Most readers know that Stephen King's novels usually take place in the state of Maine, where the novel Olive Kitteridge (2008), by Elizabeth Strout also takes place, but King broke out of the mold with the popular Duma Key (2008),which takes place in Florida. Many novels take place in New York, both city and state.

Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close (2005), by Jonathan Safran Foer, a moving 9/11 novel, features a child as the main character. Most of the Agent Pendergrast series of novels by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, such as Cemetery Dance (2009), start in New York City as well, while also visiting, among other sites, Prendergast's childhood home in New Orleans, Louisiana. Gone Tomorrow (2009), one of Lee Child's best thrillers, also takes place in New York.

Moving West, Jeannette Walls' novel, Half-Broke Horses (2009), is based on her grandmother's incredible life growing up in Texas and Arizona. Alaska is featured in the mysteries of Dana Stabenow and in a bleak new novel about marriage and relationships, Caribou Island (2011), by David Vann. Finally, the "granddaddy" of all writers of novels about states, James Michener, wrote one of the best ever, Hawaii (1959).

If you like The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo series by Swedish author Steig Larsson, you might like the novels of Norwegian author Jo Nesbo. His latest, featuring detective Harry Hole, is

The Devil's Star. The main character, Harry, is complex and the plot developments twisty and engrossing!

And a big (lliterally!) novel to read might be: The Passage by Justin Cronin, which has gotten lots of good reviews.  The characters in this post-apocalyptic quest-for-safety story make it a page-turner similar to Stephen King's The Stand. 

Full Dark, No Stars is Stephen King’s latest and the title is appropriate! These “long stories” are dark indeed, featuring rats, murder, rape, murder, the devil and murder. Each creates a unique world:  I thought the creepiest were the first, "1922," (which reminded me of The Green Mile and Shawshank Redemption) and "Big Driver," in which a writer of cozy mysteries finds herself a character in an all-too-real work of horror.

At the same time I was reading Mr. King my daughter introduced me to the new AMC series: The Walking Dead; the whole first season is "on demand" on Comcast Cable, but is not out on DVD until March.  This series is the real zombie deal, with good special effects, make-up and acting while being character-driven and well-produced and directed. However, the violence and mayhem on the television (heck, I also was watching the 5th season of Dexter - about everyone's favorite serial killer - on HBO which is not yet available on DVD!) while reading Stephen King, who can always be counted on for more than you were bargaining for, created some interesting Thanksgiving weekend dreams. I had to stop everything and watch the Amazing Race to clear my head!