UK Book Club discussion

I've decided to add another challenge as I have a few US books lined up and I,ve read two 5 star books already this year.
1.Alabama
2.Alaska; THE SNOW CHILD by EOWYN IVEY
3.Arizona
4.Arkansas
5.California;THIS BOOK WILL SAVE YOUR LIFE by A M HOLMES
6.Colorado; THE SHINING by Stephen King
7.Connecticut
8.Delaware
9.Florida
10.Georgia
11.Hawaii
12.Idaho
13.Illinois;SOMETHING WICKED THIS WAY COMES by RAY BRADBURY
14.Indiana
15.Iowa; THE END OF VANDALISM by TOM DRURY
16.Kansas:MRS BRIDGE by EVAN S CONNELL
17.Kentucky
18.Louisiana; THE NEON RAIN by JAMES LEE BURKE
19.Maine
20.Maryland;THE WAY HOME by GEORGE PELECANOS
21.Massachusetts; The woman upstairs by Clare messud
22.Michigan
23.Minnesota; MORTE D'URBAN by J F Powers
24.Mississippi;THE RANGER by Ace Atkins
25.Missouri;STONER by John Williams
26.Montana; THE PLOUGHMEN by Kim Zupan
27.Nebraska; O Pioneers by Willa Cather
28.Nevada
29.New Hampshire
30.New Jersey
31.New Mexico THE CROSSING by CORMAC McCARTHY
32.New York THE GOLDFINCH by DONNA TARTT
33.North Carolina HIDE by MATTHEW GRIFFIN
34.North Dakota THE ROUND HOUSE by LOUISE ERDICH
35.Ohio
36.Oklahoma
37.Oregon THE ENCHANTED by RENE DENFELD
38.Pennsylvania; HAPPENSTANCE by Carol Shields.
39.Rhode Island
40.South Carolina
41.South Dakota
42.Tennessee;TWILIGHT BY WILLIAM GAY
43.Texas;THE KILLER INSIDE ME by JIM THOMPSON
44.Utah
45.Vermont;IN ONE PERSON by JOHN IRVING.
46.Virginia
47.Washington; WHERE'D YOU GO, BERNADETTE by MARIA SEMPLE
48.West Virginia
49.Wisconsin;THE ART OF FIELDING by Chad Harbach
50.Wyoming:

and the bonus....not to be confused with no 47 above

51. Washington DC
Cut and paste courtesy of daughter so I've also learnt a new talent.

A new challenge and I,ve recorded my first two as 5 star books for Kansas and which prompted a good discussion at my book group about how classic American books can be unheard of in this country, I'd recommend both but anticipate this group willl now tell me how well known these books are. The big question is do I really need the distraction of a 4th challenge if add in monthly genre. Anyway I've got some ideas pending.

Oh yes Andrew - go for it! For the record, I hadn't heard of either of the books you mentioned. Not been to either of the states so may pinch your ideas with the 5* ratings (although I do have kindled and waiting)!

My first venture is to Vermont with and typical Irving with intricate character building and a lot about the aids epidemic of the 80's in US and transgender/Bisexuality. I enjoyed it as usual with Irving and very moving in parts.

California; I really enjoyed this book. A stock market millionaire Richard Novak wakes up one day in his mid 50's ,his life is controlled ,but isolated in his beautiful LA home, he thinks he's having a heart attack and ends up in A&E. after that its a catalogue of his life changing events and encounters as he meets people ,interacts and finds out about himself. Sounds cheesy but its not and I surprised myself by loving it, when at first blush thought it wouldn't be my type of book. Recommended 4 stars but prob 4.5!

Never heard of your first 2 either. Talking about US classics my US reading plans include for Nebraska and for Oklahoma.

It is curious Ian how many classics are unknown in uk, perhaps we are a bit parochial, I certainly feel I'm expanding my horizons and next time I play trivial pursuit I'll go for blu geography pie more readily. I will have a look at your suggestions, in Mexico at mo!

Texas; Not read any of his books before nor have I seen the film but I was bowled over by this brilliant noir crime novel. First person narrative by an extremely scarey deputy sheriff in smalltown Texas, it oozes atmosphere but it is very dark.I will def read some more, not sure what that says about me!

Pennsylvania I had the choice here as the book is set in both Chicago and Philadelphia. I plumped for the latter as I have another planned for Illinois. An interesting read as its 2 books from a husband and wife's perspective over the course of a week when the wife travels to a crafting convention. The gimic is once you have read one you turn it upside down and back to front to read the alternative version of the week. I enjoyed as I do all Carol Shields, as it dwells on marriage and discontent,boredom, but also how two people ultimately fit together. I preferred the husbands part which was funny but poignant and as I said in a physical book group once to howls of protest for me she is Anne Tyler but with teeth!(sorry not a fan of AT)

Washington state I really enjoyed this year Womens prize for fiction nominee set in computer belt Seattle.Very funny in parts and enjoyed the format of string of e mails, reports, memos and narrative, and I was even moved at the end. A really enjoyable read.

Illinois, A very scary carnival comes Greebtown Illinois, brilliant writing and genuinely creepy. Apparently Bradbury wrote it originally to adapt as film for Gene Kelly,that would have been interesting. I've not seen the 80's Disney film but doubt it could match the book. I will have to try more Bradbury, only otherwise read Farenheit 451.

Maryland; This could fit either in Maryland where the hero spends first third of the book in a juvenile correctional facility or Washington DC where he returns home to. Not bad as a quick crime novel, the dialogue and characters read (as would expect from one of The Wire's scriptwriters) very well but like a script for a film. I will probably try more of his books as easy crime reads.

COLORADO; Part of horror month, cracking read!

