SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I live in a village in South Buckinghamshire in England, which is quite close to London (half hour train ride). GMT +/- 0. BUT

I was born in NW Iowa, USA. Moved to Madison, Wisconsin when I was 2. I spent a lot of summers in Indiana as a teenager, which is another state that doesn’t do daylight savings time. I’ve traveled (but not lived) all over the US (missing only 4 States: Maine, Florida, Alaska and Hawaii). I moved to Germany when I was 22 and lived there a total of 20 years with 2 years in London, 3 years in France (always moving back to Germany) and now England again. Not planning on going back to Germany but that’s what we said the last few times!

My husband is from Italy. My family all lives in Missoula, Montana, so when I visit family I go there (but not home to Madison anymore 😢).

I love hearing where everyone is from and has lived!

Kaa wrote: "Now I'm down in Arizona, which is one of the only places in the US that doesn't have da..."

I’m also in Arizona (Flagstaff) and the time zone thing can be a pain. I work for an agency that has offices across the country and trying to organize conference calls across multiple time zones is surprisingly confusing when I have to explain that we’re on MST all the time.

Before moving to Arizona, I spent 8 years in various corners of California (Eastern Sierra, Shasta-Cascades and Tahoe) and I’m from New England originally.

as far as time zone problems go, people who live in Bismark and Mandan North Dakota have it pretty bad. They're essentially one city, but the Missouri river and a time zone separate them at one time.

Also, for those who worked in the Williston Basin oil fields, you always had to ask Montana time or North Dakota time to determine when you'd meet or call someone and even then some parts of ND were in the same time zone as Montana

I am located in Netherlands, I live in a small town located somewhere between Rotterdam and The Hague. GMT +1

I am originally from Argentina, moved here for work 5 years ago.

Kaa wrote: "I grew up in Missoula, and my family is there and around Kalispell, plus I have in-laws in Bozeman and Belgrade."

We vacationed in Missoula and Kalispell this summer, and they are my new dream places. Like, I'm feeling somewhat desperate to move to Montana.

I've lived in

Plumas County, California (super rural in the mountains)
Bend, Oregon
Las Vegas, New Mexico (way better than the other Vegas)
Amherst, Massachusetts
Brooklyn, New York
Madison, Wisconsin, and
Wooster, Ohio.

I now live in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, which is a great city except that it decided to plant itself on the wrong coast.

I was born in Labrador City, Newfoundland, but I've spent my whole from the age of three weeks on in Ontario. I'm currently Timmins (GMT-4), which is about 8-9 hours due north of Toronto by car and quite isolated. We average six to eight months of winter, with temperatures regularly dropping into the -30s and -40s (celsius) in January and February. School buses aren't cancelled just for cold weather unless it hits -38C. Snowfall or icy roads are more likely cancellation situations. Our two "claims to fame" are gold mining and being the hometown of Shania Twain. I'd rather live in Ottawa.

@Alex. My first introduction to "Newfoundland" as a wee kid were the dogs, before I even knew it was a place. So, that'll always be my first thought upon the mention. One more 'claim to fame', perhaps?

I'm from Minnesota, USA!

Jemppu wrote: "@Alex. My first introduction to "Newfoundland" as a wee kid were the dogs, before I even knew it was a place. So, that'll always be my first thought upon the mention. One more 'claim to fame', perh..."

Timmins is in Ontario, not Newfoundland :)

I grew up in rural northwest Oklahoma (a town with 1000 people, 13 churches, & lots of wheat fields). I did uni & grad school in Oklahoma, then I moved to Denver Colorado (which is a great city), then I met an Aussie, & now I live in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia! (GMT+10)

Travis wrote: "We vacationed in Missoula and Kalispell this summer, and they are my new dream places. Like, I'm feeling somewhat desperate to move to Montana."

I support that move! It's been more than a decade since I lived there full-time, but Missoula is still one of my favorite places, and one of the places I'll always consider home.

Hi all! I live in Wales, U.K. and have always done so.
Most of my life was spent in the industrial part of Wales - the south east - but just over a year ago I moved to beautiful West Wales which is a dream!
Best of both countryside and coast. What I like most about this area is that everywhere you go it feels like you've stepped back 50 years in time. Such an inspiration for my writing!
We often walk the coast path, which is a 15-20 minute drive away.

