We asked readers to share their favorite California books. Here’s how they responded
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Good morning, and welcome to the Essential California newsletter. Here’s what you need to know:
- Readers share their favorite California books.
- Tesla’s steep fall from California’s green darling to a hated target of protests, violence and fires.
- “Severance” stars explain Season 2’s harrowing finale and the “love hexagon.”
- And here’s today’s e-newspaper.
The novels that capture California best
We weren’t expecting such a huge response when we asked Essential California readers to recommend your favorite California books. But respond you did! How y’all have the time for all this reading, we’ll never know.
But with longer days ahead, it’s time to build up your outdoor reading list.
Below you’ll find some of our favorite reader recommendations, and a few from the team. We know how hard it is to narrow it down to one or a few of your favorite California books. Maria L. La Ganga, The Times’ deputy managing editor for California and Metro, put it best: “Our amazing country-within-a-state has inspired so many gifted writers in every genre. John Steinbeck, Mark Twain, Amy Tan, John Muir, Joan Didion, Raymond Chandler, Carolyn See, Tommy Orange, and the list goes on and on.”
Additionally, every month, the Los Angeles Times publishes a list of titles to consider. This month’s list includes a debut novel about womanhood and a cookbook celebrating California’s bounty.
Now back to your recommendations:
Responses have been lightly edited for style and clarity.
“‘Less Than Zero’ by Bret Easton Ellis portrays a version of 1980s L.A. dominated by wealth, excess and emotional detachment, capturing both the allure and emptiness of the city’s culture.” — Tyler Jackson
“I just finished reading ‘Eternity Street: Violence and Justice in Frontier Los Angeles’ by John Mack Faragher. It focuses on the period from 1830-1870 when California changed hands several times. The book is named after the street now called North Broadway. During this period, it was called Eternity Street and had a cemetery at the end of the road.” — Jake Johnson
“Two novels that really struck me are ‘The House of Sand and Fog’ by Andre Dubus III and ‘IQ’ by Joe Ide. ‘The House of Sand and Fog’ is beautifully written, heartbreaking and incredibly topical, even though it came out 25 years ago. It’s about immigration and addiction and love and dignity — and real estate. ‘IQ’ is the first in a series of detective novels. It’s the nickname of one Isaiah Quintabe, a brilliant young Black man and kind of modern day Sherlock Holmes. He has a singular, tragic backstory, is a one-of-a kind protagonist and the novels play out in an unusual place: the gritty streets of East Long Beach.” — Maria L. La Ganga, L.A. Times deputy managing editor for California and Metro
“John Steinbeck’s ‘East of Eden’ is one of those books that always comes up in conversation after a few drinks with my fellow book nerds. I can still see Steinbeck’s Salinas Valley in my mind even though I read it many summers ago on a beach. And those chapters about Cathy.” — Hunter Clauss, L.A. Times multiplatform editor, newsletters. (Several of you recommended this book.)
“My two favorite California books for two different reasons are ‘Parable of the Sower’ by Octavia Butler and ‘Inherent Vice’ by Thomas Pynchon. Butler creates a post-apocalyptic California that feels closer to reality with each passing year, and Pynchon answers a burning literary question in his detective novel: What if Hercule Poirot was a California stoner?” — Christian Orozco, L.A. Times assistant editor, newsletters. (Several of you recommended ‘Parable of the Sower.’)
The week’s biggest stories
Tesla’s steep fall from California’s green darling to a hated target of protests, violence and fires
- Tesla owners in California and beyond have become targets of an unusual form of resistance to the second Trump administration and Telsa owner Elon Musk.
- Teslas have been set ablaze with Molotov cocktails, riddled with bullets and defaced with swastikas. No one has been seriously hurt, but the incidents have heightened alarm from both law enforcement officials and experts in political extremism.
An L.A. Crips leader turned gang interventionist ran a “mafia-like” enterprise, the feds allege
- Eugene “Big U” Henley helped launch Nipsey Hussle’s career and was called rap’s “godfather” by Wiz Khalifa. Now federal authorities are accusing him of murder, kidnapping, robbery, extortion and fraud.
- Federal authorities this week announced that there are 19 Rollin’ 60s Crips members and associates, including two rappers, in custody tied to a sprawling criminal case centered on Henley.
These California coastal cities face heightened flood danger from tsunami, data show
- There are a number of scenarios where California could get hours of lead time ahead of a damaging tsunami. But should a quake strike close to shore, there could be little to no warning.
- A worst-case tsunami could bring flooding to sizable areas of Oakland, Berkeley and Alameda, up to 18 feet above sea level, according to a recent assessment published by the California Geological Survey.
More big stories
- Teens fight for fast food in “gladiator fights” orchestrated at L.A. County’s beleaguered juvenile halls, officials say.
- The human flu may offer immunity to the bird flu, researchers say.
- OpenAI takes its pitch to Hollywood creatives after launching a controversial video tool.
- Kink and rough sex are at the heart of a rape case against an actor.
- An FDA crackdown on poppers prompts a rush on the popular gay party drug.
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This week’s must reads
Environmentalists are celebrating a legal settlement that will close historic family dairies they say are degrading Point Reyes National Seashore. Locals say the settlement shows no understanding of this place and its people.
More great reads
- This bladesmith forges custom knives with “soul,” even after the Eaton fire burned his home.
- When Havoc the French bulldog disappeared, his owner unleashed an online army to find him.
- Here are the funniest, weirdest and most niche bumper stickers seen around L.A., according to Times readers.
How can we make this newsletter more useful? Send comments to essentialcalifornia@latimes.com.
For your weekend
Going out
- 🪞 An uncertain “Snow White” holds a magic mirror up to polarized times, our film critic writes.
- 🎤 Want to learn to sing? A community choir welcomes all skill levels and has the No. 1 rule of “No shaming anyone, ever.”
- 🧘 Here are the 27 best yoga studios in L.A. for stretching, sweating and spiritual awakenings.
- 🏨 Adults-only hotels are all over California. Are they even legal?
Staying in
- 🐐 “Severance” stars explain Season 2’s harrowing finale and the “love hexagon.”
- 📺 For American Girl doll fans, “1923” on Paramount+ is the show to watch, our critic writes.
- 🧑🍳 Here’s a recipe for broccoli-fennel soup with garlic croutons.
- ✏️ Get our free daily crossword puzzle, Sudoku, word search and arcade games.
How well did you follow the news this week? Take our quiz
What widely beloved sitcom, set at a Scranton, Pa., paper company and starring Steve Carell, turns 20 this year? Plus nine other questions from our weekly news quiz.
Have a great weekend, from the Essential California team
Kevinisha Walker, multiplatform editor
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