-
Welcome
to BookAndReader! We LOVE books and hope you'll join us in sharing your favorites and experiences along with your love of reading with our community. Registering for our site is free and easy, just CLICK HERE!
Already a member and forgot your password? Click here.
Books set where you live
- Thread starter Darren
- Start date
starchild42
New Member
Sadly, it's true! I also get to look at a sculpture of a great big aeroplane in the town square, but I'm really not sure what that's all about...Anahorish said:
omg, I really thought you were joking till you provided a link.
Nothing like a bit of delusion from your local civic leaders, is there?
Piss artists, maybe
abecedarian
Well-Known Member
Kansas is not used very often as a setting. Maybe most writers think the landscape is black and white, like on the Wizard of Oz. Really, we have color everywhere...really! I can only think of maybe two books set here, In Cold Blood and a romance by a local writer named Leslie LaFoy. She lives about 15 miles from me, and set one of her books in west Wichita, which used to be called Delano..I bought it for my oldest dd because she's a history buff and takes an interest in Wichita history. This setting is so unusual because in Wichita, the old Delano district included the red-light district, and still gets overlooked when its time to hand out improvement funds.
I wonder why certain areas get overlooked as settings, while others are used so often-even though some of those places are no more "exotic" than Kansas or Oklahoma. Certainly, many colorful events are in our histories, and could be used for great stories. And we've had our share of interesting real-life characters. I don't know about Oklahoma, or anyplace else, but there is a terrific book called 299 Kansas Characters, that's full of stories of famous, not-so-famous, and infamous Kansas people. If anyone knows of similar books for your state or region, please share..they are so much fun.
I wonder why certain areas get overlooked as settings, while others are used so often-even though some of those places are no more "exotic" than Kansas or Oklahoma. Certainly, many colorful events are in our histories, and could be used for great stories. And we've had our share of interesting real-life characters. I don't know about Oklahoma, or anyplace else, but there is a terrific book called 299 Kansas Characters, that's full of stories of famous, not-so-famous, and infamous Kansas people. If anyone knows of similar books for your state or region, please share..they are so much fun.
ions
New Member
Americans are lucky in this regard because there are a handful of authors that have covered the US. Michener being a good example. Then there's that guy that has pretty much written a novel for every state. Can't remember his name offhand. There aren't too many books that I'm aware of that focus on my little corner of the Great White North. The only thing I can think of is the beginning of Never Cry Wolf mentions Oakville ON, a suburban feeder city to Toronto. That's the closest I know of. Farley Mowat lives not too far from here near Lake Erie. I did read read Michener's Journey which was a tale of some englishmen traipsing across Canada during the gold rush.
ruby
New Member
There is a lot of books set in liverpool!
Helen Forresters novel
Twopence To Cross The mersey was based on her life from her parents losing all there money and moving to liverpool in the slums!
Helen putting herself though education to make some thing of herself!
Also Maura Murphys novels about coming to liverpool from Ireland and bringing up her 9 children on her own!
This is just a couple off the top of my head there are far to many books to list!
Helen Forresters novel
Twopence To Cross The mersey was based on her life from her parents losing all there money and moving to liverpool in the slums!
Helen putting herself though education to make some thing of herself!
Also Maura Murphys novels about coming to liverpool from Ireland and bringing up her 9 children on her own!
This is just a couple off the top of my head there are far to many books to list!
abecedarian
Well-Known Member
See Ion, because there's so little about areas like yours, the rest of us get to be totally ignorant of these places. The average US citizen couldn't string together more than 5 geographic facts about the whole of Canada, let alone the province of Ontario.. and that just seems wrong.
Scottishduffy
New Member
Hmm, books set wher I live are alright. The only book like that I truly enjoyed was some book that actually sounded more like a B-movie called Dawn of the Vampire. It was set around the area where I went to camp, and actually involved the camp. Apparently the author lived on the same lake where we had our camp and thought the all girls camp would make a *great* setting. The book had the counselors getting killed off. Several people in camp bought copies and the kids would read it as a bedtime story, and laugh any time a counselor bit the dust.
