Can anyone suggest a book or 2?
 

I love to read about a place before I go there. Usually my trips are to Europe and it seems to be a lot easier to find fiction that takes place there. I am not looking for a guide book or non-fiction. I am going to Wyoming, South Dakota, Utah and Colorado. Of course we will be seeing all the National Parks. Does anyone know of any good books that take place here. I would love to get a feel for it before we go. <BR>Thank you!

Have you read "Lonesome Dove" by McMurtry? It's a wonderful, wonderful book and some of the action takes place in the areas you plan to visit.

This might not be what you are looking for, but ... <BR> <BR>The one book I LOVED which was set in the west was "Lonesome Dove" by Larry McMurtry. The story starts in Texas and tells the tale of a cattle drive from southern Texas north to Montana. The characters pass through the territory you are visiting and McMurtry's style of writing made the landscape come out of the pages for me. Contrary to what you think, it is not a "boy" book (there are some very strong female characters as well). It definitely made me want to see that part of the country. I envy you.

wow-Arabella and I were on the same wavelength - same exact time of posting, too!!!

A great novel set in a small town in Colorado is "Plainsong" by Kent Haruf.

Liam, <BR> <BR>Were we separated at birth?!?

I have not read Lonesome Dove but my husband has and he raves about it. I guess I will pick it up for this trip. Any other ideas?

I enjoy a kind of silly series of murder mysteries set in Colorado. the author is Diane Mott-Davidson. My favorite is Death by Chocolate. They revolve around a local caterer who is married to a police investigator. The recipes in this book are great. My family loves it (I think!) when I am reading them! It means lots of goodies!

Jane, <BR> <BR>Give "Lonesome Dove" a chance. You'll read the first couple pages and think, "This is such a guy book," but it isn't. I'm a very feminine woman and I loved the book. I was actually sad to finish it -- I missed the characters! <BR> <BR>It will be fun, too, to discuss the book with your husband since he's already read it. <BR> <BR> <BR>

May I suggest "Dancing at the Rascal Fair" a wonderful book set in Montana during its early settler days. <BR>A.M.

Dancing at the Rascal Fair, for sure. <BR> <BR>"The Diary of Mattie Spenser," by Sandra Dallas. A bit sensational, but pretty good. <BR> <BR>Lots of books by Willa Cather; "My Antonia" comes to mind. <BR> <BR>There is a novel about a woman who was one of the first people to explore the Yellowstone area (I'm pretty sure she's an imaginery person, but it's based in fact); it's very interesting, but I've forgotten the name. I think it's for young adults, but I still liked it a lot. Very good descriptions of place you will visit if you go to Yellowstone. Try doing a subject search at Amazon.com; that's where I located & bought the book. <BR> <BR>If you decide to pick up some non-fiction, "Leaning into the Wind" is a collection of writings by women pioneers (or more correctly, the women who followed/were forced to follow their pioneer husbands). I can give you lots of other nonfiction - I think I've bought every western book (I live in Colorado) about women pioneers, settlers, miners, etc. <BR> <BR>Have a good time!

Arabella - I believe "Streets of Laredo" is the Lonesome Dove sequel. I never got around to reading it, but it is on my list.

Jane: you also might try to find a fictional account of Lewis & Clarke's exploration of that area. I seem to recall that there were a flood of L&C books a few years ago, although I cannot name any by title.

This is a great thread! Anybody have any suggestions for literature that takes place in Oregon? I will be traveling there in October and my wife and I are looking for something we can take turns reading each other on the drive.

Thanks everyone for the great ideas. I will hit the bookstore after work although I think I still have my husband's copy of Lonesome Dove at home. I love the suggestions. We have a while before we travel and I read a lot so if there are any other ideas... <BR> <BR>And to "Great Idea" - Try Wild Life by Molly Gloss. Very interesting book! Takes place outside of Astoria, OR (I believe) and is written from the perspective of a women raising her sons and writing during the pioneer period. Kind of hard to explain, but excellent read!

Along with the Lewis and Clark idea, you might want to pick up "Sacajawea," (I'm sure that's misspelled) the story of the Native American woman who actually led the men on the expedition. What she endured on that trek is amazing. Have a great trip! <BR> <BR>Yes, Brother Liam, I did read "Streets of Laredo" and didn't care for it as well. It was a bit grim and ghastly for my taste.

