Themed Read February 2022: North American Authors and Settings

Welcome to our February 2022 Themed Read.

This thread is going up a little early to give everyone who wants to join in the chance to have their books lined up and ready to read.

Our theme this month is NORTH AMERICAN AUTHORS AND SETTINGS

When we picked this theme we knew that there was plenty of choice but we didn't realise quite how many books there were.

Here is a very long list!

Surfacing by Margaret Atwood (#8)
The Edible Woman by Margaret Atwood (#23)
Life Before Man by Margaret Atwood (#68)
Lady Oracle by Margaret Atwood (#81)
Bodily Harm by Margaret Atwood (#125)
Dancing Girls by Margaret Atwood (#136)

Enormous Changes at the Last Minute by Grace Paley (#9)
The Little Disturbances of Man by Grace Paley (#24)
The Collected Stories by Grace Paley (#700)

Two Serious Ladies by Jane Bowles (#10)
Everything Is Nice by Jane Bowles (#328)

A Lost Lady by Willa Cather (#21)
My Antonia by Willa Cather (#22)
The Professor’s House by Willa Cather (#57)
Death Comes for the Archbishop by Willa Cather (#58)
My Mortal Enemy by Willa Cather (#77)
The Song of the Lark by Willa Cather (#78)
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather (#127)
Shadows on the Rock by Willa Cather (#160)
Lucy Gayheart by Willa Cather (#182)
Sapphira and the Slave Girl by Willa Cather (#237)
One of Ours by Willa Cather (#272)
Alexander’s Bridge by Willa Cather (#339)

Tell Me a Riddle by Tillie Olsen (#38)
Yonnondio by Tillie Olsen (#39)

Sleepless Nights by Elizabeth Hardwick (#41)
The Ghostly Lover by Elizabeth Hardwick (#216)
The Simple Truth by Elizabeth Hardwick (#262)

The Shutter of Snow by Emily Holmes Coleman (#45)

Plagued by the Nightingale by Kay Boyle (#47)
Year Before Last by Kay Boyle (#225)
My Next Bride by Kay Boyle (#226)

The Yellow Wallpaper by Charlotte Perkins Gilman (#50)

The Sheltered Life by Ellen Glasgow (#61)
Virginia by Ellen Glasgow (#62)
Barren Ground by Ellen Glasgow (#219)

Cassandra at the Wedding by Dorothy Baker (#67)

Daughter of Earth by Agnes Smedley (#72)

Delta Wedding by Eudora Welty (#79)
The Robber Bridegroom by Eudora Welty (#80)
The Ponder Heart by Eudora Welty (#126)
The Optimist’s Daughter by Eudora Welty (#159)
Losing Battles by Eudora Welty (#208)
The Collected Stories by Eudora Welty (#454)

Brown Girl, Brownstones by Paule Marshall (#87)

The Reef by Edith Wharton (#117)
Roman Fever by Edith Wharton (#118)
The Fruit of the Tree by Edith Wharton (#145)
Madame de Treymes by Edith Wharton (#146)
Old New York by Edith Wharton (#179)
The Children by Edith Wharton (#180)
The Mother’s Recompense by Edith Wharton (#217)
Hudson River Bracketed by Edith Wharton (#218)
The Gods Arrive by Edith Wharton (#253)
The Age of Innocence by Edith Wharton (#298)
The House of Mirth by Edith Wharton (#331)
Ethan Frome by Edith Wharton (#365)
Glimpses of the Moon by Edith Wharton (#398)
The Custom of the Country by Edith Wharton (#399)
Twilight Sleep by Edith Wharton (#408)
Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton by Edith Wharton (#409)

Blood on the Dining Room Floor by Gertrude Stein (#166)

Smoke and other Early Stories by Djuna Barnes (#167)

The Collected Stories by Katherine Anne Porter (#181)

Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston (#199)
Jonah’s Gourd Vine by Zora Neale Hurston (#276)
Dust Tracks on a Road by Zora Neale Hurston (#713)

The Street by Ann Petry (#200)
The Narrows by Ann Petry (#798)

A Stricken Field by Martha Gellhorn (#206)
Liana by Martha Gellhorn (#248)

Her Son’s Wife by Dorothy Canfield (#220)
The Brimming Cup by Dorothy Canfield (#254)

One Way of Love by Gamel Woolsey (#239)

The Living Is Easy by Dorothy West (#241)
The Richer, the Poorer by Dorothy West (#430)
The Wedding by Dorothy West (#431)

Hungry Hearts and Other Stories by Anzia Yezierska (#250)

The Stone Angel by Margaret Laurence (#251)
A Jest of God by Margaret Laurence (#252)
The Fire-Dwellers by Margaret Lawrence (#304)
The Diviners by Margaret Laurence (#323)

