Around the USA in 52 Books discussion

Ok, I'm just going with what I have in the house and on audio/kindle right now. Still going through the books to see what is there. Haven't checked this list against 1001 list yet. So far just going with book setting. If I get desperate, then I will do author's home.


Starred books completed
1. Alabama

The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Love, Race, and War in the Nineteenth Century by Martha Hodes or
The Quest of the Silver Fleece: A Novel by W.E.B. Dubois

2. Alaska
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

*3. Arizona
Dog on It by Spencer Quinn

4. Arkansas
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry PULITZER

*5. California
Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler

*6. Colorado
The Shining by Stephen King

7. Connecticut
Edwin Mullhouse: The Life and Death of an American Writer 1943-1954 by Jeffrey Cartwright by Steven Millhauser
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

8. Delaware

9. Florida
Rabbit at Rest by John Updike or PA PULITZER

*10. Georgia
Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell

*11. Hawaii
The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk

12. Idaho
The Stand by Stephen King

*13. Illinois
Divergent by Veronica Roth

*14. Indiana
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut


*15. Iowa
Bad Blood by John Sandford

*16. Kansas
The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

17. Kentucky
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe 1001

*18. Louisiana
Fever Dream by Douglas Preston

*19. Maine
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout PULITZER

20. Maryland
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

*21. Massachusetts
Sixkill by Robert B. Parker

*22. Michigan
Shock Wave by John Sandford

*23. Minnesota
Wicked Prey by John Sandford

*24. Mississippi
*Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
*The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau Pulitzer

*25. Missouri
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

26. Montana
Ghost Girl by Torey Hayden
Rock Springs by Richard Ford

27. Nebraska
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

28. Nevada
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

29. New Hampshire
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving 1001

*30. New Jersey
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz

*31. New Mexico
Short Straw by Stuart Woods

*32. New York
Invisible by Paul Auster 1001

33. North Carolina
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

*34. North Dakota
The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner

35. Ohio
The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

36. Oklahoma
Paradise by Toni Morrison NOBEL, ORANGE-S
or The Honk and Holler Opening Soon by Billie Letts

37. Oregon
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 1001

*38. Pennsylvania
Bossypants by Tina Fey

*39. Rhode Island
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

40. South Carolina
Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen NBA
or Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin

41. South Dakota
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
or Giants in the Earth: A Saga of the Prairie by Ole E. Rolvaag

42. Tennessee
The Reivers by William Faulkner PULITZER

43. Texas
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy NBA, NBCC, 1001
Getting Mother's Body by Suzan-Lori Parks

44. Utah
The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer

45. Vermont
Rescue by Anita Shreve

46. Virginia
Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins

47. Washington
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

*48. Washington DC
All Aunt Hagar's Children by Edward P. Jones

*49. West Virginia
A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

50. Wisconsin
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

51. Wyoming
Brokeback Mountain by E. Annie Proulx


52.
Puerto Rico
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell

apparently if you want a Pulitzer, you should write about Maine...

Several Pulitzer Prize have come from Maine, if this list is accurate and current.

yup, it seems to be a trend!

Really starting to think I could do a Year of NY. And probably also a year of London, but I'm ignoring those for now...

Seriously, California has so many I want to read. I'll be going to the Channel Islands in February of 2013, which is dictating my choices (one re-read, one read) but what I really want to do is delve into Steinbeck. I haven't read him since high school, when I hated him, and now I have friends who breathe him.

Also, I'm going to go offroad and read Stephen King for Maine. Hehehe.

That is a thought, "a year of London", in a few years' time :) Like that idea, Beth.

Which of the Channel Islands are you planning to visit, Jen?

AsmahH wrote: "That is a thought, "a year of London", in a few years' time :) Like that idea, Beth.

Which of the Channel Islands are you planning to visit, Jen?"

Probably Santa Cruz - only a handful are open in February.

When I went through my books, I also noted how many books were set in NY and London. I like the idea of doing a grand tour of major cities. Five books per city with 10 cities featured? Maybe in 2014!

Sounds like a fun idea! New York and California are chock full; I could easily read California for a year!

Suzanne, I love that idea!!!

There is always the Grand Tour of Europe from the 19th century which seems, according to wikipedia, to have a certain itinerary; London through Nth France, into Paris etc etc. Just a thought...

I love the Grand Tour idea, too. maybe 2014.......

We are going to live forever with all this reading we have to do!

All good ideas! @Jenny - Isn't that the truth?

Super ideas! I'm in :-)

I'm also in with the Tour of Europe idea! 19th century or not :)

Almost all set, just need something good for Delaware and for S. Dakota

Beth: Have you ever read The Children's Blizzard? That came to mind right away when you mentioned the need for a South Dakota book.

I haven't. Will have to check it out!

Already read Beloved, sadly

finished RI with The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

Accidentally did 2 for Mississippi
Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau

Both reviews at http://bethslistlove.wordpress.com

Suzanne wrote: "Beth: Have you ever read The Children's Blizzard? That came to mind right away when you mentioned the need for a South Dakota book."

