11. A book set in a fictional location

[Emily, Conterminous Mod]

Narnia. Oz. Hogwarts. Mordor.

This week, we are traveling to a fictional location in our reading. That could be a book set in a fantasy world, or it can be a contemporary novel set in a made up town. As long as you can't actually visit the location, the choice is yours!

GR Shelf: https://www.goodreads.com/shelf/show/...
Reddit: Super Creative and Original Worlds: https://www.reddit.com/r/Fantasy/comm...
Wikipedia: List of Fictional Universes in Literature: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...

ATY Listopia: https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/2...

What are you reading for this prompt, and how does it fit?

[Dixie]

I have a couple of science fiction options for this: The Spear Cuts Through Water and The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia.

[dalex]

I read quite a lot of sci-fi and fantasy (moreso in recent years, especially) so this is basically a "read a book" prompt for me.

[Pam]

I will probably read sci-fi or fantasy: The Snail on the Slope by Boris and Arkady Strugatsky, one of the Lord of the Rings books or the 2nd half of Fairy Tale by Stephen King, which I never finished.

[Charlsa]

This just feels right.

The Unfortunate Side Effects of Heartbreak and Magicby Breanne Randall

[Denise]

I was saying in "author you haven't read in a while" I would read some Elizabeth Strout. This gives me further reason to return to fictional Crosby, Maine

[NancyJ]

Denise wrote: "I was saying in "author you haven't read in a while" I would read some Elizabeth Strout. This gives me further reason to return to fictional Crosby, Maine"

Good idea! I want to reread Olive Again before I read her new book.

[GailW]

I have a few choices for this one even though my first thought was Three Pines, Canada with Louise Penny. I also read a "cozy" series set in Wormsley Parva, England called the Beryl and Edwina series.

[Donna]

Gail W wrote: "I have a few choices for this one even though my first thought was Three Pines, Canada with Louise Penny. I also read a "cozy" series set in Wormsley Parva, England called the Beryl and Edwina series."

I’m doing a Three Pines book for this one.

[Denise]

NancyJ wrote: "Denise wrote: "I was saying in "author you haven't read in a while" I would read some Elizabeth Strout. This gives me further reason to return to fictional Crosby, Maine"

Good idea! I want to rere..."

Same! I read it when it first came out so it's been awhile, time to revisit.

I also own Amy and Isabelle who show up in one of the stories in Olive, Again so I want to read that

[Kathy]

One of these:
All My Puny Sorrows - Miriam Toews (East Village)
The Little World of Don Camillo - Giovannino Guareschi (a town on the Po)
Thrush Green - Miss Read

or a book by Thomas Hardy set in his fictional Wessex.

[Dixie]

Kathy wrote: "One of these:
All My Puny Sorrows - Miriam Toews (East Village)
The Little World of Don Camillo - Giovannino Guareschi (a town on the Po)
[book:Thrush Gr..."

I love the Thrush Green books!

[Kathy]

Dixie wrote: "Kathy wrote: "One of these:
All My Puny Sorrows - Miriam Toews (East Village)
The Little World of Don Camillo - Giovannino Guareschi (a town on the Po)
[... I love the Thursh Green books!

I find them so comforting.

[Marie]

I'll be making my annual visit to Kelley Armstrong's Rockton, hidden away in the wilds of Canada, with A Stranger in Town.

[Marie (UK)]

I read The Last Murder at the End of the World

I was not impressed

[Severina]

I read a cozy mystery called Kitty Confidential by Molly Fitz that takes place in "Blueberry Bay." It was not very good.

[Sherri]

I read The Grey Wolf. It's set in the fictional town of Three Pines. I love this series.

[♞ Pat]

I just finished Somewhere Beyond the Sea. I've been waiting for this prompt to roll up because I've been looking forward to reading this book!

I loved it.

[Michelle E]

Denise wrote: "NancyJ wrote: "Denise wrote: "I was saying in "author you haven't read in a while" I would read some Elizabeth Strout. This gives me further reason to return to fictional Crosby, Maine"

Good idea!..."

I've read everything that Elizabeth Strout has written and Amy and Isabelle is my absolute favorite. What struck me in that book is how well she portrayed the characters in Crosby, ME. It made me feel I was in that small town.

[Rora]

I read Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift. (various fantasy locations)

[Robin H-R]

I read:
Downtown Owl by Chuck Klosterman

REJECT: A book with a major character who doesn't have a job

Finished: 02/20/2025
Rating: 4 stars

From Goodreads: "Like a colder, Reagan-era version of The Last Picture Show fused with Friday Night Lights, Chuck Klosterman's Downtown Owl is the unpretentious, darkly comedic story of how it feels to exist in a community where rural mythology and violent reality are pretty much the same thing."

My mother grew up on a farm near Jamestown, and my grandfather was living in Medina at the time of the Gordan Kahl incident. Both are mentioned numerous times in the book.

[Misty]

For this prompt, I read Children of Virtue and Vengeance by Tomi Adeyemi. It is a fantasy book set in a fictional world. It is the second book of the trilogy, and while it was not as good as the first book, it was still really good. I plan on reading book 3 before too long.

[Anastasia]

The Bruising of Qilwa
3⭐
This is set on a fictional island. It is based on persia

[Phil]

I read Insomnia by Stephen King as it is set in one of his favourite fictional locations of Derry, Maine (Read Feb 27th; 4*)

[Hannah]

Shout out to Women’s History Month!

[J]

This is a very easy prompt for Sci-fi and Fantasy readers. I used to push along with my read of The Expanse series.

I chose Cibola Burn since it is set in one (fictional) location, as most of these books are wandering around the whole galaxy,

[Tracy]

I read Legends & Lattes by Travis Baldree — set in the fictional town of Thune.

I *think* this is my first cozy fantasy. I enjoyed it, but it is not my normal 'go-to' sort of book. Based on an incredibly low sample size (1 of each), I think I'd rather read cozy fantasy over cozy mystery, but I'm willing to try both again. My copy of Legends and Lattes included a short story prequel (showing how Viv came to know about coffee). I didn't enjoy this part as much as there was a lot of chasing/fight scenes, which is something that bores me in books and movies. But in this case, I understand why this was necessary — to show the main character's history and how she came to change her life.

I can see myself trying the next in the series when I need a palate cleanser. I likely would not try the full novel prequel, however, as it is likely to contain those dreaded fight scenes.

[Anne]

I will be reading The Last Guests of the Season by Sue Gee. It is a holiday house location in Portugal but it doesn't say where.

[Martha☀]

Thanks for all the above selections. I'm not really a fantasy reader and I was struggling to find a title for this category.
Maybe something by Elizabeth Strout or Cold Comfort Farm

[LeahS]

I read Olive Kitteridge, set in the fictional town of Crosby, Maine, which could easily be a real place, and for my 2016 read, Zero K, set in a fictional compound called The Convergence.

I read a few books in the Crosby universe, so I enjoyed reading the initial book about the difficult but ultimately sympathetic Olive.

The second book was beautifully written but strange and quite hard to get a grip on.

[Barbara]

I read Marrying the Ketchups by Jennifer Close, which is set mainly in the fictional family restaurant/bar, Sullivan's.

[Samantha]

I read Mistborn: The Final Empire primarily set in a fictional capital city called Luthadel.

I am glad I finally read this it was quite fun.