It feels good to be back here. Much is happening all the time (and everyone are such pros with Twitter and Techonrati and much more and I am feeling stupid, and not sure I even know how to Tweet "correctly") and I have cleaned up a bit now on the blog. I removed the challenge-buttons, and now only keep the book-lists. Am not doing overly good, though, but will get through. I also removed the Weekly Geeks-button with the tree, which apparently we were not supposed to use due to a copyright-question. Now the sidebar has a cleaner look, I think.I haven't been back here for many days and am still playing catch up on my fave blogs. And since I have around 100 fave blogs, it does take me some days to visit all of them. But I'll get there. Today I went by Eva at A Striped Armchair and stumbled upon this post. A Southern Reading Challenge! Wow, I just had to sign up for that, so I went to visit Maggie, who is hosting this challenge and who has a fresh looking and beautiful blog.
Now I know just a thing or two (it isn't much) about Southern literature and actually think that the books I am reading right now (A Confederacy of Dunces by John Kennedy Toole and Heaven's Prisoners by James Lee Burke) and some of the books I have on some of my other Challenge Lists (Jesus out to Sea by James Lee Burke, To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee and Absalom, Absalom! by W. Faulkner) would qualify for this challenge.
But what I am asking for here is of anyone has any suggestions of what other books I could put on my Southern Challenge List? Below is a short abstract of "the rules" of the challenge.
"You may choose to read any style of Southern book such as Appalachian tales, Civil War sagas, Gothic myths, Grit lit, and heart-wrenching biographies. Just as long as you read three (fiction or nonfiction) between May 15th and August 15th."
Thanks a lot in advance - I am looking forward to your suggestions, even though Maggie of course also has a list of suggestions. Anf come to think of it, what really makes a book "Southern Reading"?
11 comments:
A Southern book is set in the south and written by people from that area. We are speaking south of the Mason-Dixon line in America. Many use the civil war as a determinant. If you faught for the confederacy you are a southern state or if you had the right to own slaves during this period you are southern. This allows Missouri, Texas and Arkansas to pretent they are southern. lol
For your choices, they all fit the rules and I LUB Confederacy of Dunces! Good Luck and thanks for joining!
If you haven't read Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain, I'd add that to your list.
And I've just finished March by Geraldine Brooks - she's an Autralian writer who now lives in the US, but the book is about the American Civil War. Loved it.
I joined that challenge last year, and then completely bailed.
However, one of the books on my list was The Heart is a Lonely Hunter by Carson McCullers. I didn't finish it, but it's definitely a Southern book.
And I don't think there's any "wrong" way to Twitter. I''m technically-disabled so I just post random thoughts, check who I'm following, and go on from there. :)
@Maggie. Thanks for the clarifications. I knew that the books I already have on my lists would qualify for the challgenge, but I wanted to find some new ones. I shall have a look around the net later.
@Julia. Nope, I haven't read Mark Twain (although I seem to remember that one of his books were read aloud to us kids many years back by my father), and that would be a good choice, I guess.
@Maree. Okay, that is how I twitter myself ;o) I do not consider myself too technically challenged, I am usually getting the hang of those things a lot faster than others, but for a while now I haven't really gotten into anything and can't seem to figure it out. Anyway, I will just take it easy I think and not worry too much about it ;o)
I did read The Heart is a Lonely Hunter, and remembered that I have a The South Label here which (I just checked) contains 9 books set in the South: http://louspages.blogspot.com/search/label/The%20South
I liked The Killing Tree by Rachel Keener (reviewed on my blog). I also liked Cold Mountain and Gap Creek (author is Morgan).
I loved Mudbound by Hilary Jordan. The writing is so simple and easy to read, but the story is so powerful. I'm sure you'd love it.
I have already seen Mudbound mentioned on several blogs, so I think I will look for that one.
I'll check your review of The Killing Tree, Beth, and I already read Gap Creek :-) Seems like I actually read a lot of Southern Literature after all :-)
Thanks a lot for your comments.
You might like to try Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier. It is written by a native Southerner & is set in North Carolina during the Civil War. This links to an library exhibit discussing Frazier's work.
Another native Southerner who has achieved literary renown is Eudora Welty. Link to wiki page descibing her life & work.Alice Walker is a Southern woman writer. Richard Wright is well known for writing about black life in America before the civil rights era, link here.. He was born near Natchex Mississippi.
Of those listed here, by far my favorite is Richard Wright.
Bookwormom, thanks a lot for your recommendations and links. I have tried reading Eudora Welty before, and have had to deliver the book back to the library before getting a chance to get into it, but now seems like a good time to try again. I will definitely check out Richard Wright.
Louise~ TBH I've never read Eudora Welty, but she's one of those writers who come up on 'best of' lists. I always say, why force yourself to read someone if you don't have to? After all, school's finished. :)
~Amanda
Don't worry Amanda, Eudora Welty is definitely not on the Danish curriculum, so I will read some of her stories, I think!
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