Kathy's (kac522) Reading Stretches Across the Pond
ConversesRead it, Track it!
Afegeix-te a LibraryThing per participar.
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I've been keeping track of my own "Separated by a Pond" reading since 2020, and I've decided I want to continue this as an ongoing project. My lists will include all the books for the particular area that I have read in 2020 and beyond.
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England
• Bedfordshire: My Uncle Silas, H. E. Bates (1938)
• Berkshire: Begin Again, Ursula Orange (1936); Miss Austen, Gill Hornby (2020); The Return of the Soldier, Rebecca West (1918)
• Bristol: The Misses Mallett, E. H. Young (1922); William, E. H. Young (1925); Jenny Wren, E. H. Young (1932); The Curate's Wife, E. H. Young (1934)
• Buckinghamshire: The Sleeping Beauty, Elizabeth Taylor (1953)
• Cambridgeshire: The Gate of Angels, Penelope Fitzgerald (1990); Where Angels Fear To Read, E. M. Forster(1905); Period Piece, Gwen Raverat (1952); Kate Hardy, D. E. Stevenson (1947)
• Cheshire: Cranford, Gaskell (1851); based on Knutsford
• City of London: The Mysterious Mr Quin, Christie; The Young Clementina, Stevenson; Dombey and Son, Dickens (1848); Little Dorrit, Dickens; Letter from London; Panter-Downes, Panter-Downes (1940); Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End, Worth (2009); The London Scene, Virginia Woolf (1932); A Child of the Jago, Arthur Morrison (1896), (East End); The Ghost Map, Steven Johnson (2006); Soho;
• Cornwall: Three Act Tragedy, Christie (1934); My Cousin Rachel and Rebecca (re-read), du Maurier (1951 & 1938); The Feast, Margaret Kennedy (1950); A Pair of Blue Eyes, Thomas Hardy (1873); Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joys of Books, Cathy Rentzenbrink (2020); Jamaica Inn, Du Maurier (1936);
• Cumbria: A Tale of Beatrix Potter, Lane (1946); Scafell Pike: The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow (2020); Lady Anna, Trollope (1874); Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite, Trollope (1870)
• Derbyshire: Year of Wonders, Brooks (2001); Jane Eyre, Bronte (1847)--Moor House; The Country Child, Alison Uttley (1931)
• Devonshire: The Sittaford Mystery, Christie (1931); Sense and Sensibility: an annotated edition, Austen (1811); Rachel Ray, Trollope (1863); And Then There Were None, Christie (1939); To Serve Them All My Days, R. F. Delderfield (1972)
• Dorset: Green Money, Stevenson (1939); Desperate Remedies, Hardy (1871); Old Filth, Jane Gardam (2004); Under the Greenwood Tree, Hardy (1872); The Mayor of Casterbridge, Hardy (1886); My Life in Middlemarch, Rebecca Mead (2014)
• Durham: Nicholas Nickleby, Dickens (Greta Bridge)
• East Riding of Yorkshire: Anderby Wold, Holtby (1923); The Crowded Street, Holtby (1924)
• East Sussex: Lady Susan, Austen (pub post 1871); audiobook re-read
• Essex: Lady Audley's Secret, Mary E. Braddon (1862); Dombey and Son, Dickens (1848)--parts with Young Paul are set in Brighton;
• Gloucestershire:
• Greater London: Partners in Crime, Agatha Christie; The Mysterious Mr Quin, Christie; The Young Clementina, Stevenson; A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens; Poor Caroline, Winifred Holtby; A Chelsea Concerto, Frances Faviell (1959); Fresh from the Country, Miss Read (1955); The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, Helene Hanff (1973);
• Greater Manchester: North and South, Gaskell (1855); Look Back with Love: a Manchester Childhood, Dodie Smith (1974)
• Hampshire: Miss Read's Fairacre books; Rumour of Heaven, Beatrix Lehmann (1934)
• Herefordshire: Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall, Kazuo Ishiguro (2009), "Malvern Hills";
• Hertfordshire: Howards End, E. M. Forster (1910); Pride and Prejudice, Austen (1813); The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde (1895)
• Isle of Wight: Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life, Worsley (2018) (Queen's vacation home Osborne & where she died)
• Kent: The Mystery of the Blue Train, Agatha Christie (1928); Rochester's Wife, D. E. Stevenson (1940); Tom Tiddler's Ground, Ursula Orange (1941); The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dickens (1870); Early Days, Miss Read (2007); David Copperfield (1850); The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman (2020)
• Lancashire: The Poor Clare, Gaskell (1856)
• Leicestershire:
• Lincolnshire: Joseph Banks: A Life, Patrick O'Brian (1987); The Mill on the Floss, George Eliot (1860)
• Merseyside: The Doctor's Family and Other Stories, Salem Chapel, The Perpetual Curate, Miss Marjoribanks, Phoebe, Junior, all by Margaret Oliphant (1861-1876) (Carlingford based on Birkenhead); The Dressmaker, Beryl Bainbridge (1973) (Liverpool)
• Norfolk: The Crossing Places, Griffiths (2009)
• North Yorkshire: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte (1848); The Land of Green Ginger, Winifred Holtby (1927); The Other Side of the Dale, Gervase Phinn (1998); A Month in the Country, J. L. Carr (1980);
• Northamptonshire: Mansfield Park: an annotated edition, Austen (1814/2016)
• Northumberland: Salem Chapel, Margaret Oliphant (1863); most of the book in Carlingford, but parts in London and Northumberland
• Nottinghamshire:
• Oxfordshire : Miss Read books; A Few Green Leaves, Barbara Pym (1980); The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
• Rutland:
• Shropshire:
• Somerset: (Exmoor) England and other Stories, Graham Swift (2015); Miss Mackenzie, Trollope (1865); The Belton Estate, Trollope (1866); Persuasion (1817); The Odd Women, George Gissing (1893)
• South Yorkshire: Yorkshire Regional Archaeologies, Ian Longworth (1965)
