Sometimes however, we may just find a favorite author that we never heard of. One day last year, while scanning my library shelves for something to read, I saw some books by an author named Wallace Stegner (picture above). I'd never known about him until then and no one I know seems to have heard of him. But once I read a collection of short stories by this author, I decided to read more of his work. To date, I've read the following books of his:
Collected Stories
Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs
Angle of Repose
The Big Rock Candy Mountain
The Spectator Bird (currently reading)
And at home I have a used copy of this one, found at a local thrift store:
All the Little Live Things
I've enjoyed all the ones I've read so far and am eager to keep reading more. I definitely recommend his work to those who have never heard of him and/or who are curious now that you've read this. Sometimes when you discover a writer you've never heard of, you find someone and something you like to read. FYI, Angle of Repose was a Pulitzer Prize winner, and The Spectator Bird a winner of the National Book Award.
Coincidentally, I discovered another author named Wallace--Wallace Thurman (below). To date I've only read one of his books, The Blacker the Berry: A Novel of Negro Life, a novel from the Harlem Renaissance era. I enjoyed this one as well and recommend it to those who don't already know about it. Again, no one I know has ever heard of this author.
And I like to read poetry as well, and I recently discovered the poet named Wallace Stevens. Gee, what is it with the name Wallace? I read The Collected Poems, which won the Pulitzer.
| Wallace Stevens | |
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And this is just the tip pf the iceberg of new favorite authors. I'm sure I may just find more little-known authors that I will end up wanting read more of. How about you? Have you discovered anyone knew to you that you found yourself really liking to read?
11 comments:
Oh my, you have found some interesting reads.
I often discover new 'favourite' authors. And am so very grateful to writers who provide me with comfort, with education, with escape. And more...
It is a great day when I discover a new favorite author. It's like finding a new friend. They can so enrich my life.
My husband enjoys Wallace Stevens. Good choice.
Hi Jamie, I’ve not heard of any of the writers you mention here, but I definitely want to read Where the Bluebird Sings to the Lemonade Springs and The Big Rock Candy Mountain. How could I not want to read them with titles like those? I’ve just added both to my must-read list and will be scouring charity shops in search of them. It’s amazing how many times I read about a book on a blog and then find it almost immediately. It might just be because the title is fresh in my mind, and it sort of springs out at me from a shelf.
I have actually heard of Wallace Thurman. It may have been through a college course years ago, but the name wasn't new to me. I fell into a Dicken's binge the way you did with Stegner. That's rare for me. I usually just go by book concepts and not necessarily an author. However, there are some authors I won't read because I gave them a chance and really didn't connect with their writing. It happens, eh?
Thanks. Glad to see someone who likes this one. No one I know knew about him, either.
I got most of these books from my library. Their copy of All the Little Live Things is a non-circulating (reference section), so when Is aw a copy at thrift store, I just had to snag it.
The Thurman book, I ordered from Amazon since the library didn't have it. I had seen it mentioned on someone's blog and wanted to read it after looking it up.
I guess it does happen, but also the opposite.
Thanks.
Jacqui and EC: That's a good observation. That's how I start to fell about some of the new favorites I discover.
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