Around the World in 80 Books discussion

Post your US reading plans for the upcoming year here.

Okay, next year I will definitely read more books set in the US. Really. Got to chip away at that huge tbr pile.

Here are my tentative reading plans for next year:

Alabama
Boy's Life
Gods in Alabama (own)
Looking for Alaska (own)

Alaska
The Seal Wife
The Snow Child (own)
The Yiddish Policemen's Union (own)

Arizona
The Bean Trees (own)
A Princess of Mars (own)

Arkansas
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings (own)

California
The Crying of Lot 49 (own)
The Day of the Locust
The Maltese Falcon (own)

Colorado
The God of Animals (own)
Nothing Daunted: The Unexpected Education of Two Society Girls in the West (own)

Connecticut
Revolutionary Road (own)

Delaware
The Ties That Bind: A Memoir of Race, Memory, and Redemption

Florida
To Have and Have Not (own)

Georgia
Between, Georgia (own) (Hometown author)
Cane (own)
Home (own)
Saving Ceecee Honeycutt (own)
Tobacco Road (own)

Hawaii
Moloka'i (own)
Unfamiliar Fishes

Idaho
Blue Heaven (own)
Train Dreams

Illinois
Dangling Man
Divergent (own)
The Jungle (own)

Indiana
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater (own)

Iowa
Dewey: The Small-Town Library Cat Who Touched the World (own)
Gilead (own)
One Breath Away
A Thousand Acres (own)

Kansas
The Persian Pickle Club (own)
The Scent of Rain and Lightning (own)

Kentucky
Icy Sparks (own)
In Country (own)

Louisiana
A Confederacy of Dunces (own)
The Mercy of Thin Air (own)

Maine
Black Water (own)
Maine (own)

Maryland
The Accidental Tourist (own)
Digging to America (own)
The Floating Opera (own)
Kindred (own)
Song Yet Sung (own)
Timbuktu (own)

Massachusetts
Ahab's Wife, or The Star-Gazer
The Blithedale Romance (own)
The Heretic's Daughter (own)
Moby-Dick (own)
On Beauty (own)

Michigan
The Virgin Suicides (own)

Minnesota
Main Street (own)

Mississippi
Mudbound (own)
The Sound and the Fury (own)

Missouri
Finn
Invisible (own)

Montana
Both Ways is the Only Way I Want It
Montana 1948 (own)
A River Runs Through It: And Other Stories (own)

Nebraska
My Ántonia (own)

Nevada
Play It as It Lays (own)

New Hampshire
Following Atticus: Forty-Eight High Peaks, One Little Dog, and an Extraordinary Friendship (own)
The Lost Summer of Louisa May Alcott (own)

New Jersey
Nemesis (own)
The Plot Against America (own)

New Mexico
The Professor's House (own)

New York
The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay (own)

North Carolina
Gap Creek (own)
Thirteen Moons: A Novel

North Dakota
The Plague of Doves

Ohio
The Bluest Eye (own)
Sula (own)
Wench (own)

Oklahoma
Paradise (own)

Oregon
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (own)
The Sisters Brothers (own)

Pennsylvania
American Rust (own)

Rhode Island
Black Duck

South Carolina
Edisto (own)
The Rapture of Canaan (own)
Typical: Stories

South Dakota
Twisted Tree

Tennessee
The Widow of the South (own)

Texas
All the Pretty Horses (own)

Utah
Escape (own)

Vermont
Promise Not to Tell (own)
The Secret History (own)

Virginia
The Immortal Life of Henrietta Lacks (own)
The Kitchen House (own)

Washington
Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet (own)

Washington DC
Daughters for a Time (own)

West Virginia
Rocket Boys

Wisconsin
The Art of Fielding
A Reliable Wife (own)

Wyoming
Close Range (own)

I mostly plan to stay in the USA this year, so I'm going to post my plan here. First I'll have the places I want to go, and I'll fill in later for the books that will take me there.

New Orleans, Louisiana -

Indiana - ,

Arizona -

Arkansas -

Tennessee -

Ohio -

New York City -

South Carolina -

Poland -

Germany -

USA Trip -

London, England -

New Hampshire -

California -

Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania -

Missouri -

Michigan -

Maine -

I really sucked at this one this past year - so i'm going to try again - my guy is going to be authors from that state, not just books set there to make it a bit more interesting and open my horizons

Dee wrote: "I really sucked at this one this past year - so i'm going to try again - my guy is going to be authors from that state, not just books set there to make it a bit more interesting and open my horizons"

I really sucked at this one last year, too. I have to do it next year - my domestic tbr is just too huge. That's a great idea. I wonder how hard it would be to find out who's from where. I'll bet there are websites devoted to just that.

