State: CALIFORNIA
Fiction:
- The Soloist* by Steve Lopez
- East of Eden* by John Steinbeck
- The Graduate by Charles Webb
- Women's Murder Club series by James Patterson
- Tales of the City* by Armistead Maupin
- Gold: The Marvellous History of General John Augustus Sutter by Blaise Cendrars
- Daughter of Fortune by Isabel Allende
- Cannery Row* by John Steinbeck
- Sideways by Rex Pickett
- The Crying of Lot 49 is a by Thomas Pynchon
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep by Philip K. Dick
- The Jane Austen Book Club* by Karen Joy Fowler
- Shopgirl* by Steve Martin
- The Tortilla Curtain by T.C. Boyle
- Ask the Dust by John Fante
- The Black Dahlia by James Ellroy
- The Loved One by Evelyn Waugh
- The Swan: Tales of the Sacramento Valley by Andrew F. O'Hara
- McTeague by Frank Norris
- Ask the Dust by John Fante
- The Slide Area: Scenes of Hollywood Life, by Gavin Lambert (F)
Nonfiction:
- Freedom Writers* by Erin Gruell
- A Crack in the Edge of the World* by Simon Winchester
- Baghdad by the Bay by Herb Caen
- The Golden Gate by Vikram Seth
- A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius* by Dave Eggers
- Wild Yosemite edited by Susan M. Neider (NF)
Authors Known for Writing About the State:
- Dashiell Hammett
- Sue Grafton (Alphabet murder series)
- Michael Connelly
Authors Who Lived Here:
- John Steinbeck
- Amy Tan
- Jack London
- Raymond Chandler
- Joan Didion
- Allen Ginsberg
- Octavia E. Butler
- Christopher Moore
- Ursula K. Le Guin
Great Bookstores in the State:
*Books I've read
Photo by moi.
11 comments:
Tempting to read all that's on the list!!
It is snowing here so I am enjoying staying warm and catching up with all my blogging friends. These states posts that you are posting are very interesting Melissa.
Thanks guys. I was shocked by how many books/authors there were for California. There are loads I didn't even mention, but I couldn't put them all on here.
I have read a few of the books on your list, but want to comment on the Jane Austen Book Club. This may be sacrilege, but I liked the movie much better than the book. It may seem odd, but I usually like to see the movie before I read the book; it seems I am usually not so disappointed that way. That applies to older books, but doesn't usually work with newer books. However, I don't read best sellers as a rule. I have been turned on to a lot of books with my plan and since I don't seem to be very good at picturing people or places from the written word, it helps that someone else has done the casting for me. I really like your listing of the states in alpha order. Some states will be more difficult I imagine, but you seem to have a good handle on it. Thanks.
I am so excited about this series. I see a 50 states reading challenge in my future based on your lists. I wanted to participate last year, but didn't have the time to select books. Even more exciting is when I look at your list and realize I have an unread copy on my bookshelf!
annieb - That's hilarious. The Jane Austen Book Club is one of the only exacmples I can think of where I liked the movie more than the book!
Shane Marie - I feel the same way when I find one that's already on my TBR list. I've slowly been working my way through reading one fiction and one nonfiction from each state.
I think Steve Martin's Cruel Shoes is better than Shopgirl. And his movie LA Story is more quintessentially about CA than either!
Jeanne - I haven't read Cruel Shoes, but I wasn't a big fan of Shopgirl. I'll check it out. I really like him.
How did you like Cannery Row? I need a book for a Cali trip and will be in Monterey so it seems perfect. Love this feature!
Nikki Steele - I loved it! It's full of sweet characters and great writing. It's compeltely different from Steinbeck's more serious work.
Oh fantastic. I needed a lighter book for the road trip. Too difficult to stay in a serious book when you're also supposed to be looking at the scenery :)
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