Starry Says – Episode #107 — RUSA ’23 Redux

© Starry Night Elf

Manuscript Word Count (MWC) – 74,963

2024 Reading Goal to Date 5/100

As we began the 2024 Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC), I wanted to take a moment to recognize all the places I visited while participating in the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) SRC. Click here to read about this SRC from the previous year.

Map of where I read last year followed by a listing of regions and titles:

Starry Night Elf’s Regional U.S.A. Stellar Reading Challenge Spots Read

Make yours @ BigHugeLabs.com

Region #1 – West

• Celine by Peter Heller (Wyoming)
• Crying in H Mart: A Memoir by Michelle Zauner (Oregon)

Region #2 – Southwest

• The Donut Legion by Joe R. Lansdale (Texas)
• Half Broke Horses: A True Life Novel by Jeannette Walls (Arizona)

Region #3 – Midwest

• Class Mom by Laurie Gelman (Kansas)
• The Sentence by Louise Erdrich (Minnesota)

Region #4 – Southeast

• Triptych (Will Trent #1) by Karin Slaughter (Georgia)
• The Vapors: A Southern Family, the New York Mob, and the Rise and Fall of Hot Springs, America’s Forgotten Capital of Vice by David Hill (Arkansas)

Region #5 – Northeast

• A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline (Maine)
• A Study in Charlotte (Charlotte Holmes #1) by Brittany Cavallaro (Connecticut)

I mentioned a few weeks ago that I’m aiming to read different places in the Read the U.S.A. (RTUSA) SRC this year which is dividing into chunks determined by alphabetical order. Check out the details on the RTUSA by clicking here.

So far, I’m reading in Alabama, a place I’ve not visited via literature since 2021. How about you, Gnomies? Where are you reading?

Have a stellar weekend!

Starlight Book Review -Brittany Cavallaro’s A Study in Charlotte – 🇺🇸

Cover of A Study in Charlotte by Brittany Cavallaro on a blue colored background | Image Source: Goodreads

RUSA SRC – Region #4 Northeast – Connecticut

3.8/5 When taking on the 2023 Stellar Reading Challenges (SRC), particularly with the U.S.-centric one, I aimed to read books set in the “less popular states.” When I saw book set in Connecticut, as opposed to New York, and that it offered a contemporary twist on Sherlock Holmes on The Book Girls’ Guide. The first book in the Charlotte Holmes Series, A Study in Charlotte, fit the bill. Click here to see The Book Girls’ Guide’s post on

Check out the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour by clicking here.

“The last thing Jamie Watson wants is a rugby scholarship to Sherringford, a Connecticut prep school just an hour away from his estranged father. But that’s not the only complication: Sherringford is also home to Charlotte Holmes, the famous detective’s great-great-great-granddaughter, who has inherited not only Sherlock’s genius but also his volatile temperament. From everything Jamie has heard about Charlotte, it seems safer to admire her from afar… From the moment they meet, there’s a tense energy between them, and they seem more destined to be rivals than anything else. But when a Sherringford student dies under suspicious circumstances, ripped straight from the most terrifying of the Sherlock Holmes stories, Jamie can no longer afford to keep his distance. Jamie and Charlotte are being framed for murder, and only Charlotte can clear their names. But danger is mounting and nowhere is safe—and the only people they can trust are each other.”

For the most part, I enjoyed A Study in Charlotte. I liked how Sherlock Holmes and John Watson truly existed in the Charlotte Holmes universe crafted by Cavallaro. Jamie and Charlotte intrigued me. While Connecticut remains on my leap list, I imagined with ease the Sherringford campus in the Nutmeg State. Someday, I might read the next in the Charlotte Holmes Series. I took off 1.2 stars on my rating for perhaps some arbitrary reasons — 1) I have yet to read Doyle’s Sherlock Holmes Series and I had to return my copy a number of times because others wanted to read A Study in Charlotte.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

Starlight Book Review – Christina Baker Kline’s A Piece of the World 🇺🇸

Cover of A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline on a ‘tropical forest green’ colored background | Image Source: Goodreads

RUSA SRC – Region #4 Northeast – Maine

3.85/5 Days prior to discovering this book, I saw Andrew Wyeth’s painting Christina’s World featured on a Facebook page I follow. Per usual, I read a little more about the work. Then, I saw A Piece of the World by Christina Baker Kline listed as a book set in Maine on The Book Girls’ Guide. Check out their post by clicking here.

Check out the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour by clicking here.

“From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the smash bestseller Orphan Train, a stunning and atmospheric novel of friendship, passion, and art, inspired by Andrew Wyeth’s mysterious and iconic painting Christina’s World... “Later he told me that he’d been afraid to show me the painting. He thought I wouldn’t like the way he portrayed me: dragging myself across the field, fingers clutching dirt, my legs twisted behind. The arid moonscape of wheatgrass and timothy. That dilapidated house in the distance, looming up like a secret that won’t stay hidden.”… To Christina Olson, the entire world was her family’s remote farm in the small coastal town of Cushing, Maine. Born in the home her family had lived in for generations, and increasingly incapacitated by illness, Christina seemed destined for a small life. Instead, for more than twenty years, she was host and inspiration for the artist Andrew Wyeth, and became the subject of one of the best known American paintings of the twentieth century… As she did in her beloved smash bestseller Orphan Train, Christina Baker Kline interweaves fact and fiction in a powerful novel that illuminates a little-known part of America’s history. Bringing into focus the flesh-and-blood woman behind the portrait, she vividly imagines the life of a woman with a complicated relationship to her family and her past, and a special bond with one of our greatest modern artists… Told in evocative and lucid prose, A Piece of the World is a story about the burdens and blessings of family history, and how artist and muse can come together to forge a new and timeless legacy.”

I found facets of A Piece of the World intriguing – such as Christina’s grandmother Mamey and the various seafaring journey taken by ancestors. Also, I appreciated the interactions between Wyeth and Christina. I liked learning more about life in Maine — coastal life, New England heritage, etc. Yet, I struggled with reading this book — the austerity of the Olson Family’s life made this tough-going. The narrative, told in present-tense, drove me a little batty at times. I recommend A Piece of the World to anyone wanting a tale behind Christina’s World.

Click here to view Christina’s World.

Quotes come from book flaps/cover and are featured on color blocks.

RUSA Tour SRC Region 5 & Stop #10 – Northeast/ Connecticut 🇺🇸

Badge for RUSA Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) Region 5 & Stop #10- Northeast/ Connecticut| © Starry Night Elf

Our travels through Region 5, the Northeast, of the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) come to a close, Gnomies.

Click here to read more about RUSA Tour SRC.

We wrap up in Connecticut, known as the “Constitution State.” Credit for the first nickname goes to popular historian and Connecticuter John Fiske. Click here to see more on Connecticut State sobriquets.

Read a book set in the Constitution State to earn the badge within this post. If you selected a place in Connecticut as your spot in the Local Tour SRC, said book can count towards both challenges.

Learn more about the Local Tour SRC by clicking here.

You only need to read two (2) books per RUSA Region but feel free to read more.

Please read books set in any RUSA Region but posts in October and November will look at states in Region #5 – Northeast.

What are some books set in the Constitution State, Gnomies?

RUSA Tour SRC Region 5 & Stop #9 – Northeast/ Delaware 🇺🇸

Badge for RUSA Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) Region 5 & Stop #9- Northeast/ Delaware | © Starry Night Elf

We continue our trek through Region 5, the Northeast, of the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC).

Click here to read more about RUSA Tour SRC.

We pull up to Delaware, sometimes called “Small Wonder” for its size. Delaware received its official nickname in 2002, the First State, for being the earliest of the 13 colonies to ratify the U.S. Constitution in 1787. Click here to see more Delaware State facts.

Read a book set in the First State to earn the badge seen in this post. If you selected a place in Delaware as your spot in the Local Tour SRC, said book can count towards both challenges.

Learn more about the Local Tour SRC by clicking here.

You only need to read two (2) books per RUSA Region but feel free to read more.

Please read books set in any RUSA Region but posts in October and November will look at states in Region #5 – Northeast.

What are some books set in the First State, Gnomies?

RUSA Tour SRC Region 5 & Stop #8 – Northeast/ Maine 🇺🇸

Badge for RUSA Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) Region 5 & Stop #8- Northeast/ Maine | © Starry Night Elf

Gnomies, we continue our trek through Region 5 of the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC). Region 5 in the RUSA SRC is the Northeast.

Click here to read more about RUSA Tour SRC.

We arrive in Maine which separated from Massachusetts in 1820 to become the 23^rd state in the U.S. Known as the Pine Tree State for its numerous white pine trees, some historians believe Maine’s “name came from the nautical term “mainland” or “the main,” which the colony’s founders may have used to differentiate Maine from the islands off its coast. Or it might have been named after an English village of the same name.” Click here to learn more about Maine.

Read a book set in the Pine Tree State to earn the badge seen in this post. If you selected a place in Maine as your spot in the Local Tour SRC, said book can count towards both challenges.

Learn more about the Local Tour SRC by clicking here.

You only need to read two (2) books per RUSA Region but feel free to read more.

Please read books set in any RUSA Region but posts in October and November will look at states in Region #5 – Northeast.

What are some books set in the Pine Tree State, Gnomies?

RUSA Tour SRC Region 5 & Stop #7 – Northeast/ Massachusetts 🇺🇸

Badge for RUSA Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) Region 5 & Stop #7- Northeast/ Massachusetts| © Starry Night Elf

Gnomies, our travels through Region 5 of the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) continue. Region 5 in the RUSA SRC is the Northeast.

Click here to read more about RUSA Tour SRC.

We pull up to Massachusetts, the Bay State. The state’s nickname may originate from its numerous bays, or it might refer to the Massachusetts Bay Company, which received a royal charter to colonize the land. Click here to learn more about Massachusetts.

Read a book set in the Bay State to earn the badge seen in this post. If you selected a place in Massachusetts as your place in the Local Tour SRC, said book can count towards both challenges.

Learn more about the Local Tour SRC by clicking here.

You only need to read two (2) books per RUSA Region but feel free to read more.

Please read books set in any RUSA Region but posts in October and November will look at states in Region #5 – Northeast.

What are some books set in the Bay State, Gnomies?

RUSA Tour SRC Region 5 & Stop #6 – Northeast/ New Hampshire 🇺🇸

Badge for RUSA Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) Region 5 & Stop #6- Northeast/New Hampshire
| © Starry Night Elf

Our trip through Region 5 of the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) continues, Gnomies. Region 5 in the RUSA SRC is the Northeast.

Click here to read more about RUSA Tour SRC.

We venture north to New Hampshire. Called the Granite State for its numerous granite quarries, granite also holds the distinction of the state’s rock. Click here to learn more about the state symbols of New Hampshire.

Read a book set in the Granite State to earn the badge seen in this post. If you selected a place in New Hampshire as your spot in the Local Tour SRC, that book can count towards both challenges.

Learn more about the Local Tour SRC by clicking here.

You only need to read two (2) books per RUSA Region but feel free to read more.

Please read books set in any RUSA Region but posts in October and November will look at states in Region #5 – Northeast.

What are some books set in the Granite State, Gnomies?

RUSA Tour SRC Region 5 & Stop #5 – Northeast/ New Jersey 🇺🇸

Badge for RUSA Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) Region 5 & Stop #5- Northeast/New Jersey
| © Starry Night Elf

Gnomies, our literary trek through Region 5 of the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) continues. Region 5 in the RUSA SRC is the Northeast.

Click here to read more about RUSA Tour SRC.

We travel to our next stop, New Jersey. New Jersey’s nickname of “The Garden State” goes back to the 19^th Century. Learn more about the moniker’s origins by clicking here, Gnomies.

Read a book set in the Garden State to earn the badge included in this post. If you selected a place in New Jersey as your spot in the Local Tour SRC, that book can count towards both challenges.

Learn more about the Local Tour SRC by clicking here.

You only need to read two (2) books per RUSA Region but feel free to read more.

Please read books set in any RUSA Region but posts in October and November will look at states in Region #5 – Northeast.

Can you name some books set in the Garden State, Gnomies?

RUSA Tour SRC Region 5 & Stop #4 – Northeast/ New York 🇺🇸

Badge for RUSA Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) Region 5 & Stop #4- Northeast/New York
| © Starry Night Elf

Our literary trek through Region 5 of the Regional U.S.A. (RUSA) Tour Stellar Reading Challenge (SRC) continues, Gnomies. Region 5 in the RUSA SRC is the Northeast.

Click here to read more about RUSA Tour SRC.

We head north to our next stop, New York. Known as the Empire State for its national as well as global significance, New York boasts the largest city in the U.S.A. Click here to read more about New York state symbols.

Read a book taking place in the Empire State to earn the badge seen in this post. If you selected a place in New York as your spot in the Local Tour SRC, that book can count towards both challenges.

Learn more about the Local Tour SRC by clicking here.

You only need to read two (2) books per RUSA Region but feel free to read more.

You can read any RUSA Region but posts in October and November will look at states in Region #5 – Northeast.

Gnomies, can you name some books set in the Empire State?