blogis librorum. A blog about books. Rare books.

Today in our Top Books by State series, we are looking at two books set in Montana. This western state is characterized by some of the most beautiful landscapes in America. A visit to Montana can bring you within reach of the Great Plains, the Rocky Mountains, Yellowstone, and Glacier National Park. Due to many ranches and protected land, Montana is one of the least populated states in the country. This beauty and loneliness are often combined in the literature from the state. Join us today as we look at some of the best books from Big Sky Country on the Montana portion of our literary road trip across the United States.

     

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Today we continue our literary trip across the United States by taking a closer look at some of the best books set in South Carolina. This southern state is geographically diverse, containing both bustling cities like Charleston and Colombia and subtropical locations that feature estuaries and salt marshes. The Lowcountry, the setting of one of today's featured novels, contains numerous barrier islands unique to the region.

While Southern Carolina has a rich history as a colony and a key location during the Civil War, each novel we'll be looking at today features families in the 1950’s, which was a period of significant change regarding civil rights. Let's take a closer look at these South Carolina books in our Top Books by State Series:

     

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Each year, The Newbery Medal is awarded to a book representing the best storytelling for children in the field. The 1925 prize was awarded to an author who based his works on world travels, and who devoted his career to promoting a love of literature to children through his book and adults through his journalism and work with literary magazines. He made such an impact on literature that there is a park named for him in his home state of Arkansas. Join us today as we take a closer look at children's adventure writer (among other things), Charles J. Finger in the 1925 edition of our Newbery Winning Author's series:

 

     

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The Caldecott Medal is awarded annually to the illustrator whose work published in the previous year represents the best children's book illustration. The book written and illustrated by the 2008 winner certainly proved himself worthy of the award with a fantastic story, beautiful illustrations, and no small amount of innovation. Brian Selznick's The Invention of Hugo Cabret combines conventions of novels, graphic novels, children's books, flip books, and the set design of early cinema to craft a book that captures the imagination regardless of age. Join us today as we take a closer look at Selznick's career in the 2008 edition of our Caldecott Winning Illustrators Series:

 

     

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Legendary author Doris Lessing was born in Iran in 1919 to British parents. She spent much of her early life in what is now Zimbabwe. She left school at thirteen to work as a telephone operator and a nursemaid before her first marriage. After the dissolution of her second marriage, she moved to London with her youngest child, leaving her older two with their father. In London, she continued her study and pursuit of the socialist movement. She published her first novel one year later. Throughout her life, she published over fifty novels, as well as plays, poetry collections, essays, and memoirs. While she remained dedicated to social change, feminism, and anti-racism, she later moved away from her Marxist, leanings. She was offered damehood but rejected the offer as an objection of the empire. She was awarded the Nobel prize in 2007. She passed away in 2013 at the age of ninety-four. Join us today as we explore some of the best books by Doris Lessing.

     

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