O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

I found this story incredibly moving. It covers a broad swath of time, and you can definitely see where it's going at points, but I really loved its humanity. It starts with a kitten up a telephone pole, and only gets better from there. I was particularly interested in the variety of languages in play in the community, and the portrait of a multi-ethnic community it created. I was also interested in Alexandra's growth into her own person. Beautiful and well-worth the time both to read and to write about.

Light in August by William Faulkner

This time through, I found this book more misogynistic than I remembered. Faulkner's patronization of Lena Grove was increasingly irritating. But I also found beautiful moments and intriguing moments. Both Gail Hightower and Joe Christmas struck me as more sad than ever--especially when you see Joe so emotionally maimed that he resents Mrs. McEachern's attempts at kindness. I found Joe's "parchment" skin especially telling, because the characters in the story write their own readings of Joe as they consider him in context. I was also interested in the patterns of naming. Joanna and Joe are linked by the first syllables of their names, but one might also remember that Joanna is slightly mis-named, after her father's first wife, Juana (herself relatively dark-skinned as a Spanish woman). Overall, intriguing, but slightly more troubling than I remembered.

Whose Body? by Dorothy Sayers

There are moments in this mystery that clearly identify it as a first novel--places where Sayers hasn't quite hit her stride, or where she has hit, but hadn't expected to. Still, as far as mysteries go, this one is worth reading. Lord Peter as shell-shocked is a bit of a surprise, and there are unexpected moments of humor--like the examination of the unwitting medical student. Not the best mystery in terms of completely twisted plots, but something any Lord Peter fan will want to read.

The Sister by Poppy Adams

I found this book a little frustrating because I did not like the narrator. Piecing together her past, and realizing her limitations was intriguing, of course, but the mystery ultimately ended up being too little for a proper mystery and yet too much built up. Mostly, I found the book sad, and lacking redemption.

Strong Poison by Dorothy Sayers

This mystery introduces Harriet Vane, though she's by no means the most compelling supporting character in this novel--that honor goes to Miss Climpson, who runs a typing agency/investigative force. The plot is fairly straightforward as far as mysteries go, but it's endearing to see Lord Peter in love, and it does build up Lord Peter's world quite a bit. The writing is fairly elegant and erudite, as usual for Sayers. A good starting point for reading Dorothy Sayers. 

Requiem for a Nun by William Faulkner

This book is an odd hybrid of prose and drama. The prose fills in a lot of backstory on Yoknapatawpha County through the history of the courthouse and the jail. The drama is a play that continues the story of Sanctuary. While the return to Temple Drake's life is painful at best, and a wretchedly bad idea at worst, I think it's telling that Faulkner did choose to return. This renewed consideration of Temple implies that the "base idea" of Sanctuary was not just one conceived to make money, but one that continued to interest Faulkner in later years. Alternatively, one could suppose that Faulkner wanted to make some more money, but if that were the case, he wouldn't have had to include the prose sections.

Life and Adventures of Joaquín Murieta, the Celebrated California Bandit by John Rollin Ridge

This book is not one you'd pick up for its literary style, although at times Ridge uses the technique of enigma quite effectively. Instead, you read it as the foundational document behind the myth of Joaquín Murieta, and as a complicated study of the racial discourses at play in California during the Gold Rush. This book creates the state as Joaquín moves from its Northern to Southern extremes.