Virago Author of the Month - Voting for April, May and June

The following authors have been both nominated and seconded on the previous thread. If I've missed anyone, please let me know. You now have the chance to vote for up to two authors you'd most like to see selected for a spring time or early summer monthly read.

I'll set a voting deadline for midnight Tuesday 14th March (British time) and let you know the results soon after.

The authors are:

Margaret Kennedy
Christina Stead
Nadine Gordimer
Willa Cather
Molly Keane
Elizabeth von Arnim
Margaret Atwood
Angela Carter
Sylvia Townsend Warner
Elizabeth Taylor
Nina Bawden
Pamela Frankau
E.H Young
Margaret Laurence

My votes would go to
Nadine Gordimer and
Willa Cather

Willa Cather
Sylvia Townsend Warner

Willa Cather
Margaret Kennedy

my votes go to:
Pamela Frankau
Elizabeth von Arnin

My votes are for:

Margaret Atwood
Angela Carter

I'll vote for Willa Cather and Margaret Atwood

Molly Keane and Nina Bawden if you please (but really I'm happy with any of the others).

Willa Cather
Elizabeth von Arnim

I will vote for:
Willa Cather and
Elizabeth von Arnim as well.

Christina Stead
Nadine Gordimer

Christina Stead
Margaret Laurence

Margaret Laurence
Christina Stead

Sylvia Townsend Warner
Margaret Laurence

Margaret Laurence

Elizabeth Taylor

regarding posts # 12 & 13 = duplicate posts, just in case anyone is counting. ;-)

>16Thanks for pointing that out Belva. I don't know how that happened:-)

No biggie, mrspenny. :-)

So Willa Cather has a clear lead here with six votes. Runners up with three votes each are Elizabeth Von Arnim and Margaret Laurence. Thanks to everyone who joined in with the voting.

There were requests for Von Arnim for (enchanted) April so I suggest the following schedule:

April: Elizabeth von Arnim
May: Willa Cather
June: Margaret Laurence

I should be able to get a thread up for Elizabeth Von A before the end of the month. Now off to check my Viragos...

Touchstones don't seem to be working.

What a great set of authors! I'm excited. I have loads of unread von Arnims and a few Cathers. I only have one by Laurence, The Stone Angel, which I've already read, and am looking forward to hunting for a suitable book ideally in a VMC edition.

Thanks for organising this Dee! I have books by all of the authors so I should be sorted!

Echoing >20 lauralkeet: here. I actually have books by all three authors too on my TBR, so no frantic searching.

>20 lauralkeet: May I suggest A Jest of God next to follow The Stone Angel? It is an amazing book and part of the so called Manawaka novels coming after the angel.

Wonderful choices, looking forward to these. I have books tbr by all the above.

>22 SassyLassy: yes you may suggest and thank you! I would love to continue the series.

ETA: just ordered a VMC edition from Amazon! Woo hoo!

I agree that A Jest of God is amazing. The protagonist got under my skin to the point that I woke up the morning after finishing it and wondered how she was getting on!

>25 Soupdragon: oh wow, now I am even more intrigued! I gave The Stone Angel 4.5 stars and even though it's been 5 years since I read it, there's a certain feeling that stuck with me, and I meant to read more Laurence but somehow never did. I'm so excited to have her as one of our monthly authors.

Hooray! I've really enjoyed the first three months of Author Reads and am looking forward to the next three now. Like Laura I have several unread Cathers and Von Arnim's but have read both the Laurences that I own. Both The stone angel and The diviners were excellent.

Although I didn't vote, because this is the first month (with Edith Wharton) that I've participated, I'm thrilled with the results, as I've loved works by all three authors. Margaret Laurence is a special favourite. For those who have read the biggies, and are looking for supplementary reads, to participate without rereading, there is an autobiography, Dance on the Earth and a collection of letters, A Very Large Soul. Looking forward to all three months though!

I've read all of Cather's novels up to and including One of Ours but nothing later with the exception of Death Comes for the Archbishop. I've got the complete Cather set in the Library of America and I'd like to get through the second volume (the later novels, post-One of Ours). I also want to do a reread of My Ántonia using the relatively recent Norton Critical Edition for its supplementary materials.

I've never read anything by von Arnim and all I've got by her is The Adventures of Elizabeth in Rugen, which looks to be the third in a trilogy. Question, is this a series that should be read in order?

>29 CurrerBell: It's a very loosely-linked trilogy, so I think you could read the Rugen volume as a stand alone. There isn't a plot that spans all three volumes (or even a plot within each volume, really; they are more about atmosphere and everyday life). I have the opposite issue to yours - I've got 6 unread Von Arnims on Mount Tbr and am having trouble picking which ones to read!

I may have one Margaret Laurence - I can't remember if I've read The Stone Angel or not, but I've read all her others. I have a couple of Cather's left and a couple of Von Arnims. This has been good for me because it is forcing me to read left over VMCs that have been on the shelf for-ever!

May's Willa Cather thread is here.

All of Margaret Laurence's Manawaka cycle is in Arizona but I was able to find This Side Jordan for Kindle, so I have that one. No VMC but the Virago Author...............

I am enjoying our monthly author reads so much this year.
Thank you everyone.