Eddie Wen' Go by Marion Lyman-Mersereau

Illustrated by Melissa DeSica; includes a read-along CD. Unregistered: permanent collection.

Fictionalized account of the abortive 1978 voyage of Hokulea: the sea creatures discuss the story of the upturned canoe and the man who rode away on a surfboard to try to save his companions. Amongst other things, Marion Lyman-Mersereau is a Native Hawaiian who was on the Hokulea in 1978, a descendant of the early Christian missionaries to Hawaii, the daughter of a librarian, and the brave woman who tried to teach me gymnastics when I was a little twerp. :)

Some info about the real story behind this book: http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/---/voyage_cancelled.html

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Additional reads for Hawaii:

• Hawaii: Bombs & Barbed Wire by Nancy Uno
E-book; WWII story based on the childhood experiences of the author's husband. Started in 2014; finished in 2015.

• The Musubi Murder by Frankie Bow
Audio download: Jimmy Tanaka is the most hated man on the Big Island, but he also made a substantial donation to the College of Commerce. Who killed him, and why?

Posting this early because I'll be away with unknown internet access at the beginning of 2015.

It's a multi-year rolling challenge - start when you like, set your own limit (12 months, 18 months or all 24 months). I'll be doing the 24 month version because there's no way with work, school and other challenges that I would be able to read more than 2-3 states/month.

Here are the rules:
Read a book from every state in the USA (bonus: optional is the District of Columbia). The book's setting should be primarily in that state/territory, but doesn't have to 100% stay in the state. Any kind of book is fine - library, e-book, audiobook or BC book. One state per book please.

Instead of a long list, post what # state you're up to AFTER you read the book, the book title, BCID if applicable and a little about it.

??'s - post below or PM me.

Here is a link to some book suggestions for the 50 states: http://www.businessinsider.com/most-famous-book-set-in-every-state-map-2013-10
http://www.epicreads.com/---/the-united-states-of-ya/
http://www.bkmag.com/---/the-literary-united-states-a-map-of-the-best-book-for-every-state/

Some great books can be found by searching on a keyword at the library & looking at the juvenile section. Search previous years in Book Talk forum (keyword states or the state you're looking for)

If you do LibraryThing, some folks have added Common Knowledge places to books. Just add "CK: Important Places" to one of your lists of books to see if someone entered a place that you need.

Here are the states:
Alabama
Alaska
Arizona
Arkansas
California
Colorado
Connecticut
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
District of Columbia (optional)

will be more of a challenge to this challenge than I thought.

I have been cutting the ABC TBRs over to LibraryThing the past few days, thinking that I will pick my states from the ABC ones first. Only, I have several for certain states - including 3 (that have the CK Places marked) for Mississippi.

Well, I'll just have to go with the "whichever one I find first" method of choosing!

No ABC TBRs for this state that I could find, so read one of my own TBRs (and since it's the beginning of the year - everything is TBR!)

The Man From Blue River by Judith Bowen http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12478179

Nice contemporary Western. Martha is out of a job and aimlessly traveling, when she answers an ad for a "Lady Companion". Fraser is taking care of two orphaned girls, when he decides that some female help would be in order. So, he hires Martha as the "Lady Companion" for the girls.

Still Alice by Lisa Genova
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12937673/

Harvard professor Alice Howland receives a diagnosis of early onset Alzheimer's - follows her and her family living and dealing with this disease.

Healer by Carol Cassella
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12694753

This was a great first read to start my 2015. Claire & Addison find themselves broke and struggling to get back on their feet after Addison's pharmaceutical research copy goes broke and their life savings go down the drain along with the company. While Addison is looking for additional financial backers, Claire struggles with trying to get the family back on its feet, in a new town, in a small, run-down house, with a new job, in the middle of nowhere. When a new opportunity for Addison presents itself along with new information about the drug he had been researching the couple must make some life-altering decisions.

Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend
by Mitchell Zuckoff
Kindle Reader

"Ponzi's Scheme: The True Story of a Financial Legend" by Mitchell Zuckoff is the biography of Charles Ponzi who was born in Italy into a family which lost its place in the aristocracy after the unification of Italy. When he was 21, he immigrated to Boston where he found streets of mud instead of the ones paved with gold of his imagination.

Ponzi did not invent the scheme named after him, which was previously called Rob-Peter-to-Pay-Paul, but he used the scam to fleece hard-working Italian immigrants and others in Boston out of an estimated $20 million. On the other side is the story of Richard Grozier, the young publisher of the Boston Post. Concerned about his employees and readers, who by the hundreds lined up to give Ponzi their money, he and other men of the Post investigated Ponzi's scheme and were instrumental in bringing him down. The Boston Post won the Pulitzer Prize for public service as a result.

Ponzi's star rose quickly and burned brightly for a brief moment, and it's fun to read his story. Like most schemes which rob Peter to pay Paul, his fizzled out after a few short months. Charles Ponzi's legacy became his name although it was not the name he'd anticipated making for himself when he set sail for America and those streets paved with gold.

Shakespeare's Champion by Charlaine Harris
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12870570

The 2nd in the Lily Bard series. I read the first one last year for this challenge, and really didn't like the main character. I didn't care if I read the next book or not. However, someone sent it to me, and I saved it for this year's challenge. I enjoyed it so much more than the first one. I might even look around for the next one!

Shakespeare's Companion by Charlaine Harris
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12870570

The 2nd in the Lily Bard series. I read the first one last year for this challenge, and really didn't like the main character. I didn't care if I read the next book or not. However, someone sent it to me, and I saved it for this year's challenge. I enjoyed it so much more than the first one. I might even look around for the next one!

