I was going to name this post “Local Authors,” but then I realized they aren’t even local to me any longer. Most of them are authors I know from California, when I lived there and was active in the California Writers Club. Some of the books I talk about here I have copyedited, so hopefully you won’t find any mistakes in them. (However, I will take the credit/blame for any mistakes.) Others I have simply enjoyed as a reader. (And yes, this is part of the My Life in Books series!)
I recommend all these books:
Our Southern Home by Waights Taylor – This is a great book about the Scottsboro Boys of Alabama. Historical nonfiction. I lent it to someone here in Florida who also loved it. I copyedited it, but I highly recommend it, and I am not even a history fan.
The God Patent by Ransom Stephens – Novel set in northern California by a PhD in physics. Very interesting!
Harlot’s Sauce by Patricia V. Davis – A memoir that takes place in Greece.
She Flew Bombers by Jeane Slone – Novel about women pilots in World War II.
Reversible Skirt by Laura McHale Holland – The childhood memoir of the author and her sisters.
Touch of Magenta by Linda Loveland Reid – Novel set in two time periods about strong women.
Journey to Anderswelt by JL Jusaitis – A middle-grade fantasy that takes place in Austria. Written by a former middle grade teacher.
Deep Doo-Doo by Sheri Graves – Novel that takes place in Santa Rosa, California, about a journalist and the foie gras controversy. Written by a former journalist.
Trains to Concordia by Marilyn Campbell – A teen and young adult coming-of-age book. Copyedited this one.
Cloning Noah by Cheri Barton Ross – Yes, I copyedited this award-winning book. It is a fascinating medical novel!
Big House Dreams by Judith DeChesere-Boyle – Actually, all of her books are great reads. Judith is a retired English teacher from the school district in which I taught in California.
Felony Murder Rule by Sheldon Siegel – One book in a series of legal thrillers by a San Francisco attorney. I have seen him speak a couple of times and have read some of the books in the series.
The Mourning Parade by Dawn Reno Langley – What a great novel this is! My daughter loved it too. It is about the elephants in Thailand. I lent my copy to someone and I want it back, but I don’t remember who has it. I met this author on Facebook when I lived in California and she lived on the East Coast. We became Facebook friends after we answered someone’s political post and figured out we were of like mind. Turns out she went on a book tour for this book, and one of the stores was near me, so we did actually meet.
The Great Typo Hunt by Jeff Deck and Benjamin D. Herson – Of course I have to include this entertaining book by two friends who went across the United States with a collection of markers and corrected typos on signs, often avoiding getting into trouble. I saw them speak about the book in San Francisco. The book made a real splash when it came out.
Robin Moore says
You have a fantastic list here! I’ve enjoyed many of those books and look forward to more from them.
Arlene Miller says
Great California authors, aren’t they? And a few from other places. Thanks for the comment!
Andrew Knox says
My favorite authors and books are as followed:
“Another Country,” by James Baldwin
“Sula,” by Toni Morrison
“The Heart of a Woman,” by Maya Angelou
“My Life of Absurdity,” by Chester Himes
“Brown Girl, Brownstones,” by Paule Marshall
“Invisible Man,” by Ralph Ellison
“Meridian,” by Alice Walker
“Black Boy, by Richard Wrignt
Arlene Miller says
Thank you for adding to the list of recommended books. I have read some of them….