Kell Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Having discovered an excellent local author last year (the wonderful Stuart McBride) and also being a big fan of another author who used to live locally (Christopher Brookmyre), I wondered if anyone else had any local authors they love? Are they authors who have had widespread success? Or are their books local books for local people?* What is it about their books that appealed to you? Did you have any expectations, or did you go into it "blind", without knowing anything beforehand? Do they write about the area you live in as well as live there, or do their books have completely different settings? * LOL - I couldn't resist highjacking The League of Gentlemen for this topic! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 Re Stuart McBride - Cold Granite. Keith is now a fan. He has almost finished it and basically can't put it down. Had to prise Terry Pratchet out of his hands though first! He even said to me that it's a good book! Praise indeed! I should say, reflecting the question of locality, that Keith is Aberdonian and he's chuffed cos his old school is mentioned (but there weren't any drugs when he was there! - he says;) ) PP:) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Louiseog Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 A pastor from our local church has recently written a book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/Harvest-Heartache-Gail-Chamberlain/dp/1842912585/sr=11-1/qid=1168033193/ref=sr_11_1/026-5237336-9543622 Was not my normal read, and possibly my review is not that fair. I cried from start to finish, partly because what was happening to her was too close (does that make sense, the hospital my kids were born in and the school they go to!!!) But will recommend it as it was well written and shows a positive side to what could be horrific. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benedicklover Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 I enjoy South Yorkshire authors, mainly because you can often relate to the settings. When I was younger I particularly used to like Berlie Doherty. One of my favourites is Granny was a Buffer Girl as many of the stories within the book reminded me of the stories my Nan used to tell me about people she knew. Also, when doing my GCSE's our class were asked to give our opinions on Dear Nobody before it was published, so I like to think I have helped Doherty's career in some small way lol. BTW Kell I love the LoG reference:D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kell Posted January 5, 2007 Author Share Posted January 5, 2007 Although I no longer live in the area, I read a book last year that was set in Newcastle (Her Rightful Inheritance by Benita Brown) which was rather fun. Although I didn't recognise all the places like I did with the Aberdeen-set stories (I was only 11 when we moved to Scotland), I did recognise some of them and the people were all very much of-the-area too (the Geardies are a particular breed of folks - if yo'uve met one you'll know what I mean! ). On the flip-side though, we had to read Sunset Song by Lewis Grassic Gibbon for our Higher English & I hated every second of it. It's set in Aberdeenshire & even though I know the area, i didn't feel grounded in the story at all & more than anything else, I hated his writing style - i'll never read another of his as long as I live! To tell the truth, if we hadn't been reading it in class (yes, we all had to read aloud in turn!), I wouldn't have had a clue come exam time, because I stopped reading it on my own - couldn't stand that book! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
madcow Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 a few years ago I read a couple of Margaret Thornton books because they were set in and around the Blackpool area and I remember thinking oh yes I've been there and also I was in the hotel trade at the time and it was interesting to read about how folks came to Blackpool for their holidays and how they spent their time, including bringing their own food! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted January 5, 2007 Share Posted January 5, 2007 And of course, as you pointed out Kell another Catherine Cookson book is published today (I did read that somewhere today didn't I, even though she is no longer with us???) Anyway living on Tyneside we did tend to read her books as they centred on South Shields about 4 miles away from us. My son was almost in one of the films, can't remember which one, but he just missed out by a whisker....he was only eleven and it was the lead, so he did really well to get that far. Sorry, whittering on as usual PP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rosegarden Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 One of the first audio books I listened to was The Road to Nab End by William Woodruff which is an autobiography of the author's early life in Blackburn (where I live) in the early 20th century. It was very interesting trying to picture the places he talked about and the streets where he lived (some of which are still there today!). It made the story come alive more somehow knowing the area. Also, Josephine Cox was born and brought up in Blackburn and her books all mention various places and streets in Blackburn. I've never read any of them but I do have The Beachcomber on my 'to be listened to' pile. Carole Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 It makes the the relationship between writer and reader more intimate, I think. It's quite excitin to read about places you know. PP Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maureen Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 It makes the the relationship between writer and reader more intimate, I think. It's quite excitin to read about places you know.PP That's true. I love books set in places where I have been - London