• Staffordshire: Adam Bede, George Eliot (1859)
• Suffolk: I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith (1948)
• Surrey: A Room with a View, E. M. Forster (1908); Emma: an annotated edition, Austen (1816)
• Tyne and Wear:
• Warwickshire: Silas Marner, George Eliot (1861) (audiobook re-read); Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell (2020); Middlemarch, George Eliot (1872) audiobook re-read; The Doctor's Wife, M. E. Braddon (1864); Shakespeare: The World as Stage, Bill Bryson (2007)
• West Midlands:
• West Sussex: Sanditon, Austen (1817) Sanditon probably based on Worthing (Sussex named, but not divided at that time); One Fine Day, Mollie Panter-Downes (1946); Father, von Arnim; The Fortnight in September, R. C. Sherriff (1931), Bognor;
• West Yorkshire (Leeds)--Orley Farm, Anthony Trollope (1862); West Riding: Shirley, Charlotte Bronte(1849); Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte (1847); The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911)
• Wiltshire: Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen; The Vicar of Bullhampton, Trollope (1870); Martin Chuzzlewit, Dickens (1844); partially set in Wiltshire
• Worcestershire:
• Bedfordshire: My Uncle Silas, H. E. Bates (1938)
• Berkshire: Begin Again, Ursula Orange (1936); Miss Austen, Gill Hornby (2020); The Return of the Soldier, Rebecca West (1918)
• Bristol: The Misses Mallett, E. H. Young (1922); William, E. H. Young (1925); Jenny Wren, E. H. Young (1932); The Curate's Wife, E. H. Young (1934)
• Buckinghamshire: The Sleeping Beauty, Elizabeth Taylor (1953)
• Cambridgeshire: The Gate of Angels, Penelope Fitzgerald (1990); Where Angels Fear To Read, E. M. Forster(1905); Period Piece, Gwen Raverat (1952); Kate Hardy, D. E. Stevenson (1947)
• Cheshire: Cranford, Gaskell (1851); based on Knutsford
• City of London: The Mysterious Mr Quin, Christie; The Young Clementina, Stevenson; Dombey and Son, Dickens (1848); Little Dorrit, Dickens; Letter from London; Panter-Downes, Panter-Downes (1940); Call the Midwife: Farewell to the East End, Worth (2009); The London Scene, Virginia Woolf (1932); A Child of the Jago, Arthur Morrison (1896), (East End); The Ghost Map, Steven Johnson (2006); Soho;
• Cornwall: Three Act Tragedy, Christie (1934); My Cousin Rachel and Rebecca (re-read), du Maurier (1951 & 1938); The Feast, Margaret Kennedy (1950); A Pair of Blue Eyes, Thomas Hardy (1873); Dear Reader: The Comfort and Joys of Books, Cathy Rentzenbrink (2020); Jamaica Inn, Du Maurier (1936);
• Cumbria: A Tale of Beatrix Potter, Lane (1946); Scafell Pike: The Other Bennet Sister, Janice Hadlow (2020); Lady Anna, Trollope (1874); Sir Harry Hotspur of Humblethwaite, Trollope (1870)
• Derbyshire: Year of Wonders, Brooks (2001); Jane Eyre, Bronte (1847)--Moor House; The Country Child, Alison Uttley (1931)
• Devonshire: The Sittaford Mystery, Christie (1931); Sense and Sensibility: an annotated edition, Austen (1811); Rachel Ray, Trollope (1863); And Then There Were None, Christie (1939); To Serve Them All My Days, R. F. Delderfield (1972)
• Dorset: Green Money, Stevenson (1939); Desperate Remedies, Hardy (1871); Old Filth, Jane Gardam (2004); Under the Greenwood Tree, Hardy (1872); The Mayor of Casterbridge, Hardy (1886); My Life in Middlemarch, Rebecca Mead (2014)
• Durham: Nicholas Nickleby, Dickens (Greta Bridge)
• East Riding of Yorkshire: Anderby Wold, Holtby (1923); The Crowded Street, Holtby (1924)
• East Sussex: Lady Susan, Austen (pub post 1871); audiobook re-read
• Essex: Lady Audley's Secret, Mary E. Braddon (1862); Dombey and Son, Dickens (1848)--parts with Young Paul are set in Brighton;
• Gloucestershire:
• Greater London: Partners in Crime, Agatha Christie; The Mysterious Mr Quin, Christie; The Young Clementina, Stevenson; A Tale of Two Cities, Dickens; Poor Caroline, Winifred Holtby; A Chelsea Concerto, Frances Faviell (1959); Fresh from the Country, Miss Read (1955); The Duchess of Bloomsbury Street, Helene Hanff (1973);
• Greater Manchester: North and South, Gaskell (1855); Look Back with Love: a Manchester Childhood, Dodie Smith (1974)
• Hampshire: Miss Read's Fairacre books; Rumour of Heaven, Beatrix Lehmann (1934)
• Herefordshire: Nocturnes: Five Stories of Music and Nightfall, Kazuo Ishiguro (2009), "Malvern Hills";
• Hertfordshire: Howards End, E. M. Forster (1910); Pride and Prejudice, Austen (1813); The Importance of Being Earnest, Oscar Wilde (1895)
• Isle of Wight: Queen Victoria: Twenty-Four Days That Changed Her Life, Worsley (2018) (Queen's vacation home Osborne & where she died)
• Kent: The Mystery of the Blue Train, Agatha Christie (1928); Rochester's Wife, D. E. Stevenson (1940); Tom Tiddler's Ground, Ursula Orange (1941); The Mystery of Edwin Drood, Dickens (1870); Early Days, Miss Read (2007); David Copperfield (1850); The Thursday Murder Club, Richard Osman (2020)
• Lancashire: The Poor Clare, Gaskell (1856)
• Leicestershire:
• Lincolnshire: Joseph Banks: A Life, Patrick O'Brian (1987); The Mill on the Floss, George Eliot (1860)
• Merseyside: The Doctor's Family and Other Stories, Salem Chapel, The Perpetual Curate, Miss Marjoribanks, Phoebe, Junior, all by Margaret Oliphant (1861-1876) (Carlingford based on Birkenhead); The Dressmaker, Beryl Bainbridge (1973) (Liverpool)
• Norfolk: The Crossing Places, Griffiths (2009)
• North Yorkshire: The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, Anne Bronte (1848); The Land of Green Ginger, Winifred Holtby (1927); The Other Side of the Dale, Gervase Phinn (1998); A Month in the Country, J. L. Carr (1980);
• Northamptonshire: Mansfield Park: an annotated edition, Austen (1814/2016)
• Northumberland: Salem Chapel, Margaret Oliphant (1863); most of the book in Carlingford, but parts in London and Northumberland
