) by Robert Jordan
A Mercy by Toni Morrison
Lord of Chaos (#6) by Robert Jordan

S
ShawnaJuly 27, 2011

The Disappearing Spoon - Sam Kean
Bleak House - Charles Dickens
How We Decide - Jonah Lehrer
The New Kings of Non-Fiction - edited by Ira Glass
Snow - Orhan Pamuk

Thanks!

JW
John WarnerJuly 27, 2011

@Marcus Estes: Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World - Marukami

@Kates: Case Histories - Kate Atkinson

@Tara - The Accidental Tourist - Anne Tyler

@Brittaini: Olive Kitteridge - Elizabeth Strout

@Cyndi: You've read this probably - The Kite Runner. Backup rec: The Colony - Jillian Weise

@Meghan: Small World - David Lodge

@Abigailw: The Paris Wife - Paula McClain

@Kelsey A.: Half Broke Horses - Jeannette Walls

@Sarah S: The Tragedy of Arthur - Arthur Phillips

@David: A Friend of the Family - Lauren Grodstein

@Joe Johns: Pattern Recognition - William Gibson

@Erin C.: Water for Elephants - Sara Gruen. Backup rec: The English Patient - Michael Ondatje

@Brenna: Sister Carrie - Dreiser

@Karin: The Zero - Jess Walter

@Kehley - Pacazo - Roy Kesey

AM
Amy M.July 27, 2011

Thanks Biblioracle!!! I've been slow with reading this summer, so have only read State of Wonder (Ann Patchett) and loved it. Just wanted to tell you how much I love reading these lists and your recommendations. I'm all set for the rest of summer now!! Thanks!

L
LeeJuly 27, 2011

The Last Good Kiss -James Crumley
The Windup Girl - Paulo Bacigalupi
The City and the City - China Mieville
Boneshaker - Cherie Priest
Cloud Atlas - David Mitchell

J
JackieJuly 27, 2011

Just under the wire!

The Hunger Games - Suzanne Collins
Bossypants - Tina Fey
St. Lucy's Home for Girls Raised by Wolves - Karen Russell
Running in the Family - Michael Ontaatje
A Visit from the Goon Squad - Jennifer Egan

GF
George FischerJuly 27, 2011

Twenty Years After (Dumas)
The Three Musketeers (Dumas)
The Information (Gleick)
Boneshaker (Priest)
Newton and the Counterfeiter (Levenson)
The Whiskey Rebels (Liss)

J
JoannaJuly 27, 2011

Maisie Dobbs by Jacqueline Winspear
The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicle #1) by Patrick Rothfuss
Something Rotten (Thursday Next #4) by Jasper Fforde
The Sandman: Endless Nights by Neil Gaiman
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaimain

RB
Rosecrans BaldwinJuly 27, 2011

OFFICIAL NOTICE: Hi everyone. Unfortunately, the hour strikes and we've got to call it. Any comments left prior to this one will get recommendations. For everybody else, look for the Biblioracle to return soon. Thanks, John!—TMN editors.

JW
John WarnerJuly 27, 2011

@Luis Correa: Trying again: Remainder - Tom McCarthy

@Beril: The Handmaid's Tale - Margaret Atwood

@Luther Austin-Brecher: Gravity's Rainbow - Thomas Pynchon. If you've read it, let's go with The Recognitions - William Gaddis. Extra special backup rec: The Moviegoer - Walker Percy.

@Kate: Under the Banner of Heaven - Jon Krakauer

@Erin: Ghostwritten - David Mitchell

@Nathan: Trying again. The Lonely Polygamist - Brady Udall

@EEEPPP: Miss Lonelyhearts and The Day of the Locust - West

@Felicity: If you haven't read Freedom yet, give it a shot. If you have, then how about We Need to Talk About Kevin - Lionel Shriver

@Brandi: I'm going to assume you've read Game of Thrones because even though I haven't read Game of Thrones, you look like someone who should read Game of Thrones. Backup rec: The Book of Night Women - Marlon James

@Shawna: The Psychopath Test - Jon Ronson

$
$8174942July 27, 2011

I'm on it! Thanks so much.

K
KateJuly 27, 2011

Thanks! I'll check it out. I loved Into the Wild.

JW
John WarnerJuly 27, 2011

Okay, it's 3:05 by my watch. Every request above this post, I'll keep working until I get you a recommendation. Everyone who posts below this, I'm afraid that I'll have to catch you all next time.

Good reading to all. Please feel free to get in touch with the books you're loving (or hating) at biblioracle (at) gmail.com. And I'd be remiss if I didn't put in an early plug for my novel The Funny Man, which will be released two months from yesterday, and which I can recommend with confidence to at least some of you.

Thanks, and we won't wait so long to do this again.

C
chuckJuly 27, 2011

Thanks! I have supercharged twin boys (1.2 years old) so light/funny is the name of the game this summer. I already have Pastoralia and The Pale King in my queue so Lamb could be a good way to salute the end of summer.

F
FelicityJuly 27, 2011

Have read Freedom but have not read the Shriver, so thank you for the suggestion! (I also like to steal other people's suggestions, of which there are many great ones.) Thanks again!

JW
John WarnerJuly 27, 2011

@Lee: Norwegian Wood - Marukami

@Jackie: Faith - Jennifer Haigh

@George Fischer: When the Killing's Done - TC Boyle

@Joanna: Bad Things Happen - Harry Dolan

DH
Drew HendricksonJuly 27, 2011

Zone One was very good. Thanks for the recommendation.

B
BrandiJuly 27, 2011

Great - I love the back up recommendation. Both have been on the many lists I have siting in a drawer somewhere. James seems like a good place to start.

GD
Girl DetectiveJuly 27, 2011

thank you so much. I love getting the recommendation, but I also read every single one of the comments, and enjoy seeing what other TMN readers have delved into, and find it interesting how much crossover there is on books that aren't The Help, etc.

Game of Thrones the first is a thumping good read, by the way. But I got bogged down and stopped in #3, and haven't made my way back to the series.

LC
Luis CorreaJuly 27, 2011

Thanks for the second recommendation! I'll have to get on that.

N
NicoleJuly 27, 2011

Voyage of the Shadowmoon by Sean McMullen
Cygnet by Patricia McKillip
Tiassa by Steven Brust
Child Thief by Brom
The Fox by Sherwood Smith

JP
Jason PackhamJuly 27, 2011

The Things They Carried, Tim O'Brien
Winesburg, OH, Sherwood Anderson
Model Home, Eric Puchner
The Lincoln Lawyer, Michael Connelly
Open, Andre Agassi

AC
amelia chesleyJuly 27, 2011

I just finished:
Dreams of Joy,
Do Hard Things: A Teenage Rebellion Against Low Expectations,
Zendegi,
How to Breathe Underwater,
and
Without a Map.

now I'm in the middle of a bunch more, so it isn't like I need more books to read. but it'll be interesting to see what you suggest.

L
LauraJuly 27, 2011

Thanks for the recommendation. Previously I debated whether to buy the book you suggested. I now have a great reason to go get it.

It was fun to read everyone's list and recommendations. I think I picked up another few books from others as well.

Many thanks!

A
AdelaJuly 27, 2011

After Dark, Murakami (currently reading)
I Kill Giants, Joe Kelly and J. M. Ken Niimura
City of the Sun, David Levien
Timequake, Kurt Vonnegut
Dhamphir, Barb and JC Hendee
Catch-22, Joseph Heller

J
JackieJuly 27, 2011

Thank you, oh wise Biblioracle! And congratulations on your forthcoming novel.

LD
leah dieterichJuly 27, 2011

thank you so much!! i havent read In Cold Blood. i love that it had nothing to do with my past 5 books. you're amazing!