Reading with Style discussion

20.7 - Local Talent - Isabell's Task:
Read a book by a local author, i.e. an author born in the same city/state/region as where you currently reside. Please let us know which region you share with the author and if the author's place of birth isn't listed on his/her Goodreads profile, then please provide a link to this information. This task cannot be used as combo points .

If I live in Oregon, would I be able to use "pacific northwest" or "west coast" as a location for my author's birth?

I live in Oxford, UK, and I was thinking of taking for my region Oxfordshire and the counties that border it, i.e. Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Gloucestershire. Does that sound okay?
http://www.mapsofworld.com/united-kin...

I have a bit of a problem, I don't think there are any Qatari authors born here. Even the region would be hard put to find in english. The closest countries are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and Oman. believe me I have tried to find local authors since I have been here and all I have found are books written by ex-pats, except the Koran maybe.

Oh, dang- I didn't read carefully enough! The ones I was planning live here now, but were not all born here. Back to researching.

Karen, thanks for pointing that out, since I started to make the same mistake. I guess I was figuring that if the place had to be where I live, not where I was born, it would be the same for the author. More research for me, too!

Katherine Anne Porter was born in Indian Creek, Texas, which is less than a 3 hour drive from my current home. Will this work for this task?

For those in the USA, this link may be helpful:
most famous authors from every state

Jenifer wrote: "If I live in Oregon, would I be able to use "pacific northwest" or "west coast" as a location for my author's birth?"

For US citizens "state" applies. "Region" was my catch-all word for our international members because I was to lazy to determine the equivalent word for "state" in the UK/Germany/France etc.

Rebekah wrote: "I have a bit of a problem, I don't think there are any Qatari authors born here. Even the region would be hard put to find in english. The closest countries are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and Oman. ..."

I was wondering how this task wold work for you. If you can't find a book by an author born in Qatar or the nearby countries, I'd allow Texas.

Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "Katherine Anne Porter was born in Indian Creek, Texas, which is less than a 3 hour drive from my current home. Will this work for this task?..."

Yes -- the author was born in the state in which you reside.

ETA: Thanks for the link!

Rosemary wrote: "I live in Oxford, UK, and I was thinking of taking for my region Oxfordshire and the counties that border it, i.e. Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wiltshire and Gloucest..."

Since the UK seems too geographically small to have a defined area between counties and regions (for example, I live in Brooklyn {Kings County {New York State {USA), I'll accept your county & those it borders.

Liz M wrote: "Rosemary wrote: "I live in Oxford, UK, and I was thinking of taking for my region Oxfordshire and the counties that border it, i.e. Warwickshire, Northamptonshire, Buckinghamshire, Berkshire, Wilts..."

Thanks Liz!

Liz M wrote: "Rebekah wrote: "I have a bit of a problem, I don't think there are any Qatari authors born here. Even the region would be hard put to find in english. The closest countries are Saudi Arabia, Kuwait..."

Thanks!!! It will make this a lot simple! I was going to offer Tennessee because we have a vacation home there, but we also have rented an apartment in Texas that my daughter is using.

I found a Goodreads listopia for Midwest authors. I wanted to do Illinois but as of yet I can't find any Illinois authors. Could I do the Midwest region and read a book by an author born in Wisconsin?

Jayme(the ghost reader) wrote: "I found a Goodreads listopia for Midwest authors. I wanted to do Illinois but as of yet I can't find any Illinois authors. Could I do the Midwest region and read a book by an author born in Wisconsin?"

wiki has a list of 233 writers from Illinois (although not necessarily BORN there):
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Category...

Or there is this list of Famous People Born in Illinois, including:

Ray Bradbury
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Sandra Cisneros
Raymond Chandler
Philip K. Dick
John Dos Passos
Lorraine Hansberry
Ernest Hemingway
Carl Sandburg
Shel Silverstein

Very interesting. A number of authors that are strongly associated with Oregon weren't born here-
Ken Kesey, William Stafford, Ursula LeGuin and Jean Auel (another Illinoisan) but I am finding some.

Jenifer and any other Oregonians, this is what I have found so far:
Raymond Carver
Beverly Cleary
H. W. Brands
John Reed
Anthony Wynn
Phyllis McGinley
Patricia McKillip
David James Duncan
John Reed
Sorry linked to the wrong John Reed.

