Around the Year in 52 Books discussion

"I felt like I was right there with the characters." Most of us who love reading will have said something like this about a book which really brings a setting to life. This week's prompt is all about sense of place, it could be a ghost story set in a spooky house, a fantasy novel with amazing world building, or any book with a particularly memorable or vivid setting.

Suggestions:
Goodreads: Popular strong sense of place books
The Guardian: Top ten novels with a powerful sense of place
Ondaatje Prize - this annual prize, presented by the Royal Society of Literature, is awarded to a work of fiction or nonfiction or collection of poetry which evokes the spirit of a place.
Down the Writer's Path: Top ten books with a strong sense of place
Tor: Five fantasy books with awe-inspiring settings
Washington Independent Review of Books: Nine books with a strong sense of place
Barnes & Noble: Eight speculative fiction authors whose books are a lesson in world building

Optional questions:
- What are you reading this week?
- Where is the book set?
- Why did you choose this book to fit this prompt?

I love books with a strong sense of place, but it can be hard to know which books will transport you until you're already reading it: The book I'm reading right now has a surprisingly strong sense of place: Not for Nothing by Stephen Graham Jones - I feel like I'm right there with him, at a run down storage rental in hot and dusty Texas, drinking too much cheap beer.

The top book on my list is: The Bookshop on the Corner by Jenny Colgan, because it looks fun.

Backup choices:
My Ántonia by Willa Cather
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Last Night in Montreal by Emily St. John Mandel
The Other Side of the Bridge by Mary Lawson
To The Bright Edge of the World by Eowyn Ivey
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
The Summer Wives by Beatriz Williams
Real Tigers by Mick Herron


If anyone has read these, let me know if they will work here.

I have read The Great Alone and The Bookshop on the Corner. They both work for this prompt, in my opinion. I prefer The Great Alone, but The Bookshop on the Corner is a lighter read (length and subject matter).

I plan to read The Bookshop on the Corner too. I've had it on my Kindle app for a few years now.

Other possibilities
I'll Be Your Blue Sky - Marisa de los Santos
Bleak House - Charles Dickens

My pick is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Set in a circus obviously. It came onto my radar when 'a book set in a circus was proposed as a prompt. Everything I've read says the author did a great job of world building so I figure it should work here.

Serendipity wrote: "My pick is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Set in a circus obviously. It came onto my radar when 'a book set in a circus was proposed as a prompt. Everything I've read says the author did a g..."

The Night Circus fits this prompt perfectly!

I agree that The Great Alone is also a good fit. The author does a great job of bringing to life the beauty and perils of Alaska.

I am considering these:

The World of Tomorrow
In The Shadow of 10,000 Hills
Next Year in Havana
Small Country
Varina

Nadine wrote: "I love books with a strong sense of place, but it can be hard to know which books will transport you until you're already reading it: The book I'm reading right now has a surprisingly strong sense ..."

I think To The Bright Edge of the World is a great fit here!

This is the category I'm searching for ideas in. I'll have to dig through some of the suggestions above.

I can suggest The Bear and the Nightingale by Katherine Arden. Brilliant book with an amazing sense of place.

Also, The Red Garden and Blackbird House by Alice Hoffman beautifully capture place.

Location is pretty much not on my radar when it comes to reading. I cannot think of any books that made me think they had an "amazing sense of place." Sometimes I will feel impressed by the world building in a fantasy or sci-fi novel but I don't think that's quite the same thing. So, I had a difficult time finding a book for this prompt.

I plan to read At Hawthorn Time by Melissa Harrison. I've read in several reviews that this book has some excellent descriptions of landscape and nature so I think it fits this prompt.

I have been meaning to read The House of Shattered Wings for years and never get round to, I have a feeling it will be perfect for this. It's set in an alternate Paris, which has been left in ruins following a war between angels.

I’m trying to read books I own (it’s a struggle) so my top choice is The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver. I found some other great ideas on the NYPL list under the “sense of place” tag, including Rules of Civility, Darwin in Galapagos, Ghosts of the Tsunami, The Outer Beach, and News of the World.

Some books that I have read this year that I think really capture a sense of place:
Beartown
The Bear and the Nightingale
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
The Cutting Season
The Great Alone
Anne of Green Gables
Auntie Poldi and the Sicilian Lions
Where the Crawdads Sing
The Essex Serpent

Serendipity wrote: "My pick is The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Set in a circus obviously. It came onto my radar when 'a book set in a circus was proposed as a prompt. Everything I've read says the author did a g..."

It does have a great sense of place AND it is one of my favorite, all time reads.

For this prompt, I can recommend Dispatches from Pluto: Lost and Found in the Mississippi Delta. This is a memoir which reads much like a series of short stories/episodes in Richard Grant's life. It has a strong sense of the Mississippi Delta.

I love The Night Circus for this prompt -- it's one of the few books I've ever read that really transported me (I tend to skim over long descriptions of setting...)

