American Author Challenge 2014

Cather/ Faulkner/ Welty/ Twain

American Author Challenge 2014

Willa Cather- January http://www.librarything.com/topic/163440
William Faulkner- February http://www.librarything.com/topic/164037#
Cormac McCarthy- March http://www.librarything.com/topic/170080
Toni Morrison- April https://www.librarything.com/topic/171799#
Eudora Welty- May http://www.librarything.com/topic/173048#
Kurt Vonnegut- June http://www.librarything.com/topic/174613
Mark Twain- July http://www.librarything.com/topic/176689#4743720
Philip Roth- August http://www.librarything.com/topic/178271
James Baldwin- September http://www.librarything.com/topic/179741#
Edith Wharton- October http://www.librarything.com/topic/181038#
John Updike- November
Larry Watson- December

**Very simple. Pick a book by that author, hopefully something off the shelf, (that is always the mission folks!) and read it. Easy, peasy. If you want to list your picks here, go right ahead. If one of these authors revolts you, substitute a different American author. Of course, there will be "The Purists" and these people will be held in high regard. The Book Gods will smile down upon each and every one.

Mark's picks:

Willa Cather- Death Comes for the Archbishop *
William Faulkner- Light in August
Cormac McCarthy- Suttree *
Toni Morrison- Undecided. Tar Baby *, Paradise, a reread?
Eudora Welty- The Collected Stories *
Kurt Vonnegut- Mother Night. Possibly a second title. *
Mark Twain- Life on the Mississippi- Thanks to RD *
Philip Roth- The Plot Against America *
James Baldwin- Giovanni's Room- Thanks to Kerri *
Edith Wharton- The Custom of the Country
John Updike- Rabbit Run *
Larry Watson- Orchard or White Crosses or both. *

* On shelf

Gee, I hate to sign up for any more challenges, but . . .

I just might be able to squeeze some of these in. Home by Toni Morrisson is on my list, so I'll try to follow along.

I'm in.

I think I'd like a different thread for each month. And I'd like it to start a month ahead of time. I want to be able to discuss what we are considering reading. For instance, I'm not real sure what I'm going to read for Toni Morrison. Or maybe after seeing what everybody else is reading for the month, I might change my mind. I need to decide far enough ahead of time to order it from the library and get it in hand by the 1st of each month.

Tentative Reads (mostly from TBR)

Willa Cather- January - Death Comes for the Archbishop DONE
William Faulkner- February - Knight's Gambit DONE
Cormac McCarthy- March - All the Pretty Horses DONE
Toni Morrison- April - The Bluest Eye) DONE
Eudora Welty- May - Why I Live at the P.O. (short story) DONE
Kurt Vonnegut- June - Cat's Cradle DONE
Mark Twain- July - The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County DONE
Philip Roth- August - The Plot Against America
James Baldwin- September - Go Tell It on the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October - The Age of Innocence
John Updike- November - The Witches of Eastwick (loved the movie)
Larry Watson- December - Montana 1948

Well I'll be supporting you Mark for sure.

My Antonia will be my Willa Cather read for January. I have read O' Pioneers before and loved it so I'm looking forward to it immensely.

I think I'll follow you with Suttree in February.

As I Lay Dying will be my Faulkner in March.

April I will read Beloved which will be my first Toni Morrison.

In May I'll read The Optimist's Daughter which is the only Welty I have on the shelves.

June, I am looking forward to Mother Night by Kurt Vonnegut.

July I am going all the way back to 1876 to follow The Adventures of Tom Sawyer.

I have a lot of unread Philip Roth but I think it will be the first Zuckerman novel The Ghost Writer for August.

September is my birthday and I'll celebrate it reading Go Tell it on the Mountain.

Edith Wharton is another where I'm spoilt for choice a little but I'll probably finally get around to reading The Age of Innocence

November will see me envisioning Nicholson, Pffeifer and Sarandon as I read The Witches of Eastwick and in

December I'll close the year out with Montana 1948

Can't guarantee every month, but I have made tentative selections anyway because it sounds like fun.

Jan - Willa Cather - Shadows on the Rock and One of Ours - both completed
Feb - Faulkner - The Hamlet
Mar - Cormac McCarthy - All the Pretty Horses
Apr - Morrison - Song of Solomon
May - Welty - A Curtain of Green: and Other Stories
Jun - Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle
Jul - Twain - Roughing It
Aug - Roth - substitute Henry James - The Portrait of a Lady (have been trying to read this for at least 2 yrs)
Sep - Baldwin - Go Tell It on the Mountain
Oct - Wharton - The Custom Of The Country
Nov - Updike - The Witches of Eastwick
Dec - Larry Watson - Let Him Go

Will do my best to follow along....

Mark, I have been looking forward to this challenge since you announced it. I even like the mixture of authors you chose. I think Morphy's ideas are great. I am going to list my off-the-cuff choices for my reading but I would like some discussion ahead of time to see what others plan to read and why. This is going to be a great challenge!

Willa Cather - One of Ours (fits in with TIOLI WWI Challenge for January)
Cormqc McCarthy - Suttree
William Faulkner - The Hamlet
Toni Morrison - Love, Home, or Tar Baby (the only books by her I haven't already read. Or I may do a reread!)
Eudora Welty - Collected Stories or One Writer's Beginning
Kurt Vonnegut - Cat's Cradle
Mark Twain - Roughing It
Philip Roth - The Plot Against America
James Baldwin - Giovanni's Room
Edith Wharton - The Reef
John Updike - My Father's Tears and Other Stories
Larry Watson - American Boy

Thanks again for putting this together, Mark. Here's what I've got on tap:

Willa Cather- January The Professor's House
Cormac McCarthy- February The Orchard Keeper
William Faulkner- March The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Toni Morrison- April Sula
Eudora Welty- May The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June Cat's Cradle (re-read)
Mark Twain- July Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Philip Roth- August The Ghost Writer
James Baldwin- September Notes of a Native Son
Edith Wharton- October Ethan Frome
John Updike- November The Witches of Eastwick
Larry Watson- December Let Him Go

Wow, there are some great lists happening over here! I feel like a proud Papa! I also see there are some Purists in the group. Remember, your rewards will be profound.

Lois- You can do it! Come on!

Claudia- I like your substitution of Henry James. I considered adding him. I have read a couple of his books and loved each one.

I think I'm in... trying not to plan too much but there are definitely some authors here I have been meaning to read for years now...

I'm going to try to do this. I'll stick with Mark's authors (except Toni Morrisson--I have never been able to get into her stuff), but I may choose different books, depending on what I have on the shelf (that is always the mission folks!). If I have nothing on the shelf, I'll go with Mark's books too.

P.S. I vote for a different thread for each author.

I've set up a section in the Groups Reads portion for this challenge. This organizational thread is linked, and I'll link in individual threads as they're made.

OK - I'm in. My Antonia was free on Kindle and only 94 pages, so I'll give it a try.

Willa Cather- January My Antonia
Cormac McCarthy- February All the Pretty Horses
William Faulkner- March
Toni Morrison- April Home
Eudora Welty- May
Kurt Vonnegut- June God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian
Mark Twain- July
Philip Roth- August
James Baldwin- September
Edith Wharton- October
John Updike- November
Larry Watson- December Montana 1948

I really shouldn't sign myself up for too many group reads... I do like the challenge though, it has some familiar authors I love, and some new authors I would like to try, so that's a good combination :)

The My Antonia free on kindle thing also makes it attractive to at least participate for January; and I also found One of Ours on my e-reader, so I might read one of the two for January...

Willa Cather- January - My Antonia
Cormac McCarthy- February - All the Pretty Horses
William Faulkner- ??
Toni Morrison- April - The Bluest Eye?
Eudora Welty- May
Kurt Vonnegut- June
Mark Twain- July - Pudd'nhead Wilson - on Planet TBR
Philip Roth- August
James Baldwin- September
Edith Wharton- October
John Updike- Rabbit, Run
Larry Watson- December

I'm not much good at picking a year in advance, but I do have January and February figured out. ;-) I'll try to read selections included in 1001 Books You Must Read Before you Die; however something I've been wanting to read or that is currently living on Planet TBR wins out.(My Antonia instead of The Professor's House).

I think this will be fun. Thanks, Mark!

You know I'm in for the AAC, Mark, and I am proud to be a Purist at least in this small way. :-)

My tentative plan (* means Off the Shelf):
January — Willa Cather — Death Comes for the Archbishop*
February — William Faulkner — As I Lay Dying*
March — Cormac McCarthy — The Road
April — Toni Morrison — The Bluest Eye*
May — Eudora Welty — The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty*
June — Kurt Vonnegut — Mother Night*
July — Mark Twain — Innocents Abroad?
August — Philip Roth — no idea yet
September — James Baldwin — Go Tell It on the Mountain
October — Edith Wharton — not sure yet
November — John Updike — not sure yet
December — Larry Watson — American Boy*

Here is my tentative list for Mark's American Author Challenge.

January/Willa Cather- Death Comes for the Archbishop
February/William Faulkner- The Hamlet
March/Cormac McCarthy- All the Pretty Horses
April/Toni Morrison- The Bluest Eye
May/Eudora Welty- The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty
June/Kurt Vonnegut- A Man Without a Country or God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian or Letters
July/Mark Twain- Life on the Mississippi
August/Philip Roth- The Plot Against America
September/James Baldwin- Giovanni's Room or Go Tell it on the Mountain
October/Edith Wharton- The Age of Innocence
November/John Updike- The Witches of Eastwick
December/Larry Watson- Let Him Go

Here are my tentative choices:

Willa Cather- January Death comes for the Archbishop
Cormac McCarthy- February All the Pretty Horses
William Faulkner- The Hamlet
Toni Morrison- April The Bluest Eye
Eudora Welty- May The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty
Kurt Vonnegut- June Mother Night
Mark Twain- July Huckleberry Finn
Philip Roth- August The Plot against America
James Baldwin- September Go Tell it on the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October The Custom of the Country
John Steinbeck- November The Grapes of Wrath
Larry Watson- December Montana 1948

Nice images, Mark! Is that Jasper Johns' flag?

I am planning to join this group, but can't manage to plan the whole year. I will start with My Antonia, since it's free and short. And I will sub out in March, because Faulkner is too hard for me. I will try for Hemingway, I think.

I say, keep all the comments in one place. That seems easier.

You know I'm in, Mark, but I'm making it official!