I'm currently living in Sylhet city, Bangladesh (UTC/GMT+6 hours)...

I've lived for the most part in our capital city Dhaka, but moved here in 2015 to study at the university (I'm graduating this year). I was born in another city, Mymensingh. From there we moved to Dhaka in 2002/2003.

Sakib wrote: "I'm currently living in Sylhet city, Bangladesh (UTC/GMT+6 hours)...

I've lived for the most part in our capital city Dhaka, but moved here in 2015 to study at the university (I'm graduating this ..."

Finally, another from/living in Asia ;p

Monica wrote: "Army Ranger? I'd bet you have some stories to tell!!"

Monica, no, I'm not a ranger. I'm an Explosive Ordnance Disposal technician. We work with the rangers and Special Forces, but we're our own thing. I do admit to being a storyteller. Life gives the best inspiration.

I live in the lower hunter valley in NSW Australia . I often enjoy these threads when it is snowing there and we are suffering a drought. OR you say how hot it is and I know we are at least 10 degrees hotter.

So interesting reading how other people live

Currently living in Springfield, Illinois. That's the middle of the state, not really near Chicago. GMT-6, except currently we are -5 because of daylight savings time. :)

I have also lived in Massachusetts, northern California, New Jersey (while working in New York City), and Austin, Texas.

I'm from the Czech Republic which is, as most of the EU, on CE(S)T (GMT+1 in winter, +2 in summer) - though there's a hope the EU will abolish the whole obsolete summer time nonsense in a few years, yay!

Tomas wrote: "I'm from the Czech Republic which is, as most of the EU, on CE(S)T (GMT+1 in winter, +2 in summer) - though there's a hope the EU will abolish the whole obsolete summer time nonsense in a few years..."

Yeah, I can't wait for it either. This was such an attempt in uselessness.

It seems I'm already a third person who lives in Denmark in this thread!

I was born in the country of the Witcher (Poland), but have lived in Denmark for the past 8 years. I live and work in the charming city of H.C. Andersen called Odense.

And I'm facing the same challenges of changing time zone (GMT+1 in winter, +2 in summer).

Silvana wrote: "Sakib wrote: "I'm currently living in Sylhet city, Bangladesh (UTC/GMT+6 hours)...

I've lived for the most part in our capital city Dhaka, but moved here in 2015 to study at the university (I'm gr..."

Nice to see someone from Asia too!

Frederick, Maryland, USA.

That's about an hour from Washington DC and Baltimore, MD, and three hours from Allison up in Philly. This is in the Eastern time zone (GMT-4 / BST-5).

I was born at the Landstuhl Regional Medical Center in a country that doesn't exist anymore (West Germany). But it turns out that Europe isn't all that memorable because I don't remember any of it (we came back to the States when I was two).

We lived a few other places before Maryland. And since I graduated from High School all my family has moved away from here. I kind of got deposited here like a boulder left behind when the glaciers melted. I have a brother a couple hours away in Southern Maryland. My dad lives in Virginia. And my older brother lives in Alaska, S. Dakota, and Texas depending on the time of year (it's a hard life when you have $$!).

I'd rather live in the climate of Southern California, but prefer the cost of living of the East coast. Maybe one day I'll retire closer to the shore. Like maybe Delaware?

I live in south Germany in a small town near Regensburg. I was born in Belém, Brasil and already lived in Sao Paulo, Fortaleza and Londrina Brasil. I met my husband in Reading, England while I lived there for one year and since 1997 I have lived in Regensburg, Munich and now my small 'Dorf' ;-) I tend to prefer small towns to capitals.

I grew up in eastern Oregon in the western U.S. in a little town called Lakeview. I have since lived in Eugene, Salem, and Portland (all in Oregon); Anchorage, Alaska; Fort Collins, Colorado; and currently in Oregon again, in a lovely coastal/river town called Astoria.

Should change my name to Nomad...

