All About Books discussion

One of the things I like most about AAB is its international flavor. We have members from so many different places, and I love to hear about those places. So I hope people will post something about where they live. What's the weather like? What is your city/town/country like? What are you most proud of? Include anything you think is interesting.

OK, I'll start. I live in Cincinnati, Ohio, which is in the Midwest USA. The Ohio River is our southern border, and across the bridge is Kentucky, the beginning, I would say, of the American South. It is fall right now, and the leaves are at their peak and the burning bushes are especially gorgeous. The weather has been lovely the past week or so--sunny and in the high 60s-low 70s (Fahrenheit). Tomorrow it's supposed to rain and get cold. Our typical November weather is cold, gray and rainy. (I love both fall and winter here.) Friday is Halloween, when the kids will dress up and go door-to-door for candy. Next week we have a national election, and voter apathy is (alarmingly) at an all-time high.

Our city is known as the "Queen City." It is very hilly with lots of green areas. The riverfront area is beautiful and dynamic. I love to watch the old-time Riverboats on the waterfront. Our city is known for its sports teams--the Reds play baseball (they are not in the World Series currently happening) and the Bengals play (American) football. One culinary delight we're known for is called a "3-way." It's Greek chili ladled over spaghetti and topped with grated cheese. (For a 4-way add beans and for a 5-way add onions.) Sounds weird (at least it did to me when I moved here), but it's good. We are also known for our fine library system (critical for me!).

Great thread, Terri.

I currently live in Brixton, South London although I have only been here for 3 months. Brixton is a area of south, central london with a very multi-cultural vibe, lots if amazing places to eat and an interesting history. Perhaps it is most famous for the riots in 1984 but it's not like that now. There is a wonderful community here although I need to research more about the history at some point.

I am originally from a small town in Hertfordshire with a historic market. That was a great place to grow up as it was in the countryside but with enough to do and close enough to london to be fun as a teenager.

I live in Kennewick in eastern Washington State.

I know nearly everyone thinks that Washington is the Evergreen State, but in actuality Washington is 2/3 brown. I live in an area that gets barely 12" rain/year and has over 300 days of sun a year. It is located at the confluence of the Snake and Columbia Rivers.

It has a very small town feel but it is part of the Tri-Cities metropolitan area of over 250,000 people.

We get a lot of blustery winds, but luckily devoid of any crazy weather or disasters. We have great wineries in my area, excellent orchards, raise winter wheat and asparagus. We are also very near one of the 3 facilities that made up the Manhattan Project - Hanford. Many people here are still employed there. (Which makes me wonder why we have so many people that vote for people that want to defund government.) Plutonium manufactured at the site was used in the first nuclear bomb, tested at the Trinity site, and in Fat Man, the bomb detonated over Nagasaki, Japan.

One of the high schools in our area actually is known as the Richland Bombers and have mushroom cloud on their helmets.

The only books I have ever found that are set in my area are the Mercy Thompson series by Patricia Briggs

I live in Perugia, right in the centre of Italy - when people ask me where Perugia is - generally no one knows it! - I say "Between Rome and Florence. We are the capital city of the Region of Umbria, the green Heart of Italy, one of the few regions without the sea.
It is green because it rains a lot, not only in winter, but also in Autumn and Spring. This year it has been raining also in summer!!!

People think that Italy is hot and sunny all over the year, but it's not so: in Perugia winter is usually very long - November march - and cold and windy. It rarely snows though.
We are a little medium sized town built on two hills - as usual in Europe with citied that had to defend themselves - with two town walls, one dating back to the origin of the city, which was Etruscan, the other one mediaeval. At the bottom of the hills there is the river Tevere, mostly famous because it passes through Rome as well.

Being of Etruscan origins, we are a really ancient town therefore the historic centre doesn't have a lot of parks or green places: we are really a city of stones.
Did you know that the Etruscan were those who invented the Arch? Before - see in Greece - the doors also of temples and big buildings, were like the ones we have at home. One of our main document is therefore the Etruscan Arch still high at the bottom of the historic centre.

https://www.google.it/search?q=perugi...

I live in Long Beach, California. It's in the southernmost tip of Los Angeles County, right on the border of Orange County. It's a friendly diverse largely working class community!

One of the things I love to do is to rent a kayak early in the morning, paddle out quietly in the bay with a friend when it's not quite light, the seals still sprawled out and sleeping on the boats as we pass. I like to go out silently, listening to the waves lapping and the occasional plunk of a seal returning to the water. So lovely! And then as it gets light, we chat and paddle pack.

Long Beach has a fairly good regional theater, The Long Beach Playhouse, as well as Musical Theater West near the campus of California State University, Long Beach. But there are a huge number of other theaters within driving distance in other areas. I love the central location of Long Beach! Other than rush hour, I can usually get to downtown Los Angeles within an hour when I see plays there.

Long Beach also has a great diversity of cultures and restaurants. There's even a Dutch Indonesian area not too far away which is a special treat for me since I love Dutch Indonesian food.

Laura, I loved your link! What beautiful pictures! I'd love to visit.

Greg: When my boyfriend stays in LA, he often stays in Long Beach at eats at a restaurant called Steamed. He loves it.

I live in Lancaster, which is in the North-West of England. Although I life in a fairly average house, the best thing about where I live is that it's opposite a lovely park, so our outlook is beautiful, at any time of the year. At the moment, the trees are resplendent in their Autumn colours, although the leaves are falling fast now, so they will soon be bare. Lancaster is a small city but it's in a good situation as we are only half an hour away from the hills and lakes of the Lake District and just an hour away from Manchester to the south. Just 10 minutes drive to the coast and you are in Morecambe, which has a beautiful aspect as you can see the Lake District hills in the distance across the bay. The only problem is that the North-West of England gets lots of rain, so we don't always get good summer weather to attract tourists. The council are about to develop Lancaster Castle into a tourist attraction, so that will boost tourism, hopefully.

I live in Estonia. It's a little country next to Russia, in the northern Europe.

It's autumn right now. As usually in autumn, here is pretty cold. But when it comes to general climate, we have 4 seasons and that's what means a lot to me, because I couldn't live somewhere where it's hot all the year or cold all the year. I need variety.

The capital of Estonia is Tallinn. I live a little bit outside of Tallinn. I live in parish named Kiili. It has become pretty popular place to live lately. Mainly because it is very close to city but it's still very quiet place to live in.

My favourite place of the Estonia is Hiiumaa. It is the second largest island in Estonia. I spend all my summers there. We have a place there which is surrounded by forest and rather private beach is within walking distance. For me it is the best place to be in summer.

I would write more but I'm afraid my grammar doesn't let me and I'm sorry if I have incorrect sentences in this text. That's because my first language is still Estonian.

Piret, your grammar and sentences are fine! Don't worry about that with this group--we're very nonjudgmental and your comments are welcome. Estonia sounds beautiful, especially your summer place.

Piret wrote: "I live in Estonia. It's a little country next to Russia, in the northern Europe.

It's autumn right now. As usually in autumn, here is pretty cold. But when it comes to general climate, we have 4 ..."

Piret wrote: "I live in Estonia. It's a little country next to Russia, in the northern Europe.

It's autumn right now. As usually in autumn, here is pretty cold. But when it comes to general climate, we have 4 ..."

I googled your country and loved it.. Especially the description of your place.. When i am old enough(i am 19 right now) i hope to visit it as travelling is a passion i share alongside reading ...

I don't have to say a lot about Savona, the town where I live since 10 years. It is situated in North Italy and the whole region, Liguria, is pressed between the sea and the mountains. We are not far away from France, just 1-2 hours with the car.
The best thing we have here is the sea but the town hasn't a lot to offer. The whole region is full of tourism thanks to the wonderful sea (it is Blue Flag, it means it is "high quality": http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Blue_Fla...) and thanks to the many colorful fishing villages (just look for Varigotti, Portofino, Le Cinque Terre...); there are really a lot of nice and famous places. We have at least once a week a cruise ship (sometimes also two) in the harbor and it is always full of tourists, summer and winter; during summer it is also hard to move with the car or find a parking.
The climate is mild: a hot but dry summer and a mild winter (it never snows or it is very rare).
The city hasn't a lot to offer. There is just a medieval Fortress overlooking the sea and it's nice to walk there during the summer because they organize a lot of things and because from one side you see the whole city and from the other the sea.
We have also the Sistine Chapel, lol! But it is not by Michelangelo. They have the same name because who ordered them was the same pope, Pope Sixtus IV. His parents were from Savona and the chapel had to house their tombs.

https://www.google.it/search?q=Long+B...

