Tuesday, January 30, 2018

Catching Up With: The USA Fiction Challenge



Back in 2014, I signed up for the USA Fiction Challenge, and set out to read at least one book set in each of the fifty states (plus Washington DC). Hosted by Kerrie of Mysteries in Paradise, it was intended to be an ongoing challenge with no official ending date. That was perfect for me, of course, since I'm one of the world's slowest readers. But after the first year or so I stopped keeping track of my progress on the challenge, and it mostly slipped my mind.

Until this month, that is. A few days ago, I did a little checking and found out that the challenge still seems to be active! (Thank you so much, Kerrie!) So I'm making it one of my priorities this year -- maybe not completing the challenge (I'm nowhere near the finish line), but at least making a bit of progress.

So....

Here's my list of states and books I've read, with links to any reviews I've done. As you can see, I still have a long way to go. But it's a fun challenge and it's introduced me to quite a few new authors.
  1. ALABAMA 
  2. ALASKA 
  3. ARIZONA: Fear the Darkness (Brigid Quinn #2). Becky Masterman (read in 2015)
  4. ARKANSAS 
  5. CALIFORNIA: The Lady in the Lake. Raymond Chandler (read in 2014) / The Case of the Velvet Claws (Perry Mason #1), Erle Stanley Gardner (read in 2015)
  6. COLORADO
  7. CONNECTICUT
  8. DISTRICT of COLUMBIA 
  9. DELAWARE 
  10. FLORIDA 
  11. GEORGIA 
  12. HAWAII 
  13. IDAHO: Pines (Wayward Pines Series #1). Blake Crouch (read in 2015)
  14. ILLINOIS: Anything Is Possible. Elizabeth Strout (read in 2017)
  15. INDIANA 
  16. IOWA 
  17. KANSAS: The Roanoke Girls. Amy Engel (read in 2017)
  18. KENTUCKY 
  19. LOUISIANA 
  20. MAINE
  21. MARYLAND: Vinegar Girl. Anne Tyler (set in Baltimore; read in 2016)
  22. MASSACHUSETTS: Island Girls. Nancy Thayer (read in 2014) / The Last September, Nina de Gramont (read in 2016)
  23. MICHIGAN 
  24. MINNESOTA
  25. MISSISSIPPI 
  26. MISSOURI: The Weight of Blood. Laura McHugh (read in 2014) 
  27. MONTANA: As Good As Gone. Larry Watson (read in 2017)
  28. NEBRASKA
  29. NEVADA: The Days of Anna Madrigal (Tales of the City #9). Armistead Maupin (read in 2014)
  30. NEW HAMPSHIRE 
  31. NEW JERSEY: Jack of Spades. Joyce Carol Oates (read in 2015)
  32. NEW MEXICO 
  33. NEW YORK: The Transcriptionist. Amy Rowland (read in 2014) / Peter Pan Must Die. John Verdon (read in 2014) / I Am No One. Patrick Flanery (read in 2016)
  34. NORTH CAROLINA: Lovely In Her Bones. Sharyn McCrumb (read in 2016)
  35. NORTH DAKOTA
  36. OHIO 
  37. OKLAHOMA 
  38. OREGON: Ramona Quimby, Age 8. Beverly Cleary (read in 2015)
  39. PENNSYLVANIA: The Quilter's Apprentice. Jennifer Chiaverini (read in 2014)
  40. RHODE ISLAND: The Forgotten Room. Lincoln Child (read in 2015) / Newport, Jill Morrow (read in 2015)
  41. SOUTH CAROLINA
  42. SOUTH DAKOTA 
  43. TENNESSEE: Devil Sent the Rain (Detective Billy Able #3). Lisa Turner (read in 2017)
  44. TEXAS
  45. UTAH 
  46. VERMONT: The Night Sister. Jennifer McMahon (read in 2015)
  47. VIRGINIA: The Litter of the Law (A Mrs. Murphy Mystery). Rita Mae Brown (read in 2014)
  48. WASHINGTON
  49. WEST VIRGINIA: Missing May. Cynthia Rylant (read in 2014) 
  50. WISCONSIN: What We Keep. Elizabeth Berg (read in 2015)
  51. WYOMING
I have a list of possible books from each state, over on my challenge blog (see it HERE), but I'm always looking for new suggestions if anyone has any ideas.

I've read at least one book for each of the red states (21 of 51).

5 comments:

  1. I have given up on all the challenges except for the Goodreads one I do every year. I could be interested in this one though -- I might try it

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    1. I do the Goodreads challenge too, but I've had to cut my goal-number back this year. Fifty books seems to be a few more than I'm able to read in one year, so I'm going with forty. Old and slow, I guess.

      I started doing this challenge when I realized that almost every book I read was set either in New York, Los Angeles or London. At least now I've "moved around" a little.

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    2. Seeing the world via books! I like that!

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  2. Edward Abbey could be an interesting author for New Mexico, but he's hit and miss. I liked "The Brave Cowboy" and "Fire on the Mountain".

    For Georgia, "Cold Sassy Tree" is a loved bit of southern literature, set in the early 20th century...one of the opening chapters features the arrival of the city's first automobile.


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    Replies
    1. Hi, Stephen. Thanks for the suggestions. I've read some of Edward Abbey's essays and enjoyed them, but haven't sampled his fiction - so that would be a good choice. And I've had "Cold Sassy Tree" on my must-read list for a really long time now. So, another good possibility!

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