I was born in London, and have always been told that if the wind was in the right direction, you could hear Bow Bells and that would make me a cockney. But I have lived all my life in Pennine East Lancashire - our administrative area is called Pendle, after Pendle Hill where the witches come from!

Gee, I thought that I had previously made an entrance on this thread, but it seems I was negligent up to now, so…

I live in Boucherville, a nice and quiet town on the South Shore of Montreal, Canada (GMT - 5). My family moved a lot around the Province of Québec after I was born in the Beauce area, to finally settle in Boucherville when I was still a teenager. I enlisted in the Canadian Armed Forces at the age of 18, then served in a number of places, including overseas (total of 5.5 years overseas: 2.5 years in Germany's Black Forest; two years in Lebanon during the Civil War there and the Israeli Invasion of 1972; six months in Cyprus and six months in Bosnia). I added to the exotic touch to my life by marrying a girl from the Dominican Republic and I am still married, with two grown sons. I retired in 2017 and now live on my pensions. I speak French, English and a limited Spanish. I once spoke a limited German but I am now completely rusted out.

Lizzie wrote: "I was born in London, and have always been told that if the wind was in the right direction, you could hear Bow Bells and that would make me a cockney. But I have lived all my life in Pennine East ..."

The Pendle Witch Trials are fascinating!

I recently moved amongst the mountains of Colorado. I've spent most of my time on the east coast so it's a bit weird (and hard to breathe)

you'll get used to the altitude. Don't forget to adjust any baking recipes for high altitudes as well

Speaking as someone who's lived for the past ten+ years in Santa Fe, New Mexico -- yes, your body should adapt to the altitude after a while, and then you'll find you have an advantage when you visit places at sea level! :)

[I notice that there are at least a couple more Santa Feans in this thread. Maybe we should get together and start a book club!]

Before I came to Santa Fe I lived in Maryland for about twenty years (that's where my kids were born), most of that in a funky little town on the banks of the Susquehanna called Port Deposit.

Previous to that I'd been living in New Jersey / attending college and then working in New York City. Most of my school years were spent in suburban Pennsylvania (Philadelphia area), but I was born in Wisconsin and lived there till the age of seven, so my accent is still largely Midwestern.

Vanessa wrote: "I recently moved amongst the mountains of Colorado. I've spent most of my time on the east coast so it's a bit weird (and hard to breathe)"

I went to college in Colorado. We used to say "Where the air is rare!"

If you set up a book club in Santa Fe, I would come visit you - I haven't had a chance to go to New Mexico yet!

Leticia wrote: "I live in south Germany in a small town near Regensburg. I was born in Belém, Brasil and already lived in Sao Paulo, Fortaleza and Londrina Brasil. I met my husband in Reading, England while I live..."

I visited Regensberg a few years ago for a conference, it's a lovely city! I still have dreams about a particular plate of pork knuckle and sauerkraut.

I'm from Belfast, Northern Ireland (where we do not have pork knuckles and sauerkraut). :) Born, raised, went to university and now working all within a 20 mile radius. Which seems a bit mad compared to a lot of others here, a very well travelled bunch!

Alex wrote: "The Pendle Witch Trials are fascinating!"

I genuinely hesitate to recommend this book, because I have never managed to get more than a couple of chapters through it, as it is very much "of its time" (being the early 1950s), but have you come across Mist Over Pendle by Robert Neill?

Amanda wrote: "I'm in Missouri (St. Louis) which also borders 8 other states. GMT -6"

I was born there! Lived there 'til 2001 when I moved out to California.

Currently living in Ventura County (GMT -8), which is nestled on the southern CA coastline between Los Angeles and Santa Barbara. There isn't much to do here unless you like to eat, drink, soak in the sun, or sit in traffic on your way to somewhere more interesting. :D There are a couple of Navy bases here, one of which has a major HQ of the Seabees, and a Seabees museum accessible to the public.

We plan to retire in St. Louis in a few years. It's gonna be a change after mostly getting used to this place...

Seconding that this is a great thread, and I'm enjoying reading where everybody's lived/living.

Shannon wrote: "I visited Regensberg a few years ago for a conference, it's a lovely city! I still have dreams about a particular plate of pork knuckle and sauerkraut"

oh, I wonder if there would be German restaurants in Belfast? I am not crazy about German food, but I like their big range of bread and sausage types and love their potato salad. (that I don't manage to copy no matter what I do) :-)

Currently a large town in rural Missouri, before that a couple of decades in Carson City, Nevada (no, it's nowhere near Las Vegas), before that a decade in Massachusetts, grew up in Wisconsin, on the border near Mpls/St. Paul.

Big fan of road trips so I do know a bit about Arizona, Montana, California, etc. Am working on exploring the country east of the mighty Mississippi. Big fan of small towns, can't handle cities anymore (and never was a fan). Am def. open to meeting up w/ folks.

I am a dual citizen now living in New England, USA, but I was born and mostly raised in Canada (lived one year in Germany and was even trilingual at that time, but sadly I speak only one language now!)

I’m from Connecticut, USA, and live in Tampa, Florida, USA.

Sorry I missed this thread when it first appeared! I have lived near Denver since I was 3 (50+ now). Seems like there are lots of Colorado connections.

Oh what a great thread! It's interesting to see how far reaching this group really is.

I was born in the UK and have lived in Canada for the majority of my life. I live in Toronto which has been in state of growth for a while now, with the highest number of construction cranes in North America. It's also supposedly the most multicultural city in the world, so the food is pretty awesome and one of the reasons I've stayed put.

Alia wrote: "I was born in Syracuse New York, went to elementary in Kansas City Kansas, went to highschool in Gainesville Florida, worked at Disney in Orlando for a year and now currently live in Salt Lake City..."

Which high school did you go to? I graduated from GHS in 2003. Still in Florida, but living on the Space Coast now. 10 minutes from the beach, and being able to see rocket launches from my front yard is a pretty great perk!

Interesting to read! I'm in Queensland, Australia (state), and most people who live here live in SEQ (South-East Queensland), which takes in the largest cities of Brisbane, the Sunshine Coast, and the Gold Coast. (We call the whole metropolitan area 'city'; no real distinction between the whole area and the bit that has the central postcode). I'm in Brisbane, but it's not my native place - I grew up in Adelaide, South Australia, with quite a different climate. I love the sub-tropics! It does get very dry in 'winter' and can get really hot-humid in summer, but it's mostly worth it.
Us Queenslanders also don't do daylight savings (smart people), because we have more hours of sunlight than we know what to do with (the most in the country).
I've also lived in the English Lake District (just for a summer, to earn enough to travel in Europe), which was lovely, but cool, London (crazy-cold over autumn-winter-early spring, but very interesting as a young adult, and so much history), and French Polynesia. I also lived in Portland, Oregon, where someone else on this thread is from/lived - when I was very young, for a couple of years. Nice autumn colours. It was the 80s, so my memories of it are all tinged by that :D.

I was born in Cleveland, Ohio, USA (GMT - 5, Eastern Time Zone). I still live in the Cleveland area.

Born in Columbus, Ohio. I lived in Tennessee, Frankfurt, and Stuttgart (then West Germany) all before I was 10. (Army brat.) Since then I've lived in Chicago, Mexico City, New York City (Manhattan) and now reside in Brooklyn—NYC, but not Manhattan. The building I live in now is the longest time I've ever lived in any one building; I've moved roughly 40 times including 13 different addresses by the time I was 9. My last move though was just down the hall.

Lizzie wrote: "Alex wrote: "The Pendle Witch Trials are fascinating!"

I genuinely hesitate to recommend this book, because I have never managed to get more than a couple of chapters through it, as it is very muc..."

I didn't even notice this until now. Gah, I'm so bad keeping up with threads! I'll check this out! Thank you :)

W. wrote: "13 different addresses by the time I was 9"

you're probably ahead of me. I lived in 18 different houses by the time I was 18. Hmmm, the last three were 1yr, 3yrs and 4.5yrs, so maybe we're tied? I was an Air Force brat.

So. you know the deal. Months here. Months there. Another city. Another state. Another country. Friends? Family? just who was handy. Parents got divorced when I was 9 so the moves slowed down a bit after that. Until I went to college and then, we'll all bets are off. Cheers.