• Nottinghamshire:
• Oxfordshire : Miss Read books; A Few Green Leaves, Barbara Pym (1980); The Remains of the Day, Kazuo Ishiguro (1989)
• Rutland:
• Shropshire:
• Somerset: (Exmoor) England and other Stories, Graham Swift (2015); Miss Mackenzie, Trollope (1865); The Belton Estate, Trollope (1866); Persuasion (1817); The Odd Women, George Gissing (1893)
• South Yorkshire: Yorkshire Regional Archaeologies, Ian Longworth (1965)
• Staffordshire: Adam Bede, George Eliot (1859)
• Suffolk: I Capture the Castle, Dodie Smith (1948)
• Surrey: A Room with a View, E. M. Forster (1908); Emma: an annotated edition, Austen (1816)
• Tyne and Wear:
• Warwickshire: Silas Marner, George Eliot (1861) (audiobook re-read); Hamnet, Maggie O'Farrell (2020); Middlemarch, George Eliot (1872) audiobook re-read; The Doctor's Wife, M. E. Braddon (1864); Shakespeare: The World as Stage, Bill Bryson (2007)
• West Midlands:
• West Sussex: Sanditon, Austen (1817) Sanditon probably based on Worthing (Sussex named, but not divided at that time); One Fine Day, Mollie Panter-Downes (1946); Father, von Arnim; The Fortnight in September, R. C. Sherriff (1931), Bognor;
• West Yorkshire (Leeds)--Orley Farm, Anthony Trollope (1862); West Riding: Shirley, Charlotte Bronte(1849); Wuthering Heights, Emily Bronte (1847); The Secret Garden, Frances Hodgson Burnett (1911)
• Wiltshire: Northanger Abbey, Jane Austen; The Vicar of Bullhampton, Trollope (1870); Martin Chuzzlewit, Dickens (1844); partially set in Wiltshire
• Worcestershire:
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Ireland: Counties
Antrim (Northern Ireland) :
Armagh (Northern Ireland)
Carlow
Cavan
Clare :
Cork: Castle Richmond, Anthony Trollope
Donegal:
Down (Northern Ireland): An Irish Country Village, Patrick Taylor; An Irish Country Christmas, Taylor
Dublin: James Joyce, John Gross
Fermanagh (Northern Ireland)
Galway :
Kerry: The Wild Geese, Bridget Boland
Kildare :
Kilkenny
Laois
Leitrim
Limerick :
Londonderry / Derry (Northern Ireland)
Longford: The Absentee, Maria Edgeworth (1812) (or Westmeath--unclear)
Louth
Mayo :
Meath:
Offaly :
Roscommon :
Sligo :
Tipperary :
Tyrone (Northern Ireland) :
Waterford:
Westmeath
Wexford : New Ross/River Barrow: Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan; Foster, Claire Keegan (2010); Brooklyn, Colm Toibin (2009);
Wicklow :
Antrim (Northern Ireland) :
Armagh (Northern Ireland)
Carlow
Cavan
Clare :
Cork: Castle Richmond, Anthony Trollope
Donegal:
Down (Northern Ireland): An Irish Country Village, Patrick Taylor; An Irish Country Christmas, Taylor
Dublin: James Joyce, John Gross
Fermanagh (Northern Ireland)
Galway :
Kerry: The Wild Geese, Bridget Boland
Kildare :
Kilkenny
Laois
Leitrim
Limerick :
Londonderry / Derry (Northern Ireland)
Longford: The Absentee, Maria Edgeworth (1812) (or Westmeath--unclear)
Louth
Mayo :
Meath:
Offaly :
Roscommon :
Sligo :
Tipperary :
Tyrone (Northern Ireland) :
Waterford:
Westmeath
Wexford : New Ross/River Barrow: Small Things Like These, Claire Keegan; Foster, Claire Keegan (2010); Brooklyn, Colm Toibin (2009);
Wicklow :
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Scotland: Regions/Island Areas
• Borders (region): The Baker's Daughter, D. E. Stevenson
• Central (region): Olive, Dinah Mulock Craik; book begins in Stirling
• Dumfries and Galloway (region): Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets by Jessica A Fox; Confessions of a Bookseller, Shaun Bythell; The 39 Steps, John Buchan
• Fife (region):
• Grampian (region): Dangerous Work, Arthur Conan Doyle (2012); Peterhead, Aberdeenshire
• Highland (region): Smouldering Fire, D. E. Stevenson (1935); The Highland Widow, Sir Walter Scott (1827)
• Lothian (region): Lothian (Edinburgh): Listening Valley, D. E. Stevenson (1944); The Geometry of Holding Hands, McCall Smith (2020); The Sweet Remnants of Summer, (2022); Young Mrs. Savage, D. E. Stevenson (1948)
• Lowlands: Rosabelle Shaw, D. E. Stevenson (1937)
• Strathclyde (region): Kidnapped, R. L. Stevenson (1886)
• Tayside (region): The Lighthouse Stevensons, B Bathurst (1999); Bell Rock lighthouse, off coast of Angus
• Western Isles (islands area):The Hills is Lonely, Lillian Beckwith (1959); Spring Magic, D. E. Stevenson (1942)
• Shetland (islands area):
• Orkney (islands area):
• Borders (region): The Baker's Daughter, D. E. Stevenson
• Central (region): Olive, Dinah Mulock Craik; book begins in Stirling
• Dumfries and Galloway (region): Three Things You Need to Know About Rockets by Jessica A Fox; Confessions of a Bookseller, Shaun Bythell; The 39 Steps, John Buchan
• Fife (region):
• Grampian (region): Dangerous Work, Arthur Conan Doyle (2012); Peterhead, Aberdeenshire
• Highland (region): Smouldering Fire, D. E. Stevenson (1935); The Highland Widow, Sir Walter Scott (1827)
• Lothian (region): Lothian (Edinburgh): Listening Valley, D. E. Stevenson (1944); The Geometry of Holding Hands, McCall Smith (2020); The Sweet Remnants of Summer, (2022); Young Mrs. Savage, D. E. Stevenson (1948)
• Lowlands: Rosabelle Shaw, D. E. Stevenson (1937)
• Strathclyde (region): Kidnapped, R. L. Stevenson (1886)
• Tayside (region): The Lighthouse Stevensons, B Bathurst (1999); Bell Rock lighthouse, off coast of Angus
• Western Isles (islands area):The Hills is Lonely, Lillian Beckwith (1959); Spring Magic, D. E. Stevenson (1942)
• Shetland (islands area):
• Orkney (islands area):
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Wales
Clwyd - comprises Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham: The Moorland Cottage, Elizabeth Gaskell (1850); Ruth, Elizabeth Gaskell (1853)
