Tuesday, June 07, 2011

It’d Be A Nice Place To Visit, But I Wouldn’t Want To Live There

This week’s Top Ten from The Broke and The Bookish: Top Ten Settings In Books (All those real or imagined locations/worlds you loved reading about OR settings you think would be perfect in a book). So, not all these places are where I’d actually like to live, but it would be interesting to see them the way I imagine. Some of them are easier to visit than others. These settings, I think, are all places that really contribute to the story; they have their own character or personality. So, in no particular order, my Top Ten Settings in Books.

1. Panem, from The Hunger Games Trilogy. I’d only like to go here if I had no risk of getting hurt. Each district seems to have its own personality. The Capitol sounds like a crazily over-indulgent city.

2. The English village Samantha Sweeting ran away to in The Undomestic Goddess. I don’t remember the name of it and I can’t seem to find it on the interweb, but it sounds just lovely. This village let Samantha find herself.

3. Staples. Yup, that’s right, Staples. That big box store with all the office supplies. Staples is the setting for Douglas Coupland’s, The Gum Thief. I adored this book. Making the emotional turmoil of the two main characters take place while they work at their job at Staples is just brilliant!

4. Bon Temps from the Sookie Stackhouse Series. It’s just so hot and mysterious.

5. Middle Earth. Do I really need to explain this one?

6. Narnia. Do I need to explain this one too?

7. Mid-World is the world of Roland, the last Gunslinger from Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. I wouldn’t want to live there since it’s falling apart, but I’d have liked to see it in its prime. Now, the strangest, scariest, deadliest things happen there.

8. Faerûn is the world of Forgotten Realms. It’s all magic and legend. There is good and evil, but still the possibility of change.

9. The Cottage that Mikael Blonkvist lived in during The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo (minus the serial killer). It just seemed like a good place to read and write and get away from what’s bothering you.

10. Ancient Greece, which is the setting of so many stories. I was thinking particularly The Penelopiad, from Penelope’s point of view. Atwood’s take on it is interesting.

Where would you like to see?

9 comments:

  1. The cottage in The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo is a good one. It shouldn't be too hard to get used to the cold given our Canadian winters :)

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  2. I like Middle Earth although I'd have to specify either the Shire or maybe hanging out with some of the Elves. And staying far away from Mordor.

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  3. I like the idea of Middle Earth and Bon Temps, although Bon Temps would probably be too hot for me!

    I would also add Hogwarts and the Secret Garden.

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  4. Anonymous7/6/11 19:25

    The cottage in The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo would be amazing...not sure if I could deal with the winter though!

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  5. Teacher, 1girl, maybe that's why it appeals to me.

    Red, as long as I go after Sauron has been defeated, then Mordor isn't so bad... right?

    Tiny Library, I couldn't believe that I forgot Hogwarts. I saw it on so many lists!

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  6. I think I would choose the Shire from the Hobbit. Staples was a very interesting choice. I remember reading one Douglas Coupland book. I thought it was funny.

    Check out my list here

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  7. Ahh, I would LOVE to see the Acropolis in its full glory!

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  8. LBC, I've read 3 Coupland books so far and loved all of them.

    smellincoffee, all we need is a time machine and we could go see it! Oh, maybe I should have included the future from Wells' The Time Machine on my list?

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  9. In I NEVER PROMISED YOU A ROSE GARDEN, some of the more pleasant corners of Yr would be nice to visit. Unfortunately, the Censor and the Collect are also part of the Yri package, so I wouldn't want to live there.

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