May AuthorCAT - Authors From Your Own Country

May is the time to read books from your own country. You can take this quite literally and read books from your own country but you also could choose to identify with a particular people or culture. An example would be if you live in Minnesota, USA, you could read a book written by an author from the USA (country), Minnesota (state), or even the town such as , Sauk Centre (Sinclair Lewis). Or you may identify a specific group such as Native American, Louise Erdrich from Little Falls, Minnesota or Scandinavian (Minnesota has a large population of Scandinavians); Norwegian American author Ole Edvart Rølvaag of Giants in the Earth.
The same could apply to any country that you might be from. You might be living in Turkey but you're really from the US or you're living in the US and immigrated here from Iran. Let us know what you'll be reading and how your author is "from your own country".

Don't forget to post to the Wiki; https://wiki.librarything.com/index.php/2022_AuthorCAT

An author from the UK is very easy, I think I will need to find a way to make this a bit more challenging

I'll take this opportunity to read more Gabrielle Roy (Canadian author). I have a short story collection of hers on my shelf, called Un jardin au bout du monde.

This would also fit for CATWoman (plus it would be a reread), but I have so many to choose from, so this is a maybe:
Anne of Green Gables / L.M. Montgomery

If I decide on it, though, I'll do an audio version (my library has 5 or 6!).

As >2 Robertgreaves: says, it's a bit easy to pull a UK author off the shelf, so the way I've decided to do it is to read one book from the area I'm from originally (Northamptonshire in England), and one from the area I live now (Stirlingshire in Scotland). So I'll be reading Little Grey Men by B.B., and A Sky Full of Kites (no touchstone yet) by Tom Bowser, which is about the Argaty Red Kite centre based on his parents' farm, just up the road from me now near Doune in Stirlingshire.

I have 3 Rhode Island (state, USA) authors to choose from: Ann Hood, Padma Venkatraman, and Vanessa Lillie. I'll have to see what I feel like in May.

Not sure how much reading time I'll have so I may wait to decide whether I'll go for the US or a specific state.

Only about 300-400 to choose from!

I may read Life Among the Piutes: Their Wrongs and Claims by Sarah Winnemucca, which has been on my tbr for a while.

I was surprised to find that well known romance author, Welsh born Mary Balogh moved to Canada in 1967 and has lived in the province of Saskatchewan ever since. I plan on reading Slightly Wicked by this author.

I'm considering The Rules of Backyard Cricket by Jock Serong.

There was an article in the local paper today about the newest book by Don Winslow who grew up in RI and still had a summer home just down the road and has placed his newest book in RI. Maybe I'll read that. According to my lists here, I apparently read another of his books back in 2008 but I don't remember any of it.

>12 dudes22: What’s RI?

My hold for What Happened to the Bennetts came in so I will be reading that. The author was born in Philadelphia and currently maintains a home in Chester County, PA.

>13 pamelad: - Sorry - Rhode Island - smallest state in the USA. (see #6)

I've had Townie on my list for years. Perhaps it is time to give this memoir set in Massachusetts a try. I really liked House of Sand and Fog as I recall.

I've had Townie on my list for years. Perhaps it is time to give this memoir set in Massachusetts a try. I really liked House of Sand and Fog as I recall.
Another option for me would be a Hank Phillipi Ryan mystery. I've always wanted to add these to my mystery series. We'll see what pops this month.

I've added A Town Called Solace to my library request list and will be reading it as well as my other selection. I previously loved Crow Lake and I have been looking forward to this one.

I will be reading The League of Frightened Men by Rex Stout, who is from my own family as well as my own country. He's my 3rd cousin 3x removed.

I started the month off with a 5 star read! A Town Called Solace by Mary Lawson was a wonderful read and I highly recommend it.

Adding The Strays by Emily Bitto to my proposed May Australian reads. It won the Stella Prize. Also adding The Fallout by Garry Disher.

>20 DeltaQueen50: I second your recommendation of A Town Called Solace. Wonderful book.

I plan to read Parting Shot by Linwood Barclay.

Since I'm in the US, I anticipate that a lot of my reading this month will work for this CAT! I just finished the excellent Miles Errant by Lois McMaster Bujold, who (according to Wikipedia) was born in central Ohio and now lives in Minneapolis.

I finished Main Street by Sinclair Lewis, set in a fictionalized town based on Sauk Centre, Minnesota which is about an hour from where I live. This book also represents rural, small town America which also represents my "tribe".

Writing a semi-autobiographical novel set in one’s hometown is a frequent way for authors to settle scores and exorcise demons, and sometimes even wax a bit nostalgic. Carl Van Vechten’s The Tattooed Countess is set in his native Cedar Rapids, IA—-a town he left very far behind him.

Janet O'Daniel's The Cliff Hangers, which I finished yesterday, is set in her hometown of Ithaca, New York.

>26 NinieB: I see Ithaca is identified by name. I assume it’s a flattering portrait.

>27 booksaplenty1949: The setting is 100% authentic, with real street names, accurate geography, etc., but all the characters are fictional as far as I know. There's no score-settling or demon-exorcising; it's just an enjoyable tale of movie-making in the days before Hollywood had been invented.

I have finished Baba Dunjas letzte Liebe. Alina Bronsky was born in Russia but came to Germany as a child and writes in German. This one is about an old woman who returns to her native village near Tchernobyl to be independent and live a better life than in the decaying town nearby. She's quite a character.

>28 NinieB: Stephen Leacock’s Sunshine Sketches of a Little Town is a much-loved Canadian humour classic, set in a thinly-disguised Orillia, ON, where Leacock had a summer cottage. Apparently the recognisable local characters, businesses, church etc didn’t seem so quaint and entertaining to the Orillians of the time, although later generations have embraced “Mariposa” as their heritage.

>30 booksaplenty1949: Ooh, I've read that one! I can see where some Orillians might have gotten their dander up.

I just read In a Dark, Dark Wood by Cece Louise, who is from Wisconsin.

>4 LibraryCin: L M Montgomery wrote a later novel, Jane of Lantern Hill, partly set in Toronto where Montgomery was living at the time. PEI also makes an appearance but at this point in Montgomery’s life it was less a real place and more of a magic destination where dreams came true and intractable problems were solved.

>33 booksaplenty1949: I don't remember if I've read that one, or not. But thank you for mentioning it. I will check if it's on my list (though if I read it long ago, it might not be, anyway).

I have already started listening to Anne of Green Gables, but I would certainly add "Jane" if I haven't read it already (or it's not marked as being read!).

I will probably combine this CAT with my own personal historical fiction challenge (read a book of more than 500 pages) and do a re-read of Gone with the Wind.

I finished The Fallout, the sixth book in Garry Disher's Wyatt series. Wyatt and the other characters are moving round parts of Melbourne and Victoria that I know well, which adds a layer of enjoyment. A tautly written thriller from a reliable writer.

>35 Tess_W: I read GWTW five times in elementary/high school. Can pretty much quote it chapter and verse. Obviously had to come to grips in adult life with the fact that its view of the Civil War etc is all wrong, but as a piece of story-telling it’s pretty impressive.

>34 LibraryCin: Any notable novels set in Calgary?

>38 booksaplenty1949: I don't think there's a lot set right in Calgary, but one of my book clubs read one last year:
The Figgs / Ali Bryan

There's a YA one I read years ago in library school, too:
The McIntyre Liar / David Bly

Of course, I've read both of these! I should see if there is something "closer to home", so to speak.

>39 LibraryCin: Was it you who mentioned once that you grew up in Saskatchewan? Anthony Bidulka is a mystery writer from Saskatoon whose books I enjoy.