I'm currently reading Burial Rites and I think this one would also fit this prompt well. It would also work for the cold prompt. It's definitely a slow-paced book, but it's based on a true story and has picked up towards the end.

Books I'm considering (please tell me if you think they would work!)

The Luminaries by Eleanor Catton
The Air You Breathe by Frances de Pontes Peebles
The Mars Room by Rachel Kushner
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
A Gentleman in Moscow by Amor Towles
More Happy Than Not by Adam Silvera

Emily, I loved Burial Rites too. I seem to recall reading it when the prompt was discussed and thinking it would be perfect. I haven't read More Happy than not and I'm not sure about The Luminaries.I suspect It probably does but I just don't recall . Its a while since i read it. It could also be because I'm from NZ, and know a fair bit about history that the sense of place didn't strike me as much. A good read regardless. But I can definitely say all the other four would work - and they were all great reads.

I have three possibilities for this category. A Gentleman in Moscow ,The Island of Sea Women( new release by Lisa See in 2019, I feel like she always writes a great sense of place) and Fylgia which I stumbled upon in (Pop sugar?) and I believe the description mentioned sense of place along with half the reviews. It also sounded interesting.

Anthill describes a wonderful sense of place.

Tracy wrote: "I have three possibilities for this category. A Gentleman in Moscow,The Island of Sea Women( new release by Lisa See in 2019, I feel like she always writes a great s..."

I loved A Gentleman in Moscow and have become a big fan of Amor Towles. If you like it, check out his other novel Rules of Civility. I can understand why it takes him a long time to write since he does it so beautifully but I want something new from him now!

Thanks for the heads up about the new novel by Lisa See! It looks like it can fit quite a few prompts...

I just had a party over at Sarah´s graphic novel/ comic book plan and remembered Here by Richard McGuire a mindblowing graphic novel with a very unique sense of place. It is about the exact same spot - a corner of a room (in the present), and everything that happens there from the years 500,957,406,073 BC to 2313 AD (I remember some scenes being even further in the future, but that´s the year the description says).

Johanne wrote: "I just had a party over at Sarah´s graphic novel/ comic book plan and remembered Here by Richard McGuire a mindblowing graphic novel with a very unique sense of plac..."

LOL, I saw that party!!

Well, she did ask to speak up...

ask *us

Maybe, just maybe, this will be the year I finally tackle Wuthering Heights.

Johanne wrote: "I just had a party over at Sarah´s graphic novel/ comic book plan and remembered Here by Richard McGuire a mindblowing graphic novel with a very unique sense of plac..."

Oh I've read that! Very interesting perspective, would recommend.

Here's some I've read that would qualify:

- Independent People - if you don't have enough Iceland in your life, you will have *plenty* after reading this
- Titus Groan - because the castle Gormenghast is a main character in its own right
- The Crimson Petal and the White - Victorian London in all it's filth and splendor
- Under the Pendulum Sun - a castle in the land of the Fae was never so claustrophobic
- The Martian - needs no explanation
- Rebecca - just try to escape Manderley
- The Woman in Black - or this tide-flooded coastal plain
- Thin Air or this mountain in the Himalayas
- In the Woods or these woods
- Germinal or this mine
- The Magic Mountain or this spa for consumptives in the alps
- Bleak House i'm just making stuff up now

Hustle the East

Here's a new novel with a strong sense of place - Laos. You’ll see and smell the streets of the capital Vientiane, crisscross the Plain of Jars, and get drenched in the Water Festival in the Royal Capital of Luang Prabang. You’ll travel overland on foot through jungle-clad forests, taking in the amazing flora and fauna and age-old lifestyle of communities at the 3,000-foot elevation above the Mekong plain. You’ll be bewildered to learn that thick mountain-grown coffee is served with Chinese tea while baguettes and croissants are devoured with spicy-hot Lao cuisine. Laos is a place where Buddhists preached age-old lessons of Peace and Tolerance while greedy politicians kept changing sides in a three-sided civil war.

There’s a heap of history, sprinkled throughout the adventures of three narrators over three decades. Along the way, you’ll celebrate the many holidays in the Lao calendar including a trio of New Year’s festivals. You’ll be present at a Lao bullfight that has no matadors, traditional Lao boat races and skyrocket competitions, and a buffalo sacrifice ceremony that portends the future. You’ll see the wisdom in Lao folk sayings, learn how to catch crabs in a rice paddy, and appreciate the difficulty Lao students have learning English. You’ll get tangled up in corruption and Communism, heroism and heroin.

I am going with The Bear and the Nightingale, as I am starting the year off with this prompt and it seems like a great read for a chilly January. :)

Ist book on the goodreads list was The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah - have been hearing great things about this one and is on my TBR pile - so has made it to the list!!!