Sometimes one book in a series is off, and you almost abandon the whole series. Then another redeems it :-)

I read the first one last year for this challenge, and really didn't like the main character. I didn't care if I read the next book or not.

Un-oh! I have Book 1, Shakespeare's Landlord, on my list for this challenge for Arkansas. I hope it's not too bad. If the obsessive-compulsive side of me didn't insist on starting a series at the beginning, I'd probably skip Book 1 and go straight to 2.

The Orchid Thief by Susan Orlean

About the business and obsession of orchid collecting and cultivation, along with some south Florida history. Was the inspiration for the movie "Adaptation," which I saw when it was released, though I remember very little of it.

The Girl in the Green Raincoat by Laura Lippman

Baltimore private investigator Tess Monaghan, confined to bed rest in her third trimester, suspects foul play when a woman in her neighborhood goes missing.

Picked up this novella in a recent library book sale.

Jeneration X - Jen Lancaster
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12186576/

from the back cover:
Jen is finally ready to put away childish things (except her Barbie Styling Head, of course) and embrace the investment-making, mortgage-carrying, life-insurance-having adult she's become. From getting a mammogram to volunteering at a halfway house, she tackles the grown-up activities she's resisted for years, and with each rite of passage she completes, she'll uncover a valuable - and probably humiliating - life lesson that will ease her path to full-fledged, if reluctant, adulthood.

Truly enjoy her memoir books. Haven't tried her fiction yet.

The Highway by C. J. Box

Detective Cody Hoyt goes in search of 2 girls his son knows, who disappear on the highway, while traveling to his house. This book has a serious spoiler in it, but it is what it is. This book has the same characters in it as did The Back of Beyond, which takes place about two years sooner. I liked them both.

Alice's Tulips by Sandra Dallas

Newlywed Alice Bullock is left on the Iowa farm with her mother-in-law while her husband is off to fight in the Civil War. In a series of letters to her sister, Alice recounts her days of farming and small town life while waiting for her husband's return.

It was an okay read, though I enjoyed much more the other books of Dallas that I've read.

Alice's Tulips by Sandra Dallas

Newlywed Alice Bullock is left on the Iowa farm with her mother-in-law while her husband is off to fight in the Civil War. In a series of letters to her sister, Alice recounts her days of farming and small town life while waiting for her husband's return.

It was an okay read, though I enjoyed much more the other books of Dallas that I've read.

The author name sent me on a hunt. I have The Diary of Mattie Spenser by this author earmarked for Iowa.

Well, I broke my vow to read non-romances already (at least they were TBRs though)

Before Thanksgiving Comes by Marisa Carroll http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/7218545

I like it when the author does her homework about the location. It's set in a fictional farming Ohio town, with Amish and Mennonite neighbors and goods for the local store. The widowed Dad is injured, and the new divorcee is in town cleaning out grandma's house, so she's able to help out babysitting the kids. And of course, they fall in love.

Burn by Nevada Barr
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13099651

Anna Pigeon's on leave from her job as a law enforcement ranger and visiting a friend in New Orleans. Then she finds herself on the trail of the nastiest villains I've encountered so far in any of Anna's adventures. Seriously icky stuff happening, and very little to do with the parks, while Anna manages to put her job and possibly her marriage in jeopardy. On the plus side, I had no idea that there was such a thing as New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park ( http://www.nationalparks.org/---/new-orleans-jazz-national-historical-park ).

This book will be headed out as a wishlist tag once I register it.

Burn by Nevada Barr - not registered yet

Anna Pigeon's on leave from her job as a law enforcement ranger and visiting a friend in New Orleans. Then she finds herself on the trail of the nastiest villains I've encountered so far in any of Anna's adventures. Seriously icky stuff happening, and very little to do with the parks, while Anna manages to put her job and possibly her marriage in jeopardy. On the plus side, I had no idea that there was such a thing as New Orleans Jazz National Historical Park ( http://www.nationalparks.org/---/new-orleans-jazz-national-historical-park ).

This book will be headed out as a wishlist tag once I register it.

Interesting link to the park. I never heard of it either.

Voices After Midnight by Richard Peck
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13099653

When Chad's family goes to New York City for two weeks, he and his siblings find themselves mysteriously slipping back in time to the winter of 1887-1888.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Other 2015 reads for New York:

◦ The Monstrumologist - http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/10222130
Story begins in Massachusetts, continues in Canada, and then ends up in New York.

◦ Never Wave Goodbye by Doug Magee (audio download)

Sarah by J.T. LeRoy
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13047020

A young boy - sometimes known as Cherry Vanilla - wants to be a really great lot lizard (prostitute). He feels limited at the truck stop he calls home, so he runs away from the motel room where he lives with his mother, and soon ends up calling himself by her name (Sarah). Pretty far out there - readers of Joe Lansdale's Hap & Leonard series might feel at home in Sarah's world.

Eddie Wen' Go by Marion Lyman-Mersereau

Illustrated by Melissa DeSica; includes a read-along CD. Unregistered: permanent collection.

Fictionalized account of the abortive 1978 voyage of Hokulea: the sea creatures discuss the story of the upturned canoe and the man who rode away on a surfboard to try to save his companions. Amongst other things, Marion Lyman-Mersereau is a Native Hawaiian who was on the Hokulea in 1978, a descendant of the early Christian missionaries to Hawaii, the daughter of a librarian, and the brave woman who tried to teach me gymnastics when I was a little twerp. :)

Some info about the real story behind this book: http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/---/voyage_cancelled.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional reads for Hawaii:

• Hawaii: Bombs & Barbed Wire by Nancy Uno
E-book; WWII story based on the childhood experiences of the author's husband. Started in 2014; finished in 2015.