Willa Cather: January - O Pioneers! (I own)
Cormac McCarthy: February - All the Pretty Horses (library)
OGG Wm. Faulkner: March - As I lay dying (I own)
Toni Morrison: April - Beloved (I own)
* Eudora Welty: May - The collected stories of Eudora Welty (own)
* Kurt Vonnegut: June - Piano Player (Kindle)
Mark Twain: July - Following the Equator (Kindle)
Philip Roth: August - The Human Stain (I own)
* James Baldwin: September - The Evidence of Things Unseen (library)
Edith Wharton: October - The Ghost Stories of Edith Wharton (I own)
OGG John Updike: November - Americana: and other poems (library)
* Larry Watson: December - Montana, 1948 (library)

Legend: OGG = Oh Good Grief
* = First time author

I am in, and started reading, even. I've had a long dry spell in my reading life so I am busy catching up with the Do Nothing But Read days, or weekends, or sometimes even hours!

My plans are as follows, and are tentative, of course: (edited when Faulkner was moved to February) Now, that I think about it.... less days to be with William? Too short a month to finish a tough book? hmmmm

January will be Willa Cather - Death Comes for the Archbishop ($2.99 for Nook; $4.39 for the Kindle)

February will be William Faulkner - I think I'll try A Light in August as it seems to be more accessible than others of his books.

March will be Cormac McCarthy - All The Pretty Horses (9.99 for Kindle, 11.99 for Nook)

April will be Toni Morrison - Beloved seems like a book I've been wishing for - or maybe The Bluest Eye

May Eudora Welty - short stories perhaps as recommended by … someone

June Kurt Vonnegut - I loved Cat's Cradle and may need to read it again

July Mark Twain - I already have a copy of the Autobiography of Mark Twain on my Kindle; will read, perhaps, only parts of it

August - Philip Roth - I also have a copy of Exit Ghost on my Kindle

September will be James Baldwin - Giovanni's Room

October will be Edith Wharton - House of Mirth for free on Kindle

November will be John Updike - The Witches of Eastwick

December Larry Watson - Montana 1948

Whew. I may have some shopping to do. Luckily, I have not yet spent my Christmas gift cards at Amazon, although I've been trying.

I am going to tentatively try this - I have never read most of these authors, so the support will be nice! I'm just going to list the books below that I own, and go from there. Luckily I have a book shopping trip planned for this afternoon!

Willa Cather - January - Death Comes for the Archbishop and/or The Song of the Lark
William Faulkner - February - As I Lay Dying
Cormac McCarthy - March - The Crossing - I love McCarthy!
Toni Morrison - April
Eudora Welty - May
Kurt Vonnegut - June - Slaughterhouse-Five
Mark Twain - July
Philip Roth - August - The Ghost Writer
James Baldwin - September
Edith Wharton - October - The Age of Innocence
John Updike - November
Larry Watson - December

I'd like to join in this challenge, but can't plan that far ahead yet. For now I'd read Death Comes for the Archbishop along with you all and then see if I can check of some 1,001 books in the following months.

I found a copy of The Song of the Lark in my TBR Tower .. is this a sign or what? I guess I'll dip a foot into this challenge and read this for January.

Well, I can't plan a year ahead either, but I will read One of Ours. I love Willa Cather but am ashamed to say that until reading this thread I had never heard of One of Ours. So thanks 75ers!

I'm in, of course!

My tentative list is:

January
Willa Cather Alexander's Bridge completed ; My Antonia
February
William Faulkner Mosquitoes (a very early novel I have never read)
March
Cormac McCarthy Suttree
April
Toni Morrison Song of Solomon
May
Eudora Welty Delta Wedding
June
Kurt Vonnegut A Man Without a Country (at Richard Derus's suggestion)
July
Mark Twain Life on the Mississippi
August
Philip Roth No enthusiasm here...will cogitate; may substitute
September
James Baldwin Go Tell it on the Mountain
October
Edith Wharton The Custom of the Country
November
John Updike Due Considerations I don't care for his
fiction, and this collection of essays and criticism is on my
shelves
December
Larry Watson American Boy

For those with an aversion to or fear of Faulkner, I have recommendations and thoughts on the subject. Stop by my thread and ask me about them , or drop in to some of the existing threads in the (very quiet) Faulkner group and poke around. He isn't too hard if you approach him from the right angle (that is to say, read the right book first), and his world is rich and rewarding.

Edited to swap months for Faulkner and McCarthy.

Hi all, I'm at the public library in town and I have to get off the computer but I will be back to join the club. This seems to be a realistic challenge for me as I know I like most of these authors already (and love some). Sometimes I just wind up not liking the authors we have to choose from and it becomes impossible to complete the challenge. So I will return to make up my list and read every post. I did want to suggest that Mark Twain wrote a fantastic book Joan of Arc by Mark Twain that became one of my favorite books of all time. If someone is struggling with a title for MT you might try that. I don't think you will be disappointed. In fact, I read it so long ago, I am going to re-read it. The strangest part of all is that I spoke to my Mom who lives in Mass. and she was reading it at the same time I was! It was such an obscure book for both of us to be reading it at the same time was a bit scary!
Will try The Human Stain for Philip Roth since I just picked that up. I can't wait to go home and get my list up on my tablet! #27- Not overly enthused either but willing to try him.

Hi all! I am posting this here but it also on my personal thread here:

American Authors Challenge:

January: Willa Cather O Pioneers!
February: Cormac McCarthy The Road
March: William Faulkner The Sound and the Fury
April: Toni Morrison Beloved
May: Eudora Welty Collected Stories
June: Kurt Vonnegut Slaughterhouse Five
July: Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
August: Philip Roth The Plot Against America
September: James Baldwin Go Tell it on the Mountain
October: Edith Wharton The Age of Innocence
November: John Updike The Witches of Eastwick
December: Larry Watson White Crosses

Okay, I had a request to switch Faulkner to February. It looks like they are having a Faulkner February thread and this would make it easier for that group. I would then move McCarthy to March. Of course, I would have no problem with it but since I am of a democratic soul, here's a voting ticker:

The sooner we're done with Faulkner the better! February is fine with me.

Ooh, a Faulkner hater! Get out the pitchforks!

Well, I feel much the same about Cormac McCarthy, so moving him out is fine with me.

Ooh, a McCarthy hater! Get out the pitchforks!

Wait til the Updike haters show up! OMG!

I agree with Lynda. lol
I thought I was being so smart getting an anthology The Sophisticated Cat since there is a very short Faulkner piece in it. But, come to find out, I now have a 400 pg book to read. At least it's a good topic ;-)

Now that you mention it Mark, It's a downright pity we have to spoil the lovely month we give thanks with Mr. Updike.

I agree with Lynda. lol

However, I am a little more open to Updike. And you never know. The world could end by then! hahaha

I own Death Comes for the Archbishop and O Pioneers and will aim to read one or the other of them. I like the idea of a separate thread each month, myself.

Either way is fine with me. I think the anti-Faulkner folks just want to move him to the shortest possible month. :-)

I'll join the "Updike is Poo" crowd.

I was going to ask you to switch for Faulkner February too so I'm glad someone asked.

Here is another request. Would you consider moving Updike to October so those of us reading The Witches of Eastwick can count it as a Halloween read?

I'm cool either way because I'm going to read them anyway. :)

Well, I won't read Faulkner in any case, so why not February? Actually, maybe I will try Faulkner again some day, but it will be a few years, because I read The Sound and the Fury this year and didn't understand it at all--I had to read Spark Notes to figure out what the plot was.

I am also doing a couple of other self-inflicted challenges this coming year and one of which is to read a book by an author born in each of the 50 states + DC + one born overseas (i.e. basically an american author per week).

I have noticed that we have 2 New York authors - Wharton and Baldwin and I may drop Baldwin for another state if my reading slows

I have also noticed that we have 2 Mississippi born authors - Welty and everyone's favourite, Mr. Faulkner. Now I can't drop the latter as I am scared that Linda would hunt me down and do unspeakable things to me and the Welty is thankfully short but may get switched if I am already behind.

Okay, the Faulkner switch has been made! Thanks for the cooperation.

Linda- Thanks for the Faulkner info. Hopefully you eased some minds.

>43 PaulCranswick: Oh, please don't drop Eudora. Her Mississippi and Bill's are related, but quite different. If you want to read something short but powerful of hers, try "Where is the Voice Coming From?"

>43 PaulCranswick: Here is a link that might be useful: http://www.librarything.com/topic/160136

It contains a link to a list of the most famous book for each state.

>43 PaulCranswick: And here's another for YA. Although some aren't what I would call YA like The Wizard of Oz and Julie of the Wolves.

http://www.epicreads.com/blog/the-united-states-of-ya/

Paul> "Why I Live at the P. O." is Welty's most famous short story. It's short.

Thank you, Mark, and everyone else, for trading Faulkner and Cormac McCarthy. Now we have some nice alliteration going for both months!

I am definitely participating in your American Authors Challenge, although I'm holding off on specific long-term commitments right now. I will read for each month but don't want to choose the exact work I'll read just yet. So, for the first bit of the year, I've got these lined up:

January - definitely My Antonia and maybe The Song of the Lark
February - Absalom! Absalom! and maybe one more (is there a short novel by Faulkner?)
March - The Road or The Crossing
April - The Bluest Eye
May - Eudora Welty - oh boy, not sure. so many good ones from which to choose.....

So I'll stop there.

Ellen, Intruder in the Dust is one of Faulkner's shortest novels. It's also on my "approachable"list. This may help you decide.

^ Yep, that did it! I've added it to my wishlist and will look for it at Powell's on February 1.
Thanks, Linda!

I'm in, Mark! I've told you already, but now that I've found the thread, it's official.

Here's what I have planned thus far. I've only gotten to about 1/2 of the year!

January - Willa Cather Death Comes for the Archbishop
February - William Faulkner The Hamlet Will borrow from the library and read this with Roberta so as to lessen the suffering ;0)
March - Cormac McCarthy The Road
April - Toni Morrison Beloved
May - Eudora Welty Delta Wedding
June - Kurt Vonnegut Haven't decided yet
July - Mark Twain The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
August - Philip Roth Haven't decided yet
September - James Baldwin Haven't decided yet
October - Edith Wharton Haven't decided yet
November - John Updike I barely made it through The Witches of Eastwick, so I may boycott this month, but I would SO love to be called a PURIST
December Larry Watson Haven't decided yet

I'm echoing Morphy and gladly accepting suggestions for the undecided months!