I'm sure there are - and I want to make sure that i don't fall back on my standard romance...need to push the boundaries - most states have a writer's guild (of sorts)

I am going to try harder next challenge, because this year it seems all my books take place in New York!

I would like to take the USA Road Trip along with the Around The World in the New Year. Don't want to bite off more than I can chew.

I'm studying in Italy next year, so I imagine that I'll be reading a lot of italian stuff. So much for a USA road trip for me :(

Jason wrote: "I'm studying in Italy next year, so I imagine that I'll be reading a lot of italian stuff. So much for a USA road trip for me :("

Really? In which city will you go to study? Do you study languages? I live in Italy!

Kristina Marie wrote: "I am going to try harder next challenge, because this year it seems all my books take place in New York!"

We need an Around NY in 80 Books Challenge! It is crazy how many books are set there.

We need an Around NY in 80 Books Challenge! It is crazy how many b..."

Or London!

New York and London would make me happy.:) Fun.

Sue wrote: "We need an Around NY in 80 Books Challenge! It is crazy how many b..."

Or London!"

So true. You could read about London for years, there's so many books.

I've been doing this challenge for a few years now. First year was terrible, second year was better, this year I've almost made so we'll see. Hopefully with better planning, I'll be more successful in 2013.

Alabama: Finding the Lost - Shannon Butcher
Alaska: The Art of Seducing a Naked Werewolf - Molly Harper
Arizona: Firewalker - Allyson James
Arkansas: Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes - Denise Grover Swank
California: Hidden Currents - Christine Feehan
Colorado: Chopping Spree - Diane Mott Davidson
Connecticut: The Trouble with J.J. - Tami Hoag
Delaware: Voracious - V.K. Forrest
Florida: Personal Demon - Kelley Armstrong
Georgia: Gunmetal Magic - Ilona Andrews
Hawaii: Immortal Rider - Larissa Ione
Idaho: The Mage in Black - Jaye Wells
Illinois: Biting Cold - Chloe Neill
Indiana: Dangerous Race - Dee Adams
Iowa: Calamity Jayne - Kathleen Bacus
Kansas: Taken by the Cowboy - Julianne Maclean
Kentucky: Nauti Temptress - Lora Leigh
Louisiana: Lucky's Lady - Tami Hoag
Maine: Seaborne - Katherine Irons
Maryland: The Next Always - Nora Roberts
Massachusetts: Absolutely, Positively - Heather Webber
Michigan: Libriomancer - Jim Hines
Minnesota: Guilty as Sin - Tami Hoag
Mississippi: Deadly Fear - Cynthia Eden
Missouri: Little Shop of Homicide - Denise Swanson
Montana: The Mercenary - Cherry Adair
Nebraska: Long, Lean and Lethal - Lori O'Clare
Nevada: Driven to Ink - Karen Olsen
New Hampshire: Bookplate Special - Lorna Barrett
New Jersey: The Woods - Harlan Coben
New Mexico: Fourth Grave Beneath My Feet - Darynda Jones
New York: City of Lost Souls - Cassandra Clare
North Carolina: Raven Cursed - Faith Hunter
North Dakota: Starfire Angels - Melanie Nilles
Ohio: Winter Kiss - Deborah Cooke
Oklahoma: Hunted - P.C. Cast
Oregon: Dawn in Eclipse Bay - Jayne Ann Krentz
Pennsylvania: The Rosary Girls - Richard Montanari
Rhode Island: Devilish - Maureen Johnson
South Carolina: Beautiful Redemption - Kami Garcia
South Dakota: Wide Open - Deborah Coates
Tennessee: Line of Fire - Jo Davis
Texas: Black Dawn - Rachel Caine
Utah: Everneath - Brodi Ashton
Vermont: Kill Me Again - Maggie Shayne
Virginia: Payback - Fern Michaels
Washington: Christmas Eve at Friday Harbor - Lisa Kleypas
Washington DC: Temptation Rising - A.C. Arthur
West Virginia: Hellhole West Virginia - Rich Bottles
Wisconsin: Amazon Queen - Lori Devoti
Wyoming: My Fair Succubi - Jill Myles

I still don't know which books I will read but till now I know that I want to read a book for every Indian region and I want to do the same with China.
Then I want also to read at least 10 books that talk about cats.

I want to do this challenge again next year.

