LitWit discussion

Love the idea for these podcasts! Really enjoyed the first 4 you did on this topic. Have never read this one, but am a huge fan of O Pioneers! Want to try and get out to her museum for their annual convention in Red Cloud, Nebraska.

I am glad you are enjoying the episodes about the early Pulitzer winners! It has been awhile since I have read any Cather, but I remember liking a story of hers called "The Professor's House" or something like that. Thanks for leaving us a comment!

Have read 27 of these so far with many more on my shelves. Am missing a lot from the 30's so I am anxiously awaiting those podcasts! Keep up the good work. You two are great together.

I have read 23, but they're mostly the super famous ones like 'To Kill a Mockingbird' and newer ones like 'Olive Kitteridge' (which I loved). Let us know if you have any thoughts or questions about the upcoming titles!

Be interested in your thoughts on the Podcast as to Cather in general, and whether this was sort of like one of those Academy Awards for her body of work, since it is so different from her Pioneer Trilogy which appears to be so much better written and respected and treasured over the years. Also whether you two feel the criticism of the award was due to the fact that she was a woman or because it was a pro-War novel and it was in the vogue for the writers back then to be anti-war or at least they seemed to not look at the war sympathetically. I ask this because it appears to be the same type of criticism that well-known authors gave Steinbeck and Dos Passos for their conservative leaning is later life.

How are things coming on your reading of Willa Cather? I have been looking up future prize winners - ooph! Some are tough and many are either out of print or so super expensive nobody would want to purchase them to read, can only hope they are in local library.
You may have covered this on other podcasts but I wonder how you view Award winning books - from Pulitzer to Nobel, to Hugo, to Edgar and Agatha, and National Book Awards. It might be an interesting topic to do sometime and at the same time to compare award winners of the same year and why one may have been a Pulitzer winner and shut out in other awards; and are there mutual award winners for some books. Just a thought.

Honestly, I have been slugging through the Cather book, and I think Carly's probably getting irritated with me because (as usual) she's already ready to go! I think the Pulitzers existed before the other awards you mentioned (except the Nobel), and yeah, it will be interesting to see how & when the other awards bodies agree with the Pulitzer committee's choice. As for the Nobel... I imagine we will talk about that when we reach 'Arrowsmith' and 'The Good Earth.' Since that award really is given for an author's "body of work," rather than for a specific title, that might be a hard issue to pin down. Anyway, thanks again for your comments. Back I go to reading One of Ours!

While I am ready to go with the Cather novel, I'm also in a library bind that happens to me ever so often where several of my library holds have become available at the same time...so once we discuss Cather, I will have to start another book! (I have 3 due I two weeks....) so the reading pressure is on!

I want to save posting about Cather until we discuss...but I will say that at least I was able to get through this book. My memories of My Antonia are not fond!

I can understand. There is a prairie sparseness in some of her books and sometimes I think that her novels only work with an older crowd! Ever read Lost Horizon? Read it for our book club and one lady loved it as a young reader but now that she was over 65 the concept did not appeal to her. Everyone else loved it. That could be the same with Cather's books, but in reverse!

Very enjoyable discussion about One of Us. Compared to the first Pulitzer podcasts it does appear that you two think this was the worst book to date. I can only imagine the next book, a book I cannot even find to read!
Just not one of Cather's better efforts and to me she may have peaked with the Prairie Trilogy although Death Comes for the Archbishop appears to be hear most respected book. Have never read that and will do so one of these days!

I was lucky and my county library has The Able McLaughlins!!

Just listened to the Able McLaughlins podcast and really enjoyed it. As I mentioned, I cannot find a copy but will continue to search for it. I assume So Big by Edna Ferber is next on the list?? Now that I am back in the US I hope to be able to keep up with the Pulitzer readings before the podcasts.
Great work, as always and especially with an author of whom so little is known or written!

Have not had time yet, if you can believe it, to listen to the Podcast! Looking forward to free time to do that. What is next on the podcast book agenda?? Thanks so much for all that the two of you do!!

Hi, again, Blaine, and I apologize for not being quicker to reply. I am glad that you enjoyed the Cather & Wilson podcasts -- sometimes I worry that we have been giving away too much in our recent episodes, though with these older books I don't think listeners are terribly inclined to read them anyway. Now that we've finished the Ferber, we're going to do Sinclair Lewis's 'Arrowsmith.' As usual, Carly has it finished already, and I'm just cracking the spine this week. It's a long read, but since I'm on break all next week for Thanksgiving I am optimistic that I'll be able to finish it ASAP. After the Sinclair, we'll move on to Louis Bromfield's 'Early Autumn.'

One idea Carly and I have had is having an "off" episode when we hit the end of the 1920s to talk about the other stuff we've been reading and how we think the challenge is going so far. Reading these books one right after the other is a little more draining than I anticipated!

Hope you're doing well and enjoying being back in the US.

Here is an idea you might want to explore. Begin with the Pulitzer winner from 1931, then the next podcast does 1941, then 1951, etc. up to recent times. Then go back to 1932 and do the same throughout the list. That way you do not get quite as bogged down with books of the same era and could possibly keep the listeners attention a bit longer. Just a thought!

OK. Finally getting caught up with some reading and so I downloaded Arrowsmith on my e-reader and can be ready for the podcast! A bit concerned since one place says the book is well over 400 pages and yet the e-reader version is about 320 so I have no idea if it is an abridged version or not, it says it isn't but we will see.
Have been a fan of Lewis's past works, so much so that my dog is named "Babbitt"!!

Hey Guys! Hope all is well with both of you!! Reading Arrowsmith and a few things come to mind. First of all, thanks to this book I have found time to read about 5 other books due to the difficulty I am having with the book. Secondly, just as with Willa Cather, I am wondering if this was an award for a body of work? When compared to either MAIN STREET or BABBITT, this book does nothing for me and is a much less interesting book. Gotta remember that I like the author so much, we named our dog after his book BABBITT!
I think I finally made it to page 100 and have another 200 or so to go in my edition. Will keep plugging away and will definitely finish it before Christmas.
Be good and I look forward to your next podcast.

It's so funny because I was dreading this book.... And I liked it!

So far I have yet to find one character I enjoy in this book, with the exception of the cameo appearance by George Babbitt!

OK, putting on a push - only 99 pages to go!!!