SugarCreekRanch's US Tour

Starting 01.01.2013.


visited 10 states (20%)
Create your own visited map of The United States

AL:
AK:
AZ:
AR:
CA:
CO: Plainsong by Kent Haruf
CT:
DE:
FL:
GA: Deliverance by James Dickey
HI:
ID: Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
IL:
IN:
IA:
KS:
KY:
LA:
ME:
MD:
MA: The Good House by Ann Leary
MI:
MN:
MS:
MO:
MT:
NE:
NV:
NH:
NJ:
NM:
NY:
NC: Kiss River by Diane Chamberlain
ND: The Round House by Louise Erdrich
OH: Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo
OK:
OR: Plainsong by Kent Haruf
PA:
RI:
SC:
SD:
TN:
TX: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
UT:
VT:
VA:
WA: Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple
WV:
WI:
WY: The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson

WA. Where'd You Go, Bernadette? by Maria Semple



A quirky book that had me laughing out loud!

Agoraphobic architectural genius Bernadette Fox has disappeared from her Seattle home. The events leading up to her disappearance are told via emails, letters, voice mails and other correspondence compiled by Bernadette's fifteen-year-old daughter Bee. Bernadette is very funny in her complaints about Seattle, Microsoft (husband is a Product Manager), private school parents, and the like. Other parents at the school are hilarious in their gossiping about Bernadette and her family. There are amusing glimpses of Microsoft life, too.

But it's not just funny. There is also a very honest warmth in the family's love for each other, and their support of each other's dreams.

Rating: 5 stars
Format: Audiobook

Oh, it looks like a great start. Good luck with your thread and happy reading :-)

Thanks for dropping by, Ameise1! I am off to a slow start, since most of the books I've read recently do not have a strong sense of place. But I just finished one that qualifies.

Texas: Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry



I liked it. But saying that makes me a curmudgeon, since everyone else LOVES it.

I am going to borrow from kraaivrouw's review, since they said exactly what I was thinking: "It stretches my credulity that everyone from Fort Smith, Arkansas through Texas, Northern Mexico, Nebraska, and on into Montana knows each other and run into each other on a regular basis. ... The notion that you would wander randomly through Texas and meet up with people MULTIPLE TIMES is just a bit much."

One the other hand, I loved the setting and several of the characters. And the story really does draw you in. I listened to this on audio, and 36 hours later I was sorry that it had ended. That was partly because the ending is somewhat abrupt, but mostly because I'd grown quite fond of the The Hat Creek Cattle Company.

Rating: 3.5 stars
Format: Audiobook

Wyoming: The Cold Dish by Craig Johnson



The Cold Dish is the first book in a series featuring Walt Longmire, sheriff of Absaroka County, Wyoming.

This book reminded me a lot of William Kent Krueger's Cork O'Connor series, set in Minnesota. Both series are centered on a rural sheriff, include Native American culture, place a great emphasis on the beautiful but harsh setting, and have much more character development than the typical crime novel.

I loved the characters and setting of The Cold Dish. But at times I wished that the pace would pick up a bit.

Rating: 3.5 stars
Format: Audiobook

North Carolina: Kiss River by Diane Chamberlain



I'd read nine of Diane Chamberlain's books before picking up Kiss River, and I had really enjoyed all nine. They've been very entertaining blends of suspense and character development, or moral issues and character development. But Kiss River was kind of a disappointment for me.

Kiss River is first and foremost a romance novel, which is really not my thing. There is a mystery element, but it doesn't make a lot of sense. A woman, Gina, drives across the entire US to check out a lighthouse, hoping to find a clue mentioned in an old diary. Gina didn't even verify that the lighthouse still exists before setting off thousands of miles to see it. And if she does find the clue, there is only a very slim chance that it would benefit her. And she could have simply made a phone call to ask the historical society or whoever if the clue exists.

But if Gina didn't drive to the east coast to see the lighthouse in person, she would not have met her hunky lighthouse guy. And the romance really is the main point of the novel.

My favorite parts of Kiss River were the sections from the old diary Gina had found. It was the diary of a teenage girl, and her sometimes awkward experiences with the local boys, and some wartime intrigue.

Rating: 3 stars
Format: Kindle

Massachusetts: The Good House by Ann Leary



This is one of those audiobooks where the narrator steals the show. Mary Beth Hurt does an amazing job as the alcoholic-in-denial Hildy Good.

Rating: 4 stars
Format: Audiobook

Georgia: Deliverance by James Dickey



You all know this story from the movie. Four suburban men go white-water canoeing in the Georgia backwoods, and the natives are restless.

It wasn't quite what I expected at first. It starts out very slow, and the main character is already introspective and broody before he even runs into danger. But less than halfway in, it gets very intense and stays that way.

Rating:3.5 stars
Format: Audiobook

Colorado: Plainsong by Kent Haruf



Plainsong is about the people of a small town in Colorado, in about the 1980's. The central story is about a teenaged mother who finds a home with two older ranchers.

I give this book 5 stars for the writing style. Kent Haruf has a spare writing style, but it somehow creates very rich imagery and very real characters. A few words can be very powerful in the hands of this author.

But I was disappointed in the plot. There are several stories here, and only one of them comes to any kind of resolution. And the connection between the stories is loose at best. It was frustrating to come to end of the book, and not know why certain side storylines were included.

Rating: 3 stars
Format: Kindle

Idaho: Train Dreams by Denis Johnson



Novella about a laborer/homesteader in early 1900's Idaho. There was one unexpected part of the story that really got my attention 3/4 of the way through, and was disappointed that there wasn't a greater focus on this part. (Sorry for the vagueness, but do not want to spoil.) Sparse writing that fits well with the story and setting.

Rating: 4 stars
Format: Audiobook

Ohio: Her Last Breath by Linda Castillo



"Her Last Breath" is the fifth book in Linda Castillo's fabulous Kate Burkholder series. Kate Burkholder is the police chief of Painter's Mill. Kate is formerly Amish, which gives her perspective but also presents challenges when dealing with the Amish community.

The series really should be read in order. There is a crime in Kate's background that is progressively disclosed and dealt with, and that storyline continues in this book. There is also a romance that waxes/wanes throughout the series.

This is one of my favorite series, but Her Last Breath is my least favorite of the series. I'd say it's a 4 star book in a 4.5 star series. But I tore through this book just as fast as the previous ones. And I will grab up the next Kate Burkholder the minute it's in print!

Rating: 4 stars
Format: Book

North Dakota: The Round House by Louise Erdrich



In The Round House, Joe (a Native American) recalls the summer when he was 13 and his mother was raped.

The central story is the investigation of the rape, and the difficulties surrounding the prosecution. But the narrative goes off on many tangents and circles back around. It ends up painting a very rich picture of the Indian reservation community and culture, while telling a story with unforeseen twists.

I listened to this on audio. The narrator's Native American cadence added to the authenticity, but be warned that is slow. Impatient readers/listeners may prefer the print version.

Rating: 3 stars
Format: Audiobook