At the risk of overcommitting, I've decided to join in with a few substitutions and focusing on shorter works. I'm on a books off the shelf year for 2014 and here is what I have come up with so far as a tentative list:
January - Willa Cather "My Mortal Enemy" completed 1/5/14
February - William Faulkner "Old Man" (a short novel) completed 2/6/2014
March - Cormac McCarthy - substitute Ray Bradbury Dandelion Wine completed 3/20/14
April - Toni Morrison - possibly Song of Solomon postponed
May - Eudora Welty - A Curtain of Green: and Other Stories completed 5/19/14
June - Kurt Vonnegut - The Sirens of Titan completed 6/23/14
July - Mark Twain -probably Pudd'nhead Wilson postponed
August - Philip Roth - tried and quit after a dozen pages. I just don't like this guy's stuff. skip
September - James Baldwin - ?
October - Edith Wharton undecided - probably Ethan Fromme or The Old Maid
November - John Updike - I may read his short story from The New Yorker "The Chaste Planet" • (1975) that I have in an anthology.
December - Larry Watson Montana 1948

I'll update this list as I read through the year.

edit June 23rd: I'm holding off on further reading in this challenge for the time being. There is a lot of other material I want to read this year. I'm gaining little satisfaction from what I have been reading. I'll still probably do a couple of the intended

Tina - if you want to be a purist John Updike wrote short stories and all it takes is one. He also wrote essays on Art but they might be worse than his fiction.

Oh, this looks like quite a bit of fun. How about...

Willa Cather- January- One of Ours (in honor of 100 year anniversary of WWI, although I suppose the U.S. wasn't involved yet in 1914, but that is neither here nor there...)
William Faulkner- February- As I Lay Dying
Cormac McCarthy- March- The Road (off shelf)
Toni Morrison- April- Song of Solomon (also off the shelf, yay!)
Eudora Welty- May- short story(ies) or The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June- Slaughterhouse-Five
Mark Twain- July- haven't read Huck Finn in a while, and it's off my shelf, so...
Philip Roth- August- The Ghost Writer possibly
James Baldwin- September- Notes of a Native Son
Edith Wharton- October- The Age of Innocence or Ethan From
John Updike- November- some hatred for him here, oh dear! perhaps Rabbit, Run or a short story, to remain a purist
Larry Watson- December- Montana 1948

We shall see.

I may just join in on the January read, Mark, if that's ok? I've been meaning to read Death Comes for the Archbishop and I have it on my nook. I'm so very bad at planning my reads. I can't even manage the take it or leave it challenges...

OK... switched Feb/Mar
Am rethinking choice for Faulkner. It's just an excerpt and it's no damn good (already read it - and big surprise :PPP~~~~)

But what can I read by him that will be tolerable?
Hmmm... watching the rest of you and will check out #50 Linda's recs.

>57 -Cee-: A lot of Faulkner short fiction in anthologies will feel like excerpts from novels, because ...well, because they are! He often sold parts of books he was working on as short stories when he needed money (which was pretty much all the time).

I've decided to try and participate as much as possible with this challenge as it fits in with my overall challenge of reading more books from the 1001 list, books off my bookshelf, and almost all the authors on the list are ones I have been meaning to read - it would be silly not to try!

I'm probably not going to be a purist because I can't see myself rereading Mark Twain's books and am not interested in the ones I haven't read. I will swap for another American author - so hard to pick!

Willa Cather- January: My Antonia - was supposed to read this for an English Lit class 10 years ago - read half of it which was enough to write an essay and never read the rest - I'll correct this and read the whole thing.
William Faulkner- February: The Hamlet - my first Faulkner. Want to read this author but I'm a bit scared
Cormac McCarthy- March: Maybe All the Pretty Horses as it's not as violent as some of the others?
Toni Morrison- April: A mercy and maybe another too
Eudora Welty- May: Will be happy to read any of her stories.
Kurt Vonnegut- June: Cat's Cradle
My Choice - July: East of Eden by Steinbeck or All the King's Men by Robert Penn Warren, or??
Philip Roth- August: American Pastoral
James Baldwin- September: Giovanni's Room
Edith Wharton- October: may reread The Age of Innocence or try The Custom of the Country
John Updike- November: start the Rabbit series
Larry Watson- December: American Boy

>54 luvamystery65: Roberta... I knew you were my cyber BFF for a reason! That's a brilliant plan!!

I blame Laytonwoman3rd for bringing this group read to my attention - being a big fan of US writing.

Willa Cather Oh Pioneers! Read. ****
William Faulkner The Hamlet Read. ****
Cormac McCarthy No Country for Old Men Still to read
Toni Morrison Song of Soloman Read *****
Eudora Welty The Golden Apples (new acquisition)
Kurt Vonnegut Galapagos
Mark Twain Life on the Mississippi
Philip Roth The Ghost Writer (re-read)
James Baldwin Another Country (long overdue re-read)
Edith Wharton The Age of Innocence
John Updike Terrorist
Larry Watson Orchard (new acquisition)

10 already in my collection, 10 first time read's. Looking forward to every one of them.

I've decided also to keep a record of other American books read this year. Here is

Best American work read in 2013

Frances and Bernard (Carlene Bauer) ****1/2 (fiction)
The Goldfinch (Donna Tartt) ****1/2 (fiction)
Airmail: letters of Robert Bly and Tomas Tranströmer ***** (memoir/American&Swedish)
The Twilight of American Culture (Morris Berman) (NF) (****) (non-fiction)
Living, Thinking, Looking (Siri Hustvedt) **** (Essays)

Other American books read in 2014

Annie Dillard: The Writing Life ***** Memoir (Re-read)
Margaret Fuller: A New American Life (Megan Marshall) ****
Tinkers (Paul Harding) ****1/2
Woolgathering(Patti Smith) ****

Yay! Caroline...so thrilled you're joining this group.

I'm trying to take a tra-la-la approach to 2014, but I may pop in on some of these. Here's what I'm thinking at the moment:

*Willa Cather - Death Comes for the Archbishop (for sure)
*William Faulkner - The Hamlet and Intruder in the Dust (Faulkner February!)
*Cormac McCarthy - SKIP
*Toni Morrison - Tar Baby or Jazz
*Eudora Welty - SKIP
*Kurt Vonnegut - SKIP
*Mark Twain - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
*Philip Roth - SKIP
*James Baldwin - The Evidence of Things Not Seen and/or The Devil Finds Work
*Edith Wharton - The House of Mirth
*John Updike - SKIP
*Larry Watson - Perhaps Montana 1948, because Mark says so

Linda, in April and July it looks like we will be reading the same books. Looking forward to some chat on those especially.

Caroline- I am so glad you are joining us on the AAC, especially since you sound like a big fan of American authors. If you have any questions at all, we will gladly help.

Kerri- What exactly are all these "skip" things? I guess being a "Purist" is beneath you?

#65 - Ha! Are they obnoxious? Maybe I shouldn't have gone with all caps. My explanations:

Cormac McCarthy - I really liked The Road, but I'm not in the mood for him lately.
Eudora Welty and Kurt Vonnegut - Have read in the past and not the biggest fan.
Philip Roth and John Updike - Have never read, but strongly uninterested.
Larry Watson - Have never read, but mildly uninterested. I suppose I could be convinced to try him.

Kerri- Those are perfect explanations! You should give Blood Meridian a try at some point. It's such a trippy nightmarish, look at the old west. I can't really defend either Roth or Updike but I would highly suggest you give Watson a shot, start with montana 1948.

#67 - I'm sure I'll read Blood Meridian in the future. I think I actually own it. Ok, Larry Watson. Maybe Montana 1948. I'll change my list to reflect the opening of my mind. :-)

Kerri, you might want to consider Suttree for McCarthy..I haven't read it yet, but the reviews give me hope it might be a bit Faulknerian.

OK, I'm going to give this a try. I've read some of these authors, but not all, so this will be a chance to revisit some favorites and try some new authors. Here's a tentative plan:

Willa Cather- O, Pioneers!
William Faulkner- Light in August, Absalom! Absalom!, The Sound and the Fury - I'm not sure where to start with Faulkner
Cormac McCarthy- All the Pretty Horses
Toni Morrison- ?? The Bluest Eye, Jazz
Eudora Welty- The Collected Stories
Kurt Vonnegut- ??
Mark Twain- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Philip Roth- American Pastoral
Baldwin- Go Tell It on the Mountain
Edith Wharton- The Age of Innocence
John Updike- Rabbit Run maybe? I read The Witches of Eastwick when Updike died and wasn't a big fan.
Larry Watson- American Boy

#69 - Thank you, Linda. I will keep that in mind.

#70 - Do you have First Time Faulkner Fear? If so, out of those three, I would definitely pick Light in August. I think it's the most accessible of the three. The other two are my favorites though.

imho, no need to "fear" Faulkner.
Just stay away from The Sound and the Fury.
And - whatever you read by him, just promise yourself a nice big reward when done. That will help ;-)
Everyone must read something he wrote to have a personal opinion.

My biggest fear is that I might start liking Faulkner... given enough time. eeeeoooo

Just stay away from The Sound and the Fury. Completely agree with Cee. That's the book I've disliked the most in all my years of reading.

I'm looking forward to this challenge. My education in American Authors is woefully lacking. Of your list, I've only read 3! Ready to get cracking to make up for my deficit.

Is there a separate wiki for our completed reads in this challenge? Or do we mark our posts within this thread? Just wondering about the housekeeping part. Thanks for all the work you've put into it, Mark.

>72 -Cee-:, 73 Hissssss....JUST DON'T START with The Sound and the Fury. I feel terrible when someone reads that first, and hates it, and then avoids Faulkner forever because of it.

#75 Linda I sent Amy (post #70) your way for First Time Faulkner advice.

Thanks, Roberta. I'll do my best to steer her to something palatable!

I am tentatively signing up, although I don't know if I'll be able to stick with it. I'm not very good with the planned reading!

Willa Cather- January - I'm thinking probably Song of the Lark
William Faulkner- February - No idea where to start w/ Faulkner. I've never really read anything by him. I do like Gothic elements and family sagas, if anybody has recommendations based on that.
Cormac McCarthy- March - The Road, on my shelf
Toni Morrison- April - not sure, but I do believe I have a copy of Song of Solomon waiting to be read
Eudora Welty- May - Again, no idea.
Kurt Vonnegut- June - Breakfast of Champions, which I have on my Kindle
Mark Twain- July - Not sure, possibly Innocents Abroad. I'm not a big Twain fan.
Philip Roth- August - Maybe Portnoy's Complaint?
James Baldwin- September - Giovanni's Room
Edith Wharton- October - The House of Mirth
John Updike- November - Ugh, I don't know. I may have a copy of The Witches of Eastwick floating around somewhere.
Larry Watson- December - Montana, 1948

I think this is going to be a ball! Originally, I thought I might snag a few unsuspecting souls, and they would hang on for a book or two, but I think we have a full-blown hoedown going on here. How very cool. I finally posted the Willa Cather thread, so stop by, drop a star, say hi and let's get this party started:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/163440

**I will add the thread link, next to the author, up top, for easy access. How about those apples?

#78 allthesedarnbooks See post #27 for the link to Linda's thread. She has been invaluable helping us with our Faulkner picks.

