I first discovered crime fiction sometime back in the 80’s. My initial exposure to the genre was author Elmore
Leonard, quickly followed by Robert B. Parker. From that moment on I was hooked
and my reading has remained firmly entrenched in the genre ever since. Whilst
geographically I have spread my wings in recent years, reading crime from
northern Europe and South Africa and a fair few other places as well, my
favourite location for crime remains the US.
Earlier this year, I was on Goodreads and became aware of
the USA Fiction Challenge – state by state. It was the right challenge but at
the wrong time. Recently musing on FriendFeed’s Crime and Mystery thread about
under-taking this challenge for next year; I was offered great support from
fellow crime fiction readers and bloggers. I have received some helpful tips
and suggestions as to where I can pin down authors and books for each state –
whilst my library of books carries many US crime fiction books; I’m guessing
that there will be gaps in my collection that will require plugging.
Kerrie from Mysteries in Paradise embraced the idea and has kindly
set the challenge up over here. Feel free to sign up and join in. Thanks, Kerrie.
If the
prospect of reading over 50 titles in the one year, seems too daunting, relax
and take the journey at your own pace, starting now if you like.
Please check in and update us all on your progress - http://readingusafiction.blogspot.com.au/
Below is where I hope to be visiting during next year's reading.
- ALABAMA
- ALASKA
- ARIZONA
- ARKANSAS
- CALIFORNIA
- COLORADO
- CONNECTICUT
- DISTRICT of COLUMBIA
- DELAWARE
- FLORIDA
- GEORGIA
- HAWAII
- IDAHO
- ILLINOIS
- INDIANA
- IOWA
- KANSAS
- KENTUCKY
- LOUISIANA
- MAINE
- MARYLAND
- MASSACHUSETTS
- MICHIGAN
- MINNESOTA
- MISSISSIPPI
- MISSOURI
- MONTANA
- NEBRASKA
- NEVADA
- NEW HAMPSHIRE
- NEW JERSEY
- NEW MEXICO
- NEW YORK
- NORTH CAROLINA
- NORTH DAKOTA
- OHIO
- OKLAHOMA
- OREGON
- PENNSYLVANIA
- RHODE ISLAND
- SOUTH CAROLINA
- SOUTH DAKOTA
- TENNESSEE
- TEXAS
- UTAH
- VERMONT
- VIRGINIA
- WASHINGTON
- WEST VIRGINIA
- WISCONSIN
- WYOMING
Col - I give you credit for taking on this challenge. I'll be looking forward to your reviews.
ReplyDeleteMargot thanks - I do like a challenge! I think it will be fun finding the right book for the right slot - hopefully I can cover them without having to spend too much on "missing" states. It would kind of negate my drive to reduce the size of the TBR!
DeleteLike Margot, I will look forward to your reviews.
ReplyDeleteKeishon thanks - hopefully I can uncover some gems for you to spend your hard-earned cash on!
DeleteHow cool. I love Kerrie's challenges. Glen and I are doing the 50 State Challenge at Goodreads. I have listed 6 books there and have another two states I read in the last few months. Not sure where Glen is at. I would possibly do this (the one that Kerrie has organized) as an ongoing challenge, but no way I would try to do it in a year.
ReplyDeleteGlen here. Tagging on to Tracy's reply. I've read 6 total for the Goodreads 50 State Challenge. Only 4 of them have I actually reported.
DeleteTracy, I kind of think it might be do-able in the year, seeing as most of my fiction is US oriented. It would probably mean I couldn't get back into my series reads that I abandoned earlier this year.
DeleteGlen, cheers for stopping by. Out of curiosity how many books would you read in a month on average?
I usually finish a book a week as long as it's not some great thick one. And I might read more if I stopped spending time on the tablet looking for even more books!
Delete1 a week? That's not bad. I'm the same I must spend as much ogling other books and blogs as I do reading - I don't think I'll change though.
DeleteI wasn't aware that a similar challenge already existed on Good Reads which is not a place I visit often. I really can't see why people taking on this challenge couldn't "backdate" some of their reads. The challenge is huge enough. Might do that myself for my 2013 US books read.
ReplyDeleteKerrie thanks. I think I might extend the length of time it takes me to complete, rather than backdate myself. Good luck!
DeleteGreat idea Col and look forward to reading the results. I don't think I would be managing all 50, but I'm sure it'll make me notice what states my reading lands up in, matching you part of the way. Look forward to the Rhode Island Noir, and the hard-boiled fiction of South Carolina.
ReplyDeleteMoira, I started doing a bit of research yesterday, I haven't yet reached the R's and beyond. I might have to make something up......again!
DeleteCol, you are a brave man. I wish you luck and hope you'll come back with reviews of all the books you read for this unique challenge. Challenges like these, even if they're at my own pace, scare me to death. I'm not a disciplined reader.
ReplyDeletePrashant - not really, I seem to read books written by American authors more than most. I'm just tailoring it a wee bit I suppose.
DeleteI haven't analysed the US stuff I have read over the past couple of years but there's probably a preponderance of books set in California, Florida and New York. I'll soon find out anyway!
Col, I also hope you'll write about how you chose or came across books from each of the states. I'm assuming that either the author or the story should be based in each state.
DeletePrashant - that's an idea, how I came to read x. I'm fairly sure I can pontificate on my rationale most of the time, though when I look through some of the books I bought years ago, I kind of wonder what ever made me pick that up?
DeleteYes, books will be by an author from a state or set in a state - I'm kind of hoping the two coincide.
I'm racing to finish up the Global Reading Challenge for this year before I dare jump into the US challenge. And I'll definitely take more than one year to complete it: I get too distracted to stay on task!
ReplyDeleteRebecca - i'll have to look at the Global Reading Challenge at some point, probably not in conjunction with this, as it might limit my choice too much. Good luck with both, you can do it!
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