Happily Ever After Cafe discussion

Lisa Kay wrote: "U.S. 50 States Romance Novel Series, by F.D. Caldwell - New series started this year; 8 books."

Crack up! I could just read those :-)

That is 8 books so far , CaroB!! :)

Quick question, would a book set in San Francisco earn extra points?

Jenn wrote: "Quick question, would a book set in San Francisco earn extra points?"

Tons of points! Off the top of my head and after checking Wikipedia http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Fran... :

The Supreme Court of California sits in San Francisco.

The second-most densely populated large city in the United States after New York City.

The California Gold Rush of 1849 propelled the city into a period of rapid growth, increasing the population in one year from 1,000 to 25,000, and thus transforming it into the largest city on the West Coast at the time.

One of the top tourist destinations in the world, ranking 33rd out of the 100 most visited cities worldwide.

Famous landmarks, including the Golden Gate Bridge, cable cars, and Chinatown. Not to mention the home of Alcatraz. The location of too many movies to mention.

Jenn, after you check it out for yourself, submit what you think your points should be and Pamela and I will review your info. :)

Ok, so I re-edited my post to reflect what I calculated :)

Also, I was rereading the points system and I realized that the first book I read was set in Pennsylvania, do I get the extra 3 points since it's one of the original states/colonies?

Sorry for all the questions! Thank you for your help :)

No need to apologize for the questions, Jenn! Pamela and I love questions. That is what we are here for. :)

Yes, you get three extra points for Pennsylvania being one of the orginial 13 colonies.

Woo-hoo! Thank you :)

I want to join in on this challange...my start date will be September 1st...

Lisa wrote: "I want to join in on this challange...my start date will be September 1st..."

Sure... the more the merrier!!

My List so far..
22 Points
AL Alabama (Montgomery)
AK Alaska (Juneau)- 10/16/11Grundy, Alaksa - Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf - 1 point ***
AZ Arizona (Phoenix)
AR Arkansas (Little Rock)
CA California (Sacramento)- Hunting Lila 10/21/11 **** 1 point
CO Colorado (Denver)- 10/16/11 - Vail, Colorado - Nightshade **** 1 point
CT Connecticut (Hartford)
DE Delaware (Dover)
FL Florida (Tallahassee) Turn in the Road ***** 1 point
GA Georgia (Atlanta)
HI Hawaii (Honolulu)
ID Idaho (Boise)
IL Illinois - 9/8/11 Divergent - Chicago, Illinois - ***** 5 points
IN Indiana (Indianapolis)
IA Iowa (Des Moines)
KS Kansas (Topeka)
KY Kentucky Nice Girls Don't Have Fangs *** 1 point
LA Louisiana (Baton Rouge)
ME Maine 9/3/11- Crescendo - Coldwater, Maine - ***** 1 point
MD Maryland (Annapolis)
MA Massachusetts (Boston)
MI Michigan (Lansing)
MN Minnesota (Saint Paul)
MS Mississippi (Jackson)
MO Missouri - 9/2/11 Banished -Gypsum,Missouri **** 1 Point
MT Montana (Helena)
NE Nebraska (Lincoln)
NV Nevada (Carson City)
NH New Hampshire (Concord)
NJ New Jersey (Trenton)
NM New Mexico (Santa Fe)Albuquerque First Grave on the Right - ***** 1 point
NY New York (Albany)New York, New York ARchangels Kiss **** 3 points
NC North Carolina (Raleigh)
ND North Dakota (Bismarck)
OH Ohio (Columbus)Ohio Halway to the Grave **** 1 point
OK Oklahoma (Oklahoma City)
OR Oregon (Salem)
PA Pennsylvania (Harrisburg)
RI Rhode Island 9/23/11 The Geometry of Sisters - Newport Rhode Island *** 4 points
SC South Carolina (Columbia)
SD South Dakota (Pierre)
TN Tennessee (Nashville)
TX Texas (Austin)
UT Utah (Salt Lake City)
VT Vermont (Montpelier)
VA Virginia (Richmond)
WA Washington (Olympia)Seattle, Washington A Turn in the Road ***** 1 point
WV West Virginia (Charleston)
WI Wisconsin (Madison)
WY Wyoming (Cheyenne)

Welcome, Lisa! BTW, you get two (2) additional points b/c Chicago is the largest city in Illinois; Grand Total = 5 points.

Awesome..thanks!

Finally found Janet Dailey's series.

Americana Series, by Janet Dailey (Harlequin Presents); 46 books.

If you can get a book in NYC, its a lot of points. I'm at 8 points so far for it.
State (1)
Major City (2)
Former Capital of the USA (2)
Original Colony State (3)
And that's before the fun facts...