• The Musubi Murder by Frankie Bow
Audio download: Jimmy Tanaka is the most hated man on the Big Island, but he also made a substantial donation to the College of Commerce. Who killed him, and why?

Eddie Wen' Go by Marion Lyman-Mersereau

Illustrated by Melissa DeSica; includes a read-along CD. Unregistered: permanent collection.

Fictionalized account of the abortive 1978 voyage of Hokulea: the sea creatures discuss the story of the upturned canoe and the man who rode away on a surfboard to try to save his companions. Amongst other things, Marion Lyman-Mersereau is a Native Hawaiian who was on the Hokulea in 1978, a descendant of the early Christian missionaries to Hawaii, the daughter of a librarian, and the brave woman who tried to teach me gymnastics when I was a little twerp. :)

Some info about the real story behind this book: http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/---/voyage_cancelled.html

----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Additional reads for Hawaii:

• Hawaii: Bombs & Barbed Wire by Nancy Uno
E-book; WWII story based on the childhood experiences of the author's husband. Started in 2014; finished in 2015.

The story maked me think of one of last year's books - East is a Big Bird. There was a ton of information about the seafaring ways of the Caroline Islanders - including what to take and when to leave. All was passed down as oral history and teaching - and only the best of the best would try a run to certain islands. And interestingly, only some of the "native" techniques and materials really worked on the canoes and lines. The modern stuff didn't hold up.

Some info about the real story behind this book: http://pvs.kcc.hawaii.edu/---/voyage_cancelled.html

The story maked me think of one of last year's books - East is a Big Bird. There was a ton of information about the seafaring ways of the Caroline Islanders - including what to take and when to leave. All was passed down as oral history and teaching - and only the best of the best would try a run to certain islands. And interestingly, only some of the "native" techniques and materials really worked on the canoes and lines. The modern stuff didn't hold up.

Info about the current voyages of Hōkūle’a and her sister vessel Hikianalea here: http://www.hokulea.com

The Hollow Ground by Natalie S. Harnett; audio download read by Luci Christian

As if growing up above the fires burning in the abandoned coal mines isn't hard enough; Bridget's family lives under a curse, too.

Other 2015 reads for Pennsylvania:

• Fun Home by Alison Bechdel - http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13494015

Size 12 and Ready to Rock by Meg Cabot

It's summer and the dorms of NY College should be empty, but instead it is filled with about 50 fourteen to sixteen year olds, there for a 2 week Tania Trace (pop music star) camp. Admidst the usual characters, we have an ex husband that is out to get Tania back, any way he can. And if he murders a few people in the mean time, so be it.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Strout
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13171732/

Series of short stories about Olive Kitteridge, husband Henry and son Christopher, along with other residents of Crosby, Maine.

A fascinating read. It was a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and was recently dramatized on HBO.

Olive Kitteridge by Elizabeth Stout

Series of short stories about Olive Kitteridge, husband Henry and son Christopher, along with other residents of Crosby, Maine.

A fascinating read. It was a winner of the Pulitzer Prize and was recently dramatized on HBO.

I loved this book, especially getting to know Olive through the eyes of her friends & acquaintances.

"The Johnstown Flood"
by David McCullough

Kindle Reader

Among the wealthy men from Pittsburgh who owned the South Fork Dam in southwest Pennsylvania, fourteen miles up the mountains from Johnstown, were Andrew Carnegie (steel), Henry Clay Frick (coke), Philander Knox (corporate law), Robert Pitcairn (railroads), and Andrew Mellon (banking). The dam held back the twenty million tons of water in Lake Conemaugh that the wealthy men from Pittsburgh also owned and used for boating, swimming, and fishing. They built their three-story cottages on the lake and a hunting and fishing lodge. They spent their summers there with their families. Access to the lake and environs was for members of the South Fork Fishing and Hunting Club only.

"The Johnstown Flood" by David McCullough tells a story as old as money, as old as the haves and have nots. The people living and working in the valley below eventually and tragically paid for the presence of the wealthy playing around the lake on the mountain. The poorly maintained dam had been altered for the pleasure and convenience of the wealthy and not maintained for the safety of the poor below. The dam broke on May 31, 1889. As the twenty million tons of water headed down the mountain toward Johnstown, the rushing torrent picked up trees, animals, small towns, farms, fences, miles of barbed wire, and the earth itself. A wave grew to thirty feet in height and shattered the city of Johnstown, population thirty thousand, with a crash which echoed across the nation and around the world.

David McCullough analyzes the history of the dam, recreates Johnstown, the railroads, the factories, the people. The story of Johnstown is a riveting tale that most Americans have forgotten but would be wise to remember.

"The Johnstown Flood"
by David McCullough

Oh, that was a good one!

Girls of a Tender Age by Mary-Ann Tirone Smith
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/7271805

Part memoir, part true-crime, Smith tells her story of growing up in Hartford, Connecticut with an autistic brother. One evening, when Smith is in elementary school, a classmate is murdered by a serial killer and Smith's life is forever impacted by this heinous crime.

Judgment Call by J A Jance
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/1251579

This is another good story in the Joanna Brady series. Her daughter Jenny finds the body of her school principal while she's out riding. She takes a picture of the body and sends it to a friend, then call her mother to report the find. While trying to solve this crime, she comes upon information that might lead her to the real killer of her father.