Katy wrote: "Greg: When my boyfriend stays in LA, he often stays in Long Beach at eats at a restaurant called Steamed. He loves it."

I've never been there Katy, but I looked it up, and it looks really good! I'll have to try it sometime!

I live in Atlanta, in the Southern United States. It is autumn here but it is still quite warm. Atlanta earned its place in history as the birth place of the American civil rights movement. Martin Luther King, Jr. preached here. We recently opened a new Civil Rights Museum. We have quite the literary history as well. Margaret Mitchell wrote Gone With the Wind in a small apartment in Midtown. Flannery O'Connor lived in the area as well. And I would be remiss if I did not mention my favorite part of Atlanta -- our baseball team! We won 14 consecutive division titles beginning in the 90s.

I live in Saskatchewan, Canada, known as the Breadbasket of the World, for our history of exporting copious amounts of wheat. In more recent years our production of canola, mustard and lentils have rivalled wheat production. When in bloom, both canola and mustard have yellow flowers, while a lesser grown crop, flax, flowers purple, and the wheat is green. Very pretty to see all the fields in colour from the highways or from an airplane. Our province has a reputation for being flat and boring, however, we are a large province and the northern two thirds is covered in lakes and forest. There are over 100,000 lakes in Saskatchewan and I live in an area know as The Gateway to the North, basically the last large populated area before lake country. My city is a small city by global standards, not quite 20,000 people, but one of the larger urban centres in Saskatchewan, population close to 1 million. Living so close to lake country is very nice as we are a completely land locked province(no ocean).
It is fall now and all our leaves have already fallen. Yesterday we had our first snowfall of the season, but I am happy to report it has since melted. By mid-November we will have snow that will stay until at least mid-April. We must embrace the winter and get out and enjoy what it has to offer. There is a large island in the river that goes through my city and there are several cross country ski trails on it. I try to ski there at least three times a week and have seen many deer, rabbits, owls, fox, and even a moose (that was scary). We can get to -40 Celsius (coincidentally the equivalent of 40 below Farenheit as that is where the two scales meet up), but we jokingly reassure each other that at least it is a dry cold. Our summers always seem much too short, with temperatures in the mid 20's to low 30's.
We are a resource-rich area, global providers of both potash (for fertilizers) and uranium, and a smaller market in diamonds.
When Canada was first being explored and settled, everything west of Ontario (except British Columbia) was known as the Northwest Territory and my area was named the capital. The Hudson Bay company had an outpost here and Government House was built nearby. Sadly, this historic building was lost in a fire about 10 years ago.
Both Yann Martel and Guy Vanderhaeghe live close by.

Evelyn, Saskatchewan sounds so beautiful! I love the winter and would feel right at home.

Terri wrote: "Laura, I loved your link! What beautiful pictures! I'd love to visit."

I start preparing your bed in my spare room. Only tell me when you're coming!

Katy wrote: "I live in Atlanta, in the Southern United States. It is autumn here but it is still quite warm. Atlanta earned its place in history as the birth place of the American civil rights movement. Mart..."

For me Atlanta means "Gone with the wind"!!!

Evelyn wrote: "I live in Saskatchewan, Canada, known as the Breadbasket of the World, for our history of exporting copious amounts of wheat. In more recent years our production of canola, mustard and lentils have..."

Along with Australia Canada is my dream travel!

Lol Laura! I'm with you as far as Canada and Australia!

Piret wrote: "I live in Estonia. It's a little country next to Russia, in the northern Europe.

It's autumn right now. As usually in autumn, here is pretty cold. But when it comes to general climate, we have 4 ..."