Does it get extra bonus points for being the largest city in the country? ;-) Not to mention the gobs of movies, and songs named after it.

I forgot to count 2 pts on ine for the former capital. Thanks, Heather.

I forgot that NY was once the capital of the USA. Wow. This challenge just may dust out the cobwebs, LOL!

Heather!

Give yourself another point (1) for reading Vengeance in Death (New York). One of the main characters is named after a famous city: Eve Dallas.

The 50 States & Capitals Points Challenge
Duration: 9/1/11 to 8/31/11
Participation Level: Plucky Pilgrim
Total Points: 13/30

California
Across Eternity by Aris Whittier (9/5)★★★★
State = 1 point
Total = 1 point
North Carolina
Have You Seen Her? by Karen Rose (9/13)★★★★1/2
State = 1 point
Original Colony = 3 points
Raleigh - State Capital = 3 points
Raleigh - named for Sir Walter Raleigh = 1 point
Raleigh - birthplace of Andrew Johnson = 2 points
Seattle, WA - most populous city = 2 points
Total = 12 points

Update 9/14

I'll admit it, Julie. I had to look up Andrew Johnson. Isn't that terrible that I don't remember the 17th president of the USA? And I just watched that PBS special last year on the presidents. I just forgot his first name.

Well, in your defense, he is one of the lesser known presidents. LOL!;-) I used to be able to name all the presidents, but I can't anymore. Hmmm...I must have missed that PBS special. It sounds interesting.

LOL, Lisa Kay. I remembered that when I was first reading the book, but completely forgot at the end. Thanks for the reminder.

Julie, I think it was done by Ken Burns. (Can't remember that either, LOL!)

Heather wrote: "LOL, Lisa Kay. I remembered that when I was first reading the book, but completely forgot at the end. Thanks for the reminder."

You are welcome, Heather! :o)

Participants Post #6, updated: 09/2/11 11:40 p.m. PST Please let me know of any errors. Thanks!

Your books are great, ladies!

Participants Post #6, updated: 09/26/11 8:51 p.m. PST Please let me know of any goof-ups. Thanks!

Question: I'm currently reading a book that jumps all over the place - Kansas, Virginia, Pennsylvania, New York. If I choose to use Kansas as my state, can I still get the original thirteen colony points for the other three or do I need to wait until I use them as my state?

Yes, Julie!! But you can only use one state a book and only use a state once. Maybe you won't read another book that goes to Pennsylvania. So, say you count Kansas as your state = 1 point. Pennsylvania (OTC) = 3 points (b/c you don't see yourself returning). But, if you return to Pensylvania in another book, you can count it as 1 point for a state then (but of course, not the 3 pts for OTC).

Thanks, Lisa Kay. That should give me a whole boatload of points for this book.;-)

Great!

I've got to get out of Texas! LOL! Otherwise, I'll never get any more points.

The 50 States & Capitals Points Challenge
Duration: 9/1/11 to 8/31/12
Participation Level: Plucky Pilgrim
Total Points: 29/30

California
Across Eternity by Aris Whittier (9/5/11)★★★★
State = 1 point
Total = 1 point
Kansas
Say Goodbye to Yesterday by Shirley Kiger Connolly (9/26/11)★★★
State = 1 point
NY Original Colony = 3 points
Stony Point, NY - site of King's Ferry & Stony Point Battlefield (Revolutionary War sites) = 1/2 point
West Point, NY - site of the United States Military Academy = 1/2 point
PA Original Colony = 3 points
Philadelphia, PA - largest city = 2 points
Philadelphia, PA - former national capital = 2 points
Philadelphia, PA - site of the 1st & 2nd Continental Congress = 1/2 point
Philadelphia, PA - nicknamed "The City of Brotherly Love" = 1/2 point
VA Original Colony = 3 points
Total = 16 points
North Carolina
Have You Seen Her? by Karen Rose (9/13/11)★★★★1/2
State = 1 point
Original Colony = 3 points
Raleigh - State Capital = 3 points
Raleigh - named for Sir Walter Raleigh = 1 point
Raleigh - birthplace of Andrew Johnson = 2 points
Seattle, WA - most populous city = 2 points
Total = 12 points

Update 9/29

Whoa. Julie, I've got to find a book set in Philadelphia! LOL!

Participants Post #6, updated: 09/29/11 8:31 p.m. PST Please let me know of any errors. Thanks!

Hi Ladies, hope you don't mind, I'm going to bow out of this one. My complete lack of US geographical knowledge and recent historicals set in England mean that I think I overextended myself with this.