Here are the books I'm planning to read:

Alabama: Looking for Alaska by John Green
Alaska: White Fang by Jack London
Arizona: Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace
Arkansas: I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
California: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan
Colorado: The Shining by Stephen King
Connecticut: The Witch of Blackbird Pond by Elizabeth George Speare
Delaware: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Florida: The Brethren by John Grisham
Georgia: The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Hawaii: Moloka'i by Alan Brennert
Idaho: The Stand by Stephen King
Illinois: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Indiana: A Girl of the Limberlost by Gene Stratton-Porter
Iowa: A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley
Kansas: In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Kentucky: Uncle Tom's Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe
Louisiana: The Pelican Brief by John Grisham
Maine: The Sign of the Beaver by Elizabeth George Speare
Maryland: Timbuktu by Paul Auster
Massachusetts: The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Michigan: Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Minnesota: Freedom by Jonathan Franzen
Mississippi: A Time to Kill by john Grisham
Missouri: The Twenty-Seventh City by Jonathan Franzen
Montana: The Divide by Nicholas Evans
Nebraska: My Ántonia by Willa Cather
Nevada: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson
New Hampshire: Our Town by Thornton Wilder
New Jersey: The Brief Wondrous Life of Oscar Wao by Junot Díaz
New Mexico: Solar by Ian McEwan
New York: A Northern Light by Jennifer Donnelly
North Carolina: pending
North Dakota: Love Medicine by Louise Erdrich
Ohio: Winesburg, Ohio by Sherwood Andersen
Oklahoma: The Grapes of Wrath by John Steinbeck
Oregon: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Kensey
Pennsylvania: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold
Rhode Island: The Witches of Eastwick by John Updike
South Carolina: The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares
South Dakota: By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Tennessee: The Firm by John Grisham
Texas: Vernon God Little by D.B.C. Pierre
Utah: The Executioner's Song by Norman Mailer
Vermont: The Secret History by Donna Tartt
Virginia: The Tell-tale Horse by Rita Mae Brown
Washington: Twilight by Stephenie Meyers
Washington DC: Washington dekretet by Jussi Adler-Olsen
West Virginia: The Summer of the Swans by Betsy Biars
Wisconsin: Caddie Woodlawn by Carol Ryrie Brink
Wyoming: My Friend Flicka by Mary O'Hara

My copy of The Executioner's Song arrived today. It made me want to re-think this choice... I'm just glad I didn't choose Atlas Shrugged for Colorado. The Shining is definitely shorter.

Ellinor wrote: "My copy of The Executioner's Song arrived today. It made me want to re-think this choice... I'm just glad I didn't choose Atlas Shrugged for Colorado. The Shining is definitely shorter."

That is a really thick book.

These are great lists. What fun!

I'm already doing the ATW in 80 books but with no time limits. I'll probably attempt this one as well. I like to wing it though. Who knows what interesting books will come out in 2013. I wonder what's the least popular state that books (mainly fiction for me) are set in.

Yvonne wrote: "I'm already doing the ATW in 80 books but with no time limits. I'll probably attempt this one as well. I like to wing it though. Who knows what interesting books will come out in 2013. I wonde..."

I think it's Delaware. It is so hard to find books set there.

I plan to participate in the US Roadtrip challenge again this year. I'll keep track of the different states that are settings for the books I read. Reading books from all 50 states in one year is unrealistic for me, though. I will personally be happy to read books set in 20 different states.

Reading Plan (under construction):

New Hampshire: Handle With Care by Jodi Picoult
Vermont: See Now Then: A Novel by Jamaica Kincaid
Connecticut: Before I Fall by Lauren Oliver
New York: Wonder by R.J. Palacio
Pennsylvania: The Twelve Tribes of Hattie by Ayana Mathis
Maryland: Digging to America by Anne Tyler
Virginia: The Secret Life of CeeCee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain
North Carolina: On Agate Hill by Lee Smith
Georgia: Saving CeeCee Honeycutt by Beth Hoffman
Florida: Ten Thousand Islands by Randy Wayne White
Alabama: To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee
Mississippi: A Grown-Up Kind of Pretty by Joshilyn Jackson
Tennessee: The Ballad of Frankie Silver by Sharyn McCrumb
Arkansas: The Choiring of the Trees by Donald Harington
Illinois: The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Indiana: The Fault in Our Stars by John Green
Ohio: Beloved by Toni Morrison
Michigan: Winter Study by Nevada Barr
Wisconsin: Old World Murder by Kathleen Ernst
South Dakota: By the Shores of Silver Lake by Laura Ingalls Wilder
Nebraska: Sing Them Home: A Novel by Stephanie Kallos
Kansas: The Virgin of Small Plains by Nancy Pickard
Oklahoma: Out of the Dust by Karen Hesse
New Mexico: Ape House by Sara Gruen
Arizona: Dog on It by Spencer Quinn
California: The Egypt Game by Zilpha Keatley Snyder
Washington: Night Road by Kristin Hannah

Diane wrote: "Yvonne wrote: "I'm already doing the ATW in 80 books but with no time limits. I'll probably attempt this one as well. I like to wing it though. Who knows what interesting books will come out in..."

