sturlington goes to all 50 states

I just found this group and decided to join the challenge! It will be challenging, because I'm participating in several other challenges as well, but since there's no time limit, I'll just leisurely make my way around the country. I decided to start fresh in 2014 rather than record my past reading by state. And when I'm done, maybe I'll do it again.


visited 11 states (22%)
Create your own visited map of The United States or Brazil travel guide for Android

Alabama: Other Voices, Other Rooms by Truman Capote Mar-2014
California: The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler May-2014
Connecticut: The Other by Thomas Tryon July-2014
Florida: Swamplandia! by Karen Russell Jan-2014
Massachusetts: The Woman Upstairs by Claire Messud Apr-2014
Minnesota: Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline Apr-2014
New York: The Goldfinch by Donna Tartt Mar-2014
North Carolina: Uncivil Seasons by Michael Malone Mar-2014
Ohio: World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters Apr-2014
Rhode Island: The Burn Palace by Stephen Dobyns Jan-2014
Texas: The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson by Nancy Peacock Jan-2014

1. Swamplandia! -- Distinctive Florida characteristics: alligators; mosquitoes; swampland; tacky theme parks.

2. The Burn Palace -- Distinctive Rhode Island characteristics: "pissant state" (to quote the book); small towns; swamps, forests, and beaches; Wiccans?; coyotes???

A Step in the River*
Distinctive Arkansas characteristics: political nepotism and various forms of corruption, including bribing a candidate to NOT run. Racism, backwardness in public education -- aspring to become "equal", educationally, to Mississippi.

*a novel; the author, Francis Irby Gwaltney was Asst. State Historian of Arkansas at the time of writing this, and was well
known inside Arkansas (and just a little outside of it) to be to be talking about his
own state, although
leaves his state un-named.

Hi, rolandperkins! Are you recommending A step in the River? It sounds very Arkansas to me

I like how you're including distinctive characteristics! I just started the challenge too, so I'm excited to see what you're reading!

Thanks. It is helping me think about setting more although it's fortunate that setting was so important in the first two books I read this year.

3. The Life and Times of Persimmon Wilson -- Distinctive Texas characteristics: a town named Drunken Bride; the frontier; plains; horses; brutal winter storms; Comanche.

This book could also qualify for Louisiana (sugar plantation, slavery, humidity, mosquitoes), but I chose Texas because a greater percentage of the book is set in Texas.

4. The Goldfinch -- Distinctive New York characteristics: Metropolitan Museum of Art; rich Park Avenue family; Tiffany's at Christmas.

5. Uncivil Seasons -- Distinctive North Carolina characteristics: small-town politics; eccentric characters; poor white trash; Southern accents

6. Other Voices, Other Rooms -- Distinctive Alabama characteristics: Southern gothic; humid summer; cottonmouth snakes; small towns; decrepit mansion

7. The Woman Upstairs -- Distinctive Massachusetts characteristics: Cambridge; Harvard; academics; snow

Interesting take on the States Challenge, sturlington! I like the distinctive characteristics you're doing.

Thank you!

8. Orphan Train by Christina Baker Kline -- Distinctive Minnesota characteristics: snowstorms; winter; farmers; rural towns

This book also partly takes place in Maine, but the Minnesota sections were more interesting.

9. World of Trouble by Ben H. Winters -- Distinctive Ohio characteristics: SuperTarget; deserted small towns; cornfields; Amish

10. The Big Sleep by Raymond Chandler -- Distinctive California characteristics: bored rich people; dusty eucalyptus trees; abandoned oil derricks; beachside communities; wise-cracking detectives

11. The Other by Thomas Tryon -- Distinctive Connecticut characteristics: small towns; large houses; village gossip