Cindy- I think we will continue to use this thread as our general discussion thread. I will post an author thread each month too.

*Someone, mentioned, that we should create all the author threads at once. Is this something everybody wants? Of course, I can't do it today, but I might be able to add an author here and there, until I finish.

**And please, if you have any questions about authors or titles, ASK!! This is a helpful, very well-informed group. We do not mess around when it comes to BOOKS! We are pros!

Willa Cather- January My Antonia COMPLETED
William Faulkner- February
Cormac McCarthy- March All the Pretty Horses
Toni Morrison- April Beloved
Eudora Welty- May The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian
Mark Twain- July
Philip Roth- August
James Baldwin- September
Edith Wharton- October
John Updike- November
Larry Watson- December Montana 1948

Lots of good discussion around here (no surprise, that) about what to read and what to, um, skip. I'll be starting My Antonia in a week or so (Lois is already finished?? - it's not yet the 2nd of January!).

Mark, I predict that this challenge will be a centerpiece of our new year!

I did some planning yesterday and that's my current list, trying to read some 1,001s this way. There are some authors of whom I never heard before, so in those cases I might just read what other people selected.

Willa Cather- January - Death Comes For The Archbishop and The Professor's House - COMPLETED
William Faulkner- February - Absalom, Absalom COMPLETED
Cormac McCarthy- March All The Pretty Horses COMPLETED
Toni Morrison- April - Beloved in Italian: Amatissima
Eudora Welty- May - ??
Kurt Vonnegut- June - I've read all the listed ones and more... no idea yet
Mark Twain- July - same here, maybe reread Tom Sawyer?
Philip Roth- August - Plot against America?
James Baldwin- September - Go Tell it on the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October - finally getting to The House of Mirth?
John Updike- November - continue the "Rabbit" series
Larry Watson- December - no idea

Morning Mark, just sticking in my 2 cents but I hope you open the author threads close to the beginning of each month. It's something to look forward to and I wouldn't be tempted to begin an author early. Although, I could just ignore them if you decide to put them all up at one time. So, uh, I guess, it doesn't really matter. Your call, my friend

Go Lois! Go Lois! Now, you have time to read another Cather! LOL.

Lynda- I'll wait and see, what everyone wants to do, with the author threads. The one advantage is that they are done and I don't have to try to remember to start them. LOL.

I've added bits to my entry >>61 Caroline_McElwee:

I don't think we should put up all author threads at one, but I would like to see them a month ahead of time. Like Faulkner should be up now. That gives me enough time to see what everyone else is considering reading and then order it from the library.

Well, just to counter some of the people who are disliking Faulkner, I've only read The Sound and the Fury so far, but I really loved it :P I keep thinking I should read more of his work, so I'm definitely up for reading another of his works in February.

>86 msf59: Guidance, please. ARE there threads for each author read now? Or for any of them other than Cather? If so, can you give us links? I am trying very hard to encourage a former LT regular, who has let RL take over in the last couple years, to join us at least for Faulkner. I'd like to send her a link as soon as possible, to keep the pressure on!

Oh crud! Switching mine around- so I just saw no one recommends Sound and the Fury, so I guess I'll try Absalom, Absalom!.

American Authors Challenge:
January: Willa Cather- O Pioneers!
February: William Faulkner- Absalom,Absalom!
March: Cormac McCarthy- All the Pretty Horses
April: Toni Morrison- Beloved
May: Eudora Welty- Collected Stories
June: Kurt Vonnegut- Slaughterhouse Five
July: Mark Twain- The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
August: Philip Roth- The Plot Against America
September: James Baldwin- Go Tell it on the Mountain
October: Edith Wharton- The Age of Innocence
November: John Updike- The Witches of Eastwick
December: Larry Watson- White Crosses

It's taken me awhile to decide whether or not I want to participate in this challenge. Some of the books are definitely out of my comfort zone. I have, however, come up with a tentative list. I guess I'll see how well I do with it.

January - Willa Cather: Shadows on the Rock
February - William Faulkner: As I Lay Dying
March - Cormac McCarthy: Suttree
April - Toni Morrison: Jazz
May - Eudora Welty: The Ponder Heart
June - Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse Five
July - Mark Twain: The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
August - Philip Roth: The Plot Against America
September - James Baldwin: Go Tell It on the Mountain
October - Edith Wharton: The Age of Innocence
November - John Updike: Rabbit, Run
December - Larry Watson: White Crosses

Well, I tried to resist. But reading some of those authors will be more fun shared with others. I'm in
I am not making all my choices right now, like a few others, I'll wait to watch some more of the discussion.

Willa Cather- January - Death Comes for the Archbishop
William Faulkner- February = Intruder in the Dust
Cormac McCarthy- March substitute Flannery O'Connor - Wise Blood
Toni Morrison- April substitute Bernice McFadden - This Bitter Earth
Eudora Welty- May - The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June
Mark Twain- July - The Innocents Abroad
Philip Roth- August
James Baldwin- September
Edith Wharton- October - The House of Mirth
John Updike- November
Larry Watson- December

Completed January and made progress on future selections:

Willa Cather- January ..............My Antonia ............................. COMPLETED
William Faulkner- February ..... Selected Short Stories .............. COMPLETED
Cormac McCarthy- March ........ All the Pretty Horses ................ COMPLETED
Toni Morrison- April ................ Beloved
Eudora Welty- May ................ The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June .............. God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian
Mark Twain- July
Philip Roth- August
James Baldwin- September
Edith Wharton- October
John Updike- November
Larry Watson- December ....... Montana 1948

Lois- Keep in mind we switched McCarthy and Faulkner.

Just discovered that Faulkner wrote a relatively straightforward potboiler, Sanctuary so I may join in on Faulkner February, after all.

>95 msf59: Thanks - I will update the list.

I can't resist this challenge (and am going to incorporate it into my 2014 Categories if I ever get around to creating a thread over there). I confess I'm an Updike hater and also a Roth hater--and I'm glad you didn't pick Pynchon. The purist in me may give them one more chance. Here are my tentative picks:

January: Willa Cather- Death Comes for the Archbishop
February: William Faulkner- Light in August
March: Cormac McCarthy- Blood Meridian or The Road or The Crossing
April: Toni Morrison- Home or Love
May: Eudora Welty - The Collected Stories
June: Kurt Vonnegut- Mother Night maybe or something off the shelf.
July: Mark Twain- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
August: Philip Roth- American Pastoral
September: James Baldwin- Giovanni's Room or Another Country
October: Edith Wharton- House of Mirth or The New York Stories of Edith Wharton or The Reef
November: John Updike – short stories
December: Larry Watson - Montana 1948

I am always up for a good challenge, but I have so many comittments this year that I will probably be more of a dabbler than a full participant. My plans at this point are:

January - Willa Cather - One of Ours
February -
March -
April - Toni Morrison - The Bluest Eye
May - Eudora Welty - Collected Stores of Eudora Welty
June -
July -
August -
September -
October - Edith Wharton - Custom of the Country
November -
December Larry Watson - Montana 1948

Here's my projected list (a work in progress)

Willa Cather- January--O Pioneers--finished
William Faulkner- February==SKIP
Cormac McCarthy- March--All the Pretty Horses--finished
Toni Morrison- April--Beloved or maybe Jazz
Eudora Welty- May--The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June--Slaughterhouse Five
Mark Twain- July--Life on the Mississippi
Philip Roth- August--SUBSTITUTE Henry Roth--Call It Sleep
James Baldwin- September--Go Tell It on the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October--Summer
John Updike- November--SUBSTITUTE Theodore Dreiser
Larry Watson- December--Laura

This is hard to resist, but I really can't commit, with two F2f book groups a month and what might be a rather horrendous work schedule just now. but if and when i can join in, I will.

Here's my list with all my many substitutions. I substituted books I need to finish my "Recommended Reading List for College Bound Students" for authors I have either already read, or don't have a book on my shelves for.

American Authors Challenge:
Willa Cather- January – Death Comes for the Archbishop and possibly O Pioneers
William Faulkner- February - The Sound and the Fury
Cormac McCarthy- March Substitute: Arthur Miller - The Crucible
Toni Morrison- April – Substitute: Richard Wright - Native Son
Eudora Welty- May – Substitute: Carson McCullers - The Heart is a Lonely Hunter
Kurt Vonnegut- June- Substitute: James Agee - A Death in the Family
Mark Twain- July - Life on the Mississippi (recommended by Richard)
Philip Roth- August – Substitute: John Steinbeck - The Grapes of Wrath
James Baldwin- September - Go Tell It On the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October Substitute: Ernest Hemingway - For Whom the Bell Tolls
John Updike- November Substitute: Arthur Miller - Death of a Salesman
Larry Watson- December – Montana 1948 (recommended by Mark)

>>100 lindapanzo: - I'm a big fan of Wallace Stegner Linda. I want to re-read The Angle of Repose this year, as well as pulling one of his other novels I haven't yet read off the shelf.

Another American writer, and favourite book that might get a re-read this year is William Styron and his Sophie's Choice. The prose are like honey off the back of a warm spoon. I had the great fortune to hear him speak, in London, not too long before he died. He may have been phyisically fragile, but vocally he was still a powerful speaker, and thinker. I managed to get my precious copy of SC signed.

>103 Caroline_McElwee: Color me green, Caroline...enough that you could hear Styron, but to have a signed copy of Sophie's Joyce...that's special.

Can we please, please, pretty please with sugar on top have February's thread put up so we can discuss choices for Faulkner? I'm not sure of my choice and need help.

If Mark doesn't get to it this evening, I'll set one up.

>105 Morphidae:, 106 Yes, yes, please!

If I don't post the Faulkner tonight, I'll do it in the morning. Thanks for the offer, Jim!

I am loving the Cather!!

And please post a link to the Faulkner thread here when it's up?

New year, not much planning for me. But I really like the sound of this challenge and have tentative choices:

January: Cather Death Comes for the Archbishop (on shelf)

February: Faulkner...well. I thought I'd try Absalom, Absalom, which my eldest assures me is excessively depressing. Failing that, I'll just read A Rose for Emily, one of the finest short stories I've ever read, easily available in many anthologies. (both on shelf)

March: McCarthy Suttree Scary for me, but hey, ya gotta just plunge in sometime (library or buy, not sure)

April: Morrison Sula (on shelf)

May: Welty maybe The Collected Stories (on shelf)

June: Vonnegut Cat's Cradle I whipped thorough his work in huge gulps quite a while ago; my take on it now may be different (on shelf)

July: Twain Letters from the Earth (just got an enormous compendium of his work for $2.99 on kindle)

August: Roth The Ghost Writer, which is the first of the Zuckerman books (bought today for $7.99 on kindle)

September: Baldwin Giovanni's Room (library or buy)

October: Wharton A Backward Glance (on shelf)

November: Updike...not sure yet

December: Watson (yippee!!!) Laura (on shelf)

McCarthy is a new-to-me author. All the others are old friends. Even though I read many U.S. authors' work, it's nice to have a small, do-able plan to read these particular people; the bonus is that it will be very helpful for getting to some things I've had for just years...