Aleta Day by Francis Marion Beynon (#288)

Eight Cousins by Louisa May Alcott (#337)
A Rose in Bloom by Louisa May Alcott (#338)

The Rock Cried Out by Ellen Douglas (#351)

The Golden Spur by Dawn Powell (#372)

The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy (#389)
The Old Man and Me by Elaine Dundy (#517)

The Constant Sinner by Mae West (#400)
She Done Him Wrong by Mae West (#401)

A Virtuous Woman by Kaye Gibbons (#419)
Sights Unseen by Kaye Gibbons (#439)
Charms for the Easy Life by Kaye Gibbons (#440)
Ellen Foster by Kaye Gibbons (#450)

Heartburn by Nora Ephron (#422)

A Death in the Life by Dorothy Salisbury Davis (#426)

Daddy Was a Number Runner by Louise Meriwether (#434)

The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin (#436)

Seventh Heaven by Alice Hoffman (#445)

Dessa Rose by Sherley Anne Williams (#447)

Solstice by Joyce Carol Oates (#451)
Expensive People by Joyce Carol Oates (#452)
A Garden of Earthly Delights by Joyce Carol Oates (#472)

Kinflicks by Lisa Alther (#457)

A Woman of Independent Means by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey (#460)

New York Mosaic by Isabel Bolton (#464)

Original Sins by Lisa Alther (#473)

Manhattan, When I Was Young by Mary Cantwell (#478)

The Odd Woman by Gail Godwin (#479)
The Good Husband by Gail Godwin (#486)

Peyton Place by Grace Matalious (#480)

The Bondwoman’s Narrative by Hannah Crafts (#483)

Valley of the Dolls by Jacqueline Susann (#485)

84 Charing Cross Road by Helene Hanff (#487)

Paris Was Yesterday by Janet Flanner (#495)

Live Alone and Like It by Majorie Hillis (#510)

Confessions of a Failed Southern Lady by Florence Kinge (#521)

The Group by Mary McCarthy (#548)
The Company She Keeps by Mary McCarthy (#557)

Emily of New Moon) by L.M. Montgomery (#591)
Emily Climbs by L.M. Montgomery (#592)
Emily's Quest by L.M. Montgomery (#593)
Rilla of Ingleside by L.M. Montgomery (#619)
Jane of Lantern Hill by L.M. Montgomery (#620)
Anne of Green Gables by L. M. Montgomery (#675)
Anne of Avonlea by L. M. Montgomery (#676)
Anne of the Island by L. M. Montgomery (#677)
Anne of Windy Willows by L. M. Montgomery (#678)
Anne’s House of Dreams by L. M. Montgomery (#679)
Anne of Ingleside by L. M. Montgomery (#680)
Rainbow Valley by L. M. Montgomery (#681)

The Boy Who Followed Ripley by Patricia Highsmith (#605)
Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith (#607)
The Tremor of Forgery by Patricia Highsmith (#614)
A Suspension of Mercy by Patricia Highsmith (#621)
Those Who Walk Away by Patricia Highsmith (#626)
The Glass Cell by Patricia Highsmith (#628)
Little Tales of Misogyny by Patricia Highsmith (#629)
The Blunderer by Patricia Highsmith (#636)
Edith's Diary by Patricia Highsmith (#637)
Small G by Patricia Highsmith (#645)
Found in the Street by Patricia Highsmith (#646)
A Dog's Ransom by Patricia Highsmith (#647)
A Game for the Living by Patricia Highsmith (#648)
This Sweet Sickness by Patricia Highsmith (#662)
The Two Faces of January by Patricia Highsmith (#663)
People who Knock on the Door by Patricia Highsmith (#664)

What Katy Did by Susan Coolidge (#685)
What Katy Did at School by Susan Coolidge (#686)
What Katy Did Next by Susan Coolidge (#687)

Little Women by Louisa May Alcott (#703)
Good Wives by Louisa May Alcott (#704)
Little Men by Louisa May Alcott (#705)
Jo’s Boys by Louisa May Alcott (#706)

Corregidora by Gayl Jones (#708)
Eva’s Man by Gayl Jones (#711)
The Healing by Gayl Jones (#712)

Chasm: A Weekend by Dorothea Tanning (#710)

Our emphasis is on Virago Modern Classics but you are welcome to read any other book in keeping with the theme and the Virago ethos this month.

What will you be reading?

My goodness Jane, what a lot of choice!!! Thank you so much for putting this wonderful list together.

I had thought I would read the final Kate Fansler mystery I have, but seeing the list I may try to squeeze in another one too! 😊

>1 BeyondEdenRock: What an outstanding list. Perusing my own shelves, I expected to see Atwood, Cather, Wharton, and Laurence but wow, there are tons of choices.