Dark of the Moon by John Sandford
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/7997924

Virgil Flowers of the Bureau of Criminal Apprehension has been pulled into an investigation with several murdered victims. It looks like someone has a personal vendetta and it doesn't look like the murders have stopped. It will be up to Virgil to sort through the evidence and find the killer.

If Only It Were True by Marc Levy
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/11620098/

Lauren is in a coma and appears to Arthur, who is renting her San Francisco apartment. He is the only one who can see and hear her and, as they spend time together, scheme to find a way to bring her back to consciousness.

"Who Owns Arizona?"
by E.E. "Doc" Murdock

Kindle Reader

E.E. Murdock dedicated "Who Owns Arizona?" to those who suffered and died when they got in the way of Manifest Destiny. Although the book has little to do with Manifest Destiny, it's littered with folks who suffered and died. Drew Steele, a San Francisco detective, is hired by John Rudd to go to Prescott, Arizona in search of a land grant from the King of Spain which deeds most of the Arizona Territory to the bearer of the grant.

It's shortly after the Civil War, and Drew Steele uses the medical knowledge he gained while serving as a volunteer in an army field hospital to save several lives, including his own. "Who Owns Arizona?" is the first of two Drew Steele Civil War Mysteries.

Although I wasn't too impressed with the plot's mystery, the adventure and suspense in dangerous situations had my heart pumping in several spots. The book is well-written. The characters are well-developed and easy to root for or despise, whichever's applicable. The author conveys a strong sense of place through his depiction of the Arizona landscape, the desert, the dust, the mountains, the mines, the cactus, and the isolated Western town.

Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/8279945/

Events in a small town when David Hayden was twelve years old forever changes him and his family.

Starts out with a few snippets of events - I could not put this down until I found out how they all fit together.

Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/8279945/

I read this book last year for this challenge and loved it. By the end of the year it made my short list for best books read in 2014

Montana 1948 by Larry Watson
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/8279945/

Events in a small town when David Hayden was twelve years old forever changes him and his family.

Starts out with a few snippets of events - I could not put this down until I found out how they all fit together.

Interesting how much this book has traveled, including some book boxes that I never knew existed.

The Wedding Heiress by Pamela Ford http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12575932/

I set out on my work commute sans Kindle by accident. My backup physical book in the commute bag was this one - and it just so happened to be set in Wisconsin, a state that I hadn't found an ABC book for yet! Good timing, and not bad for a romance.

Delaney inherits her aunt's wedding business, with the stipulation that she only collects 100K if she does the 5 outstanding weddings, and the other heirs also have to complete their tasks in the will.

So, she grudgingly trudges back to Wisconsin and back to the boy that broke her heart. Usual happy ending romance, but the plot was good and not too corny.

Buried in a Book, by Lucy Arlington. It started out slow, and wasn't hard to put down. I, however, read on, undaunted. And now it is getting better. Lila loses her 20 some year old job with a newspaper, but is lucky enough to pick up a job as an intern at Novel Ideas Literary Agency. The first day on the job, a vagrant who keeps coming by, is found dead in the lobby. Lila wants to find out who did it and why. I have the 2nd in this series, so hope it is a little better.

The Outsiders by S E Hinton
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13471136/

A novel of friendship and belonging and tragedy and a rivalry between two young groups - the Greasers and the Socs.

Last year I was at a panel featuring C Thomas Howell and Ralph Macchio, and they both talked about their experiences during filming of the movie version. One highlight was when someone asked if they could still recite the "Nothing Gold Can Stay" verse - which they did for the audience.

Confession: I have never seen the movie and never read the book before now.

I had no non-romance ABC TBRs set in Montana (at least according to librarything), and my goal this year is to move the stash OUT. So, a romance one for this state

Montana by Debbie Macomber http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/6121640

A bookbox rabck sent to me in 2009. Time to move it along! One of the better Debbie books. Broke, divorced with the ex in jail for fraud, Molly moves back to grandpa's ranch in Montana, with her two tween age boys.

The ranch is in dire straits, and the foreman is trying to keep things going, but there's a military faction in town, that will do whatever they need to for that land.

Prayers for Sale by Sandra Dallas

In Depression era Colorado, longtime resident Hennie Comfort meets newcomer Nit Spindle and begins a friendship.

Did enjoy this better than Alice's Tulips.

The Poe Shadow
by Matthew Pearl

Kindle Reader

Reading this book yields very little understanding of why Edgar Allan Poe died in Baltimore in October, 1849, or what caused his death. The idea of the book is a good one: Write a novel about the questions surrounding Poe's death. The execution in a word is ponderous.

Although the research for "The Poe Shadow" by Matthew Pearl was extensive, the major questions surrounding Poe's death remain unanswered. The book contains a lot of guesses, suppositions, and theories but no proof; a lot of coincidence but no facts. We still do not know why Edgar Allan Poe was in Baltimore, why he ended up at Ryan's Tavern, or what caused him a distress so extreme that his life ended in a hospital four days later. We know where he'd been -- Richmond. We know where he was going -- Philadelphia and then New York City. We don't know why he ended up in Baltimore or how he died.

I won't give away a spoiler but will simply say that the author's theory of Poe's death sounds completely implausible to me. On the other hand, Matthew Pearl's research shines through in unexpected ways. For example, reading this book gave me my first exposure to the practice of cooping on election day. There are other little historical gems scattered throughout the book. It's just too bad that none of them answers the questions surrounding Poe's death.

Thanks for the review. I think I saw this book on a Kindle deal...then decided...nahh. Too much other stuff to read.

