Reading the States: Illinois

Friday, April 6, 2012



State: ILLINOIS
Fiction:
- The Time Traveler's Wife* by Audrey Niffenegger
- The Jungle* by Upton Sinclair
- The House on Mango Street* by Sandra Cisneros
- The Actual by Saul Bellow
- Sister Carrie by Theodore Dreiser
- Twenty Years at Hull House by Jane Addams
- Native Son* by Richard Wright
- If You Eat, You Never Die: Chicago Tales by Tony Romano
- Then We Came to the End by Joshua Ferris
- The Coast of Chicago by Stuart Dybek
- Crossing California by Adam Langer
- Spoon River Anthology by Edgar Lee Masters
- The Book of Ruth* by Jane Hamilton
- Across Five Aprils by Irene Hunt
- Dandelion Wine* by Ray Bradbury
- Road to Perdition by Max Allan Collins,
- So Long, See You Tomorrow by William Maxwell
- Catch by Will Leitch
- Divergent* (series) by Veronica Roth
- Something Wicked This Way Comes* by Ray Bradbury
- The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
- Letting Go by Philip Roth
- Endless Love by Scott Spencer
- The Death of the Detective by Mark Smith
- Maud Martha by Gwendolyne Brooks
- Pioneer Girl by Bich Minh Nguyen

Nonfiction:
- The Devil in the White City* by Erik Larson
- Chicago Tavern: A Goat, A Curse, and the American Dream, by Rick Kogan
- Boss: Richard J. Daley of Chicago by Mike Royko
- Never a City So Real: A Walk in Chicago by Alex Kotlowitz
- Cahokia by Timothy R. Pauketat
- The Girls of Murder City* by Douglas Perry
- Moanin' at Midnight by James Segrest and Mark Hoffman 
- Chicago: City on the Make by Nelson Algren
Authors Known for Writing about the State:
- Carl Sandburg
- Jim Butcher (The Dresden Files)
- Michael Harvey

Authors Who Lived Here:
- Ray Bradbury
- Saul Bellow
- Diane Ackerman
- Stephen E. Ambrose
- Dave Eggers
- William Goldman
- Ronald Reagan
- Elizabeth Berg
- Sara Paretsky
- Barack Obama

Great Bookstores:

Literary Places to Visit:
Carl Sandburg Historic Site
American Writers Museum

*Books I've Read
Photo by moi.

11 comments:

Sandy Nawrot said...

I would also add the Michael Harvey crime series that all take place in Chicago. I love these books...they always have actual bars and shops and streets in the story.

annieb said...

Just so you will know I am paying attention--isn't Reading the States usually posted on Friday? Did the Cloud Atlas post on Saturday mess everything up or are you just so overloaded with weddings, trips, etc. that there will be a posting drought? At any rate, I will still check everyday, so no worries. Have fun with your busy schedule this month.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Sandy - Thanks! I'll add him in.

annieb - Ha, I wonder if anyone would catch that. No, I just screwed up the dates when I scheduled the post yesterday. I was surprised to see it go up this morning, I meant to schedule it for Friday. I usually get my posts scheduled earlier, but my allergies turned into a sinus infection last week and I got so behind on stuff!

Jeanne said...

Another Chicago writer who comes to mind is Sara Paretsky.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Jeanne - Thanks! I'll add her in as well.

LindyLouMac said...

I always learn something interesting when I read your state posts, Melissa, thankyou for all the research you do for them.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

LindyLouMac - Thanks! I feel like I learn something new each time I do one of these posts.

BookQuoter said...

The new book series which I surprisingly liked and would probably finish - Divergent is set in dystopian Chicago. Does that count?

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

BookQuoter - It definitely counts! I'll add it in. I've been curious about that series, I'll have to check it out.

Roof Beam Reader said...

"Authors Who Lived Here..."

And President Barack Obama, of course! :)

I love this state - it's this very strangely placed creative hub - thanks to Chicago. I guess it's the L.A. or New York of the midwest. I love it, love it, love it.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Adam - Of course! I'll add him in, thanks. I love Chicago too. I live in Indianapolis, so it's the biggest city near us.