Okay, the Faulkner thread is up and running. Post your thoughts and reading choice over there if you will. I also added the link, next to the author at the top of the page:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/164037#

Gail- I am glad we were able to sway you. That is how we roll. LOL. I have not read Suttree yet, but might I suggest All the Pretty Horses as a launching point. Maybe someone else has a different opinion.

Since, there seems to be interest in it, I will add the author thread 3-4 weeks beforehand. How does that sound? And if I forget, just give a nudge but make it a gentle one. Smile.

I'm late to the party and will not make it for all months- but hope ot improve my coverage of American authors - and clear some unread books that are kicking around.
January is well along with audiobook of O Pioneers! COMPLETED 1-13-2014

I'm back to make my list as long as I don't get kicked off the computer first- Allow for substitutions depending on availability and there are some I'm not sure of yet, but I will read each author as originally listed by Mark-

Jan-Willa Cather-My Antonia
Feb-William Faulkner-As I Lay Dying-may change
Mar-Cormac McCarthy-Suttree-
Apr-Toni Morrison-Beloved
May-Eudora Welty-The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty or something else depending on time
Jun-Kurt Vonnegut-Undecided
Jul-Mark Twain-Joan of Arc
Aug-Philip Roth-The Human Stain
Sep-James Baldwin-Go Tell It On The Mountain
Oct-Edith Wharton-Undecided
Nov-John Updike-Witches of Eastwick
Dec-Larry Watson-Montana 1948 as suggested by Mark since I'm not familiar with this author

Post 111-All The Pretty Horses is a good choice. I actually listened to the Trilogy All The Pretty Horses, The Crossing and Blood Meridian( I think) read by Brad Pitt and it was superb! Excellent ! Wonderful! I grabbed them when they were available in a discard shelf at the library also. So if there are those who find the idea of reading McCarthy daunting I strongly suggest finding the audiobooks read by Brad Pitt, although I'm sure there are others who have done a fine job reading his work.

I also loved Faulkner when I read him many years ago. I thought his style was so unique. I don't remember having trouble discerning his plots, but then again, I think I just can't remember back that far, and I may not feel the same way about him now. I'm very interested to find out, though. I am, on the other hand, very wary of Philip Roth. Every time I have tried reading Roth, particularly American Pastoral I found him dull. I'm hoping The Human Stain will be different? It may help to read him with others. I'm hoping? John Updike, too, can be a challenge, but I am hoping The Witches of Eastwick will be easier on me than some of his other books.

Mary Beth, I listened to the audio for "All the Pretty Horses" as well and I thought it worked beautifully. The only thing that was slightly difficult was all of the Spanish, without having the visual cues to guess what the words meant. But that didn't really bother me at all in the end.

I'm not usually impressed by Philip Roth at all, but I thought The Human Stain was pretty good.

Must look for the audio of All the Pretty Horses with Brad Pitt!

ETA: It's abridged so pretty Brad is not going to work.

This is my tentative list. I have started January's read, and so far I am enjoying it.

Willa Cather- January - My Antonia - started
William Faulkner- February - The Sound and the Fury
Cormac McCarthy- March - The Road - off the shelf
Toni Morrison- April -Beloved
Eudora Welty- May - I don't know yet
Kurt Vonnegut- June - Galapagos
Mark Twain- July A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Philip Roth- August - I don't Know yet
James Baldwin- September - Go Tell it on the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October - The Age of Innocence
John Updike- November - Witches of Eastwick
Larry Watson- December - Montana 1948

How do you abridge McCarthy? How do you abridge any author, other than maybe James Patterson?

Mary Beth- I love your "Pure" list. Makes my heart proud. Have you read the Age of Innocence? That would be my rec for Wharton.

Jayde- It looks like you are also going the Purist route! Yah!

Mark, I am so in your tribe on the issue of Abridgment.... a bridge...? how can one do that to an author's work? edit yes, abridgement? nope. Not reasonable.

>110 Matke:, 111 - All the Pretty Horses is a good starting point for McCarthy, but if you want a stand-alone book, instead of the first in a trilogy, I'd recommend No Country for Old Men. It's set along the Texas-Mexico border, which is "McCarthy-country" so to speak, and is a fabulous introduction to his writing style. I personally started with The Road, which I love to pieces, but it is so different from the rest of his books, subject matter-wise, that I don't know if it is really the place to start. A good thing to note is that McCarthy is far from positive - his books tend to be rather brutal, but beautiful.

I don't think I posted my list yet here on the thread.


glitter-graphics.com
My (very) tentative list for the American Author Challenge

January Willa Cather -- Death Comes for the Archbishop (I've wanted to read this for some time, at local library -- CURRENTLY READING!)
February William Faulkner -- As I Lay Dying, owned
March Cormac McCarthy -- All the Pretty Horses (I've been wanting to read another McCarthy, at local library)
April Toni Morrison -- Beloved (I really want to read this one, at local library) and/or Jazz (owned)
May Eudora Welty -- Losing Battles (at local library)
June Kurt Vonnegut substitute Thomas Wolfe - Look Homeward, Angel (owned)
July Mark Twain substitute Ernest Hemingway - For Whom the Bell Tolls (owned -- for over 20 years, about time I read it!)
August Philip Roth The Ghost Writer (owned)
September James Baldwin substitute Ray Bradbury - A Graveyard for Lunatics (for September Series & Sequels, owned)
October Edith Wharton substitute F. Paul Wilson - The Keep (for Halloween reading, owned)
November John Updike (Still deciding on selection)
December Larry Watson Let Him Go (I really want to read this, e-book available through library)

All titles -- except the first one -- subject to change. In fact, the list will PROBABLY change, more than once!

WAIT A MINUTE! HALT! CEASE AND DESIST! you mean i listened to an abridgement? EEEEK! I would never have done that on purpose and I really don't think the one I listened to was one. It certainly was a fairly long book in my memory but I know that I have it around the house somewhere so if I find it I will verify. I simply refuse to listen to or read abridgements. What is a book that does not have every word the author intended in it? An excerpt.

I'm in! Here's my (tentative) list:

Willa Cather- January - Shadows on the Rock
William Faulkner- February - Soldiers' Pay
Cormac McCarthy- March - All the Pretty Horses
Toni Morrison- April - Sula
Eudora Welty- May - Ponder Heart
Kurt Vonnegut- June - God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater : or, Pearls Before Swine
Mark Twain- July - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
Philip Roth- August - Goodbye, Columbus
James Baldwin- September - Go Tell it on the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October - The Age of Innocence
John Updike- November - The Witches of Eastwick
Larry Watson- December - American Boy

>Morphidae - The Bluest Eye is a good one, but poignant. Let me know what you think of it!

Finished and loved Death Comes. Looking forward to next month, difficult as it may be. I discovered that I have an audio book of The Hamlet--these things hide on me, I swear--so if Absalom, Absalom! seems to much to handle I can try that instead.

Gail, who is the narrator of The Hamlet? I'd like to give a Faulkner audio a try myself.

Linda, the narrator is Joe Barret. I listened to a couple of minutes; he's a good reader.

I'm in too, albeit with a *lot* of substitutions based on what's on my shelves patiently waiting. And I may well change it up based on new acquisitions. This is very fortuitous for me, as I just brought home a bunch of American literature from the discount shelves of the neighborhood bookstore.

January Willa Cather Margaret Craven
I Heard the Owl Call My Name
I'll start with a Native American female author...
I'll start with a novel focusing on a First Nations village from a female author
Done! 1/30/14

February William Faulkner James Fennimore Cooper
The Last of the Mohicans
Continuing with the Native American theme, albeit very different context.

March Cormac McCarthy John Nichols
The Milagro Beanfield War
I read All the Pretty Horses and thought, meh. Plus I tend to shy away when fulsome praise is heaped on an author. So instead a different sort of modern Western story. And this will be a challenge as it's one of the few books I wasn't able to finish.

April Toni Morrison Alice Walker
The Color Purple
This is the African American female author in my collection at the moment, though I have enjoyed Toni Morrison's novels in the past.

May Eudora Welty
TBD--I will see about picking something up

June Kurt Vonnegut Ray Bradbury
Something Wicked This Way Comes

July Mark Twain
Pudd'nhead Wilson
Backup: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court

August Philip Roth (TBD)
TBD
Don't have any works by this author or similar substitutions. Will have to think about this.

September James Baldwin
Go Tell It on the Mountain

October Edith Wharton
I may go with Jhumpa Lahiri's Interpreter of Maladies instead, as an alternate female Pulitzer Prize winner.

November John Updike Richard Wright
Black Boy
It has the heft of many Updike novels, but it's an autobiographical account of growing up in Jim Crow, and I think I'd benefit more from reading about this experience than something like Okies during the Dustbowl, which was required in high school.

December Larry Watson
Another one to think about. Nothing in hand at the moment.

Additional possible substitutions that don't tie in with the TBD reads:
H.G. Wells - War of the Worlds Oops!
Henry James - What Maisie Knew
Lorraine Hansberry - A Raisin in the Sun
something from Complete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe

>>129 justchris: I'm afraid you will have to discount HG Wells, who was English. Sorry about that. Maybe a confusion because of Orson Wells' exploits with War of the Worlds.

@130: I am sure that explains it. I am constantly mixing them up. Duly noted and retracted. Thanks for catching that, Caroline.

I see Faulkner is the author for February. I think I'm going to have to give this one a miss. I'm not a big Faulkner fan, I'm afraid. I plodded through The Sound and the Fury and Absalom! Absalom! and I think I've paid my Faulkner dues.

You and me both, Caro. I'm substituting in The Color Purple for February.

Oh good choice, Joe. I'm thinking of substituting with Of Mice and Men.

Great idea, Caro. It's a good 'un by an author who's become a favorite.

Love Of Mice and Men.

I really need to get past page 50 of East of Eden, as I am a big Steinbeck fan (can I say that, having read neither EofE, nor The Grapes of Wrath - I've been saving the latter!).

I have tried EofE half a dozen times, but I find it so mysoginistic, he hasn't a good word to say about any female character in the first 50 pages, so I end up lobbing the book across the room. I remember being totally engaged in the movie (but then as a kid I was a James Dean fan - my mother was watching Giant the day before I was born, I blame her!).