Dyfed - comprises Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire: Winter at Thrush Green, Miss Read (1961)
Gwent - comprises Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen
Gwynedd - comprises Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey
Mid Glamorgan - comprises Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf
Powys - comprises Powys
South Glamorgan - comprises Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan:
West Glamorgan- comprises Neath Port Talbot, Swansea: "Extraordinary Little Cough", Dylan Thomas (1940 short story)
Welsh coast: fictitious coastal town of Marchbolt: The Boomerang Clue, Christie (1934)
Clwyd - comprises Conwy, Denbighshire, Flintshire, Wrexham: The Moorland Cottage, Elizabeth Gaskell (1850); Ruth, Elizabeth Gaskell (1853)
Dyfed - comprises Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire: Winter at Thrush Green, Miss Read (1961)
Gwent - comprises Blaenau Gwent, Caerphilly, Monmouthshire, Newport, Torfaen
Gwynedd - comprises Gwynedd, Isle of Anglesey
Mid Glamorgan - comprises Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taf
Powys - comprises Powys
South Glamorgan - comprises Cardiff, Vale of Glamorgan:
West Glamorgan- comprises Neath Port Talbot, Swansea: "Extraordinary Little Cough", Dylan Thomas (1940 short story)
Welsh coast: fictitious coastal town of Marchbolt: The Boomerang Clue, Christie (1934)
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Canada: Provinces
Alberta:
British Columbia:
Manitoba:
New Brunswick:
Newfoundland & Labrador:
Northwest Territories:
Nova Scotia: Second Words: Selected Critical Prose, Margaret Atwood (1982)
Nunavut:
Ontario: Lady Oracle, Margaret Atwood (1976); Hag-Seed, Atwood (2016); Roughing It In the Bush, Susanna Moodie (1852)
Prince Edward Island: Emily of New Moon, L. M. Montgomery (1923); Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery (1908)
Quebec: Still Life, Louise Penny (2005); Oscar Peterson: The Will to Swing, Gene Lees (1990)
Saskatchewan:
Yukon:
Alberta:
British Columbia:
Manitoba:
New Brunswick:
Newfoundland & Labrador:
Northwest Territories:
Nova Scotia: Second Words: Selected Critical Prose, Margaret Atwood (1982)
Nunavut:
Ontario: Lady Oracle, Margaret Atwood (1976); Hag-Seed, Atwood (2016); Roughing It In the Bush, Susanna Moodie (1852)
Prince Edward Island: Emily of New Moon, L. M. Montgomery (1923); Anne of Green Gables, L. M. Montgomery (1908)
Quebec: Still Life, Louise Penny (2005); Oscar Peterson: The Will to Swing, Gene Lees (1990)
Saskatchewan:
Yukon:
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USA: States
Alabama:
Alaska:
Arizona: The Devil's Highway, Luis Alberto Urrea (2005)
Arkansas: They Called Us Enemy, George Takei (2019)
California: The Buddha in the Attic, Julie Otsuka (2011); Epitaph for a Peach, David Mas Masumoto (1995); The Perfect Peach, David Mas Masumoto (2013); Secret Harvests, David Mas Masumoto (2023)
Colorado: Funny Things: A comic Strip Biography of Charles M. Schulz, Luca Debus and Francesco Matteuzzi (2023)
Connecticut: (New Haven): The Light of the World, Elizabeth Alexander (2015); Country Place, Ann Petry (1947)
Delaware:
Florida: The Summer of the Great-Grandmother, L'Engle (1974); The Shawl, Cynthia Ozick (1983)
Georgia:
Hawaii:
Idaho:
Illinois: (Chicago): Passing, Nella Larsen (1929); Chicago in 50 Objects, Gustaitis (2021); The Natural, Bernard Malamud (1952); Maud Martha, Gwendolyn Brooks (1953); Soldiers with Picks and Shovels, Tom Emery (2011) (Carlinville); The Girls, Edna Ferber (1921); Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury (1962)
Indiana: The Anthropocene Reviewed, John Green (2021)
Iowa:
Kansas:
Kentucky:
Louisiana: A Pair of Silk Stockings and Other Stories, Kate Chopin (1897); A Streetcar Named Desire, T. Williams (1947)
Maine: The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories, Sarah Orne Jewett (1896)
Maryland: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass (1845)
Massachusetts: (Boston): Alexander's Bridge, Willa Cather (1912); Scales to Scalpels, Lisa Wong, M.D. (2012); The House of the Seven Gables, Hawthorne (1851)
Michigan: The Diary of an Isle Royale School Teacher, Dorothy Simonson (1988); Heat Lightning, Helen Hull (1932)
Minnesota: Staggerford, Jon Hassler (1977); The Betsy-Tacy Treasury, Maud Hart Lovelace (1943), Mankato
Mississippi: The Optimist's Daughter, Eudora Welty (1972) (also Louisiana)
Missouri: Now in November, Josephine Johnson (1934); no place stated, but Johnson lived on a farm in Missouri; Truman, David McCullough (1992); Independence and Kansas City
Montana: Young Men and Fire, Maclean, The Norman Maclean Reader, Norman Maclean; The Whistling Season, Ivan Doig (2006)
Nebraska: A Lost Lady, Willa Cather
Nevada:
New Hampshire:
New Jersey: The John McPhee Reader, John McPhee (1976)
New Mexico: The Man Made of Words: Essays, Stories, Passages, N. Scott Momaday (1997); The Professor's House, Willa Cather (1925)
New York: My Beloved World, Sotomayor (2013); The Touchstone, Edith Wharton (1900); All-of-A-Kind Family, Sydney Taylor (1951); Washington Square, Henry James (1880)
North Carolina:
North Dakota: The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach, Peter Schickele (1976): the U of Southern ND at Hoople(!);
Ohio: The Bluest Eye, Morrison (1970); The Wright Brothers, McCullough (2015); Winesburg, Ohio, Anderson (1919); The Pioneers, McCullough (2019)
Oklahoma:
Oregon:
Pennsylvania: (Johnstown) The Johnstown Flood, McCullough (1968); (Pittsburgh): Fences, August Wilson (1986)
Rhode Island:
South Carolina: Charleston: Hidden in Plain View, Tobin & Dobard (1999)
South Dakota:
Tennessee: Unearthing the Secret Garden, Marta McDowell (2021); Burnett first lived in TN in the U.S.
Texas:
Utah:
Vermont: Understood Betsy, Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1916)
Virginia: His Excellency: George Washington, Joseph Ellis (2004); The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane (1895)
Washington:
Washington, DC: Lincoln Reconsidered, David H. Donald; My Own Words, RBG (2016); Short Stories (Dover Thrift Editions), Louisa May Alcott (1863-74); Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave, Elizabeth Keckley (1868)
West Virginia: The Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Reader, Gates (2012); several essays about his boyhood in WV
Wisconsin: Caddie Woodlawn, Carol Ryrie Brink (1935); From These Shores, Skogsbergh (1975)
Wyoming:
Alabama:
Alaska:
Arizona: The Devil's Highway, Luis Alberto Urrea (2005)
Arkansas: They Called Us Enemy, George Takei (2019)
California: The Buddha in the Attic, Julie Otsuka (2011); Epitaph for a Peach, David Mas Masumoto (1995); The Perfect Peach, David Mas Masumoto (2013); Secret Harvests, David Mas Masumoto (2023)
Colorado: Funny Things: A comic Strip Biography of Charles M. Schulz, Luca Debus and Francesco Matteuzzi (2023)
Connecticut: (New Haven): The Light of the World, Elizabeth Alexander (2015); Country Place, Ann Petry (1947)
Delaware:
Florida: The Summer of the Great-Grandmother, L'Engle (1974); The Shawl, Cynthia Ozick (1983)
Georgia:
Hawaii:
Idaho:
Illinois: (Chicago): Passing, Nella Larsen (1929); Chicago in 50 Objects, Gustaitis (2021); The Natural, Bernard Malamud (1952); Maud Martha, Gwendolyn Brooks (1953); Soldiers with Picks and Shovels, Tom Emery (2011) (Carlinville); The Girls, Edna Ferber (1921); Something Wicked This Way Comes, Ray Bradbury (1962)
Indiana: The Anthropocene Reviewed, John Green (2021)
Iowa:
Kansas:
Kentucky:
Louisiana: A Pair of Silk Stockings and Other Stories, Kate Chopin (1897); A Streetcar Named Desire, T. Williams (1947)
Maine: The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories, Sarah Orne Jewett (1896)
Maryland: Narrative of the Life of Frederick Douglass, Frederick Douglass (1845)
Massachusetts: (Boston): Alexander's Bridge, Willa Cather (1912); Scales to Scalpels, Lisa Wong, M.D. (2012); The House of the Seven Gables, Hawthorne (1851)
Michigan: The Diary of an Isle Royale School Teacher, Dorothy Simonson (1988); Heat Lightning, Helen Hull (1932)
Minnesota: Staggerford, Jon Hassler (1977); The Betsy-Tacy Treasury, Maud Hart Lovelace (1943), Mankato
Mississippi: The Optimist's Daughter, Eudora Welty (1972) (also Louisiana)
Missouri: Now in November, Josephine Johnson (1934); no place stated, but Johnson lived on a farm in Missouri; Truman, David McCullough (1992); Independence and Kansas City
Montana: Young Men and Fire, Maclean, The Norman Maclean Reader, Norman Maclean; The Whistling Season, Ivan Doig (2006)
Nebraska: A Lost Lady, Willa Cather
Nevada:
New Hampshire:
New Jersey: The John McPhee Reader, John McPhee (1976)
New Mexico: The Man Made of Words: Essays, Stories, Passages, N. Scott Momaday (1997); The Professor's House, Willa Cather (1925)
New York: My Beloved World, Sotomayor (2013); The Touchstone, Edith Wharton (1900); All-of-A-Kind Family, Sydney Taylor (1951); Washington Square, Henry James (1880)
North Carolina:
North Dakota: The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach, Peter Schickele (1976): the U of Southern ND at Hoople(!);
Ohio: The Bluest Eye, Morrison (1970); The Wright Brothers, McCullough (2015); Winesburg, Ohio, Anderson (1919); The Pioneers, McCullough (2019)
Oklahoma:
Oregon:
Pennsylvania: (Johnstown) The Johnstown Flood, McCullough (1968); (Pittsburgh): Fences, August Wilson (1986)
Rhode Island:
South Carolina: Charleston: Hidden in Plain View, Tobin & Dobard (1999)
South Dakota:
Tennessee: Unearthing the Secret Garden, Marta McDowell (2021); Burnett first lived in TN in the U.S.
