Books Set in the Place That You Live?

D'art, Yes, indeed, I think books written about areas with which one is familiar makes them so much more meaningful. I loved Spencer's Mountain by Earl Hamner because I knew the characters and my extended family lives in the vicinity of Virginia where the entire story takes place. Another is Follow the River by James Thom, and is about the same area where I lived before moving to Florida. Both books are based on true events and dramatized beautifully.

I never read fiction, that takes place in Boston. I like NYCity the best.

Since a couple of years, there started a new kind (well, "new" for us Germans, at least) mystery books: situated in German regions.

I really like them, because it makes me smile to read about people I could know, places, I've been, characters, I like/dislike ... ... ... .

I have experiences both ways. In some cases it's nice because it makes things easy to relate to. You know the streets and can follow along better. The mental image is more vivid.

On the other hand I read one book where the author obvioulsy wasn't from the town. They had streets intersecting that never meet in reality or the person is driving the wrong way on one way streets, etc... You can also pick out the parts that are exagerated or pure fiction and that causes my mind to wander because then I start wondering what else in the book is wrong and I get distracted from the story itself.

That's interesting, fishin'. Reminds me of movies that are set in places I know, only they weren't really filmed there--or were, but certain details are changed for reasons best known to the director. And that IS distracting!

I recently read Conrad's "Lord Jim", which is highly evocative of parts of Asia. I felt as though I was there, although I never have been. Torrential rains and steamy heat...

Library web sites list fiction in many ways, including geographic location. So does www.stopyourekillingme.com a website devoted to murder mysteries.

I enjoy reading local authors, especially when they're based in Boston area: Spenser books, "Mystic River" or any of the other Denis Lehane books, but it's not a necessity. My favorite series of books are the "Prey" books by John Sandford, all based in Minneapolis. As long as they're good, I'll read.

I'm prone to reading books, especially crimenovels, set in areas that are familiar to me, or places that I enjoy. There is an author from Gothenburg that I really enjoy, Ake Edwardsson, and his characters are moving and living in areas of gothenburg that know really well. I know the exact way that the main character is walking home from work, for instance. And being a swedish ex-pat, I'm grateful for anything that comes from my neck of the woods!

BUT! Since I'm a real Florida Freak (ask my wife), I also love reading John D. McDonald's books about Travis McGee set in the late '60's, and I can understand his sentiments about that beautiful state being sold out to land developers, and amusement parks.

And I like the Preyseries from Sandford, too, just like BeachBum. probably because the great stories and characters.


But then again, I'm no critic

Hey, Noddy! Thx for the link, I bookmarked it very pronto!

There's a popular Mexican restaurant in Denver named Casa Bonita. Somehow I never ate there when I was going to school in the Denver area, but over the years I read several books where the characters ate there. I finally took the family there for dinner about 18 months ago while in the States on vacation.

I also enjoy reading history books about places I've lived. I recently finished "Otter Pelts, China Goods, and Boston Ships" about the trade between Europe, New England, the Pacific Northwest, Hawaii and China in the early 19th century. It was especially interesting to me since I grew up in Seatttle.

I might have to check that out, Jim. Thanks for the tip. I've lived in Seattle 20+ years, and only recently became interested in reading about its history...

I used to wonder why Pennsylvania libraries--for example--had many, many books set in Pennsylvania as opposed to books set in the mid-west or the southwest or the deep south.....

Sometimes local color is more enchanting when you have no specific knowledge of local.

Of course, a lot of my general information comes from local color.

I'm currently re-reading anovel set largely in Lunnon. Never been to England, but i've visited the Capital so often in literature, it almost feels like home.

I read The Milagro Beanfield War and a few others by the same author. Having briefly lived in northern New Mexico really didn't matter much to me in the reading. I also read a few novels by a Yankee who had settled in North Carolina--i've been fortunate enough to have forgotten his name and those of the novels. All the novels were set in North Carolina in various historical periods. The quality of the writing was so poor (in the movies, you would say his continuity was all over the road--he also butchered history unmercifully), that knowing the countryside was no saving grace.

I guess i'd say that i enjoy visiting in print places i've never been.

A good part of why I ever read police procedurals/mysteries is for the sense of place....thus I have learned a thing or two about Japan and Sweden and the Netherlands and Italy and probably Peru (not identified)...or not, as any one book is only one mirror.

I have also read batches of books set in the SF bay area and Los Angeles, common enough as California is a favorite setting for a variety of writers, as everybody here knows. There is a well thought of young, or fairly young, short story writer from my new area in California, an area that has a relatively low population, and is little written about, the land near the Oregon border, which also has a mountainous region called the Trinities; the fellow's name is Roy Parvin. Will be back with some book names. He has been reviewed well. The books are part of my getting to know my new general area.

Aristotle had six areas of importance when judging tragedy. I remember only three: plot, character and atmosphere (aka local color).

A lot of light fiction can be weak in plot with rather preposterous characters, but if the atmosphere, the local color, is well done the light fiction is read joyously despite its shortcomings.

The 1985 movie, WITNESS, was filmed just a few milesw from our home and that alone kept my interest high, even though the movie mostly sucked.

How about books (or movies) that are supposedly set in places we know, but the author (or director) gets key details wrong? Such as buildings in the wrong places. I find that bothersome. If the creator had to fudge that, what else may be wrong?

I just finished two books that take place where I live! Well, sort of anyway.... Boston area circa 1659. Witch Child and Sorceress by Celia Rees. Actually, in Sorceress, the character travels through many places I've lived or at least know well... Boston area, other parts of Mass, CT, the lakes region of NH. I liked that.

I've also read Milkrun... can't remember the author at the moment. It also takes place in Boston. But in that one, because I was so familiar with the place, I noticed some inaccuracies.

I like Paul Auster books that are set in New York. His world view is such that any resemblance to the city is reflection in a twisted mirror.

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Movies: one night we were at the movies watching "You've got mail" . On the screen the characters were going to a movie..... you guessed it. On the screen they walked into the theatre we were in, up the escalator, and INTO THE SCREENING ROOM we were in. It was spooky.