Good luck to everyone though!!

That's okay, CaroB. We understand. Don't feel bad.

The 50 States & Capitals Points Challenge
Duration: 9/1/11 to 8/31/12
Participation Level: Plucky Pilgrim
Total Points: 30/30

California
Across Eternity by Aris Whittier (9/5/11)★★★★
State = 1 point
Total = 1 point
Kansas
Say Goodbye to Yesterday by Shirley Kiger Connolly (9/26/11)★★★
State = 1 point
NY Original Colony = 3 points
Stony Point, NY - site of King's Ferry & Stony Point Battlefield (Revolutionary War sites) = 1/2 point
West Point, NY - site of the United States Military Academy = 1/2 point
PA Original Colony = 3 points
Philadelphia, PA - largest city = 2 points
Philadelphia, PA - former national capital = 2 points
Philadelphia, PA - site of the 1st & 2nd Continental Congress = 1/2 point
Philadelphia, PA - nicknamed "The City of Brotherly Love" = 1/2 point
VA Original Colony = 3 points
Total = 16 points
North Carolina
Have You Seen Her? by Karen Rose (9/13/11)★★★★1/2
State = 1 point
Original Colony = 3 points
Raleigh - State Capital = 3 points
Raleigh - named for Sir Walter Raleigh = 1 point
Raleigh - birthplace of Andrew Johnson = 2 points
Seattle, WA - most populous city = 2 points
Total = 12 points
Texas
Soldier by AKM Miles (10/1/11)★★★★1/2
State = 1 point
Total = 1 points

Update 10/3

Congrats on reaching your goal, Julie! Are you going to continue, or are you done?

Congrats Julie! Well done!!

I'm listening to a book set in New York now. That one should rack up some major points.

Thanks, Lisa Kay and Carob. I managed to rack up those first 30 points pretty quick, so I'll definitely keep going. It's fun seeing how many points I can come up with.:-)

Great, Julie!

Participants Post #6, updated: 10/11/11 9:37 a.m. PST Please let me know of any errors. Thanks! This one is a little harder to keep track of!

I could have sworn Vermont was one of the orginial 13 colonies... but it is state #14. Oh, well.

Alright, I'm not messing around now. Just added two orginal colonies (one started right b/f I got my cold, gave me incentive to get back to it). ☺

The 50 States & Capitals Points Challenge
Duration: 9/1/11 to 8/31/12
Participation Level: Courageous Colonial
Total Points: 33.5/65

California
Across Eternity by Aris Whittier (9/5/11)★★★★
State = 1 point
Total = 1 point
Whispering Rock by Robyn Carr (10/11)★★★★★
Sacramento - State Capital = 3 points
Sacramento - site of Sutter's Fort = 1/2 point
Total = 3.5 points
Kansas
Say Goodbye to Yesterday by Shirley Kiger Connolly (9/26/11)★★★
State = 1 point
NY Original Colony = 3 points
Stony Point, NY - site of King's Ferry & Stony Point Battlefield (Revolutionary War sites) = 1/2 point
West Point, NY - site of the United States Military Academy = 1/2 point
PA Original Colony = 3 points
Philadelphia, PA - largest city = 2 points
Philadelphia, PA - former national capital = 2 points
Philadelphia, PA - site of the 1st & 2nd Continental Congress = 1/2 point
Philadelphia, PA - nicknamed "The City of Brotherly Love" = 1/2 point
VA Original Colony = 3 points
Total = 16 points
North Carolina
Have You Seen Her? by Karen Rose (9/13/11)★★★★1/2
State = 1 point
Original Colony = 3 points
Raleigh - State Capital = 3 points
Raleigh - named for Sir Walter Raleigh = 1 point
Raleigh - birthplace of Andrew Johnson = 2 points
Seattle, WA - most populous city = 2 points
Total = 12 points
Texas
Soldier by AKM Miles (10/1/11)★★★★1/2
State = 1 point
Total = 1 points

Update 10/13

Wow, u should get points just for the work that went into that. lol

Really!

Dina, I am awarding you a Total of 3 additional points for reading a book set in Austin.


•        13th most populous city in the United States = 1 point
•        VIP - The city was renamed after Stephen F. Austin known as the "Father of Texas";
          lost his run for president of Texas in 1836 against Sam Houston. = 1 point
•        Location of O. Henry House Museum & the annual Eeyore's Birthday Party
           = ½ point each = 1 point.

Lisa Kay wrote: "Dina, I am awarding you a Total of 3 additional points for reading a book set in Austin."

Woohoo!!! 3 additional points and I've learned some interesting stuff about Austin. *claps hands*