Anyway, time to put EofE in the prospective reads for this year me thinks.

I decided I will join the challenge. I'm not going to make a list and commit to reading certain books. I think I will see what everyone else is reading and then choose.

I was happy Willa Cather was first, she is one of my favorite authors.

I'm skipping Faulkner February but I'm planning to start my substituted choice, Wallace Stegner's The Big Rock Candy Mountain.

I am also a Faulkner Refugee. I was planning to read What we Talk About When We Talk About Love by Raymond Carver; but I am tempted by the Stegner, because I have been meaning to read something by him and I love that song.

Oh, dear. I was sure I had a copy of As I Lay Dying on my TBR shelf. Not! The only Faulkner on the shelf is The Sound and the Fury, which I gave up on last year, and don't plan to try this month. Hopefully, I can grab a library copy somewhere. Or maybe I should re-think which Faulkner to read? (But definitely not TS&TF!)

I think As I Lay Dying is a good first book for Faulkner. Short chapters, clear characters, and depending on your sense of humor, funny as well as sad. Good luck!!

I'm still skipping Faulkner for February but, with a long novel to read for this month's GeoCAT challenge, which I'm hosting, I'm opting for something shorter for Feb as a substitution for the AAC.

I haven't any Carson McCullers since my freshman year of high school so I am going with her The Ballad of the Sad Cafe.

My substitution is The Color Purple, and I got my hands on a copy.

I'm going to head downstairs to grab As I Lay Dying before I leave work today.

Hm. Maybe Light in August if I can get to it in time.

The Color Purple was terrific. I'll try to review it in the next few days.

The Cormac McCarthy thread for March is available:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/170080

If you are not sure what you will be reading, start making that big decision.

# 147 Thanks for adding the McCarthy thread Mark!

In other news I just started As I Lay Dying. Certainly a lot of stuff going on while this poor woman's flat on her back with her head propped up and listening to all that's going on. But, sometimes, I seriously need a translator.

I had planned to read As I Lay Dying this month. I thought I had a copy on my shelf -- I didn't. Then I planned to read the library copy -- it was missing. It just doesn't seem as if it's meant to be.

I think I may skip Faulkner and possibly substitute another American author that I have on my TBR shelf.

I'm listening to As I Lay Dying in the interests of time. I can pack and listen. I like the doctor they have to pull up the hill. Faulkner appeals to the senses with every characters actions, sawing,fanning,not sweating, baking, there is always an action attached to a character and there seems to be so much activity in juxtaposition to Addie's stillness. Not sure yet about my March selection. I quite enjoyed My Antonia. Cather's writing makes me think.

Did some more planning . . .

Willa Cather- January ..............My Antonia ............................. COMPLETED
William Faulkner- February ..... Selected Short Stories .............. COMPLETED
Cormac McCarthy- March ........ All the Pretty Horses
Toni Morrison- April ................ Home
Eudora Welty- May ................ The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June .............. God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian
Mark Twain- July ----------------Innocents Abroad
Philip Roth- August --------------Nemesis
James Baldwin- September...... Go Tell It on the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October ----------------------------------------------NEED SUGGESTIONS
John Updike- November ...........The Witches of Eastwick
Larry Watson- December ......... Montana 1948

Lois, I am debating between two Twain books for July: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court and Innocents Abroad.

I also am looking for suggestions for Roth and Wharton so I'll be interested to see what ideas people give you.

rosalita, I'm leaning towards Innocents Abroad, as well. I've read both Portnoy's Complaint and Goodbye Columbus, so I'm looking for something else by Roth.

Lois, of the two Roths you've read, would you recommend one over the other?

Rosalita, it was so long ago (30 yrs?)! My recollection is that they were both rather crude, and I think I liked Goodbye Columbus more than Portnoy's Complaint.

Not being a fan of Philip Roth, I would recommend The Human Stain as one that did not set my teeth on edge. I found both Goodbye Columbus and Portnoy's Complaint to be rather...um...."icky", I think is the precise term!

Philip Roth? I read Nemesis and found it quite good, as I recall. I gave it 4 stars.

Nemesis, it is! Thanks for the suggestion.

>156 laytonwoman3rd: I have to agree with the "icky" comment. One of the few details I remember has to do with his creative use for a piece of liver!

Oh dear! Perhaps I will go with The Human Stain.

I think my favorite Roth was Patrimony, which is a memoir about him caregiving for his father. I also really liked The Plot Against America. Both are free of the "ick" factor.

I just bought All the Pretty Horses for the Kindle. I expect I'll have more luck with my March selection.

I thought Nemesis very good. Liked, but was disappointed by The Plot Against America, can't really remember what I thought of the earlier (Icky'ish?) volumes I read years ago, though my plan had been to re-read one of those (not especially for the 'ickyness', but to remind myself what might have signalled Roth's subsequent success).

I also thought the Exit Ghost was very good.
(touchstones not working)

I have only read one Roth, so I really can't give much of an opinion. I will also be giving The Plot Against America a go, although I have a couple more of his in the stacks too!

I know he isn't one of our "official" challenge authors (this time!), but it's John Steinbeck's 112th birthday, and weren't a couple people substituting him for one of the others?



The Google Doodle today commemorates his birthday too.

>165 laytonwoman3rd: Thanks for the Google doodle link, Linda. I like the quotes when you click on the book. Happy Birthday, JS!

The Google doodle is fantastic. It made my day when I saw it this morning :)

Thanks Linda! Steinbeck remains my favorite American author, but since we dedicated an entire year, for the Steinbeckathon, I thought I should pick a few others, but he is definitely a treasure.

RD posted a link of a letter from Steinbeck to his son about love. It is gorgeous:

http://www.brainpickings.org/index.php/2012/01/12/john-steinbeck-on-love-1958/

Oh, I love his last thought: "nothing good gets away". Truth.

In honor of Steinbeck's birthday, and this challenge, and my determination to readreadread from my Library of America volumes this year, I read The Pearl last night. What a gem. (Ahem. Sorry.) I know I read it in junior high school, but nothing beyond the finding of the "Pearl of the World" and a vague sense of doom had survived in my memory.

I re-read The Pearl not all that many years ago when the kids had it for High School English. It was much better than I remembered. Not that I think poorly of any John Steinbeck, but I did not remember it as one of the better ones. I suppose I should have had my pom poms really shaking for the birthday of one of my very favorite authors.

I'm not sure if this is an appropriate posting, however, I feel I need to announce I'm putting down my AAC book and picking up my first Booktopia book. I started reading The Wives of Los Alamos by Tarashea Nesbit. Captivating!

Well, I failed to read Faulkner (nor anyone else I thought suitable for AAC) in February. I'm determined to read something by McCarthy this month.

ETA to add I take that back. I read The Round House by Louise Erdrich. That won the Nation Book Award for Fiction -- and deserved it more than many books that have won that award, IMO. So I think I can count her as my February American Author.

As you can see I am hard at work on the American Author challenge. Happy Birthday Dr. Seuss!


.

HA! Dr. Seuss should definitely have been on the list.

Justin Kaplan, an important voice in American literature studies, has died at the age of 88. His Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain was amazing stuff to my future husband and me in our college days. (My husband and brother feel about Twain as I feel about Faulkner; it's hard to be around that and not catch a bit of the fever yourself.)

My latest status:
Willa Cather- January ..............My Antonia ........................... COMPLETED
William Faulkner- February ..... Selected Short Stories ............ COMPLETED
Cormac McCarthy- March ........ All the Pretty Horses .............. COMPLETED
Toni Morrison- April ................ Home .................................. COMPLETED
Eudora Welty- May ................ The Optimist's Daughter.......... COMPLETED
Kurt Vonnegut- June .............. God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian... COMPLETED
Mark Twain- July ----------------Innocents Abroad
Philip Roth- August --------------Nemesis
James Baldwin- September...... Go Tell It on the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October ...........The Age of Innocence
John Updike- November ...........The Witches of Eastwick
Larry Watson- December ......... Montana 1948

I've still go to check out the Cormac McCarthy book. I'll get to it before the end of the month.

Lois- For Wharton, I would suggest the Age of Innocence. It was my first by her and still might be my favorite. I also really enjoyed House of Mirth.

Linda- I heard about Kaplan passing. I have not read him. Mr. Clemens and Mark Twain sounds excellent. You haven't read it, though?

>179 msf59: Thanks, I'll go with that!

Lois- I thought the film version was excellent too!

<179 Oh yes, Mark. We both read the Kaplan in college.

So far:

January-Willa Cather-My Antonia-Completed
February--William Faulkner-As I Lay Dying-Completed
March-Cormac McCarthy-Not sure as I have read his Crossing trilogy but I will decide by tonight.
April-Toni Morrison-Beloved-I have never read this, or anything by Morrison so I am happy to broaden my horizons.

>183 mmignano11: I have never read anything by Toni Morrison either. I am also planning on Beloved.

So far:

Willa Cather- January - Death Comes for the Archbishop - 7 out of 10 stars
William Faulkner- February - Knight's Gambit - 6 out of 10 stars
Cormac McCarthy- March - All the Pretty Horses - Half Done, probably will get 6 or 7 stars

Is the Morrison thread up yet? I need help picking a selection.

I know we don't get to Roth until August, but today is his birthday, and Garrison Keillor's Writer's Almanac has this little bio on him:

"It's the birthday of novelist Philip Roth, born in Newark, New Jersey (1933). He said: "Far from being the classic period of explosion and tempestuous growth, my adolescence was more or less a period of suspended animation. After the victories of an exuberant and spirited childhood — lived out against the dramatic background of America's participation in World War II — I was to cool down considerably until I went off to college in 1950. ... From age 12, when I entered high school, to age 16, when I graduated, I was by and large a good, responsible, well-behaved boy. ... The best of adolescence was the intense male friendships — not only because of the cozy feelings of camaraderie they afforded boys coming unstuck from their close-knit families, but because of the opportunity they provided for uncensored talk. These marathon conversations, characterized often by raucous discussions of hoped-for sexual adventure and by all sorts of anarchic joking, were typically conducted, however, in the confines of a parked car — two, three, four, or five of us in a single steel enclosure just about the size and shape of a prison cell, and similarly set apart from ordinary human society."

After college, when he was 26 years old and teaching at the University of Chicago, he published his first book, a classic story of adolescence, the novella Goodbye, Columbus (1959). It won the National Book Award. In the 50-plus years since, Roth has published more than 30 books, including Portnoy's Complaint (1969) and American Pastoral (1997). He has continued to win major awards: another National Book Award, three PEN/Faulkner Awards, two National Book Critics Circle Awards, and a Pulitzer Prize.

