A Mini Challenge for the July Book Blowout

Mrs. S. is really staying on top of things with the July Book Blowout Challenge. She posted a mini-challenge for us relating to the book we are currently reading, so here goes:

1. Title and Author of the Book: I'm presently reading Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen and listening to In the Woods by Tana French.

2. What Year is the Book Set in? Water for Elephants hasn't, as far as I can recall, specified an actual date. There are some clues about the general time frame, though. There are references to Prohibition and the Stock Market Crash. So, that part of the book is late 20s early 30s. The main character, Jacob Jankowski, is in his early to mid 20s at that point. Then the book flashes forward to when he's 90ish. He says he's 90 or 93; he's not sure which. In the Woods takes place in 2004 with references to another crime that took place in 1984.

3. What happened on this day in that year? Since neither book is set in one day, this question isn't really relevant to me, but I've already mentioned (in the United States) Prohibition and the Stock Market Crash for Water for Elephants. In 2004 a few events taking place in the United States included Martha Stewart serving a sentence for Insider Trading, Avenue Q won the Best Musical Tony Award, Lord of the Rings: The Return of the King won 11 Oscars, the last Oldsmobile was produced, and sadly, President Bush was re-elected for a second term.

4. Where is your book set? Water for Elephants is about a traveling circus, so it takes place in many different locations. At the point I'm presently reading, they are in Chicago, Illinois. The book starts out in Ithaca, New York where Jacob is in veterinary school at Cornell. In the Woods takes place in and around Dublin, Ireland.

5. Have you ever visited that place before? If no, look the location up on Google and tell us an interesting fact about the city/country. I've never been to Ithaca. I have been to New York City. I've already mentioned what Ithaca is most well-known for, being the home of Cornell University. It was named after the Greek island of Ithaca, and was an important center in the silent film industry in the early 20th century. However, very few films made in Ithaca are preserved today. Since the Chicago World's Fair of 1893, Chicago has been regarded as one of the ten most influential cities in the world. My only experience with it was a layover at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport when I was traveling from Cleveland to Omaha, Nebraska. That is one crazy airport, and they constantly change the location where you are supposed to board your plane!

As for Ireland, my ancestors are from Ireland, but I've never had a chance to visit. My sister visited last year and her pictures show awesomely beautiful landscapes. She also kissed the Blarney Stone!

(All information from Wikipedia)

Happy Reading!