I had to walk around Perugia with thecEstonian European Councillorcfor the contestcwe lostvtwo weeks ago. She was a delightfull woman who talked about your country with love

Sorry for the many typing mistake: my tablet almost never allows me to change them!!!

Greg wrote: "I live in Long Beach, California. It's in the southernmost tip of Los Angeles County, right on the border of Orange County. It's a friendly diverse largely working class community!

One of the thi..."

Greg, I vacationed in California just before GPS became available. I rented a car and drove from Rancho Cordova, near Sacramento, to Annahiem to visit Disneyland and then into Los Angeles to visit Universal Studios, and then back to Rancho Cordova, trying to follow a printout from Mapquest I propped on the console. For a girl from the Canadian prairies used to flat, straight, divided 2 lane roads, with less than a tenth of the traffic on them and only one speed limit posted, your I-5 was quite an experience! Especially that bit just north of LA when on ramps that look like dropped spaghetti turn it into 10 lanes, wow. Did I mention this was over Christmas break week? It was a fabulous holiday, no snow, green grass, so much to see and do.

Terri and Laura, come anytime!

I still have Italy on my travel list, my son and his fiancée are planning a trip there next fall for their honeymoon and I am so jealous! But he said I can not come with them on this trip lol

Evelyn wrote: "Greg wrote: "I live in Long Beach, California. It's in the southernmost tip of Los Angeles County, right on the border of Orange County. It's a friendly diverse largely working class community!

O..."

LOL Evelyn, the freeways can get pretty crazy, especially around the holidays! I'm glad you had fun though!

I actually miss the snow and changing leaves sometimes, but I'm happy there's no need to shovel driveways; so I guess it all evens out. :)

I've only been to Canada once - I thought it was just beautiful. I love hiking and the outdoors!

Your description of Saskatchewan is great - I felt like I could picture it. We have fields of mustard flowers to the side of the road some places here too, so gorgeous to drive past when they're all blooming and gold!

Saskatchewan sounds beautiful. I've never been to Canada but I'd love to

I've only been to British Columbia. There was a time you didn't even need a passport and there are ferries between Washington and B.C. all the time. I'd love to take that train that goes across Canada and maybe visit Banff.

Evelyn wrote: "Terri and Laura, come anytime!

I still have Italy on my travel list, my son and his fiancée are planning a trip there next fall for their honeymoon and I am so jealous! But he said I can not come..."

So you come at my place on your own! And then I come back with you. Ihave been to California and found it gorgeous!

Glad you enjoyed it Laura :)

Kirsten I highly recommend Banff! I used to live near there and it is positively gorgeous, I try to go there for a weekend every summer.

Laura, it's a deal - bring Heather too!

Greg wrote: "Glad you enjoyed it Laura :)"

You live in afantastic place! How could anyone not like ti s much!!!

So many great places. I thought I'd already commented on here but I must've just thought about it :)

I live in Wellington, New Zealand..."the coolest little capital in the world".

It's nicknamed "Windy Wellington" for a reason but there's a saying "You can't beat Wellington on a good day" and you really can't! When the sun is shining it's like the city comes alive. Everyone is out, checking out funky Cuba street, or down at the vege/food market on the waterfront, or lying on one of the several beaches scattered around the city's fringes, or careering down one of the many mountain bike tracks etc etc. It's a compact city so you can literally be on a hike, at the beach, mountain biking, or playing golf within minutes.

There are also so many good cafes that it's always a hard decision about heading to your local again or trying a new place.

I really couldn't imagine living anywhere else in New Zealand. I hope you all have the chance to spend sometime here one day :) If you ever are in the vicinity, get in touch!

Erica, my, that sounds wonderful. Now you have me wanting to go there!!!

Chrissie wrote: "Erica, my, that sounds wonderful. Now you have me wanting to go there!!!"

My exact comment!

Erica - I would love to live in New Zealand :)

Thanks for sharing about Wellington - I was only there for a day, having crossed the Cook Strait in foul weather, but I still got an impression of it. I was surprised how modern it is! I particularly remember the Wellington "Beehive", and describing it to my Dad, who had been there during the war. To him, Sydney Harbour Bridge was spanking new, so he was intrigued to hear how Wellington had changed!