I didn't know that Poe's death hasn't been solved.

Murderous Matrimony by Joyce and Jim Lavene

The 6th book in their Renaissance Faire book series. I really like this series. The characters and their friends are fun and quirky. You also always learn something about the Renaissance time period. In this book, Jessie and Chase are getting married, along with the other 250 couples Adventureland has invited. Not to mention taking care of the blue naked ghost, Wanda and the dead bodies showing up all over the park.

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13171712/

Laurel Estabrook survives a brutal attack while in college in Vermont and is now a social worker in a Burlington homeless shelter. A former resident has died and left behind a box of photographs, which Laurel is tasked with researching and cataloging. Piecing together the man's life of homelessness and mental illness and family history with the photos draws Laurel in deeper with a possible connection to her own past.

It's hard to give an opinion without spoiling the story - I was intrigued by a story about learning of the life of a man through the photographs he carried around but disappointed by the usage of characters from another novel, especially the ending.

The Double Bind by Chris Bohjalian

I like a lot of Bohjalian's books, but this wasn't one of them. I didn't even finish it when I attempted to read it.

The 19th Wife David Ebershoff BCID xxx7426326

This is the fictional story of two 19th wives. One the wife of Mormon leader Brigham Young who leaves in 1875 and campaigns successfully against polygamy. The other the wife of a modern day break away sect leader, who is accused of the murder of her husband and whose runaway gay son attempts to rescue / solve the murder.
Two stories, two times. I would have preferred more of the modern tale. Polygamy revolts and fascinates- I enjoy my occasional viewing of Big Love on HBO.
A slow start as I have been focussed on the 666 challenge.
This is a well travelled book that started its journey in Sth Korea and is currently in New Zealand.

Main Street: The Secret Book Club by Ann M. Martin
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13099658

Four young friends receive mysterious packages inviting them to form a summer book club, which leads them to all sorts of interesting adventures.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

Other 2015 reads set in Massachusetts:

♦ The Monstrumologist - http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/10222130
Story begins in Massachusetts, continues in Canada, and then ends up in New York.

Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/2958206

In this edition of Carr's Virgin River series Sean Riordan and Franci Duncan have had a chance meeting four years after breaking up. They had chemistry between them but Sean wouldn't commit to marriage and Franci was pregnant but wouldn't tell him of the child, as she wanted the marriage to be about his love for her and not because she was expecting. They both drew lines in the sand and they both turned their backs and walked away. Now that they had found each other again..................what was next?

Angel's Peak by Robyn Carr
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/2958206

I have been accumulating that series, so I can read them in one fell swoop. Someday.....

The Worst Day of My Life, So Far by M A Harper
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13171724/

Jeanne Roth returns to her childhood home in Louisiana to look after her mother after her father's death. After her mother's diagnosis of Alzheimer's, Jeanne draws on her memories of her parents and her own relationships to deal with her new relationship with her mother.

Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/11421006

Val and Addie were best friends though elementary school and into high school until one night at a party when a life-changing event occurred and Val and Addie never talked to each other again. Ten years later Val comes knocking on Addie's door looking for help. Picking up where they left off in high school, Addie does what she can to help Val and their friendship picks up where it left off, becoming stronger than it ever was.

Snowblind by Christopher Golden

12 years ago a massive blizzard hit Coventry, MA. Several people were killed, even more importantly, some people just disappeared. Now, all these years later, another massive blizzard is scheduled to hit Coventry again. Only this time, some of those dead people are returning to share what really happens when the snow is falling thick, hard and fast.

First time I have read this author, but I would read another book he wrote.

Snowblind by Christopher Golden

12 years ago a massive blizzard hit Coventry, MA. Several people were killed, even more importantly, some people just disappeared. Now, all these years later, another massive blizzard is scheduled to hit Coventry again. Only this time, some of those dead people are returning to share what really happens when the snow is falling thick, hard and fast.

Ooh, sounds creepy! Not that that's a bad thing... ;)

From last year I know that finding books for some states that you want to read is hard. I had trouble with Nebraska, Delaware, North Dakota, Idaho and New Mexico.

I have a book from North Dakota from last year, and a duplicate of one from Nebraska.

ND - http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12741808
NB - http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/5991966

People could list here if they are looking for a book from a certain state.

From last year I know that finding books for some states that you want to read is hard. I had trouble with Nebraska, Delaware, North Dakota, Idaho and New Mexico.

I have a book from North Dakota from last year, and a duplicate of one from Nebraska.

ND - http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12741808
NB - http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/5991966

People could list here if they are looking for a book from a certain state.

I would be interested in reading your Nebraska book if you are looking to send it out as ring/ray/RABCK

Probably this coming month. If anyone else is interested, perhaps you can send it along when done.

Probably this coming month. If anyone else is interested, perhaps you can send it along when done.

I'll PM you my address

hypen8 - I'll send it to you when I'm done with it.

Probably this coming month. If anyone else is interested, perhaps you can send it along when done.

I'll PM you my address

hypen8 - I'll send it to you when I'm done with it.

Thank you, and no rush at all..I've got *lots* of books stacked up in the queue. :)

From last year I know that finding books for some states that you want to read is hard. I had trouble with Nebraska, Delaware, North Dakota, Idaho and New Mexico.

I have a book from North Dakota from last year, and a duplicate of one from Nebraska.

ND - http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12741808
NB - http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/5991966

People could list here if they are looking for a book from a certain state.

I'm planning to offer some Hawaii books here later in the year, once I get them read. :)

Your Nebraska book does sound interesting..

