Where Have You Been? (With link to your review)

[Laurel]

Currently in South Carolina reading Lowcountry Boil , a cozy with a paranormal element added- not something I normally read! but am really enjoying the Charleston/lowcountry setting. A favourite place to visit.

[Stacy]

I just left Illinois with The Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair that Changed America. It was very interesting but some parts were a little slow. Definitely worth reading.

[Yrinsyde]

Have just finished Nights in Rodanthe for North Carolina and I have to say, it was very meh. Finishing up a book (OK, trilogy) in Virgina and off also to South Carolina with The Secret Life of Bees (it's on reserve at the library).

[Stacey]

Back in Brooklyn/NYC finishing The Suite Life, the second novel in Suzanne Corso's trilogy. A fun, end-of-year read!

[Beth]

Here is my summary for the year. All my reviews are on http://bethslistlove.wordpress.com . You can search for author, book, state and get to the specific review.

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

[Yrinsyde]

Have just finished my read for Virgina - the Big Stone Gap trilogy. I finished it early this morning but Goodreads hasn't added 2014 to the year list yet(!!) so it is listed as being finished last night.

[[deleted user]]

Hi all -- I just realized that I should be posting here (but i'm also posting the same message on my personal list)

(1/4/14) Arizona is now completed! I read The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver Here is my review. I added my love of drinks/cocktails to this group/challenge and my drink for this book was a Miller Lite .

I chose a Miller Lite because:
1) It was available with minimal effort - which is how I chose this book (it was available at the library)
2) My feelings about Miller Lite are similar to my feelings about this book....ehh, it's ok.
3) Miller Lite was probably on tap at the place where Taylor meets Turtle.

[[deleted user]]

Just left Alabama via Looking for Alaska by John Green Here is my review. My drink for this book is unsurprisingly, Boone's Farm "Strawberry Hill" and boy it hasn't gotten any better in 15 years. Rot gut here I come. I will definitely be pouring out the majority of the bottle for my "homey"

[Suzanne]

Taylor wrote: "Hi all -- I just realized that I should be posting here (but i'm also posting the same message on my personal list)

(1/4/14) Arizona is now completed! I read The Bean Trees by Barb..."

I loved your comments, Taylor! I felt the same way about The Bean Trees! And what a great idea to combine the book challenge with drinks/cocktails. You made me smile, girl!

[[deleted user]]

Just left New York with Empty Mansions: The Mysterious Life of Huguette Clark and the Spending of a Great American Fortune by Bill Dedman. Here is my review. My drink for this book should be a rare Bordeaux or exquisite Champagne like Dom Perignon or Cristal, but who am I kidding, I don't have "Clark" money :). Tonight I'm drinking an inexpensive Pinot Noir that W.A. Clark probably wouldn't have served to his help.

[[deleted user]]

Beth wrote: "Here is my summary for the year. All my reviews are on http://bethslistlove.wordpress.com . You can search for author, book, state and get to the specific


I didn't realize I could check off so many states by reading John Sandford! Thanks for the heads up!

[Yrinsyde]

I finished reading 47 - set in Georgia - during the Melbourne Heat Wave (four days of over 40c+). It was a very touching book and made me tear up a few times. I am now in the middle of The Secret Life of Bees for South Carolina - it really grabbed me from the start!

[[deleted user]]

Finally made it through Utah with The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. Here is my review. I did not like it. After slogging my way through it, now, I truly appreciate the merging of my books and booze idea. However, I got my wisdom teeth taken out a couple days ago and can't drink any alcohol with my pain killers. So, I'll just have a cold glass of almond milk (Joseph and Brigham would be proud.) Thank goodness I had the painkillers to get me through this one otherwise, I probably would have abandoned it. Cheers!

[Yrinsyde]

I finished reading The Secret Lives of Bees for South Carolina the other day - it was just gorgeous! My next trip is to Florida with Skinny Dip and Louisiana with Liquor (sorry Taylor!).

[Suzanne]

Taylor wrote: "Finally made it through Utah with The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff. Here is my review. I did not like it. After slogging my way through it, now, I truly appreciate the merging of m..."

Oh bummer, I have this book for my Utah pick (it's so hard to find books for Utah!). Hopefully it'll be quick and relatively painless. I might have to reach for the booze with this one!

[Suzanne]

I just left Nigeria with a lovely read about a woman to decides to be a missionary in 1840. Excellent writing, excellent work of historical fiction. Here is my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I revisited West Virginia with Scott McClanahan in Hill William. I didn't enjoy it as much as his previous book, Crapalachia: A Biography of Place. My review is here. I never expected to have read two books for WV!

[[deleted user]]

I just left Minnesota with Hidden Prey by John Sandford. Here is my review. I read this one purely for pleasure (I'm making my way through the entire Lucas Davenport/Prey series and thought i'd count it in place of my original selection for Minnesota, some may call it "cheating," I call it economical :)

My drink for this one was a Vodka Tonic with Lime. This choice was primarily due to the fact that the case that Davenport investigates are you guessed it, Russian. Is there anything more stereotypically Russian than Vodka??? Nope.

[Suzanne]

My first novel in the 2014 USA book challenge took place in mostly in Mississippi (although I used it for my Arkansas pick). Freeman is a page-turner that deals with the problems faced by former slaves following the Civil War. Here is my review: http://coldread.wordpress.com/2014/02...

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I was shooting em' up etc in Kansas with Doc by Mary Doria Russell. In my review, I talk about why I enjoyed it despite it being a western!