Oh and I'd dearly love to see Banff ...

Hello guys!
I live in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Kuala Lumpur is the capital of Malaysia. It's quite a busy city. As you know, Malaysia is a tropical country, so it is hot here all year around. Nevertheless, it's rainy season now. So it rains literally everyday. In the centre of Kuala lumpur, we have the 88-storeys Petronas Twin Towers, which is the symbolic building of Kuala Lumpur. It's a city of tourism because we have shopping malls, tropical rain forests, a few exciting theme parks. I live in here, but I prefer to go out of the city some times, for fresher air.

Hi I live way out in the woods in Clyo Georgia USA. 20 minutes away from town , but nice and peaceful. And nice weather though hot in the summer. high 70's lately.

It's never too hot in summer for me! It can be too cold in winter though!!!

Malaysia is one of the "dream land" for italian tourists; who knows maybe I'll be going there somesay ...

binsie wrote: "I live in a small village called Macchie which is about 40km from LauraT’s Perugia. Laura says We are a little medium sized town built on two hills. What she does not mention is that without the tr..."

Didn't know we were so near!!!!
And yes, you need sherpa to go around. But if you are used to Perugia you can go wherever!!!

Not so furnished - when I was in University I had to go to ROme or Florence to find all the books I needed for the exams. But now this problem has been overtaken by online publication and amazon!!!

What an interesting thread - everything that's good about the Internet - bringing people together across borders, countries, seas - wonderful.

I'm expat English living in France - about and hour from the Spanish border. I've been genuinely amazed at the extent of cultural difference between France and the UK. The pace of life here is much slower, even in the towns.

Oops - sorry pressed the wrong button.

Service ( in my experience) is an alien concept to the French. Poor at just about every conceivable level. Interestingly the food has been disappointing as well. The health service is brilliant - to be honest it puts to shame the NHS, and has certainly made me question the 'free at the point of use' holy grail in the UK - and I speak as a committed life-long socialist. This is not a deeply consumerist society - which I like - the downside being that choice is poor and quite ordinary things tend to be expensive - paint, for example is exhorbitant. It is a beautiful and well-cared for country - the French certainly take a pride in their environment - littler, for example is something I rarely see. They're much more formal than the English, so they take some getting to know - but once you're known and accepted they're kind and generous. Not sure if this is my forever home - but it's been a good and interesting experience.

Susan wrote: "Oops - sorry pressed the wrong button.

Service ( in my experience) is an alien concept to the French. Poor at just about every conceivable level. Interestingly the food has been disappointing as..."

Can you believe it? I also don't like the french cusine at all!!! And it so renown

Susan, how long have you been living in France? It is a big country, the biggest in area in the European Union. Both the landscapes and characteristic of the people vary widely. I spend a lot of time in Brittany and adore the mode of life there. The meat and vegetables are of high quality. How you then chooses to prepare the basic ingredients is up to you! You might be interested in The Discovery of France: A Historical Geography from the Revolution to the First World War

Kara wrote: "Can I share where I'm from and where I live?"

Please do Kara!

I'm a Jerusalemite... sort of. I'm afraid the description won't fit in the Goodreads character limit.

But it so interesting "hearing" you speack of your home Genia!

I live in the Tarn et Garonne, a department of the Midi-Pyrenees, so we're well South - about an hour from the Spanish border.

Yes, it is indeed a country of diverse landscapes - one of the things I love about it - and of course the people vary - as they do anywhere else. However, I'm afraid I can't pretend the meat or vegetables are of a particularly admirable quality around here. This is the region of duck, foie gras, walnuts and prunes. If a formule consisting of Quercynoise salad (includes duck breast, and duck gizzard); followed by duck confit and tarte aux pommes works for you - over and over again - then you'll be in seventh heaven.

Take a look at this link http://www.theguardian.com/lifeandsty.... Jay Rayner in The Observer earlier this year - sums it up beautifully!