The Children's Blizzard is a great book. I use some of the information from the book when I teach the "Settling the Great Plains" unit.

scared out of socks in Colorado. Review of The Shining to follow.

PA Bossypants
LA Fever Dream
GA Red Mist
MN Wicked Prey

MA: Sixkill

New Mexico with Short Straw.

Huge catch up post:

AZ: Dog on It
IA: Bad Blood
KS: The Chaperone
MI: Shock Wave
NJ: This Is How You Lose Her
WV: A Beautiful Mind

I completely understand huge catch up posts- I am way behind on my goal to finish by the end of the year. Looks like we both have read a lot of good books though!

Marianne wrote: "I completely understand huge catch up posts- I am way behind on my goal to finish by the end of the year. Looks like we both have read a lot of good books though!"

I'm still hoping there is a chance, what with about 4 hours a day listening to books while commuting, but I have to have laserlike focus!

I keep getting distracted by other books, book club, library books etc... :-)

Beth wrote: "apparently if you want a Pulitzer, you should write about Maine..."

Interesting (I think) story: Minnesota's Sinclair Lewis was chosen by the jury for the Pulitzer in 1921 for Main Street but their decision was overturned in favor of Edith Wharton. Then in 1926 when they wanted to give him the Pulitzer for Arrowsmith, he turned it down. Also, he was the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.

Summary of what I have done this year (and what is left to do next year):

Starred books completed
1. Alabama
The Sea Captain's Wife: A True Story of Love, Race, and War in the Nineteenth Century by Martha Hodes or
The Quest of the Silver Fleece: A Novel by W.E.B. Dubois

2. Alaska
The Yiddish Policemen's Union by Michael Chabon

*3. Arizona
Dog on It by Spencer Quinn

4. Arkansas
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry PULITZER

*5. California
Farewell, My Lovely by Raymond Chandler

*6. Colorado
The Shining by Stephen King

7. Connecticut
Edwin Mullhouse: The Life and Death of an American Writer 1943-1954 by Jeffrey Cartwright by Steven Millhauser
I Know This Much Is True by Wally Lamb

8. Delaware

9. Florida
Rabbit at Rest by John Updike or PA PULITZER

*10. Georgia
Red Mist by Patricia Cornwell

*11. Hawaii
The Caine Mutiny by Herman Wouk

12. Idaho
The Stand by Stephen King

*13. Illinois
Divergent by Veronica Roth

*14. Indiana
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut


*15. Iowa
Bad Blood by John Sandford

*16. Kansas
The Chaperone by Laura Moriarty

17. Kentucky
Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe 1001

*18. Louisiana
Fever Dream by Douglas Preston

*19. Maine
Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout PULITZER

20. Maryland
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks by Rebecca Skloot

*21. Massachusetts
Sixkill by Robert B. Parker

*22. Michigan
Shock Wave by John Sandford

*23. Minnesota
Wicked Prey by John Sandford

*24. Mississippi
*Absalom, Absalom! by William Faulkner
*The Keepers of the House by Shirley Ann Grau Pulitzer

*25. Missouri
Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn

26. Montana
Ghost Girl by Torey Hayden
Rock Springs by Richard Ford

27. Nebraska
O Pioneers! by Willa Cather

28. Nevada
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

29. New Hampshire
A Prayer for Owen Meany by John Irving 1001

*30. New Jersey
This Is How You Lose Her by Junot Díaz

*31. New Mexico
Short Straw by Stuart Woods

*32. New York
Invisible by Paul Auster 1001

33. North Carolina
The Lacuna by Barbara Kingsolver

*34. North Dakota
The Big Rock Candy Mountain by Wallace Stegner

35. Ohio
The Weird Sisters by Eleanor Brown

36. Oklahoma
Paradise by Toni Morrison NOBEL, ORANGE-S
or The Honk and Holler Opening Soon by Billie Letts

37. Oregon
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey 1001

*38. Pennsylvania
Bossypants by Tina Fey

*39. Rhode Island
The Marriage Plot by Jeffrey Eugenides

40. South Carolina
Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen NBA
or Scarlet Sister Mary by Julia Peterkin

41. South Dakota
Peace Like a River by Leif Enger
or Giants in the Earth: A Saga of the Prairie by Ole E. Rolvaag

42. Tennessee
The Reivers by William Faulkner PULITZER

43. Texas
All the Pretty Horses by Cormac McCarthy NBA, NBCC, 1001
Getting Mother's Body by Suzan-Lori Parks

44. Utah
The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer

45. Vermont
Rescue by Anita Shreve

46. Virginia
Skinny Legs and All by Tom Robbins

47. Washington
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet by Jamie Ford

*48. Washington DC
All Aunt Hagar's Children by Edward P. Jones

*49. West Virginia
A Beautiful Mind by Sylvia Nasar

50. Wisconsin
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle by David Wroblewski

51. Wyoming
Brokeback Mountain by E. Annie Proulx

52.
Puerto Rico
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell