Top Ten Settings I’d Like to See More Of
Top Ten Tuesday is a weekly meme hosted by the bloggers over at the Broke and the Bookish. Book bloggers from all around create lists based on the chosen topics, and post links to the host blog to share our love of books. This week we are looking at settings in books — in particular, settings we love and would like to see more of. Some of these are settings that are abundant in YA, but ones that I could never get enough of. Some are settings that are rare or non-existent. Either way, if any of these settings show up in a book description, I’m buying.
Top Ten Settings I’d Like to See More Of
[I want to go to there.]
1.) Boarding Schools – Something about the magic of teenage independence, the lack of parents, and the way friendships are formed in boarding schools makes for a great YA setting. The Name of the Star, Anna and the French Kiss, Harry Potter, Looking for Alaska, The Disreputable History of Frankie Landau-Banks, Hex Hall … need I say more?
2.) …Hogwarts in Particular –Just sayin’, JK Rowling. Just sayin’.
3.) Mt. Everest – I need a book where a kick-ass girl climbs a mountain. Like Roland Smith’s Peak, but with a girl.
4.) Italy – I’m in love with Italy, even though I’ve never been there. I’ve read all these books set in Paris, London, and Prague, but none in Italy. Why?
5.) Paris – Even though I’ve read lots of books about Paris, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t want to read more.
6.) North Carolina – I like books set in my home state. It’s not a terribly exciting state, though. I guess we have Nicholas Sparks and Sarah Dessen, but I would always like to see more books set in our rustic beaches, glorious mountains, and everything in between.
7.) Outer Space – Let me clarify that I don’t mean straight-up sci-fi novels, but more books like Across the Universe that bridge the gap between contemporary or dystopian novels and science fiction would be awesome.
8.) Mansions – Not necessarily castles, but palaces are acceptable. It’s why I liked The Selection so much, as well as the TV show Downton Abbey. The mansion can be old or new, dusty or high-tech, historical or modern. It’s total wish fulfillment and I don’t care!
9.) Summer Camps – As a former camp counselor (five summers!), these are another of my favorite settings. The character build tight friendships, experience new things, act independently from their parents, and fall in loooooove in the woods.
10.) The 1980s – As an 80s baby, the nostalgia in such books really gets me excited. I’d even be happy with the 90s, though they are just starting to be cool again.
Which settings would you like to see more of?
Posted on January 22, 2013, in books, librarian, lists and tagged places, settings, Top Ten Tuesday. Bookmark the permalink. 29 Comments.
Excellent list! As a late 80s baby, I’d definitely love to read some set-in-the-90s books. Are there any already out there?? Also ditto on summer camps. (Have you read Pregnant Pause by Han Nolan? Set at a summer camp, but a little different.) I’d also love to read more books set in my home state/area – rural eastern Iowa/western Illinois. That’s part of the reason I loved Ashfall by Mike Mullin so much; it’s awesome to read a book about the places you really know.
Boarding school books are usually an automatic win for me! Also, I agree with the home state thing, except I’d like more books set in Florida, not North Carolina! Although dont get me wrong, NC is awesome
I’m fairly certain boarding school books are just extreme wish fulfillment for me. I am so jealous of kids who get to go to boarding schools!
I went…overrated! 14 and homesick is NOT a good look. That said, 17 and living with your best friends does kind of rock.
Boarding school books are usually automatic wins for me! Also, I’m in agreement about books set in my home state, although that would be Florida not North Carolina for me!
I agree with almost all of these! Especially books set in mansions (though I’m biased and in favor of old, creaky mansions).
I’m definitely most in love with the Downton Abbey-style mansions. I worked at Biltmore Estate in NC for awhile, and I used to pretend it was my house when all the guests were gone (even though I still couldn’t touch any of the stuff). What would I do with all of those rooms? And the gorgeous mansion-style libraries?! Swoon!
I’d definitely like to read more stories set in a mysterious mansion or creepy castle.
Yes, there’s just something about rambling old houses. My husband and I bought a season pasp to Biltmore one year when we were living in Durham (Christmas…amazing!). What a fun job! I think if I worked there and couldn’t touch anything I’d play make-believe and start pretending I was Anna.
I’m from NC too. I love discovering a book’s (or movie’s) setting is in NC. And your list is great by the way!
I might add Louisiana and Savannah, GA (I love the South).
Yeah, there’s nothing like the southern humidity to create a great literary atmosphere. I love it in books…sometimes not so much in real life!
Totally with you on the Hogwarts thing. And Mt. Everest.
My TTT.
I’m a sucker for home state books – although often torn between Louisiana and Washington – birth state and current home state…
And two very different settings for book! Two very intense settings — the lush, green pacific northwest and the humid, swampy Louisiana. Love them both!
For some reason, I love the boarding school setting too! I think maybe because the characters are experiencing school and living together all at the same time?
Umm… Yes, please, more Hogwarts! ALWAYS.
Whoa, Mt Everest would be awesome!
I have the 80s/90s on my list, sort of–I lumped it into books set in recent history, because you don’t see a lot of that in fiction. We get stuff from the 17-1800s and stuff set in the far future, and stuff set in the present (and I don’t want to go back and read stuff that was in the present in the 80s and 90s because, well, I’ve already read most of it that I want to read), but not much set in the near past, and I’d love to see the spin today’s authors would have on events and such!
Mt. Everest would be cool! And agreed Italy is under-represented in book settings. How about a summer camp setting in the 80s? Wouldn’t that be fun? Great list, Tara!
Totally agree with Boarding Schools, there’s something very Enid Blyton-y about it all! (Or maybe that’s just because I’m British?!) And as for Hogwarts, I think we all want to see more of that
Great list!
I love the idea of books being set in mansions!
My TTT list: http://aliceinreaderland.wordpress.com/2013/01/21/settings/
More Hogwarts? Yes, please! Mansions and summer camps work for me too. Nice list!
Lisa
My TTT
Your list = awesome! I would LOVE to read a book set in the 80s! Because seriously, what’s cooler than the 80s? And yes to mansions, castles, and the rest! I love books that have giant, twisty houses with secrets. And boarding schools! I’ll read just about anything with boarding school settings!
When you mention so many things, I really just want to smash them all together for you to make one awesome setting. Boarding school in an old mansion in the 80′s? Haha, think I left a similar comment yesterday on your blog!
Frankie-Landau Banks was such an amazing book! I totally agree that more Boarding Schools stories would be awesome. One of my favourite outer space series is called Truesight by David Stahler Jr. Definitely check those out because they’re phenomenal. Love mansions and castles too! One of my favourite parts of The Selection that it was all in a castle. Amazing list! Feel free to check out my TTT!
I’ve read Truesight, but none of the others in the series. You recommend the whole series? I’ll check ‘em out!
It just gets better and better! I think the second one is probably my favourite, but the third one is also amazing…so probably a tie.
I want more 1980′s as well!
Hmm, Mt Everest is a weird mountain for climbing (speaker as a writer and mountaineer) because of the huge money involved, the bureaucracy and politics… But then, the beauty of writing is asking that big “what if…” that would make me consider climbing it (rather, a younger, more-so version of me
). If I write the story, I’ll certainly let you know!
Mark of Athena is (partially) set in Italy!
When I started working on my book, it took quite some time for me to figure out where my setting would be. As it’s YA, I didn’t want it to be in North America as they are ALL in North America (USA in particular), so I eventually settled with Chartres, France. Paris would be too obvious and bland in my opinion for the storyline, so the agricultural city of Chartres made a better fit.
Though for me, I’d like a nice underwater book. Bioshock-esque, with a city under the sea. Ahh, that would be nice.