I have finished Lorettas letzter Vorhang, which is a historical mystery set in 1767 Hamburg and I learned quite a lot about the printing of cotton cloth "in the East Asian manner".

>40 Robertgreaves: You have a good memory! And oh... he's not one I've heard of, but I will take a look! Thank you!

ETA: I lied - just didn't recognize the name. I have the first in the series on the (virtual) tbr. Someone else must have mentioned him to me at some point.

I finished The Country of the Pointed Firs and Other Stories by Sarah Orne Jewett (1896). Our unnamed narrator, a woman writer of a certain age, spends a summer in small fishing village on the Maine coast, a place in America I have never visited. This serene and lovely little collection of pieces was exactly the right book at the right time for me. It reminded me in a way of Elizabeth Gaskell's Cranford, where women seem to play a larger role in daily life. So glad to have found this quiet American classic, full of simple truths and wisdom, and a wonderful picture of small-town life in America at the end of the 19th century.

>39 LibraryCin: https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/calgary/calgary-reads-authors-books-about-calgary... I actually own In the Bear’s House, written by a former colleague. Will put on my reading list ASAP.

I read book #3 of The Virgin River series, Whispering Rock by Robyn Carr meh 3 stars

>44 booksaplenty1949: Oh, cool! Thank you.

I don't know why I didn't think of 419 by Will Ferguson. I know he's from here, and I guess only the beginning is set here, though - as usual - it was fun to read about places I know!

I believe I have Plainsong by Nancy Huston (I don't think I've read it yet), but I didn't realize it was set here!

Probably the CAT is primarily for fiction authors. However, I just finished reading a memoir, In the Arena: A Memoir of Love, War, and Politics by Chuck Robb, a Virginia politician, who was both a governor and a U.S. Senator. Outside of Virginia he might be primarily known as the husband of Linda {Bird} Johnson, LBJ's oldest daughter. Mr. Robb has accomplished a lot in his life; since his elected public life ended over 20 years ago, he has served on numerous commissions and boards. Foremost, he considers himself a Marine. This memoir primarily covers his life through his elected life.

I'm also reading two short story collections for CATWoman which are by U.S. authors although not from the state in which I am currently living, and possibly a novel, which I will include in this challenge.

>47 sallylou61: I think nonfiction is just fine.

>48 Kristelh: Thanks.

June thread posted here:
https://www.librarything.com/topic/341759

Anne of Green Gables / L. M. Montgomery
4 stars

Anne is 11-years old and an orphan when she is brought to middle-aged siblings Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert on Prince Edward Island. They had sent word that they wanted a boy to help with the chores, but there was a miscommunication and they ended up with a girl. They hadn’t the heart to send back the chatty girl who wormed her way into their hearts, despite all the foibles she made along the way.

This was a reread. I read it as a teenager. For this reread, I listened to an audio version. The CBC mini-series from the mid-80s with Megan Follows is one of my all-time favourite movies. Because of that, there was no way I could picture anything else but the characters in that movie as I listened to the book. But that’s ok by me. The book had a few additional happenings that they didn’t put in the movie and the movie expanded on some of the happenings in the book. I don’t know how anyone could not help but love Anne. (Well, to be honest, I’d probably have a harder time of it in real life – as an adult, anyway; I’m sure as a kid, I would have loved her.)

>51 LibraryCin: Latest CBC version—-Anne with an E—-elaborates on themes only alluded to in the book: Anne’s abusive previous placements, Matthew and Marilla’s backstory, etc. As someone who read and re-read the Anne books as a child I found this TV series helped me to understand why they were so powerful.

I have finished Aufstand der Fischer von St. Barbara, the first published work of Anna Seghers which won a prestigious award and was very contentious at the time.

I read Parting Shot by Canadian author Linwood Barclay the 4th episode in the Promise Falls "trilogy" that I really enjoyed.