MISSOURI, I really enjoyed this book set in the university of Missouri. It tells the story of William Stoner as he moves from a student pre ww1 to a Professor of English in the 1950's, gentle and poignant at times, i also was surprised at how tense I could feel at a meeting to consider a doctoral candidate.

LOUISIANA: First in Dave Robicheaux series and properly sweaty Southern crime with lots of descriptions of food and drink. Makes you want to barbecue some shrimps and get out a cold beer!

I really enjoyed that one Andrew! I intend to read the whole series! Atmospheric and believable. Was a 4* for me :)

MASSACHUSETTS: Really disappointed in this story of a 40 something woman coming to terms with lifes frustrations.

MISSISSIPPI; An all action thriller with a Jack Reacher like hero. Definitely going to carry on to next in series.

Trouble is when you find an author you really like you don't get any further. Happened to me with James Lee Burke.

Sue wrote: "Trouble is when you find an author you really like you don't get any further. Happened to me with James Lee Burke."

I know I read first JLB this year and wanted to read more but I now have so many series on the go plus challenges that who knows when I will get to them!!!

Andrew wrote: "I know I read first JLB this year and wanted to read ..."
Same problem especially with scandi-crime!

WISCONSIN; really enjoyed this story of baseball on a Wisconsin college campus. As really good American fiction seems to do I was carried away with the lives of the characters in which it didn't matter a jot whether I knew anything about baseball. A real page turner.

Bugger......I thought you'd already done Wisconsin with Crossing to Safety and was planning to read it someday on that basis. Damn and blast etc.

Ian wrote: "Bugger......I thought you'd already done Wisconsin with Crossing to Safety and was planning to read it someday on that basis. Damn and blast etc."

Looks like my blunder Ian, oops and other expletives. According to GR its set in Vermont and Wisconsin. Accordingly you can happily read C to s for Wisconsin, and from what I remember its worth the read. I will delete it from my list and try and find Wyoming book now!!!!!!!!!!!

Sorry about that. The short story is set in Wyoming he says hoping to be forgiven.

Ian wrote: "Sorry about that. The short story is set in Wyoming he says hoping to be forgiven."

Not a problem Ian, will have to get my cowboy hat out again. Managed to get part 2 and 3 of the border trilogy in Oxfam but will double check which state. Wisconsin/ Wyoming what's the difference, bit like liverpool/Manchester if them down south would suggest!!

Think pt3 is New Mexico. I'm getting better at the geography of US states but tbh I have no real idea of where Wisconsin is tho' presume it's oop north as the Green Bay Packers American footy team are from there and often play in the snow.

Another Wyoming book that looks good is by Craig Johnson.

Ian wrote: "Another Wyoming book that looks good is by Craig Johnson."
That looks like my cup of tea with a bourbon shot Ian, I will check library.

NEW YORK: Overall this hefty tome comes in at a three star which given its hype I was a little dissapointed in. If she had had a brave editor and was a little less preachy at the end it may well have come in at 5 stars for me. a real contradiction as I wanted so much to love it given it had had a backlash from some snobbier critics recently but it seems to be the popular book of the year.

MONTANA; This was a cracker. Set in the lonely fields of Montana a young policeman forms a bizarre bond with a serial killer in the lonely night shifts of the prison cell as the killer a 77 year old man faces his trial and the policeman struggles with his marriage breaking down.

Great sounding book and Montana is one of the 3 states I'm struggling to find a book for that I want to read. Why is this not available on kindle.......why?????? Bleugh.

For Montana I highly recommend Craig Lancaster's 600 Hours of Edward if you like gently paced mental health related work. Lancaster now publishes with an Amazon imprint and I have downloaded his latest via Kindle First but not read it yet. It's a boxing story again set in Lancaster's home city of Billings, Montana: The Fallow Season of Hugo Hunter.

NORTH DAKOTA I enjoyed this story a 13 year old coming of age against the back drop of an appalling crime in the Indian reservation.

TENNESSEE A very enjoyable gothic thriller, what more do you need other than a creepy undertaker, a manhunt in the forests as a hero encounters some very odd characters, and a truly nasty villain. I am on the hunt for more books by this writer a really good read.

I visited Wisconsin briefly. It is one of the Great Lakes states and known as the Dairy state, due to cheese production. It was a bit, well, flat, from what I saw from a minibus (I was on study tour).

19 OREGON I really enjoyed this story of death row prisoners in an Oregon prison. Interesting look at the causes of crime and life in prison.

20 ALASKA I think everyone has read this for Alaska but very enjoyable.

Andrew wrote: "20 ALASKA I think everyone has read this for Alaska but very enjoyable."

No I was going to but it was withdrawn from Scribd before I got to Alaska for my penultimate state. Then I discovered that a book I had bought a couple of years ago was set in Alaska so I read Absence of Grace. I'll read Snow Child some year, but not 2015.

21 NEW MEXICO Second in the border trilogy and a brilliant description of life for a young man as he crosses back and forth across the border. Tough read but well worth it and the ending leaves the reader stunned with the pain of the events.

22 NEBRASKA An American classic about a strong woman at the turn of the century building a farm and fortune from little despite many obstacles.

23 IOWA I loved this story of small town Iowa, a writer who made the ordinary compelling and a wonderful array of characters. It takes a while to adjust to the writing style but well worth it.

24 NORTH CAROLINA A five star review from me for this story of two mens love for each other in the context of the gradual deterioration mentally and physically of them when neither society or their families have been aware of the relationship.

25 MINNESOTA A gentle story of a charismatic Catholic priest who is exiled to the more backward parishes of Minnesota . I heard one of the authors books read on the New Yorker podcast and this won the National Book award back in the 60's. Somehow halfway in this neglected and tough challenge!

Well done on halfway.