May I suggest Margaret Laurence's The Fire Dwellers? Like the other three listed, it is part of the Manawaka Cycle. I loved all of those books.

>2 kaggsy: I already mentioned this on the January thread, but I think you absolutely MUST fit in another book!

-----

I've been (slowly) reading Hermione Lee's Edith Wharton biography, and it's re-kindled my interest in reading Wharton's books so I've chosen the Old New York novellas for February.

>3 lauralkeet: Well spotted! The Fire-Dwellers is #304 and I have edited it into the list.

Thank you for the reminder of the Wharton biography. I have it but probably won't get to it in February as there are too many books I want to read already.

I've had Corregidora sitting on my shelves for about 2 years now (unfortunately not a virago edition!), and I think I'll try to get to it. Fitting also because in the U.S., February is Black History Month. I know this is a tough book, but I will give it a go!

>3 lauralkeet: Yes, I do think I may have to chose something other than another Fansler... 🙄🙄🙄🙄

Oh my gosh, I've got so many of these it will be hard to choose.

>7 brenzi: My problem exactly!

I'll probably read one of the few Wharton's I haven't got to or Patricia Highsmith's last novel which I didn't know existed before seeing the list.

Looking at the list I realize I have read many of them already or never will (L M Montgomery series) (Too many books, too little time.) Some on the end of this list come from the later era of VMCs when, I think, they made some poor choices. But among the oddities I really enjoyed are the The Wedding, Her Son's Wife, and Manhattan When I was Young.

Could not find the last book by Highsmith in my library but they do have Deep Water which I also have not read. I have requested a copy from a branch library.

What riches to choose from! And thank you, Jane, for creating this wonderful list with touchstones!

Not sure what I'll choose. My first thought was another Wharton but the new Persephone edition of Canfield's The Deepening Stream arrived this week. Then again, there's Cassandra at the Wedding which was featured on the Backlisted podcast last October. Hmmm.

Finishing up Pointed Roofs for January which is a lovely read but also easy to set aside.

Oh, nice! A Jest of God and Anne of Green Gables have both been on my TBRs for a while. I think I'll go with either or both, if I find the time.

An outstanding list - I have several - and many others that I have read. I am leaning toward The Narrows by Ann Petry - though I'll see how the mood takes me.

Oh, oh, I've just noticed I'm reading Maya Angelou's Mom & Me & Mom so I'm taking part without even having realised it!

There are more books on that list that I want to read than I can read in a single month. I'm thinking of A Woman of Independent Means, Cassandra at the Wedding and The Deepening Stream but I could fit the latter two into later themes and read something else.

>15 BeyondEdenRock: I'm the same - so many on the shelves which I'd love to pick up. Having a hard time choosing!!

I'm going to read Tillie Olsen (I have both works in one volume) and The shutter of snow, which has been on my TBR pile for a very long time! It's a tough choice as like many of you, I own a lot of these books!

Have started to read Smoke and other early stories by Djuna Barnes and it's marvellous - let down by a stupid introduction which seems to almost be apologising for the fact that these are 'newspaper stories' and not Nightwood, when they're brilliant and full of stunning language. I thought I must have read these years ago, but can't remember anything so far, so reading them is a real joy! 😊😊

I originally planned to read Wharton's Old New York this month but as I was organizing my February reads I realized oops, I've already read it! I want to use this challenge to make a dent in my unread Viragos, so thank goodness for the excellent list of books above.

I think I'll read Yonnondio instead.

I have The Bondwoman's Narrative by Hannah Crafts as my next read. According to Wikipedia, the book written in the 1850s may be the first novel by an African-American woman.
February is Black History Month in the US so I thought that it would be appropriate reading.

I read (along with Ali and another friend) Mom & Me & Mom by Maya Angelou, which was a lovely read and round-off to our voyage through all her memoirs. Review on my blog https://librofulltime.wordpress.com/2022/02/10/book-review-maya-angelou-mom-and-...

I finished the four short pieces in Tell me a riddle and found them extremely powerful. I'm now reading The shutter of snow which is an immersive depiction of mental illness.

I have just started my third book for this month's theme.

Book 1 was A Woman of Independent Means by Elizabeth Forsythe Hailey. It was a very well executed epistolary novel and so readable. At first it didn't feel like a VMC but in time I realised that the letter writer was force of nature and the book was a good fit for Virago.

Book 2 was Her Son's Wife by Dorothy Canfield (Fisher). The blurb on my copy make it sound one dimensional, and I thought it was as much about lack of communication and different generations not understanding each other as it was about a domineering mother. Great ideas but I felt there were flaws in the execution, so I have to say that is not my favourite of her books.

Book 3 is Plagued by the Nightingale by Kay Boyle. I am not far in, but I can say already that the writing is lovely.

>23 BeyondEdenRock: Those are great choices Jane!

I have finished Smoke and other early Stories by Djuna Barnes and thought it was a brilliant collection, despite the fact that the introduction seemed to be almost apologising for the stories!!! Interestingly, there is a short afterword from Kay Boyle. I do have a couple of her books and although I probably won't get to them this month, I shall try to keep them on the radar!

I read A Lost Lady by Willa Cather (1923). This slim volume (150 pages) felt like a fable or parable to me. The story is set in a railroad town between Omaha and Denver circa the 1890s. Living in a large home at the top of a hill are the young and beautiful Marian Forrester and her husband, the elderly and congenial Captain Forrester. Mrs Forrester is alluring to young man for miles around, and this tale is told through the eyes of young Niel Herbert. But as times get hard on the prairie, Mrs. Forrester's charms, like the town, the railroad and even her stately home, begin to fade as the unscrupulous speculators and financial panics of that era ruin lives and livelihoods.

Cather writes in simple, yet beautiful, prose, that is filled with color. Although nostalgic in tone, Cather seems to be painting the allure of the American West for young men, and how that glow fades as the reality of its harsh life sets in. To me Mrs Forrester represents that promising call of the West, always beckoning, but ever elusive.

I finished The shutter of snow which was excellent if harrowing at times.

I started The Narrows by Ann Petry last night. Only read about 50 pages but already love it.

I read Corregidora by Gayl Jones this month. Obviously an important voice, but the graphic violence just was really too much for me.

>28 japaul22: I read that book a couple of years ago, for a course. It was tough going.

This week I read Yonnondio, set in the Great Depression. The novel’s origins are interesting, because Olsen wrote some of it, set it aside for many years, and assembled the rest from drafts and fragments. But as a result, it was a disjointed story that I failed to connect with.

I had much the same reaction Laura. Didn't think much of it when I read it about ten years ago.

In the meantime... I finally got the Patricia Highsmith novel I planned to read this month. I ordered it from the library but it was out, and then not returned till now. 3 chapters in and it's standard Highsmith so far.

I read and really enjoyed The Dud Avocado by Elaine Dundy.

“Last night was one of THOSE evenings. I wouldn't know what to call it. Eventful in an uneventful way. Boring; but interesting. Nothing much happening on the surface and everybody seething and stewing underneath---changing character all over the place." Page 180

I don't think I've read another novel where the protagonist came roaring off the page like Sally Jay Gorce does in this book. A twenty year old American girl who is spending the year (1958) in Paris, she is so fresh, so dynamic, so filled with energy that I couldn't help cheer her on as she faced one disaster after another. Lots of books have been written about Americans abroad but this one is the one that will stand out for me. All the characterizations are great but Sally Jay will stay with me for sure. Wild and wonderful.Enhanced by the terrific Backlisted podcast.

>31 brenzi: I am trying to read only books I already own for this themed read. And honestly, I thought I owned this one and was excited to read it. But I don't have it, so I had to choose something else, darn it.

I'm late chiming in here, and I've loaded myself up with challenges and shared reads already in 2022, but I may try to get to The Brimming Cup before the month is out. I have lots of Dorothy Canfield (Fisher)'s work on hand, in Virago editions and otherwise, but the only thing I've read is Understood Betsy.

>32 lauralkeet: You hold yourself to such high standards Laura lol. I actually read the NYRB copy I own. I just wanted to read this book so 🤷‍♀️

My review of Djuna Barnes is now up on my blog here:

https://kaggsysbookishramblings.wordpress.com/2022/02/25/i-talk-one-language-you...

Absolutely loved it and wouldn’t have picked it up right now if it wasn’t for our prompts! 😊

I finished Deep Water by Patricia Highsmith last night. I think I have read almost all of her books, some of which remain personal favorites. The Ripley series (which IMO should be read from the beginning) are wonderful and Ripley's Game sits in my Top 20 favorite books of all time. This one, however, did not impress me. Two awful people, in a dreadful marriage, limp on to the book's inevitable conclusion.

I have just posted my review of The Narrows for anyone interested. I thought it was brilliant.
https://heavenali.wordpress.com/2022/02/27/the-narrows-ann-petry-1953/

I couldn't get started on anything this month - I've been rather unwell - even though I have lots unread in the list of suggestions above. I'll have another go with next month's theme.

Hope you feel better Kerry!

>39 lippincote: Thank you, it's only a bad cough/cold (not Covid) but it's hanging on and on.

I read Tell me a riddle and A shutter of snow both of which were bleak but powerful (Shutter did have some humour in it).