Jeremy Pilford, a teenager who was charged with killing s girl while drunk was acquitted on the defense that his mother pampered him so much he wasn't able to tell right from wrong. He became known as the Big Baby in the news and social media, causing a humiliation as bad or worse than a guilty verdict. When he received death threats Cal Weaver was hired to protect him. This doesn't stop his assailant who mysteriously is able to stay close to Cal and Jeremy.

>52 booksaplenty1949: Oh, yes. I did watch that series, as well!

Offshore / Catherine Dook
3.5 stars

Catherine and her husband John live on a boat off the coast of British Columbia. This book details a few short sailing trips they took, mostly with the intention of being gone longer than they were, turning back mostly due to weather issues (and not really being very good sailors!). On the trip where they’d hoped to sail to Hawaii, they brought two additional crew members, Aussie John and Kiwi John; at that point, Catherine’s husband was “John Darling”.

This was short and I had to shake my head a bit at the foibles. But it was entertaining and a bit amusing with some humour thrown in. I enjoyed it.

I just finished Victory of Eagles by Naomi Novik, who I believe is from Long Island and lives in Manhattan. One of the strongest installments in the Temeraire series so far!

I have read Slightly Wicked by Mary Balogh.

Emily Henry, author of Book Lovers, is from Ohio and Kentucky, USA.

I've read: Two from The Cat Who series by Lilian Braun, Clair de Lune by Jetta Carleton, Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Giles and Five Decembers by James Kestrel.

Welllll, I guess I deleted this, it disappeared. Two from the Cat Who mystery series by Lilian Braun, Simon the Fiddler by Paulette Giles, Five Decembers by James Kestrel.

Most of the books I read this month fit this category. Short & Tall Tales by Lilian Jackson Braun, Run Rose Run by James Patterson & Dolly Parton, The Brain Is Kind of A Big Deal by Nick Seluk, and The Polar Express by Charles Van Allsburg. Also the anthologies I Shudder At Your Touch and Among Animals 3 contained American authors.

I've read two more books by American authors; both are short story collections by a single author.
Hitting a Straight Lick with a Crooked Stick by Zora Neale Hurston, edited by Genevieve West, contains 21 short pieces which Hurston wrote during the Harlem Renaissance. Most of the pieces are set in either Harlem or in Easton, Florida, where Hurston grew up. They feature a lot of dialect, and many have religious connections. Some are numbered lists; this is why I'm calling them pieces instead of stories. Ms. West discovered these stories in publications, mainly magazines, of the period or in manuscript form in archives.

My husband and I enjoy going to Chincoteague on the eastern Virginia shore, and usually buy some books as souvenirs. We went earlier this week, and I purchased Eastern Shore Shorts by Gail Priest, an author I had never heard of. I really enjoyed this volume of 9 short stories set in various towns on the eastern shore of Maryland and Virginia. The stories are tied together with main characters from one story making cameo appearances in other stories.

I have finished Farina Der Parfümeur von Köln, about the creator of the original Eau de Cologne.

I finished A Sky Full of Kites which is the inspirational story of the founding and growth of Argaty Red Kites, a farm a few miles away from where I now live which is being rewilded and has found itself home not only to kites but also red squirrels, ospreys, and most recently beavers.

I was hoping to get to an author from my home state of NJ this month, but the closest I came was from NY, Mao II by Don Delillo. I did have two other books by American authors this month; Wishful Drinking by Carrie Fisher & Shadows for Silence in the Forests of Hell by Brandon Sanderson.

I'm rather late with my update, but I did end up reading a number of Canadian works over the past month. I'm a voting member for the Aurora Awards for Canadian science-fiction and fantasy, so I've been trying to read through the shortlist.

A standout from the books I'd read is Jade Legacy, the final book in Fonda Lee's Green Bones saga. I highly recommend the entire series, which is a bit like A Game of Thrones, but in an Asian setting and featuring superhuman martial arts. Lee lives in the US now but is from Canada, and I had the pleasure of attending one of her readings when she was at a nearby book festival.