Texas:
Utah:
Vermont: Understood Betsy, Dorothy Canfield Fisher (1916)
Virginia: His Excellency: George Washington, Joseph Ellis (2004); The Red Badge of Courage, Stephen Crane (1895)
Washington:
Washington, DC: Lincoln Reconsidered, David H. Donald; My Own Words, RBG (2016); Short Stories (Dover Thrift Editions), Louisa May Alcott (1863-74); Behind the Scenes: Thirty Years a Slave, Elizabeth Keckley (1868)
West Virginia: The Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Reader, Gates (2012); several essays about his boyhood in WV
Wisconsin: Caddie Woodlawn, Carol Ryrie Brink (1935); From These Shores, Skogsbergh (1975)
Wyoming:
8kac522
February Reading Recap: Part I
Hard to believe, but I finished 14 books in February, although 6 were re-reads. So better get started....
10. Evil Under the Sun, Agatha Christie (1941); mystery
A holiday setting on the sea, with an off-shore island. Great characters as always and Poirot is in from the beginning. I was able to follow his solution and it seemed to make sense from what we are told.
11. Chasing Bright Medusas: A Life of Willa Cather, Benjamin Taylor (2023); biography
This is a loving, short biography of Willa Cather. Taylor weaves important events in Cather's life with summaries, extracts and analyses of her works as reflections of her life experiences. Bringing the woman and the writer together are quotes from Cather's letters, only recently available to scholars.
At only 180 pages, this is not a mammoth, all-inclusive tome, but rather a gentle and comforting introduction to her work, her loves and her character. If you're new to Cather, this is a wonderful place to start. If you know and love Cather, this is a real delight to read, like a visit with an old, beloved friend. My only disappoint was that there wasn't a chronology of important dates and works, but that is a minor flaw.
12. Bleak House, Charles Dickens (1853); fiction; re-read on audiobook
Dickens' long and scathing tale of the decades-old law case Jarndyce & Jarndyce, and how the legal system can leave families in ruin. The way things are working in our legal system today, I'm not sure all that much has changed. It's also about class, illegitimacy, forgiveness and so much more. I do love Mr Jarndyce. I can't say I had many new revelations on this reading, although I still loved it all the way through. I did not get bored with any section or side-plot (maybe only the droning of Mr Vholes). Because I'm currently re-reading Dickens in publication order, I noticed this time that at the end of David Copperfield, Traddles has a long monologue on the absurdities of the law, foreshadowing Dickens' next book, Bleak House. And near the end of Bleak House, Mr George goes to the Iron Country to visit his brother and we get a long description of the industrial north, foreshadowing Hard Times.
13. Nina Balatka, Anthony Trollope (1867); fiction; a re-read
Set in Prague, this is the love story of Nina Balatka, a Catholic and Anton Trendellsohn, a Jew, and their struggles with family and society because of their different faiths. Published anonymously, along with his next novel Linda Tressel, Trollope provides some detailed descriptions of Prague, which he had visited. The writing style is simple, and the characters are typical Trollope, showing sympathy for both of the lovers.
Before this re-read I had remembered the descriptions of Prague, but was vague on the story. I had particularly forgotten the friendship with Rebecca, a Jewish admirer of Anton's and the very dramatic ending. I found Rebecca's selflessness a bit hard to believe, but otherwise the story felt true. In particular, Trollope's passages inside of Nina's head were well done and more extensive than I remembered.
14. The Blush and Other Stories, Elizabeth Taylor (1958); short stories
Short story collections can be hit or miss for me. This collection has one gem after another. As Paul Bailey notes in the Introduction, Elizabeth Taylor's writing has an "effortlessness" that is truly remarkable--you are never aware of how concisely yet easily her stories unfold. I think my favorites were "The Ambush", "The Letter-Writers", "You'll Enjoy it When you Get There" and "The Blush." There was only one story that I didn't enjoy, but the writing was still exquisite.
15. John Bull's Other Island, George Bernard Shaw (1904); play
An Englishman and his Irish engineering partner leave London to visit the home town of the Irishman. Although the plot on the surface is about the engineering firm developing land in Ireland, it's really a discussion of the English and Irish. Shaw manages to satirize and criticize both. The play was not well received, either by English or Irish audiences, and it was rather so-so for me.
16. Hard Times, Charles Dickens (1854); re-read on audiobook
I am still processing my re-read of this novel. Set in the industrial north of England, it is thought by some to be his greatest achievement, but to me it feels like a didactic morality fable. The characters are stereotyped (both good and bad) and spout ideas that seem to come directly from Dickens himself, instead of from the characters themselves. Mercifully, it is one of his shortest novels. I can't help comparing it to Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, published right after Hard Times, which presents rounded and thoughtful characters in the industrialized North, who don't always have the answers.
Hard to believe, but I finished 14 books in February, although 6 were re-reads. So better get started....
10. Evil Under the Sun, Agatha Christie (1941); mystery
A holiday setting on the sea, with an off-shore island. Great characters as always and Poirot is in from the beginning. I was able to follow his solution and it seemed to make sense from what we are told.
11. Chasing Bright Medusas: A Life of Willa Cather, Benjamin Taylor (2023); biography
This is a loving, short biography of Willa Cather. Taylor weaves important events in Cather's life with summaries, extracts and analyses of her works as reflections of her life experiences. Bringing the woman and the writer together are quotes from Cather's letters, only recently available to scholars.
At only 180 pages, this is not a mammoth, all-inclusive tome, but rather a gentle and comforting introduction to her work, her loves and her character. If you're new to Cather, this is a wonderful place to start. If you know and love Cather, this is a real delight to read, like a visit with an old, beloved friend. My only disappoint was that there wasn't a chronology of important dates and works, but that is a minor flaw.
12. Bleak House, Charles Dickens (1853); fiction; re-read on audiobook
Dickens' long and scathing tale of the decades-old law case Jarndyce & Jarndyce, and how the legal system can leave families in ruin. The way things are working in our legal system today, I'm not sure all that much has changed. It's also about class, illegitimacy, forgiveness and so much more. I do love Mr Jarndyce. I can't say I had many new revelations on this reading, although I still loved it all the way through. I did not get bored with any section or side-plot (maybe only the droning of Mr Vholes). Because I'm currently re-reading Dickens in publication order, I noticed this time that at the end of David Copperfield, Traddles has a long monologue on the absurdities of the law, foreshadowing Dickens' next book, Bleak House. And near the end of Bleak House, Mr George goes to the Iron Country to visit his brother and we get a long description of the industrial north, foreshadowing Hard Times.
13. Nina Balatka, Anthony Trollope (1867); fiction; a re-read
Set in Prague, this is the love story of Nina Balatka, a Catholic and Anton Trendellsohn, a Jew, and their struggles with family and society because of their different faiths. Published anonymously, along with his next novel Linda Tressel, Trollope provides some detailed descriptions of Prague, which he had visited. The writing style is simple, and the characters are typical Trollope, showing sympathy for both of the lovers.
Before this re-read I had remembered the descriptions of Prague, but was vague on the story. I had particularly forgotten the friendship with Rebecca, a Jewish admirer of Anton's and the very dramatic ending. I found Rebecca's selflessness a bit hard to believe, but otherwise the story felt true. In particular, Trollope's passages inside of Nina's head were well done and more extensive than I remembered.
14. The Blush and Other Stories, Elizabeth Taylor (1958); short stories
Short story collections can be hit or miss for me. This collection has one gem after another. As Paul Bailey notes in the Introduction, Elizabeth Taylor's writing has an "effortlessness" that is truly remarkable--you are never aware of how concisely yet easily her stories unfold. I think my favorites were "The Ambush", "The Letter-Writers", "You'll Enjoy it When you Get There" and "The Blush." There was only one story that I didn't enjoy, but the writing was still exquisite.
15. John Bull's Other Island, George Bernard Shaw (1904); play
An Englishman and his Irish engineering partner leave London to visit the home town of the Irishman. Although the plot on the surface is about the engineering firm developing land in Ireland, it's really a discussion of the English and Irish. Shaw manages to satirize and criticize both. The play was not well received, either by English or Irish audiences, and it was rather so-so for me.
16. Hard Times, Charles Dickens (1854); re-read on audiobook
I am still processing my re-read of this novel. Set in the industrial north of England, it is thought by some to be his greatest achievement, but to me it feels like a didactic morality fable. The characters are stereotyped (both good and bad) and spout ideas that seem to come directly from Dickens himself, instead of from the characters themselves. Mercifully, it is one of his shortest novels. I can't help comparing it to Elizabeth Gaskell's North and South, published right after Hard Times, which presents rounded and thoughtful characters in the industrialized North, who don't always have the answers.
9kac522
February Reading Recap: Part II
17. Home/Land: A Memoir of Departure and Return, Rebecca Mead (2022); memoir
I picked this up because I enjoyed My Life in Middlemarch, in which Mead weaves the structure and themes of George Eliot's book with her own journey. Born in London, but raised in a small sea-side English village, Mead moved to New York City after university and has had a successful career in journalism. Around 2017 she and her American husband decided to move to London. The book starts out with thoughts and memories of New York; it slowly shifts to the move, musings on being "rootless" and finally wraps up in London. I wasn't as taken with Home/Land as her previous work, however, perhaps because by the end of the book I don't think I completely understood why Mead and her family decided to move to London. I found the book compelling to read because of the writing, but felt it was untethered in purpose. It wandered about for me, feeling more like a series of loosely connected essays.
18. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson (1883); fiction; a re-read on audiobook.
I enjoyed this classic children's adventure tale of young Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver so much more than my first reading about 10 years ago. I listened to about half on audiobook which helped and this edition & the Modern Library edition I picked up at the library had more background info, which greatly enhanced my reading. I think on my first reading I didn't always follow what was going on, but this time I did. After reading Conan Doyle's "White Company" in January, I'm impressed by how superior Stevenson's book is as an adventure tale and keeping my interest. It's also shorter, but every piece of action is leading to the eventual conclusion. Plus I think the first person narration here helps keep our interest and suspense.
19. Lady Susan, Jane Austen (1871 post.); fiction; re-read on audiobook
The delightful short epistolary novel about the scheming Lady Susan. Always a comforting re-read.
20. "Pygmalion" from George Bernard Shaw's Plays (Norton Critical Editions), George Bernard Shaw (1912); play; a re-read
I re-read Pygmalion from this Norton Critical Edition of Shaw's plays, which included the Preface and Epilogue written by Shaw. Probably Shaw's most famous play (later adapted as the musical "My Fair Lady"), it's the story of flower girl Eliza Doolittle and her encounter with speech teacher Henry Higgins. It's a play about class, language and strong vs. weak personalities. Shaw's original ending is completely different from the movie (and musical) versions. In Shaw's epilogue he makes it clear that he intendsNO romance between Eliza and Higgins. In fact he imagines that Eliza marries Freddy and they set up a flower shop (financed by Colonel Pickering). Lots to think about here in its original version.
21. Shaw on Music, George Bernard Shaw (1955); essays and reviews from the 1890s to 1930s
I skimmed through these essays, stopping to read ones that I found interesting. Most of the essays date from the 1890s, but there are a scattered few up to the 1930s. Shaw adored Wagner, and Herr Richard shows up in almost every essay, either as a subject or as a comparison to shame lesser beings attempting composition. There are also many essays on opera. The most interesting essay was the beginning piece on his own upbringing and musical education. His description of Messiah being sung (badly) by a cast of thousands is memorable. Paderewski makes an appearance as someone who hammers the piano to death while the orchestra competes and just about wins. There are a few positive reviews: a performance of Mendelssohn's "Elijah"'; The Hallé orchestra of Manchester performing Symphony Fantastique by Berlioz; and a review of a concert by locals in a remote Welsh village which Shaw found charming and surprisingly good.