I just read a book that took place in Delaware - it wasn't the greatest book ever, but I gave it 3.5 stars.

The Unbearable Book Club for Unsinkable Girls

Sarah wrote: "I mostly plan to stay in the USA this year, so I'm going to post my plan here. First I'll have the places I want to go, and I'll fill in later for the books that will take me there.

New Orleans, ..."

Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil takes place in Savannah, GA.

Reading Plan for traveling the Nifty Fifty!


Alabama -
Alaska - The Snow Child
Arizona -
Arkansas -
California -
Colorado -
Connecticut -
Delaware -
Florida -
Georgia -
Hawaii - Moloka'i
Idaho -
Illinois -
Indiana -
Iowa -
Kansas -
Kentucky -
Louisiana - The Neon Rain
Maine -
Maryland -
Massachusetts -
Michigan - The Hanging Tree
Minnesota -
Mississippi -
Missouri - A Good American
Montana - Chosen To Die
Nebraska -
Nevada -
New Hampshire -
New Jersey -
New Mexico -
New York -
North Carolina - Cold Mountain
North Dakota - The Round House
Ohio - Pray for Silence
Oklahoma - True Grit
Oregon -
Pennsylvania -
Rhode Island -
South Carolina -
South Dakota -
Tennessee -
Texas -
Utah - The 19th Wife
Vermont - The Arrivals: A Novel
Virginia -
Washington -
West Virginia -
Wisconsin -
Wyoming -

I am in for participating in this challenge again this year. I love this in that it makes me read books that I normally wouldn't pick up just to get that state. I have finished this challenge each of the last two years, and I have found some GREAT books that way. I tend to choose books and then just keep track of what states they are in as I read them, rather than planning out a structured list ahead of time. Can't wait to get started.

Happy Reading, everyone!

Nancy wrote: "I am in for participating in this challenge again this year. I love this in that it makes me read books that I normally wouldn't pick up just to get that state. I have finished this challenge each ..."

Glad to have you touring the states with us again, Nancy. Happy reading to you, too!

I'll be cruising some of the coastal and Great Lakes states this year. I'm a water baby!

Alaska -
The Cloud Atlas and Glaciers

Washington -
Joy For Beginners and Bread Alone

Oregon -
Come, Thou Tortoise and The Orchardist

California -
The Yellow-Lighted Bookshop and Telegraph Avenue

Maine -
Empire Falls and The Ghost Trap

Vermont -
Water Witches and Midwives

Massachusetts -
The Lace Reader, The Map of True Places and The Widower's Tale

New York -
Harry and Catherine: A Love Story, Bridge of Sighs, The Whole World Over, and Pursuit of Happiness

New Jersey -
The Sportswriter, Independence Day, and The Lay of the Land

Pennsylvania -
Straight Man, American Rust, and True North

Ohio -
Traveling Light

Michigan -
The Feast of Love: A Novel and South of Superior

Illinois -
If You Were Here

Wisconsin -
The Bird Sisters

North Carolina -
The Cove, A Land More Kind Than Home, and Charms for the Easy Life

Mississippi -
Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter

Louisiana -
All the King’s Men and Zeitoun

Tina wrote: "I'll be cruising some of the coastal and Great Lakes states this year. I'm a water baby!


Alaska
-
The Cloud Atlas and Glaciers


Washington
-
Joy For Beginners and Bread Alone


Oregon
..."

Tina wrote: "I'll be cruising some of the coastal and Great Lakes states this year. I'm a water baby!


Alaska
-
The Cloud Atlas and Glaciers


Washington
-
Joy For Beginners and Bread Alone


Oregon
..."

Nice list, Tina!

I didn't get through the States last year so I am just continuing on until I have covered them and then if I have time will go again....I also plan to look for some titles set in different parts of Canada to get a bit of a feel for that country while my son is on exchange there for six months!

I'm Sharon. I would like to participate but would like to add as I go:
Alabama:
Alaska:
Arizona:
Arkansas:
California:
Colorado:
Connecticut:
Delaware:
Florida: The Forgotten- David Baldacchi
Georgia:
Hawaii:
Idaho:
Illinois:
Indiana:
Iowa:
Kansas:
Kentucky:
Louisiana: Happy, Happy, Happy- Phil Robertson
Maine:
Maryland:
Massachusetts:
Michigan:
Minnesota:
Missouri:
Montana:
Nebraska:
Nevada:
New Hampshire:
New Jersey:
New Mexico:
North Carolina:
Ohio:
Oklahoma:
Oregon:
Pennsylvania:
Rhode Island:
South Carolina: South of Broad- Pat Conroy
South Dakota:
Tennessee:
Texas:
Utah:
Vermont:
Virginia:
Washington:
Washington, D.C.:
West Virginia:
Wisconsin:
Wyoming: