
On the Road Again
I move around. A lot. My day job has taken me from the southeast to the northwest, down to the southwest, over to the Midwest, up to New England, and now to the west. Each place has had unique characteristics that distinguished it from the others. No two places felt the same. In each place I wondered, what would a book set here be like?
Read in Place
Setting, for me, is an important part of the reading (or viewing) experience. I don’t much care for stories that could happen anywhere. On the contrary, my favorite stories are the ones where the setting, even if fictitious, is a character. I also enjoy reading stories that are set in the place I happen to be. When I was in New England, I found myself in the mood for tales of foggy mornings and rocky shores. Down South, I wanted gothic tales filled with decaying grandeur, the scent of magnolias, and tense humidity.
Your Turn
What should I read now that I’m out west? A cowboy story, historical or modern? A tale of the desert’s harsh beauty? A yarn about a ghost town? Or a story of transformation from a remote outpost to a glittering metropolis? Comment here on the blog, on Facebook, or on Twitter.
No Country For Old Men (Cormac McCarthy)
Lonesome Dove (Larry McMurtry)
Anything by CJ Box
Brokeback Mountain (Annie Proulx)
Winter Counts (David Heska Wanbli Weiden)
Excellent suggestions! Thanks!
Alexia, you do move around a lot! I’ve never been a fan of “westerns,” but you might try William Kent Krueger’s Cork O’Conner series.
Connie,
Have day job, will travel. Thanks for the suggestion!