Followers of the Tournament of Books this year experienced a special treat. One of the commentators, John Warner, offered to suggest a book to anyone who named the last five books they read. The response was overwhelming. I don’t remember which five books I gave John, but his recommendation was Blue Angel by Francine Prose. I’d never heard of the writer, what a fun way to discover a new author. I knew the day started off right when The Morning News (where the Tournament of Books exists) announced that the Biblioracle, AKA John Warner, would make an appearance today from 8AM to 1PM PST. The requests stacked up as fast as American Idol votes and he had to shut down an hour early.
I got in and so did three friends. We are in book groups together so there is some cross over in our lists (although I skipped over most of the classics I’ve read when I made my list, I wanted a current fiction response), here’s what the Biblioracle suggested:
Kim: Mister Pip by Llyod Jones, Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, Old Gringo by Carlos Fuentes, On the Way Home by Laura Ingalls Wilder, The Moonstone by Wilkie Collins – Biblioracle recommended Shadow of the Wind by Carlos Ruiz Zafon
Leslie: Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, Mister Pip by Llyod Jones, 39 Clues (Leslie is a good Mom!), and Great Expectations by Charles Dickens – Biblioracle recommended Silas Marner by George Eliot
Jen: Let the Great World Spin by Colum McCann, The Hunger Games by Suzanne Colllins, Mr. Pip by Lloyd Jones, Steppenwolf by Herman Hesse, and Lush Life: A Novel by Richard Price - Biblioracle recommended The Magic Mountain by Thomas Mann
Gab: Tess of the D’urbevilles by Thomas Hardy, The Girl who Kicked the Hornets Nest by Stieg Larsson, Great Expectations by Charles Dickens, Charles Dickens by Jane Smiley, and The Children’s Book by AS Byatt – Biblioracle recommened The Life of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski
Didn’t get a chance to play? No worries, he will return this summer “sooner than you think,” and you can get some ideas just from scanning his responses. Both times I searched the books he recommended for ones I like, then looked back at the five book list to see if contained anything I’d like to learn more about. Two books that I kept seeing in lists that prompted the Biblioracle to name a book I liked, The Ask: A Novel by Sam Lipsyte and Next: A Novel by James Hynes (what’s with ‘: A Novel,’ can’t readers figure that out by finding the book in the fiction section?).
I love what makes John Warner qualified to make recommendations, something about teaching at the university, writing his own books, blah, blah, blah. The core of his power is spending a childhood in his mother’s independent bookstore listening to her recommend books. He is the Biblioracle because of 1) his mother and 2) growing up in an independent bookstore, both sources for superhuman powers.
Tags: book game, book recommendations, what should I read next
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Sounds like a fun game . . . but I couldn’t make it through SHADOW OF THE WIND. Got bored. (But, you know me . . .)
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I read it when it came out, years ago. I’m glad I read it. It changed how I think about books a bit, but the ending felt rushed and lazy. Didn’t bother with his next book.
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