for example - they make imagining the scenes that much easier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Polka Dot Rock Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 Staffordshire's/the Potteries' most famous writer was Arnold Bennett, whose work I keep meaning to read. He wrote mainly about northern Staffordshire, which is where I hail from. Virginia Woolf couldn't stand him as she was a terrible snob, and hated the fact he was from a working class background, writing primarily about working class people. I love Virginia Woolf but that story just makes me laugh so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Purple Poppy Posted January 6, 2007 Share Posted January 6, 2007 I seem to remember that The History of Mr Polly was quite good and Anna of the Five Towns. Last night I almost downloaded the latter, but I think there are others I'm more interested at the moment. I would like to reread them. I can still remember the the feel of the book (Mr Polly). Bennett creates a particular 'dry' atmosphere. Not sure what I mean by that, but someone might relate LOL Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Echo Posted July 23, 2007 Share Posted July 23, 2007 I just ran across this old thread and thought it was interesting. The best example I have of a local author is David Guterson, who wrote Snow Falling on Cedars. I grew up on Bainbridge Island, an island just west of Seattle, and Guterson teaches English at my old high school (I didn't have him, but my older brother did). Bainbridge has a long history of Japanese culture (we were the first to send the Japanese Americans to internment camps during WWII...a dubious honor to say the least), and his book is based on that history, although he changed the name of the island to San Pedro and put it up north in the San Juans. It's interesting to see a dramatic version of those past events, and a look at the racism that existed after the Japanese returned home. It's a wonderful place now, with no racism or prejudice, but it's good to remember that past. Oh, and I loved the book. And who doesn't love Ethan Hawke? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Icecream Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 My minister, Keith Richardson wrote a book about his life search for his birth mother, but I think it is only available through Keith himself. I also recently read The Mist Over Pendle. I don't know Robert Neill's origin, but the book is a local book about the area surrounding Pendle hill and the witch hunts in the seventeenth century. Both are reviewed in my reading list. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JudyB Posted July 24, 2007 Share Posted July 24, 2007 You can't beat having a setting that you are very familiar with. Part of The Rotter's Club by Jonathan Coe is set on the Llyn Peninsula where I holidayed regularly (and met my OH!). It was a very detailed description by Jonathan Coe and it was wonderful for me to read. There are a number of Manchester writers - Tony Warren springs to mind (he was the creator of Coronation Street). Thinking about settings though makes me think of other kinds of familiar settings - settings in a time/era we are familiar with, family settings and political settings. Having extolled the virtues of a familiar setting I do appreciate literature's power to take you somewhere completely new though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ruth Posted July 25, 2007 Share Posted July 25, 2007 I bought Toast, by Nigel Slater, AGES ago, after a friend recommended it. Nigel Slater grew up in Wolverhampton, very near to where I grew up, and my friend was saying that there are references to many local places. I still haven't read it yet! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
purple95 Posted November 23, 2008 Share Posted November 23, 2008 (edited) Perhaps this subject is so obvious to all of you as to not merit any comment or interest, but books with a connection to my personal life and/or locale have always been of special importance to me. Being an unabashed King fan, I've just started Just After Sunset. One of the stories takes place just a few miles from my home here in Florida. I've been to the location many times and drive by frequently. Another example was a book authored by my cousin about her family's experiences in adopting four small children. This book was set just a few miles from my home and of course involved close relatives of mine. An autographed copy is perhaps my most cherished book. I'll only bore you with one more example. The Yearling and all of Marjorie Rawlings' other books are set close to my home. I've visited her home and the surrounding park many times and hiked the area mentioned in her stories. Anyway.......books such as these are among my most enjoyable and memorable. I search them out and it's fortunate that numerous novels are set in Florida. It's an interesting and fascinating locale of course, as Mrs. Purple95 and I reside here. Do any of you have similar connections to your favorite books? Cheers, dan Edited November 23, 2008 by Michelle merged with a similar thread :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GWA Posted November 27, 2008 Share Posted November 27, 2008 In the past I've picked up books based on a familiarity in location but havent found it all that rewarding, so instead I Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fev Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I once, completely by chance, came across a book (fiction) based in my old universty halls of residence! I couldn't believe it, very spooky. Entertaining read too... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rawr Posted July 30, 2009 Share Posted July 30, 2009 I haven't read the book but the 'Are you local??' reference made me laugh Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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