I am making a slight change to this task -- because each participant will have a different set of books that qualify for this task, it will not be eligible to use as combo points (ie, Jayme cannot post The Old Man and the Sea for 20.1 and add 5 combo points for task 20.7). It's too hard for us to keep track of who gets an extra combo for which authors.

Liz M wrote: "I am making a slight change to this task -- because each participant will have a different set of books that qualify for this task, it will be eligible to use as combo points (ie, Jayme cannot post..."

That's a good idea. Would it also help if we post the authors we have found for pre-approval like we sometimes do for the sub- challenges?

Oh heck. I typed too fast and left out the crucial word NOT in post 20 above.

Liz M wrote: "Oh heck. I typed too fast and left out the crucial word NOT in post 20 above."

Your example made it clear what you meant, though;)

It just means that if our book from our location has any combos we need to post it as 20.7, right? Then we can get combos as long as it's posted as a 20.7 ?

Karen GHHS wrote: "It just means that if our book from our location has any combos we need to post it as 20.7, right? Then we can get combos as long as it's posted as a 20.7 ? "

Exactly! It's only when you post for another task, you can't use 20.7 to get 5 combo points.

That's a good idea because I could see it would tear your hair, especially like we're finding out that many authors that we associate with different states weren't born there.

Liz M wrote: "Or there is this list of Famous People Born in Illinois, including:

Ray Bradbury
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Sandra Cisneros
Raymond Chandler
[a..."

Another author born in Illinois is [author:Susan Wittig Albert|20828] . I was going to use her for Texas until I looked her up and surprise! She was a Yankee after all!

question... I've found an author from WV that i'm probably going to read. however, i'm wondering if his work would be considered non-fiction. he's a UFOlogist and a complete nutball. he's the father of the MIB idea from the 1950's. i'm looking at reading Men in Black: The Secret Terror Among Us by Gray Barker.

Liz, can you approve Maya Banks as an author from Texas, where I live? I've found many references saying she lives in Texas now. However, the closest I've come to her actual birthplace is a quote from an interview where she said, "I was born and raised in the South, I live in the South..." That puts her in my state and region, so is that okay?

To be honest, my April RwS plans include some major chunksters, A Suitable Boy, Ulysses, 2666, and Peter the Great: His Life and World, so I'd like to fit in a bit of lighter reading, too.

Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "Liz, can you approve Maya Banks as an author from Texas, where I live? I've found many references saying she lives in Texas now. However, the closest I've come to her actual birthp..."

Unfortunately, this task requires a more specific Author birthplace than "the South".

Ugh! I'm having a terrible time trying to find a book by someone born in Texas to fit this task. I have too many 500+ page books to add another (Ship of Fools or Lonesome Dove). I really don't want to read something I have no interest in just to check it off. I really wish I could use where I was born, but that's out. Has anyone found suitable books by authors BORN in Texas?

Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "Ugh! I'm having a terrible time trying to find a book by someone born in Texas to fit this task. I have too many 500+ page books to add another (Ship of Fools or Lonesome Dove). I really don't w..."

You might enjoy Katherine Anne Porter, who was born in Indian Creek, Texas. She will also combo with 20.1 (1890-1980), and, if you find a short story collection, will get not-a-novel points as well.

Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "Ugh! I'm having a terrible time trying to find a book by someone born in Texas to fit this task. I have too many 500+ page books to add another (Ship of Fools or Lonesome Dove). I really don't w..."

James Lee Burke
Deborah Crombie
Patricia Highsmith
Rick Riordan

Are a few names I recognize on wiki's list of People from (or living in) Texas

Well, it looks like my library does have Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter, and it was just released on Kindle last week. That one's a short story collection and only 208 pages. Thanks for the help!

Theresa~OctoberLace wrote: "Well, it looks like my library does have Pale Horse, Pale Rider by Katherine Anne Porter, and it was just released on Kindle last week. That one's a short story collec..."

That particular one is three short novels, so won't qualify for not-a-novel. But read it anyway - they are very good.

Elizabeth, I'm just glad I found a shorter book that fits and interests me!