I actually prefer books set elsewhere. I KNOW the area where I live. I like "traveling" nd getting to know other places.
I actually prefer books set elsewhere. I KNOW the area where I live. I like "traveling" nd getting to know other places.
MonkeyCatcher
New Member
There arn't too many books set in NZ, probably none if you don't count NZ authors. The few that I have read are written by NZ authors, and so therefore get the setting and the atmosphere pretty much correct. One that people may have heard of is Whale Rider by Witi Ihimaera, which was adapted into a movie of the same title. As a side note, Keisha did not deserve an Oscar nomination for that role - it was horrendous acting! I suppose that people overseas didn't really notice because of the heavy accent and the different culture, but it really was horrible
Libre
Member
Lots of books set in New York City.
Here's something pretty coincidental - I was actually in a place and a time that was in a book! The book is Nightfall by Nelson DeMille. At one point in the book, a character is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, at a certain time on a certain date. I play the classical guitar on the street outside the museum - been doing it for years. I know I was there when the character went in the museum - I remember for sure because the author says the date, and I was there on that date. The character would have passed right by me.
So, I'm able to place myself at the same exact time and place as a main character in a book.
How's that?
Here's something pretty coincidental - I was actually in a place and a time that was in a book! The book is Nightfall by Nelson DeMille. At one point in the book, a character is at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, at a certain time on a certain date. I play the classical guitar on the street outside the museum - been doing it for years. I know I was there when the character went in the museum - I remember for sure because the author says the date, and I was there on that date. The character would have passed right by me.
So, I'm able to place myself at the same exact time and place as a main character in a book.
How's that?
scooter13
Member
I have never read any books set in or around where I live now (north of Philly). But I have read quite a few books based in areas around where I am originally from (Detroit). I understand what Cajunmama, fearing that the writers would get something wrong. But the books I have read based in Detroit were written by native Detroiters. There is the "Amos Walker" series by Loren D. Estleman. And then there are the two books by Jeffrey Eugenides, "The Virgin Suicides" and "Middlesex". I enjoyed these books because it is much easier to picture the scenes, especially when you know the place well.
WoundedThorns
New Member
Darren said:
i'd love to. i dont think i ever have.. with both NJ or PA.. it reminds me of when i saw garden state. they depicted the area i lived in PERFECTLY.... except they made the houses to nice. i was really happy since they had two scenes from my old town, wallington.
fillabuster
New Member
I love reading books about the Bay Area, California.
If not ABOUT them, then definately when the character is set there.
My favorite author, C.D. Payne, writes books that do a lot of referencing the bay area. My favorite if his is Youth in Revolt.
Look this book up!
If not ABOUT them, then definately when the character is set there.
My favorite author, C.D. Payne, writes books that do a lot of referencing the bay area. My favorite if his is Youth in Revolt.
Look this book up!
I guess I've read a few. A children's author who I believe lives someone around here has written several books that are set a couple of suburbs away from where I live. I've read a few other books that have been set in this general area (though generally closer to the city)... I find it's amusing when a place I know is mentioned, but I wouldn't say I prefer to read books set where I live exactly. However, I think I do prefer to read books set in the same country, partly because it's easier to understand the character's culture.
mehastings
Active Member
I finished a book a couple weeks ago that was set in a town I've lived in (and currently live near). The book was set twenty-five years ago (eighteen years before I lived there) so most of the places mentioned no longer existed. I don't think I felt one way or the other about the setting.
SFG75
Well-Known Member
Darren said:
Mari Sandoz and Willa Cather were two authors from Nebraska who wrote about the pioneer experience. I do enjoy their writing and a lot of their observations are still true today-in particular the European make-up of some parts here. Some communities were Catholic, Polish, or German settlements. In terms of non-fiction, I like to read about the early years of counties around were I lived. More than a few are quite interesting. Towns fighting over where the county seat would be one is one of them. A nearby Swedish town was infiltrated at night by a neighboring German one that came in by rail car. They took all of the county records and "moved" the county chair to their town, which is where it resides to this day. My own town and a neighborhing one had a huge fight over it and they eventually decided to create a third town in-between them, hence the creation of Clay Center, which is the seat of Clay County.