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State by State
State by State | Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
9 posts | 7 read | 1 reading | 6 to read
See America with 50 of Our Finest, Funniest, and Foremost Writers Anthony Bourdain chases the fumigation truck in Bergen County, New Jersey Dave Eggers tells it straight: Illinois is Number 1 Louise Erdrich loses her bikini top in North Dakota Jonathan Franzen gets waylaid by New York's publicist...and personal attorney...and historian...and geologist John Hodgman explains why there is no such thing as a "Massachusettsean" Edward P. Jones makes the case: D.C. should be a state! Jhumpa Lahiri declares her reckless love for the Rhode Island coast Rick Moody explores the dark heart of Connecticut's Merritt Parkway, exit by exit Ann Patchett makes a pilgrimage to the Civil War site at Shiloh, Tennessee William T. Vollmann visits a San Francisco S&M club and Many More!
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VRM1975
State by State | Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
Pickpick

.

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squirrelbrain
State by State | Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
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#americanpie
#septembersins

To all my #ReadingUSA2019 friends - would it be considered cheating to just read this book for the challenge?! 🤣

Ruthiella Nice short cut!😂 5y
jhod Good thinking ! 5y
jenniferw88 😂😂😂 5y
Librarybelle 😂😂😂 Well, it technically does cover the 50 states... 5y
Hooked_on_books Totally cheating! But very clever of you. 😏 Maybe as a companion piece after you‘ve read all 50? 5y
68 likes3 stack adds5 comments
review
squirrelbrain
State by State | Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
Bailedbailed

At the moment this is a bail. I‘m not sure what I was expecting (maybe some quirky stories?) but I read the first few and they were more political essays. I hope to pick it up again this year for one of the challenges, as a book I started but didn‘t finish.

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Blaire
State by State | Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
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Today I am ready to #celebrate the good people of Alabama that turned out to vote for Doug Jones. A lovely end to the 1st night of Chanukah. Feeling a bit hopeful and #ready for the mid-terms. Sorry to be political this holiday season, but that win made my night. #decdays #seasonsreadings2017

manifestsanity L'Chaim! 6y
Cinfhen 🙌🏻💙🙌🏻 6y
AmyG As I said to my husband...a Hanukkah miracle! 6y
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bookloo I‘m finally (happily) shocked by Alabama. ♥️♥️ 6y
KarenUK 🙌🙌💕 6y
38 likes7 comments
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squirrelbrain
State by State | Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
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Just about to start on this book - not even sure if they're fictional stories or essays - or maybe a mixture of both. Some interesting authors in there so I'm interested to see who writes on which state.

I wonder which will be my favourite state / story?!

19 likes2 stack adds
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AvidReader25
State by State | Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
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As American as apple pie. #litsycooks

BooksForYears Delicious!! 7y
Alfoster Yum!! 7y
britt_brooke Looks tasty! 7y
LiteraryinLawrence That. Looks. Amazing. 7y
29 likes3 stack adds4 comments
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Rabbitandraven
State by State | Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
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Panpan

I read from east to west. Thankfully I only found 9 essays as off-putting as the editors' preface and intro. Sadly, I only found 4 that I would revisit or recommend. In between I found themes that personally resonated (gentrification) pretty evenly mixed with those that did not (hipster irony).

DaphneAdair So disappointing. 8y
DaphneAdair I'm curious about the ones that were good, but you know ... I have enough on the list to move on. 8y
Rabbitandraven @crankyisgood The more nuanced take is that there were roughly 25 I appreciated, of which 4 I really liked, and 25 I generally disliked, of which 10 I was really disappointed by. So it's not exactly a total write off. 8y
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Rabbitandraven My "hell yeah" list that I really liked: Pennsylvania
Maine
Montana
Idaho
8y
DaphneAdair Ah. Well, I won't run screaming, then! 8y
Rabbitandraven My "yeah, okay" list: Maryland
Massachusetts
North Carolina
Vermont
Rhode Island
South Carolina
West Virginia
Washington DC
Louisiana
Michigan
Indiana
Iowa
Texas
New Mexico
Colorado
Wyoming
Nevada
Hawaii
Washington
8y
Rabbitandraven My "Eh" list: Georgia
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Tennessee
Virginia
Alabama
Arkansas
Florida
Ohio
Illinois
Missouri
Minnesota
Oklahoma
Nebraska
South Dakota
North Dakota
Arizona
8y
Rabbitandraven My "Meh" list of strongly disappointing reads: Connecticut
Delaware
Mississippi
Oregon
Kentucky
Kansas
Utah (terrible metaphors and similes)
California
Alaska
8y
4 likes8 comments
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Rabbitandraven
State by State | Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
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I'm 6 essays in and at a solid 50/50 between like and loathe. I really wasn't prepared to enjoy John Hodgman's take on Massachusetts but damn if his views on Bostonian sportism aren't winning me over.

DaphneAdair I'm still intrigued! 8y
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Rabbitandraven
State by State | Sean Wilsey, Matt Weiland
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The introduction to this book just brings to mind the saying "Lord give me the confidence of a mediocre white man." As this intro is written by one of the co-editors, I am not hopeful that they will deliver on their promise to provide fresh voices to illustrate the American landscape.

DaphneAdair Many good writers are in there ... I suggest skipping the rest of the introduction (even though my name's in it). 8y
Rabbitandraven Fair point. I will let the essays speak for themselves but my goodness was this an enthusiasm-killer. 8y
DaphneAdair I'm with you. Hoping it is better than this - I will be waiting to hear the verdict! 8y
DaphneAdair PS I was not familiar with the saying BTW and like it. 8y
1 like4 comments