The Enormous Egg by Oliver Butterworth; illustrated by Louis Darling
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13168400

One of Nate Twitchell's hens lays a very unusual egg. When it finally hatches, what's inside is even more unusual! (Here's a hint: http://www.cakewrecks.com/---/jurassic-sweets.html )

A fun read, with illustrations that were right up my alley.

------------------------

Other 2015 reads for New Hampshire:

• Frindle by Andrew Clements; illustrated by Brian Selznick
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/13303991

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Unabridged audio download read by the author.

I think this worked better for me as an audiobook than it might have in print; Celie's voice came through clearly and I'm much less distracted by variant grammar, etc., in speech than on the page. Such a hard life...it was a bit depressing at times, but there were bright spots too. Following the different characters was well worth the trip.

The Color Purple by Alice Walker
Unabridged audio download read by the author.

I think this worked better for me as an audiobook than it might have in print; Celie's voice came through clearly and I'm much less distracted by variant grammar, etc., in speech than on the page. Such a hard life...it was a bit depressing at times, but there were bright spots too. Following the different characters was well worth the trip.

I just started with some library audio book dups of some books I had as TBRs. Picking Cotton worked well as an audio book because of what you said. The narrator voices came through like the author intended the characters to sound & the printed dialect didn't get in the way.

That being said, I'm been told that some audio books are dreadful because of the narration.

That being said, I'm been told that some audio books are dreadful because of the narration.

Definitely: there have been a couple read by the author (you'd think that would be a good thing) where I hated the author's voice; I actually quit one because of the voice. Another time I was going crazy because of the reader's numerous mis-pronunciations - sometimes I couldn't even tell what the word was supposed to be.

Bear in the Back Seat: Book II by Kim DeLozier and Carolyn Jourdan
E-book purchase

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( http://www.nps.gov/---/index.htm ) apparently covers parts of both North Carolina and Tennessee. Since this is a two-part e-book (Volume I and Volume II), if I'd read them both this year I'd count one for NC and one for TN. As it is, I'll just count Book II for Tennessee. It sounds like I'd better take good shoes if I ever go there...and remember NOT to feed the animals, no matter what Yogi & Boo Boo say!!

Bear in the Back Seat: Book II by Kim DeLozier and Carolyn Jourdan
E-book purchase

The Great Smoky Mountains National Park ( http://www.nps.gov/---/index.htm ) apparently covers parts of both North Carolina and Tennessee. Since this is a two-part e-book (Volume I and Volume II), if I'd read them both this year I'd count one for NC and one for TN. As it is, I'll just count Book II for Tennessee. It sounds like I'd better take good shoes if I ever go there...and remember NOT to feed the animals, no matter what Yogi & Boo Boo say!!

Oh yes, when we went to Denali Alaska last year, you must take a mandatory Bear Education course to get a hiking permit - and use a "bear box". I didn't know what that was!

In Juneau, I couldn't find the trash can. The tour guide kept pointing - it's right over there.....Yes, it was. In a form I had never seen before - a covered metal square, tipped backwards, so the bears can't rummage in it...in downtown Juneau.

It sounds like I'd better take good shoes if I ever go there...and remember NOT to feed the animals, no matter what Yogi & Boo Boo say!!

Oh yes, when we went to Denali Alaska last year, you must take a mandatory Bear Education course to get a hiking permit - and use a "bear box". I didn't know what that was!

In Juneau, I couldn't find the trash can. The tour guide kept pointing - it's right over there.....Yes, it was. In a form I had never seen before - a covered metal square, tipped backwards, so the bears can't rummage in it...in downtown Juneau.

Reading this book taught me how important bear-proof trash cans are, but what's a "bear box"?

Reading this book taught me how important bear-proof trash cans are, but what's a "bear box"?

That's what you carry your deodorant, toothpaste and anything that smells in while hiking/camping in Denali. I would have never thought of non-food thinks attracting Yogi and Boo-Boo.

Reading this book taught me how important bear-proof trash cans are, but what's a "bear box"?

That's what you carry your deodorant, toothpaste and anything that smells in while hiking/camping in Denali. I would have never thought of non-food thinks attracting Yogi and Boo-Boo.

We had to carry bear canisters while hiking in Teton National Park in Wyoming last summer. Not only do you keep your smellables in it, but you also cannot keep it in your tent at night - you need to keep it at least 100 yards from your tent and stored in a bush or behind a large rock. It's a good thing we did that, too. Shortly after we turned in for the night a large bear came sniffing around our tent. I have to say, it's more than a little disconcerting to be sitting in a tent listening to a large animal sniffing around outside.

Shortly after we turned in for the night a large bear came sniffing around our tent. I have to say, it's more than a little disconcerting to be sitting in a tent listening to a large animal sniffing around outside.

Yikes! Glad it turned out ok.

Serena by Ron Rash

Newlywed Serena Pemberton arrives at her husband's logging camp in western North Carolina, beginning a tale of greed, betrayal, revenge, and murder.

I'd been hearing good things about this book for a while, but for me it was a so-so read.

So far only "light books" for the states challenge and here's another one:

About that Man by Sherryl Woods http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/7082032

Typical light romance. Daisy takes in an orphaned boy while social services located his extended family, and when Uncle Tucker, a sexy single Detective from DC shows up, the gossip really starts going.

Hometown Promise by Merillee Whren
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12628173

A nice inspirational story. Lukas Frye led a reckless drunken life while in college. He has stopped drinking and has moved to Kellerville, Ohio helping an ailing grandfather and putting down roots. Juliane Keller had a run in with Lukas in college and now he has shown up in her home town. She is very leery of him because of his past but at the same time she is drawn to him. They are thrown together through a winter program at their church. Can they both get and give forgiveness and love that they both need?