Wendy wrote: "- Independent People - if you don't have enough Iceland in your life, you will have *plenty* after reading this"

You can never enough Iceland in your life haha. After visiting this amazingly beautiful country a few years ago I added several books by Icelandic authors to my TBR but I'm ashamed to say I haven't read much. Thanks for the rec, I'm pretty sure it's going to be my choice for this week!

I'll either read The Bookshop on the Corner which has been in my TBR for a while or The Night Tiger, which the reviews indicate that it pulls you in all the way and never lets you go.

Going with Gentleman in Moscow it's also on my 19 for 2019 challenge so perfect

I'm going for Chestnut Street, which I'm reading for PS posthumous prompt. It's a setting and characters she created herself throughout her writing career, so I'm hoping it fits the prompt.

Would The Revenant work for this prompt?

has anyone read the 'No 1 Ladies detective agency'? I feel being set in Botswana it may fit this category well

Would work for this? I think it would work, but I'm not too familiar with the idea of "strong sense of place".

I’m reading Still Life, the 1st of Louise Penny’s Inspector Gamache mysteries, for Topic #1, but it would work perfectly for this topic. I feel like I could easily find my way around the village of Three Pines, and would also feel right at home. The village is in a rural section of Quebec.

- What are you reading this week?


- Where is the book set?
Alaska

- Why did you choose this book to fit this prompt?
After reading I wanted to read more books set in Alaska. I want travel to Alaska in the future.

I am not sure what I will choose for this prompt but I wanted to suggest A Tree Grows in Brooklyn by Betty Smith for those who haven't enjoyed this wonderful book yet. One of my top five favorites, I feel transported to Brooklyn in the early 1900s every time I read this book. Smith wrote with such loving detail of all the elements that shape her characters daily lives, perceptions and actions.

Two amazing books I've read that I immediately thought of: Beartown and Daughter of Smoke & Bone.
Beartown is one of those books where the town itself feels like its own character. It was probably my favorite read last year and a perfect pick for this prompt!
Daughter of Smoke and Bone is set for the majority of the time in Prague. Having just been there this past summer, I can say that Laini Taylor captured the essence of Prague really well. Also highly reccomend

What are you reading this week?
The Dry by Jane Harper

Where is the book set?
Australia

Why did you choose this book to fit this prompt?
It was on the list from goodreads and it was a book discussed on Anne Bogel's podcast

What are you reading this week?
A class apart by Susie Murphy

Where is the book set?
Carlow, Ireland (on the fictional estate of Oakleigh)

Why did you choose this book to fit this prompt?
Epic historical novels are always an exciting read and I needed a "Carlow" book for another challenge!

- What are you reading this week?
I am reading Mrs. Dalloway by Virginia Woolf
- Where is the book set?
London (specifically Bloomsbury and Westminster)
- Why did you choose this book to fit this prompt?
In reading the novel, the setting is just so prominent it seems the most appropriate category.

Has anyone read The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman? Does this book have a strong sense of place?

From what I've read, my other options for this category are:
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
Where the Crawdads Sing by Delia Owens

Books I've read that I think would definitely fit this category:
Room by Emma Donoghue
Crazy Rich Asians by Kevin Kwan
Little Fires Everywhere by Celeste Ng
The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern

Avery wrote: "Has anyone read The Light Between Oceans by M.L. Stedman? Does this book have a strong sense of place?

From what I've read, my other options for this category are:
[book:The Great ..."

Avery, all three of the books you mention have a strong sense of place. The Light Between Oceans is my least favorite of those books, in case you care.

I loved The Light Between Oceans and felt it had a very strong sense of place. In fact, setting is everything to the plot.

I agree with you about "The Light Between Oceans". I just finished reading "Happiness" by Aminatta Forna. It is set in London, England. Even the many boroughs described are much detailed and integral to the plot and character development. The pacing is excellent. You might say it fox trots to a deep and satisfying conclusion. I give it 4 out of 5 stars.

Stumbled onto something so perfect for this prompt I cant resist evangelizing it to y'all!

What are you reading this week?

Here by Richard McGuire

Where is the book set?
It's set in Pennsylvania...I think?

If that sounds like a ridiculously vague answer for the 'strong sense of place' prompt, I hear you! But listen, this graphic novel seriously blew me away with how strongly it told the story of a single room across literal eons in the past, present and future.

From the blurb: "(I)t collapsed time and space to tell the story of the corner of a room - and its inhabitants - between the years 500,957,406,073 BC and 2313 AD.

Why did you choose this book to fit this prompt?
Its an astounding concept, a quick read, and a surprisingly profound examination of life and the passage of time.

What are you reading this week?
I read Circe by Madeline Miller
Where is the book set?
A number of different locations, however, the main part of the story was situated on the mythical island of Aeaea.
Why did you choose this book to fit this prompt?
I didn't in advance. It was not until after I had finished the book that I realized it was the perfect book for the prompt.

I’m thinking of reading Between Shades of Gray
Does it fit this prompt?