Books set where you live

[NotTheDoctor]

Besides the obvious like Notre Dame de Paris or The 3 Musketeers, I can't think of that many and then only part of the story is actually set in Paris: Milan Kundera's Immortality, Pérez-Reverte's The Club Dumas and (of course) The Da Vinci Code (the film crew took over my street and most of the neighborhood for a whole week in July ). Oh and I think I once read a murder mistery and there was a serial killer near the Ile St. Louis! Can't remember the title but I think it was a Patricia Cornwell book.

 

[G4G]

It's Salisbury

correct.

 

[abecedarian]

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.

Local history CAN make for great reading! I often wonder where some towns got their names and what those people were drinking at the time.
BTW, are you talking about Clay Center Ks? I have a friend from there, and a childhood neighbor married a guy from Clay Center.

 

[leckert]

Do you like to read books set in the area you live? Do they reflect your city/region or do you oftehn disagree with the settings?

I see that I didn't actually answer Darren's question...

I liked reading The Prince of Tides - Pat Conroy. The geography was the same, though some liberties were taken. It was kind of cool to read about a place that I had actually been to. It takes the "guesswork" out of the picture. You don't have to imagine what it looks like, because you are familiar with it personally.

 

[cajunmama]

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?

That's cool!

 

[bren]

I wanted to revive this cool thread. I will often continue to read an author when the setting is familiar and/or of interest.

For example, Still brought up Wallace Stegner, whose blizzardy book, Big Rock Candy Mountain, reminded me of my dad's stories of life in northern Minnesota - not bootleggers, but dirt poor, for sure, and characters I could place, culturally(though the book is not actually set in Minnesota, if memory serves.) Then as I continued to read Stegner, found his San Francisco, bay area connection in Angle of Repose, and a couple others. His son also wrote a book with similar, even more coastal, and closer locales.

Anne Lamott is a very nearby author, from Marin, many familiar scenes from her. Her books are so true and fabulous, I just love her. She's even close in age to me, so her recollections really resonate.

I'm neglecting some others that refuse to spring to mind, but I'll lastly mention Gary Soto, whose books include childhood scenes and comfort foods that are very dear to me, since we share a mexican family background.

 

[pontalba]

Besides the obvious like Notre Dame de Paris or The 3 Musketeers, I can't think of that many and then only part of the story is actually set in Paris: Milan Kundera's Immortality, Pérez-Reverte's The Club Dumas and (of course) The Da Vinci Code (the film crew took over my street and most of the neighborhood for a whole week in July ). Oh and I think I once read a murder mistery and there was a serial killer near the Ile St. Louis! Can't remember the title but I think it was a Patricia Cornwell book.

This author's series takes place all throughout Paris. I've only read one or two, they are pretty good. I wondered if the locals were true to fact though.
http://www.carablack.com/

 

[bren]

... add ... William Saroyan, John Steinbeck, and Jack London.

I was reminded of these through a wikipedia search. Jack London had a home near here, the acreage and remains of which are now a beautiful state park in Glen Ellen, California, fifteen or so miles away. Got to get over there with my camera soon, though best weather is in fall.

I've read these guys a way long time ago and remember only the reading of city names that were well known to me at the time.

 

[DiscoDan]

lies, sounds like Oklahoma.

The region in which I live seems to be uniformly boring to folks who write and therefore unfit for print. However, they tape a great number of fishing shows around here--does that count?

(BTW it's Oklahoman, not Okie no matter what Steinbeck says. All the Okies left.)

I'm from Oklahoma too, and yeah other than books like The Grapes of Wrath there haven't been too many novels set here. Though I believe there have been a few horror novels with an Oklahoma setting, one that comes to mind is Psycho by Robert Bloch.

 

[rnmichelle]

I live in Grosse Pointe, MI - where The Virgin Suicides and a good part of Middlesex took place. It was interesting to read about my own neighborhood in a fictional book - he depicts the neighborhood very well (Eugenides is from Detroit).

 

[ValkyrieRaven88]

There is a certain series of books set where I live, but I will not name them, as I don't want people to know where I live! ^^ They were pretty accurate when describing the area, except for a few certain inaccuracies in the first book. I felt really weird reading about places I had walked through, especially when the narrator went to my favorite theater.

 

[grit]

The time/place element is essential for me. It is the reason why I read. It's the reason why I travel. And it's the reason why I read while traveling.

I grew up in and around NYC, which has an endless bibliography, but my favorite city mood pieces are Cheever's short stories (c. 50-60s). His novels capture the suburban commuter culture too. Salinger is good for this time period as well. It predates me, but I think that's why I enjoy them--they give me a view in to my family's past.

Most books about NYC are fairly cliche, citing obvious landmarks and hackneyed experiences. This can be annoying, but when an author gets it right it's so moving. Lethem's Fortress of Solitude did this for me most recently by painting an astoundingly accurate portrait of 1970s Brooklyn that I thought existed only in my own memories.

 

[ylris611203]

I live near London. I enjoy book set in Victorian London. Almost finished The American Boy; this is set in those times.

 

[CattiGuen]

The Mistress of Spices is set where I live. Many true crime books are also set where I live...

 

[SFG75]

Local history CAN make for great reading! I often wonder where some towns got their names and what those people were drinking at the time.

I thought of this thread this past weekend. I was visiting my parents in Wyoming and came across a book by a Wyoming writer who did some extensive research on the early sheriffs of the territory. Talk about interesting!. Some were on the take, some were cowards, and others were downright dangerous for criminals to cross.

BTW, are you talking about Clay Center Ks? I have a friend from there, and a childhood neighbor married a guy from Clay Center.

No, two separate cities tha share the same name. Clay County and Clay Center Kansas are different than Clay County and Clay Center NE. Toss in Smith Center and I'm just plum confused.

 

[abecedarian]

I thought of this thread this past weekend. I was visiting my parents in Wyoming and came across a book by a Wyoming writer who did some extensive research on the early sheriffs of the territory. Talk about interesting!. Some were on the take, some were cowards, and others were downright dangerous for criminals to cross.


No, two separate cities tha share the same name. Clay County and Clay Center Kansas are different than Clay County and Clay Center NE. Toss in Smith Center and I'm just plum confused.

Well, to make it even MORE confusing, there's Clay Center and Yates Center...in separate parts of the state..My future son-in-law works in Clay Center, and my friend Marcia is from Yates Center. So I've had a rough time keeping the two separated in my own feeble brain.


Your sheriff story sounds like something straight out of Kansas history too! Looks like law inforcement has been a haven for power hungry men for a long, long time