Three Bedrooms, One Corpse by Charlaine Harris

The third in her Aurora Teagarden series. In this book, Aurora has quit her job as a librarian and is thinking of joining her mother's real estate agency. Because her mother is running late, Aurora fills in with showing a brother and a sister a house. In the bedroom of that house, they find a dead real estate agent. Of course, Aurora gets involved with solving the mystery of her death, along with another agent's death.

Songs for the Missing by Stewart O'Nan

Kim Larsen, who is leaving her small Ohio town for college at the end of summer, disappears and sets off a period of uncertainty for her parents, her sister, and her friends. In the weeks and months that follow, secrets and fears are uncovered while they wait for news and adjust to their redefined roles.

Interesting read. I've read several of his other books.

The Storekeeper's Daughter by Wanda E. Brunstetter
http;//www.bookcrossing.com/journal/7930610

An interesting story of an Amish girl. The oldest daughter of a storekeeper, her life after the loss of her mother. The feelings of not being good enough, working too hard, and never any praise for what she had done. Then he unimaginable kidnapping of her baby brother and her being blamed both by herself and her family. A very religious story.

The 15th most traveled BC bookray book arrived (and I was reader #70!)

The Wooden Sea byJonathan Carroll http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/1416360

And in one word: Wow!

It is scifi - not my usual genre, but if you suspend any hope that things will be linear and make sense, it's a great read. Loved the "Apostle" anagram of one of the "aliens".

Presumption of Innocence
by Stephen Penner

Kindle Reader

In "Presumption of Innocence," Stephen Penner tries to be hardboiled and edgy but falls flat on his face. No Dashiell Hammett, he!

Particularly irritating is Penner's description of women. From their breasts to their asses to their legs to their lips to their hair to their angles to their curves, the women are described by their sexual attributes -- endlessly. Of course, the men are described by their professions and characters or not at all. Plus, all the women flirt endlessly with the protagonist, Assistant District Attorney David Brunelle. If they don't flirt with him, they simply drag him off to bed.

Shallow, superficial, thin are some adjectives which pop into mind to describe this book. Boring and irritating are a couple of others. If your brain is slightly active, I'd recommend moving along if you ever see this book on a shelf. In the first couple of chapters, the reader learns everything he/she has to know. The reader learns the victim, the killer, the killer's assistant, and the person who'll put the perpetrators in prison, Assistant District Attorney David Brunelle, of course. There aren't even any surprises in the plot.

I did learn that there's a place called Elliott Bay in Seattle. Assistant District Attorney David Brunelle can see it from his office. I did not, however, learn what happened to that bucket of blood. That was the only curious thing about the book, and the reader is left hanging.

LOL! You managed to find one glimmer of a redeeming quality in that book! Are you sure it wasn't mislabeled - and was really a Harlequin in disguise?

Shelter of Hope by Lyn Cote
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12132364

A small boy runs out into the road and a truck is heading right for him, but Marc Chambers runs and saves the boy. Johnny's mother Rosa Santos is eternally grateful. She is being built a house by volunteers and Marc show up on the job. He interests her, however, she senses something isn't quite right. Johnny has a real father son crush on Marc and Rosa is afraid he will get hurt when Marc pulls away. What is his problem? She's falling for him but cannot take another rejection.

Bookmarked for Death by Lorna Barrett.

This is the 2nd book in the series. Mystery bookstore owner Tricia solves yet another mystery in this book when an author dies at a book signing at her store. Evidence points to her not being the real author of the best selling series...so whose work did she steal and who is out to get revenge?

At Home in Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12606174

Barbara Strong is new to Dry Creek, Montana. She has an ex-husband in jail and two kids to raise. She's trying for a fresh start and she loves this little town, but she feels like the people of the town don't trust her. Unknown to her, Sheriff Carl Wall had asked everyone to leave Barbara alone so she could heal. He vowed to protect her from suitors and from her ex-husbands cronies. Would he be able to do his job even while losing his heart?

At Home in Dry Creek by Janet Tronstad
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12606174

I've read bits and pieces of the Dry Creek series and liked the books. One day, I'll sit down and read the whole series....maybe when I finally retire!

Brokeback Mountain by Annie Proulx

This is a movie tie-in release of the short story about the relationship between two ranch hands who meet and separate over the years.

The author has at least three published volumes of Wyoming-based short stories, all of which I've enjoyed.

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12112568

Laurel is awoken by the sight of a ghost in her bedroom. The ghost of Molly, her daughter's best friend, who leads the way to her dead body, floating in Laurel's swimming pool. As the mystery unfolds, deep family secrets come to the surface and Laurel has to come to amends with her past before mending her present.

The Girl Who Stopped Swimming by Joshilyn Jackson
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12112568

Laurel is awoken by the sight of a ghost in her bedroom. The ghost of Molly, her daughter's best friend, who leads the way to her dead body, floating in Laurel's swimming pool. As the mystery unfolds, deep family secrets come to the surface and Laurel has to come to amends with her past before mending her present.

Sounds interesting.

Persuader by Lee Child
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12048184

Plenty of twists and turns in this story. Reacher has a opportunity to even the score with a violent criminal, Francis Xavier Quinn, who should have been dead 10 years ago. Reacher goes under cover with a Justice Department agent. Good story!