22. Angel, Elizabeth Taylor (1957); fiction
Loosely based on the life of the Edwardian popular novelist Marie Corelli, this novel follows the life of Angel Deverell from age 15 to her death. At age 15 Angel begins writing sentimental romantic novels set in aristocratic settings and becomes a smash hit. But Angel is selfish, self-absorbed and essentially lives in the dream world of her creations. Taylor's novel is an excellent character study, but half-way through the book I was bored with Angel, her life and the people around her. I only finished the book because of Taylor's brilliant writing style, but the people and story line did not keep me wanting more. This may have worked better as a novella, or even parts as a short story, but it went on way too long for me.
23. The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach (1807-1742)?, Prof. Peter Schickele (1976); musical humor or humorous music--take your pick!
The great Peter Schickele died in January 2024 and I was fortunate to snag this book at a library sale in February. I can remember hearing his bits on radio (WFMT/Midnight Special) and loved them. Prof. Schickele "discovered" this "strangest stop on the Bach family organ." Schickele presents a life history, pictures, and descriptions of some of his works ("Such a Horrid Clang"), including the "Gross Concerto"; "Pervertimento" for Bagpipes, Bicycle and Balloons; "Serenude" for devious instruments; "Schleptet"; and "Concerto for Piano Versus Orchestra", just to name a few.
So much fun here--even in the footnotes, and the Index is a stitch on its own. I read it in bits & pieces throughout the month whenever I needed a good laugh.
17. Home/Land: A Memoir of Departure and Return, Rebecca Mead (2022); memoir
I picked this up because I enjoyed My Life in Middlemarch, in which Mead weaves the structure and themes of George Eliot's book with her own journey. Born in London, but raised in a small sea-side English village, Mead moved to New York City after university and has had a successful career in journalism. Around 2017 she and her American husband decided to move to London. The book starts out with thoughts and memories of New York; it slowly shifts to the move, musings on being "rootless" and finally wraps up in London. I wasn't as taken with Home/Land as her previous work, however, perhaps because by the end of the book I don't think I completely understood why Mead and her family decided to move to London. I found the book compelling to read because of the writing, but felt it was untethered in purpose. It wandered about for me, feeling more like a series of loosely connected essays.
18. Treasure Island, Robert Louis Stevenson (1883); fiction; a re-read on audiobook.
I enjoyed this classic children's adventure tale of young Jim Hawkins and Long John Silver so much more than my first reading about 10 years ago. I listened to about half on audiobook which helped and this edition & the Modern Library edition I picked up at the library had more background info, which greatly enhanced my reading. I think on my first reading I didn't always follow what was going on, but this time I did. After reading Conan Doyle's "White Company" in January, I'm impressed by how superior Stevenson's book is as an adventure tale and keeping my interest. It's also shorter, but every piece of action is leading to the eventual conclusion. Plus I think the first person narration here helps keep our interest and suspense.
19. Lady Susan, Jane Austen (1871 post.); fiction; re-read on audiobook
The delightful short epistolary novel about the scheming Lady Susan. Always a comforting re-read.
20. "Pygmalion" from George Bernard Shaw's Plays (Norton Critical Editions), George Bernard Shaw (1912); play; a re-read
I re-read Pygmalion from this Norton Critical Edition of Shaw's plays, which included the Preface and Epilogue written by Shaw. Probably Shaw's most famous play (later adapted as the musical "My Fair Lady"), it's the story of flower girl Eliza Doolittle and her encounter with speech teacher Henry Higgins. It's a play about class, language and strong vs. weak personalities. Shaw's original ending is completely different from the movie (and musical) versions. In Shaw's epilogue he makes it clear that he intends
21. Shaw on Music, George Bernard Shaw (1955); essays and reviews from the 1890s to 1930s
I skimmed through these essays, stopping to read ones that I found interesting. Most of the essays date from the 1890s, but there are a scattered few up to the 1930s. Shaw adored Wagner, and Herr Richard shows up in almost every essay, either as a subject or as a comparison to shame lesser beings attempting composition. There are also many essays on opera. The most interesting essay was the beginning piece on his own upbringing and musical education. His description of Messiah being sung (badly) by a cast of thousands is memorable. Paderewski makes an appearance as someone who hammers the piano to death while the orchestra competes and just about wins. There are a few positive reviews: a performance of Mendelssohn's "Elijah"'; The Hallé orchestra of Manchester performing Symphony Fantastique by Berlioz; and a review of a concert by locals in a remote Welsh village which Shaw found charming and surprisingly good.
22. Angel, Elizabeth Taylor (1957); fiction
Loosely based on the life of the Edwardian popular novelist Marie Corelli, this novel follows the life of Angel Deverell from age 15 to her death. At age 15 Angel begins writing sentimental romantic novels set in aristocratic settings and becomes a smash hit. But Angel is selfish, self-absorbed and essentially lives in the dream world of her creations. Taylor's novel is an excellent character study, but half-way through the book I was bored with Angel, her life and the people around her. I only finished the book because of Taylor's brilliant writing style, but the people and story line did not keep me wanting more. This may have worked better as a novella, or even parts as a short story, but it went on way too long for me.
23. The Definitive Biography of P.D.Q. Bach (1807-1742)?, Prof. Peter Schickele (1976); musical humor or humorous music--take your pick!
The great Peter Schickele died in January 2024 and I was fortunate to snag this book at a library sale in February. I can remember hearing his bits on radio (WFMT/Midnight Special) and loved them. Prof. Schickele "discovered" this "strangest stop on the Bach family organ." Schickele presents a life history, pictures, and descriptions of some of his works ("Such a Horrid Clang"), including the "Gross Concerto"; "Pervertimento" for Bagpipes, Bicycle and Balloons; "Serenude" for devious instruments; "Schleptet"; and "Concerto for Piano Versus Orchestra", just to name a few.
So much fun here--even in the footnotes, and the Index is a stitch on its own. I read it in bits & pieces throughout the month whenever I needed a good laugh.
