The Thread: More must-read Midwestern novels

Last week, I put Willa Cather’s “O Pioneers!” at the top of my Midwestern must-reads list and then you added Louise Erdrich, William Kent Krueger, Faith Sullivan, Leif Enger, Linda Sue Park and more.

In fact, so many terrific titles came in, I just had to share them.

Scott tweeted to say that while Leif Enger deserves the spotlight, Lin is his preferred Enger with novels that include “Undiscovered Country” and “High Divide.” I’ve put them both on my personal summer reading list.

Jennifer reminded me about Jon Hassler’s novels, a series set in Staggerford, where a school teacher with a philosophical bent reflects on the eccentricities of small town life. I remembered getting a library card just days after moving to the Midwest and gathering an armful of Hassler, Erdrich and Cather novels to get a handle on this new place I’d come to and, as it happens, never left.

Kristen admires Sarah Stonich’s work, and so do I. I think my favorite is one of her earliest novels, “The Ice Chorus.” If you haven’t read it, don’t miss it. It’s superb.

And Annabeth wrote to say that she shares Marilynne Robinson’s work with her high school students. The girls, she says, prefer “Lila,” a novel I haven’t yet read. The boys are partial to “Gilead,” a stunning novel that won the Pulitzer Prize.

And here are just a few more Midwestern classics to keep you reading right through to the end of August:

• “Dream Country” by Shannon Gibney. It’s absolutely terrific.

• “The Bluest Eye” by Toni Morrison, which is set in a small town in Ohio and taps into Morrison’s “special affection” for the Midwest.

• Indiana-born Susan Choi’s excellent novel, “A Person of Interest.”

Still want to add more to my Midwestern summer list? Send me your titles @KerriMPR.