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Plainsong was one of the best books I've ever read...Haruff's other two are "The Tie that Binds" and "Where you once belonged" and they are equally good. I recommend them to everyone! <BR>I also loved Dancing at the Rascal Fair, Bucking the Sun, Ride with me Me, Mariah Montana, and the rest of Doig's books but they take place in Montana...

Centennial by James Michner is a fantastic book about Colorado.

One of the best things to read before going to Wyoming is "Solace of Open Spaces" by Gretchen Erhlich (?)- easy to read and one contemporary woman's story of falling in love with Wyoming in an unexpected way when she was sent there on assignment. Also, recommended is "Downriver, A yellowstone Journey" by Dean Krakel about the headwaters and the course of the Yellowstone River. "Playing God in Yellowstone" by Alston Chase isn't an easy read but you'll know lots about the park and the history before you go there. And finally, John McPhee's "Rising from the Plains" a terrific guide to the plains and geology of Wyoming featuring the riches of David Love the native-born geologist and historian. David Love was one of the featured experts in Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan' PBS documentary film on Lewis and Clark. That's another great resource, by the way. The video is available on videotape

Hi Jane, There's is a great whodunit series by Nevada Barr that features a woman park ranger who works at different national parks for each book. Not only are they well-written but you really get the feel for the park as well. I think there was one set in Colorado in the caverns (?). Have fun.

Gail: Death By Chocolate was unasumming fun. You mean there's an Aspen series?

Kalena:Goldie's Catering (Where everything is just right)is supposed to based in a fictional town in Colorado. Many of the books make reference to Colorado. I wouldn't call it an Aspen series though.

I just got through a good one. <BR>I thought it was a medical book because it was written by a doctor. Boy, was I suprised. <BR>It's called The Cat in the Hat by Dr Seuss. <BR> <BR>Pretty funny and all that fancy rymin'.

I love all these books topics... I can go from here to Amazon to check the suggestions out. How about the Laura Ingalls Wilder books for the girl at heart? You can visit a house she lived in in DeSmet, South Dakota. We just got back from a trip to South Dakota, and I kept picturing the stories of hers that I had read.

Jane -- I forgot to mention a great book about South Dakota. It is not fiction, but it reads like it! It is called "Dakota" by Kathleen Norris. It is actually a set of essays, stories, and observations about life on the prairie -- the people, the weather, the geography, the towns, the schools, the churches, etc. I loved it.

I loved Giants in the Earth about Norwegian immigrants to the Dakota territory. Some people think it's a bit depressing (had a book club discussion) but many of us thought it was so poignant.

These suggestions are all so great! I never thought I could aqquire a reading list so long of this area. I am going to check out all of these on Amazon. Hopefully may library may have some of them. <BR> <BR>To Jenny: Did you go to the Ingall's house? I had thought about reading some of the books but knowing me, I would have rearrainged our trip to make sure to see the house and I don't think my husband would be as interested. If you went, what did you think?

We went to the house- about an hour off I-90, takes about an hour for the official tour. The drive is pretty, and it's the straightest, most desolate state highway I've come across. I read all the books as a child, so I loved it, but my husband was a little bored. I wouldn't rearrange my whole trip for it, but it might be worth it if you're going that way anyway.

I love Willa Cather books. I recently read One Of Ours - not her best known work but I thought it was great. My Antonia and O Pioneers are about immigrants to Nebraska and their struggles to survive harsh conditions. One of Ours is about the same type of people but a few generations down the line and in either Wyoming or Colorado (can't remember) and no longer struggling. Takes place during WWI. Very interesting.

I loved Giants in the Earth too!

The boble. No, the bible.

Dubya, <BR> <BR>I'm assuming that you (unlike Bush) didn't graduate from Harvard Business School?

LOVED Kent Haruf's Plainsong (and Lonesome Dove!). And how could you all forget Wallace Stegner! Angle of Repose, Crossing to Safety, etc. Also, try Jane Smiley's All True Adventures of Lydie Newton -very different than her other books and enjoyable, even with its faults.

East of the Mountains by David Guterson.<BR><BR>Its kind of dark, based in Pacific Northwest. Its about a lonely retired doctor who's wife passed away a few years prior and has been diagnosed with cancer. He goes hunting with his dogs and intends on commiting suicide in the woods. Many thoughts, memories and incidents happen on the trip. I actually listened to it on tape in the car and really enjoyed it. Made me want to visit the area and, yikes, maybe even hunt.