Welcome to Tuesday Book Chat.
This is where we encourage book lovers to answer our bookish question of the week. As we are a faith-based group the questions refer mainly to Christian fiction or non-fiction.
Today’s question is:
How do you find books set in a specific location?
We look forward to hearing your thoughts. Please join in the conversation by commenting on this post or on the blog post shared in our Australasian Christian Writers Facebook Group. Remember to comment today on Tuesday Book Chat to enter the giveaway.
Let’s chat!
When I was doing a challenge looking for books in different states of America I googled and found a Christian site. I think it was called fiction finder, back then as the books were listed in different ways. Genre, location, subject etc, found some of the states I was struggling to find this way. I did find some sites with books from a country but had no order, they had both fiction and non-fiction. I used the site as a last choice, my first was to ask my friends online. Now I would ask in a group like Avid readers or another Christian group. I also check out the lists on Goodreads. There are some amazing lists there.
Recently I asked chatgpt and it was very helpful. I could ask can you suggest some Christian books set in South Australia and it will give me a list. Then can ask more specific questions to narrow it down even more.
The good thing about sites like Goodreads, Fiction finder is they are free to list for authors. I don’t trust sites where authors are charged to list a book when there are so many free options online.
Your turn.
I look forward to reading your comments here or at the FB group.
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Hi Jenny, This is an interesting question. When I was co-hosting a podcast that focused on Christian contemporary romance (CCR) niche, we did episodes that covered all 50 US States. It was really hard to find CCR settings for some of them and I developed my go-to list for finding specific setting locations:
1. Avid Readers of Christian Fiction Facebook Group
– Facebook groups have great search functionality.
– Sometimes I’d search in our own Australasian Christian Writers (ACW) Facebook Group because we have many years of Weekend Book Fun archived group posts that include book links. I’ve also searched for books in Christian Writers Downunder (CWD) Facebook Group.
2. Ask my own specific location question in Avid Readers of Christian Fiction Facebook group if my initial searches didn’t find anything.
– There are 1000’s of Christian fiction readers who actively participate at different times in the Avid Readers group. If they can’t provide any suggestions, then it’s unlikely I’ll find a book set in that specific location anywhere else.
3. Goodreads – search the lists on the site.
4. Group blogs – including Australasian Christian Writers (current blog plus the original Blogger site we set up more than a decade ago) and Christian Writers Downunder blog.
– I use the website search functionality to see what shows up. Often settings aren’t easily searchable because they’re not named in the book title or subtitle or book description. Blog posts tend to include more specific information on the book content. Reviewers often mention the setting in their blog post book reviews.
I find the Fiction Finder website search functionality clunky, from a location/setting search perspective. Where Fiction Finder is useful is for finding books that address social issue topics that are categorised in their lists eg. alcoholism, substance abuse, domestic violence.
AI searches are amazing in what they can find. I wish they’d been available when I was looking for obscure books on niche topics for StoryChats.
My personal opinion is that AI searches have made the whole concept of a book listing website obsolete.
Book listing websites where authors pay to list their book are a well known 20th century junk marketing scam ripoff. Readers weren’t visiting these websites to find books last century, and now we have AI, social media, BookTok, etc. these old fashioned book listing junk marketing websites are the dinosaurs who will eventually disappear forever—assuming authors are smart and don’t get conned by these dodgy scams.
I agree. Back when I was doing the challenges it was before Avid but just asking on my wall found some books. Back then Fiction Finder was helpful. There was also another site that was helpful but think its gone now. (this was back around 2010). This site had books listed by genre but also by location and by author. Sites that don’t have it organised in a logical way annoy me.
But last year I was looking for books and Avid were so helpful. I find Goodreads helpful too.
AI is great it found me a few books I had been searching for.
These books sites where the author pays are just like a shop front that sends you all round the place. They don’t have books organised by genre, location, age etc. Then you find they are not even what they say they are. Like when I am looking for a particular area but the site is for authors from that area who are not writing about the state or country.
I didn’t have a clue! So I’m glad you brought this up, so I could learn from those who have.
Mostly It doesn’t worry me it was more when I was doing the challenge. but even for other genres etc I have used Avid. Last year was looking for cozy mysteries in KU. Then I wanted Christmas novellas, and asked.
It’s not something I’m usually looking for. The setting for me isn’t as important as the plot.
I can understand that Beth. I actually think its only really something people look for when they want to read a certain setting or do a challenge. I of a site where they have people from a particular region to try help promote them. Ironically a lot of the books they write are not from their area which makes me wonder why the website. This year I have read books I want to read without caring where they are set.
Thanks for those tips, Narelle. Sometimes it’s good to be able to find other books written in the same setting as yours. Though like anything, of course, you still need to do your research because the author doesn’t always have it right. But it’s another piece of information to add.
Thanks for commenting I hadn’t thought of it from an Authors point of view. But I agree you still need to do your research. Especially if writing in another country or even state. I can often see the Aussie writing in American books. One instance was the use of the word Acclimatise, in America they use Acclimate. I hadn’t heard this till a few years back and it was used so often seeing the Aussie word pulled me out knowing they don’t use it in America and many didn’t know what it meant. Another book I read had the couple driving into State City and saying the drive into the city is the same as any city. I had been there and thought its clear you haven’t driven this way cos you would not say that if you had. It sticks with me cos I drove on a bus into this city and couldn’t get over how dirty all the buildings on the out skirts looked and how dingy it all was. So research does really help.
There was a reading challenge to read books set in different states and I was clueless about how to proceed. So I skipped the challenge. I couldn’t find all the required readings beyond books I already had. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and findings.
I did one of them but it was read a book in each State and you could add countries. I had a google make with where each book was set. (Makes it hard when the author doesn’t mention a state in the book and it could by anywhere in a region. (Read one once they moved west but in my mind they were in South Carolina or similar and moved to Washington DC but in fact the distance put them smack bang dab in the middle of Wyoming or Idaho somewhere nearby.) I did it as a challenge as I read way over 100 books a year. (amazing how many were OK, TX and Montana).
The question came from comments people are looking for books set in certain locations and will go to a website if we set one up. To which I thought NO we won’t unless it is set up with where the book is set. which wasn’t what they were doing they were setting it up with authors from certain regions and the books they wrote which mostly were not in the state they lived.
Thanks for commenting. I actually find the challenges that say read a book this month with a say fireman or first responder, next month a cowboy etc are hard cos I don’t always want to read the types of books they recommend.