Roth's most recent book, and the last in his quartet, is Nemesis (2010).

Philip Roth said: "I would be wonderful with a 100-year moratorium on literature talk, if you shut down all literature departments, close the book reviews, ban the critics. The readers should be alone with the books, and if anyone dared to say anything about them, they would be shot or imprisoned right on the spot. Yes, shot. A 100-year moratorium on insufferable literary talk. You should let people fight with the books on their own and rediscover what they are and what they are not. Anything other than this talk. Fairytale talk. As soon as you generalize, you are in a completely different universe than that of literature, and there's no bridge between the two.""

A link to the entire Almanac entry is here, but it isn't date specific, so I think if you click on it tomorrow, you'll get tomorrow's entry, and so on. You can always click the "Previous" button, of course.

>185 Morphidae:- I'll try to get the Morrison up soon.

>186 laytonwoman3rd:- Thanks for the Roth info, Linda.

>187 msf59: Don't you think I showed great restraint in not commenting on his ridiculous unusual moratorium suggestion? Hmmmm? *looks innocent*

Okay, the Toni Morrison thread is up and running:

https://www.librarything.com/topic/171799#

Please stop by, drop a star, mention what you'll be reading and give any recommendations you can think of.

A very good profile on Peter Matthiessen appeared in the New York Times Magazine a couple days before he died. A rather different sort of American Author than any of those we're reading this year.

Wasn't that grand? I haven't read any of his fiction, but hope to soon.

I think I might go right to Welty as I can't seem to get into Beloved right now. Not sure why not. Her writing is lyrical, but sometimes I feel as though I can't relate to how her characters think.

>190 laytonwoman3rd: Linda, thanks for the link. I ordered his now post-mortem published novel, In Paradise the other day.

Hear ye! Hear ye! The Eudora Welty thread is up and running: http://www.librarything.com/topic/173048#

>194 msf59: YAY!

This is turning out to be a fun and educational experience. Thanks for coming up with it, Mark.

Gail- You are welcome. I am having a terrific time with it, as well. I am ecstatic that it took off the way it did.

Harper Lee has agreed to allow the release of her great American Novel as an e-book. She only recently got the rights to the book back after an unscrupulous agent tricked her into signing them away. Let's hope everyone with an e-reader goes out and buys this.

>198 laytonwoman3rd: I know I will! I love that book but my paperback copy is getting a bit fragile with age.

The Kurt Vonnegut AAC thread is up:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/174613

The Mark Twain AAC thread is up:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/176689#4743720

Ooh I've got very behind grrr.

Caroline- Plenty of time to jump in! We are are having a good time with AAC. Perfect reason to catch up with some titles, we have put off for various reasons.

I know Edith Wharton isn't til October but I had no idea that she wrote a "steamy novel" and, in fact, it's already on my bookshelf.

http://www.newrepublic.com/article/118686/edith-wharton-novel-summer-hot-ethan-f...

Philip Roth thread, please?

Thomas Berger, died July 13 in Nyack, N.Y. He was 89. Although Berger was most famous for Little Big Man, which became a movie starring Dustin Hoffman, he wrote dozens of other books, seemingly trying his hand at every genre and various styles. I think I may consider reading Little Big Man in place of one of the authors (like Roth) I'm passing by.

>206 laytonwoman3rd: SORRY, Morphy! I'll try to get it going in the next couple of days.

>207 msf59: Thanks for posting that Linda. I read Little Big Man many years ago, along with a couple others. I loved his diverse style.

^The Philip Roth thread is up: http://www.librarything.com/topic/178271

Excuse my ignorance but what do you mean "something off the shelf?" Whose shelf?

>209 mhmr: "something off the shelf" means your shelf. Mark started the challenge in order to read more off of his own book shelves. If you don't have anything off your shelf then see if the library or a friend has something. The goal is not to spend a ton of money to participate in this challenge. If you want to buy the book there really are no hard and fast rules.

July Status:
Willa Cather- January ..............My Antonia ........................... COMPLETED
William Faulkner- February ...... Selected Short Stories ............ COMPLETED
Cormac McCarthy- March ........ All the Pretty Horses .............. COMPLETED
Toni Morrison- April ................ Home .................................. COMPLETED
Eudora Welty- May ................ The Optimist's Daughter.......... COMPLETED
Kurt Vonnegut- June .............. God Bless You, Dr. Kevorkian... COMPLETED
Mark Twain- July ----------------Innocents Abroad .................. COMPLETED
Philip Roth- August --------------Nemesis
James Baldwin- September...... Go Tell It on the Mountain
Edith Wharton- October ...........The Age of Innocence
John Updike- November ...........The Witches of Eastwick
Larry Watson- December ......... Montana 1948

Oh, thanks for that, Lois. It reminds me that I don't think I updated my own list to add my completed Mark Twain selection. Here's my completed list so far:

January
Willa Cather Alexander's Bridge Finished 1-1-14
My Antonia Finished 1-17-14
February
William Faulkner Mosquitoes Finished 2-8-14
Flags in the Dust Finished 2-24-24
March
Cormac McCarthy Suttree Finished 3-25-14
April
Toni Morrison Song of Solomon Finished 4-21-14
May
Eudora Welty Delta Wedding Finished 5-23-14
June
Kurt Vonnegut A Man Without a Country finished 6-15-14
July
Mark Twain Life on the Mississippi finished 7-20-14

>212 laytonwoman3rd:
You are welcome! Even as a retired person, I still do status reports. :)

>211 LoisB: >212 laytonwoman3rd: I love both your AAC updates! And you are both batting a 1,000! I love my purists!

My only regret, is that, I wish I would have thought of reading at least 2 Cather books. I am still toying with reading another one of hers this year.

>214 msf59: Yes, I'm a purist and strongly committed to completing any challenge that I accept. I actually did read Cather's Song of the Lark in the spring, so that's my two for the year.

^Show of Hands, of anyone that is a 7 for 7 Purist?

Mine is up and I know Lois & Linda are in there, as well.

>215 LoisB: It looks like I am going to have to keep up with you. LOL.

Cripes, now you guys are making me feel really sorta bad about skipping Philip Roth. Maybe I can find a long interview or something...

Well snce you showed me yours, I'll show you mine:

✔ January: Willa Cather - My Antonia -
✔ February - William Faulkner - The Hamlet
✔ March - Cormac McCarthy - All the Pretty Horses
✔ April - Toni Morrison- Jazz
✔ May - Eudora Welty - The Optimist's Daughter
✔ June - Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse- 5; Cat's Cradle
✔ July - Mark Twain Pudd'nhead Wilson / Those Extraordinary Twins

I have to admit,though, that the only one I've had unread on my shelf was the Mark Twain.

I'm not a 7/7 purist yet, but I will be by Thursday.

Willa Cather- January - Death Comes for the Archbishop - 7/10 stars
William Faulkner- February - Knight's Gambit - 6/10
Cormac McCarthy- March - All the Pretty Horses - 6/10
Toni Morrison- April - The Bluest Eye - 8/10
Eudora Welty- May - Why I Live at the P.O. (short story) - 6/10
Kurt Vonnegut- June - Cat's Cradle - 6/10
Mark Twain- July - The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (short story) - 4/10

Go Janet! Go Janet!

Go Morphy! Go Morphy!

**I want to point out that the whole Purist level is purely for FUN. I really appreciate any participation in AAC and I hope folks were able to get to a few neglected classis and take some of those books OTS.

I'm pure! I'm pure! ;-)

January - Willa Cather - Death Comes for the Archbishop (OTS)
February - William Faulkner - As I Lay Dying (DNF); A Rose for Emily (in an anthology OTS)
March - Cormac McCarthy - The Road (OTS)
April - Toni Morrison - Sula (OTS)
May - Eudora Welty - The Ponder Heart (OTS)
June - Kurt Vonnegut - Mother Night (library)
July - Mark Twain - The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calaveras County (library)

I'm tainted.

January - Willa Cather - Death Comes for the Archbishop
February - William Faulkner - The Hamlet - DNF
March - Cormac McCarthy - All The Pretty Horses
April - Toni Morrison - Nope
May - Eudora Welty - Nope
June - Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse-Five
July - Mark Twain - Nope

>222 Crazymamie: - LOL!

I think I should get a prize for biggest straight-up failure:

January - Willa Cather - Death Comes for the Archbishop
February - William Faulkner -Intruder in the Dust
March - Cormac McCarthy - None
April - Toni Morrison - None (although I love her)
May - Eudora Welty - None
June - Kurt Vonnegut - None
July - Mark Twain - None
August - Philip Roth - Oh, hell no.

I do hope to get in on Baldwin and Wharton though.

Go Katie! Go Katie!

>222 Crazymamie: LOL!

>224 DorsVenabili: ROFL!

Willa Cather- January - Death Comes For The Archbishop and The Professor's House - COMPLETED
William Faulkner- February - Absalom, Absalom COMPLETED
Cormac McCarthy- March All The Pretty Horses COMPLETED
Toni Morrison- April - Amatissima COMPLETED
Eudora Welty- May - The Optimist's Daughter COMPLETED
Kurt Vonnegut- June - God Bless You, Mr Rosewater COMPLETED
Mark Twain- July - The Innocents Abroad COMPLETED

I didn't always post on the threads, I generally was away from LT a lot this year. August was planned as Booker longlist month, but now I'll try to squeeze in a PR as well.

January - Willa Cather - Shadows on the Rock - COMPLETED
February - William Faulkner - As I Lay Dying - COMPLETED
March - Cormac McCarthy - Suttree - COMPLETED
April - Toni Morrison - Jazz - COMPLETED
May - Eudora Welty - The Ponder Heart - COMPLETED
June - Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse-Five - COMPLETED
July - Mark Twain - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer - COMPLETED

I'm going to give Philip Roth a shot, but I'm not holding out a lot of hope for completing it since it's a genre I detest. I'll substitute another author if I need to do so.

I've fainted. Swooned. Useless. Not following through on starting this challenge. So sad.

>222 Crazymamie: UNCLEAN! Get thee away from me, Satan.

>229 rosalita: ROFL! This is a very humorous bunch. No wonder I love it so much.

>228 maggie1944: Smelling salts, anyone??

I suppose after smiting Mamie, the least I could do is list my own progress so far:

January (Willa Cather) — Death Comes for the Archbishop — marvelous
February (William Faulkner) — The Hamlet — Abandoned Without Prejudice™
March (Cormac McCarthy) — The Road — 10 on a scale of 1-5
April (Toni Morrison) — The Bluest Eye — Unfinished But Not Abandoned™
May (Eudora Welty) — The Collected Stories of Eudora Welty — uneven but enjoyable
June (Kurt Vonnegut) — Slaughterhouse-Five — really liked
July (Mark Twain) — The Innocents Abroad — good but went on a shade too long
August (Philip Roth) — ???

