Reading the States: Idaho

Friday, March 30, 2012



State: IDAHO

Fiction:
- All Over Creation by Ruth L. Ozeki
- Then Came the Evening by Brian Hart
- America: God, Gold, and Golems by James Sturm
- Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson
- Train Dreams by Denis Johnson
- Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
- Lila* by Marilynne Robinson

Nonfiction:

- Educated by Tara Westover 
- Big Trouble by J. Anthony Lukas
- The Big Burn* by Timothy Egan
- The Boys of Boise by John Gerassi 
- King of the Mild Frontier by Chris Crutcher  

Authors Who Lived Here:
- Ezra Pound
- Robin Blaser
- Carol Ryrie Brink
- Marilynne Robinson
- Jack Hemingway

Great Bookstores:
*Books I've Read

Photo by moi.

8 comments:

Sandy Nawrot said...

I've not heard of any of these! And I know very little about this state, except for the potatoes.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Sandy - I'd never heard of any of them either! But I'll definitely read one from the fiction and nonfiction categories for my Reading the States challenge. Apparently Idaho isnt' a popular setting for books.

annieb said...

I am embarrassed to say that I have lived in northern Nevada for 32 years (very close to Idaho) and have still not visited, or read any books about or centered in Idaho. I will have to remedy that soon; I hear it is very beautiful. And perhaps I can read one of the books you have listed. I am beginning to see that some states are more difficult than others when it comes to literature.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

annieb - They are! New York, California, Florida, they're all easy. But states like Idaho take a lot more work to find some options. I try to only list books that have some merit, not just a random romance novel set in that state.

annieb said...

I just wanted to add that I checked your link to Hyde Park Books in Boise and what a great website it is. I learned to pronounce Ondaatje, just hope I spelled it right. When I go to Idaho it will have to be on my list of places to visit. Alas, where I live there are no cool bookstores. We used to have a Borders, but we all know what happened to them. If not for the internet and thrift stores, I would probably be bookless and that is not a fate I want to contemplate! Even our library, which does try, doesn't seem to have the support of the city fathers.

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

annieb - I thought that bookstore looked amazing too! I haven't been to Idaho yet, but I'd love to visit it whenever I go. Indianapolis isn't known for its great bookstores either. My favorite is Half Priced Books, but I wish we had more options.

Jeanne said...

I loved All Over Creation--that's where I first learned about things like heirloom tomato seeds. And I always learn something from these posts. Ezra Pound lived in Idaho?!!!

Melissa (Avid Reader) said...

Jeanne - Oh good, I'll have to read that one. I love learning all those little tidbits about the states. I had no idea Pound was born there before doing this post.