[Suzanne]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I was shooting em' up etc in Kansas with Doc by Mary Doria Russell. In my review, I talk about why I enjoyed it despite it being a western!"

Nice review, Jenny! I have decided that Mary Doria Russell is the author I most envy. If only I had a tiny bit of her talent!

[Jayme]

Jenny (Reading Envy) wrote: "I was shooting em' up etc in Kansas with Doc by Mary Doria Russell. In my review, I talk about why I enjoyed it despite it being a western!"

Doc has been on my TBR for forever. I keep putting it on the bottom for other books. Your review has moved it to the top again (as soon as I finish those last few TOB reads)

[Suzanne]

I was in Florida with a wonderful coming of age novel set in the 1950's with The Dry Grass of August. My review is here: http://coldread.wordpress.com/2014/02...

[Suzanne]

Wow! The Lords of Discipline was a fantastic read for South Carolina! Highly recommend this one. Here is my review: http://coldread.wordpress.com/2014/02...

[Suzanne]

I just left Minnesota with So Brave, Young and Handsome. I so enjoy Leif Enger's writing! My review is here: http://coldread.wordpress.com/2014/03...

[Suzanne]

A Man in Full was my Georgia pick and I hated to leave it, it was that good! My review is here: http://coldread.wordpress.com/2014/03...

[Suzanne]

I just left South Carolina with Brave Enemies. Historical fiction/revolutionary war fans would enjoy this one! My review is here: http://coldread.wordpress.com/2014/03...

[Yrinsyde]

I just finished Liquor by Poppy Z Brite. A fun read set in the New Orleans restaurant trade.

[Barbara]

Really hanging out in Washington (Seattle to be precise). I'm just finished Benedict Hall and am on to it's sequel Hall of Secrets by Cate Campbell. I also started Murder One by Robert Dugoni, No 5 in the Seattle lawyer David Sloan series!

[Yrinsyde]

I finished Fannie Flagg's I still Dream about You for Alabama - a light fluffy read that didn't really have a strong storyline. I would have preferred something different! Oh well. Off to finish my Florida read.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Visited Charleston, South Carolina with The Invention of Wings by Sue Monk Kidd, highly recommended if you are interested in slavery and abolitionists. Then I literally went to Charleston and toured another plantation. Cool to have read it right before. My review is here.

[Yrinsyde]

Finished my Florida read - Skinny Dip by Carl Hiaasen. It began well but ended with a whimper. Oh well!

[Yrinsyde]

I finished my Mississippi read a few days ago - Ford County Stories by John Grisham. I hadn't read Grisham before - but I was pleasantly surprised. I will be reading more by this author.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

Finally visited Montana with A River Runs Through It and Other Stories. My review might not make you want to read it, but if you have a background in fly fishing or lumberjacking, this might be the book for you!

[Yrinsyde]

I finished reading the first part of Maya Angelou's autoibiography I Know why the Caged Bird Sings for Arkansas. Hard reading in places but a lot of joy too.

[Yrinsyde]

I finished reading Summer in the South for Tennessee last week but had to think it over before writing a review. One thing I could say straight off about this novel is that it has a forgettable title (a friend asked me what I was reading and I couldn't remember what this book was called).

[Suzanne]

I'm just finishing up last year's Around the USA Challenge. I just knocked off North Dakota and have only two left. My trip to ND (my home state) was a little disappointing with Mornings on Horseback. My review is here: https://coldread.wordpress.com/2014/0...

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I visited Rhode Island with The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike. I think I enjoyed the movie better, but at least I can finally say I read an Updike book without throwing it against the wall. :)

[Yrinsyde]

I've just finished Uncle Tom's Cabin for my Kentucky read. Some parts of the religious exhortations were hard to read though.

[Jayme]

Yrinsyde wrote: "I've just finished Uncle Tom's Cabin for my Kentucky read. Some parts of the religious exhortations were hard to read though."

I read Uncle Tom's Cabin for Kentucky also, and felt the same way. But I was also glad that I had finally got around to reading this American classic.

[Jayme]

My final stop in the Around the US in 52 Books challenge was Indiana with The Magnificent Ambersons. My review is here.

[Yrinsyde]

I'm still travelling Jayne - I'm including Canada in my challenge so that is making it a mite longer. I just finished a stint in West Virginia with Bageant's Rainbow Pie - a Redneck Memoir. A depressing read about how former Southern subsistence farmer families got shafted.

[Yrinsyde]

I've finished my stay in Pennsylvania with the unsolved case of the boy in the box. I've also finished an earlier stay in Ohio with Beloved. Now I'm off to Indiana for something more cheerful I hope!

[Stacey]

For a good story set in Texas, I recommend Ruby by Cynthia Bond. Incredible story, but not for the faint-hearted.

[Yrinsyde]

I recommend Booth Tarkington's The Magnificent Ambersons for Indiana, which I have just read. What a wonderful novel!

[Yrinsyde]

I finished Michael Harvey's The Chicago Way a few days ago for Illinois, and it wasn't my thing. Onto the next!

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I've been in Virginia with Annie Dillard, in Pilgrim at Tinker Creek. My review is here. Anything by Dillard is highly, highly recommended. Contemplative, lyric non-fiction.

[Jenny (Reading Envy)]

I went back to Iowa with Lila by Marilynne Robinson. I liked it more than the other two books that precede it, but not as much as her book Housekeeping. My review is here.

[Stacey]

I'm currently in Alaska reading The Snow Child. What a wonderful book!

[Stacey]

I'm currently in Alaska reading The Snow Child. What a wonderful book!