I think I better post mine too, after running my mouth:

Willa Cather- Death Comes for the Archbishop Completed
William Faulkner- Light in August Completed
Cormac McCarthy- Suttree Completed
Toni Morrison- Tar Baby Completed
Eudora Welty- The Collected Stories Completed Read the first 2 collections
Kurt Vonnegut- Mother Night, Breakfast of Champions Completed
Mark Twain- Life on the Mississippi- Thanks to RD The Adventures of Tom Sawyer Completed

And upcoming:

Philip Roth- The Plot Against America
James Baldwin- Giovanni's Room
Edith Wharton- The Custom of the Country
John Updike- Rabbit Run
Larry Watson- Orchard or White Crosses or both.

LOL! Don't be ashamed, dear Mamie! You can always redeem yourself.

Redemption? Um...no. I will just have to learn to live with it, Mark.

Way to stick to your guns, Mamie! Go down smiling, that's what I say.

I knew you would understand, Julia. You GET me!

It's like my Aunt Josie always said, "The road to hell is where you'll meet the most fun people."

LOL!

>238 rosalita: LOL!

I just finished Mark Twain and while I enjoyed Huck Finn and Tom Sawyer, the Connecticut Yankee just did not do it for me!!

Here is my summary:
Willa Cather- January - My Antonia - Finshed -- LOVED IT!
William Faulkner- February - As I Lay Dying - FINISHED-- Not Bad!
Cormac McCarthy- March - The Road - off the shelf -FINISHED - Okay
Toni Morrison- April - Home -FINISHED
Eudora Welty- May - The Optimist's Daughter -FINISHED - okay
Kurt Vonnegut- June - Slaughter House Five FINISHED- liked it
Mark Twain- July - A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court -FINISHED- Not for Me

Philip Roth- August - I don't Know
Any suggestions???

Since I can't seem to find a separate Roth thread, I'm posting my brief review here. For those of you who were considering skipping Roth, I urge you to reconsider!

****
My only prior experience with Philip Roth's works was with Goodbye Columbus and Portnoy's Complaint, both of which I read many years ago and both of which I remember as rather crude. Nemesis was a pleasant surprise. Whether it is due to Roth's maturity as a writer, or my own maturity as a reader, I found Nemesis to be a gripping coming-of-age story. Set in Newark, NJ during the 1944 polio epidemic, it's the story of Bucky Cantor, a phys-ed teacher, summering as a playground instructor. He has found a career, a woman to love, and is on the brink of a wonderful life when tragedy strikes. I definitely recommend this book!

The Roth thread is here: http://www.librarything.com/topic/178271 (Pssst....Mark....maybe you could edit the first post to add the link?) Nemesis was the last Roth I read, and I agree that he did better with this one than with Columbus and Portnoy.

I read Portnoy's complaint when I was about 21 or 22. I'm not sure I finished it. I was at a complete loss as to why anyone would think it a great or even good book. It certainly poisoned me on ever reading Philip Roth again. In hindsight it probably made me unable to appreciate jewish humor in almost any form. all I can see is whiney. at best.

eta: I haven't thought about this in a very long time, but when I grew up and became a reader in the 60's books were kind of sacred. There was no such thing as a "bad" book. There were books you might not enjoy or have little or no interest in, but I didn't think of books as being "bad." Portnoy's Complaint as best I can recall was the first time my naïve self got shocked. I really thought it was a disgusting book that should not have been published. I suspect all these years later I might not view it so harshly - who knows.

Less than pure here, too:

January - Willa Cather - My Ántonia
February - William Faulkner - Nope
March - Cormac McCarthy - Nope
April - Toni Morrison - Sula (I also read Home in March -- do I get extra credit?)
May - Eudora Welty - The Optimist's Daughter
June - Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse-Five AND Mother Night
July - Mark Twain - Nope, not even tempted
August - Philip Roth - we'll see....

Purist here (although husband declares it OCD):

Willa Cather- January - One of Ours
William Faulkner- February - Selected Short Stories
Cormac McCarthy- March - All the Pretty Horses
Toni Morrison- April - Home
Eudora Welty- May - The Optimist's Daughter
Kurt Vonnegut- June - Breakfast of Champions
Mark Twain- July - The Adventures of Tom Sawyer
Philip Roth- August - Exit Ghost - still reading

Go Cindy! Go Cindy! Sometimes our spouses just don't "get it"!!

I plan on starting my Roth soon...

Not a purist--could not manage Faulkner!

Willa Cather- January - My Antonia
William Faulkner- February - NO. I read Raymond Carver instead.
Cormac McCarthy- March - All the Pretty Horses
Toni Morrison- April - Paradise
Eudora Welty- May - short stories
Kurt Vonnegut- June - God Bless You Mr. Rosewater
Mark Twain- July -Life on the Mississippi
Philip Roth- August - TBD

I probably will manage the rest of the year, so 11/12 is not bad.

I've been enjoying your challenge, Mark. Out of my 8 reads for AA, I've only had two that I hated, 3 were middling, and 3 I loved.

Popping this one up to the top of the page...it sounds like you'll be rather overwhelmed this week, Mark, but I am looking forward to the set up of the September thread for Baldwin.

The James Baldwin thread is up:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/179741#

Not quite a purist, since I didn't finish my Twain in July (yet), but I still have hopes for August.

Willa Cather - Death Comes for the Archbishop Completed
William Faulkner- Light in August Completed
Cormac McCarthy- Blood Meridian Completed
Toni Morrison- Home Completed
Eudora Welty- The Optimist's Daughter Completed
Kurt Vonnegut- Mother Night Completed
Mark Twain- A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court (Reading)
Philip Roth - American Pastoral (Reading)

Looking ahead to October, I have a nice Penguin trade paperback edition of The Age of Innocence I would be happy to send to anyone stateside who needs a copy for Wharton month. A message on my profile page with your address will claim it.

Edit: And it now has a new home, toward which it will be winging today!

Although Faulkner's month was February, it's never too late to consider reading or re-reading one of his masterpieces. Perhaps this article from the LA TIMES published yesterday on the great man's birthday, will encourage someone to revisit, or try for the first time, Light in August or Absalom, Absalom!.

Thanks Linda! We love spreading that biblio-joy!

I'll try to get the Wharton up on Sunday!

I joined the challenge in August so I've had to go back and catch up the first seven months knowing as I did so that it might be outside whatever rules there may be. Here's my progress so far:

Willa Cather: A Lost Lady

William Faulkner: Light in August

Cormack McCarthy: Still to be read

Toni Morrison: Paradise

Eudora Welty: The Delta Wedding and The Robber Bridegroom

Kurt Vonnegut: Slaughterhouse Five

Mark Twain: Pudd'nhead Wilson

Phillip Roth: The Plot Against America

Intend to keep going.
Cheers

>256 mhmr: I think that is fantastic! Good for you!

Looking forward to reading some Wharton.

^The Wharton AAC thread is up:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/181038#

Mark, this has been a great challenge. What are we going to do next year?

>260 banjo123: I am not sure yet! I was thinking of doing something international or possibly another AAC Part II. What do you think? I am overwhelmed by the response of this one. It's been a blast.

Not that I've participated a great deal this year, but I am game to try again in 2015. I could go for either American, or more International.

I was toying with picking 12 countries and selecting 3-5 books (with help, from participants). We could pick from that list. I am sure we have many in our TBR stacks. Of course, that idea can be tinkered with. And then the following year, go back to the AAC.

What do you think?

sounds like a good plan, to me

Maybe regions/countries?

The different countries sounds interesting. But I would have no problem with AA II either.

There is SO much more American territory to cover...no surprise, but I'd love to make this an annual event.

Just my opinion but there are global challenges all over LT and international authors. I really loved that you focused on American authors that I would have probably never gotten around to reading. I'll jump in if you do an international challenge but I really enjoyed the AAC.

Hmmmmmm...maybe we will just stick with AAC Part Deux. God knows, there are a myriad of authors to choose from.

Should we vote?

I've participated in several LT votes in the passed two months with disastrous results. In one, the options that I got really excited about didn't win; in another, it became very tedious as we seemed to vote, re-vote, vote . . . (I'm not sure we are finished yet); and in a third, a very valuable member got dumped on and quit the group!

So, I am willing to leave the selections up to you, Mark. If you want some input, you can solicit it, but I hope the process is not long and drawn out.

>269 LoisB: I agree. Too many cooks can spoil the broth. I couldn't even follow the conversations. I just wait until choices are made and then decide if I will follow or not.

Mark you did a fantastic job picking out the authors. I hope you do it again and just let us tag along for the ride.

>269 LoisB: Thanks for your thoughts, Lois! I sure don't like things complicated either. I do like having it a group effort, though. Right now it seems like everyone is leading toward an AAC repeat, which is perfectly fine with me. We barely skimmed the surface on American authors and I am sure I have plenty on shelf, that I can get to.

>270 luvamystery65: Thank you very much, Ro! I am still amazed how well received this challenge was. I never imagined it catching on like this. If you remember, I did enlist some suggestions for the authors and of course I incorporated them along with some of my choices. I thought that worked very well.

>271 msf59: Yes, Mark the way you took suggestions and incorporated it worked out very well. The tone was inclusive and very congenial. Of course, that describes you to a T. I look forward to another year of discovering and rediscovering authors with you.

Whatever you end up doing, I'll probably do what I did this year, which was flow in and out of the challenge, according to my mood and the author of the moment. I always have personal challenges that keep me busy and then last minute substitutions to keep things interesting! :-)

I think the AAC-I is very special. I'd love to see an AAC-II.

Another AAC sounds good to me. There are still lots of authors to include. The other thing I had considered was that we could do a Nobel challenge, and choose 12 Nobel prize winners.

Mark, as folks are saying, I think the challenge you develop "should" be one that resonates for you. I have enjoyed the AAC though I haven't participated every month. There are a lot of international challenges around LT and this one has felt a bit special. Perhaps there is a way to do AAC-II with even more consideration of the diversity of American authors. I'm not sure what that would look like, but it's a thought.

In any case, I think the majority stance is that we'll follow you anywhere. :-)

I'm sorry that I didn't get to participate in AAC this year but was really happy to have that choice open to me. I would love to see this challenge keep going.

Thanks for all the kind thoughts everyone. I had as much fun as everyone else. And we still have 2 more authors to get to, including the contentious Mr. Updike, which I'll be posting soon.

>277 AuntieClio: It looks like you may have another shot, next year, Stephanie! We will be here!

^^I decided to start a new AAC Main Thread. Come on by, drop a star and take a look:

http://www.librarything.com/topic/182058