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

In a market in Pakistan, Changez meets an American and proceeds to tell him of his time in the United States - college at Princeton, work in New York City, his involvement with an American girl against the backdrop of September 11 2001 - over the course of an afternoon and evening. As the evening progresses, tensions are raised, and the ending is left for the reader to interpret.

The Reluctant Fundamentalist by Mohsin Hamid

I had to go back and reread my notes on this book. I had a different take on it.

Down at the End of the River by Angus Woodward https://www.librarything.com/---/reviews

A collection of short stories, most set in Louisiana. Some quirky, some just odd - but all were readable. Some seemed to have a point, some didn't - but this is a new author developing his talent.

Copy from the author for free on Libraything.com

White Fire by Lincoln Childs and Douglas Preston. Excellent book! Although this is the 13th book in the Pendergast series, it works well as a stand alone book. Corrie Swanson, a friend Pendergast has taken under his wing needs to find some kind of mystery she can use for her thesis in her crime class. She discovers this in a story about some miners back in the 1800's in Roaring Forks, CO. As usual, she runs into trouble, not only with the people trying to keep the story of the miners under wraps, but also with an arsonist who is trying to burn down the town. Pendergast comes to the rescue. Fans of Sherlock Holmes will enjoy this book, since he and some of his stories are used to solve the case.

The Devil in the White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America
by Eric Larson

Kindle Reader

Sometimes when I've closed the covers of a book for the last time, a sense of nostalgia sweeps over me, followed by a sense of lost. I was in Chicago for a time, walking through the White City and visiting the beautiful grounds and exhibits of the World's Columbian Exposition of 1893, and then I finished the last page of "The Devil in the White City" by Eric Larson.

The Black City was Chicago itself with its stockyards and crime, noise and black smoke. It was the 19th Century, the Industrial Revolution, coal burning trains and factories, garbage-strewn alley ways, and horse-drawn wagons which produced waste of another sort. The World's Columbian Exposition, rose on the shore of Lake Michigan in Jackson Park on the south side of Chicago and was quickly dubbed the White City because most of the buildings were white and at night were illuminated with electricity. It was a beautiful contrast to the Black City and the dusty farms and small towns of the middle west.

The hero of the White City, Daniel Burnham, the Chicago architect in charge of making the dream of the World's Fair a reality, created a miracle from drawing board to opening day in less than three years. He had plenty of help as the best and the brightest in Chicago pulled together to overcome the innumerable obstacles in their way. Their story is one of hope, pride, courage, creativity, and hard work.

The devil of a parallel story was Dr. H.H. Holmes, born Herman Webster Mudgett, who built a hotel several blocks from the where the buildings of the fair were being erected. Holmes' "World's Fair Hotel," later dubbed the murder castle by the press, was meant to attract young women who flocked to Chicago because of the fair. His story is so depraved there are insufficient adjectives to describe it.

Eric Larson recreates Chicago as it was at the time of the World's Columbian Exposition. His research is so thorough as to set his readers in the middle of the city, the fair, and the murder castle in the waning days of the Nineteenth Century.

The Devil in the White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America ...... His research is so thorough as to set his readers in the middle of the city, the fair, and the murder castle in the waning days of the Nineteenth Century.

It was a long book, but I thought worth it.

Snow Angels by Stewart O'Nan

It is late 1974 in a town in western Pennsylvania - fourteen-year-old Arthur Parkinson's home life is slowly falling apart. At the same time, his former babysitter, Annie, suffers a series of tragic events.

One of his earlier novels. Not as well written as some of his later works - I was really ready for the story to be over with fifty pages before it did - but it was a decent enough read with some interesting characters.

but not. 1/2 way through The Hour I First Believed (@ ~500 pages, yet), there was no redemption for this book.

Take Columbine, Katrina, PTSD, Alcoholism, Narc Addiction, Homicide, a prison farm build on some ancestors land - toss it all in to a blender & try to come up with a book.

Just couldn't do it - even to check off another state.

Missouri - Christmas in My Heart (in/That Christmas Feeling) by Catherine Palmer
http://www.bookcrossing.com/---/12628161

This is a two story book. The first story "Christmas in My Heart" takes place in Missouri when Claire Ross decides to visit her reclusive, cat collecting aunt. She brings a Christmas wreath as a gift and as she's leaving her aunt sails it after her. When the sheriff has the cats removed and their paths cross, Claire is surprised by rediscovering her teenage crush for the now lawman.

Second story "Christmas Moon" Has a widower with twins needs to move to Minnesota for his job. He asks the nanny to marry him and move with them. She refuses the marriage but does make the move.......as you can guess there is a happy ending.

Learn Me Good by John Pearson

This was on my Kindle, and was a good book for reading on breaks at work. The format is written in emails to friends at an old job, so it was easy to find a place to stop. He used to work at a heat pump place, and got laid off. He became a 3rd grade teacher and emails his friends at the old job about what is going on at school every day. Some of it is pretty funny.

Hex Marks the spot by Madelyn Alt

Basically a story of a group of people with "special" talents trying to solve the mystery of who killed an Amish friend. They are also investigating paranormal activities around town. This was apparently the 3rd book in the series, and you really needed to read them in order as "after what happened to me in December" was mentioned quite often, but never discussed in this book.

Hex Marks the spot by Madelyn Alt

Basically a story of a group of people with "special" talents trying to solve the mystery of who killed an Amish friend. They are also investigating paranormal activities around town. This was apparently the 3rd book in the series, and you really needed to read them in order as "after what happened to me in December" was mentioned quite often, but never discussed in this book.

Don't you hate that, especially when you didn't know there were previous books?