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Armchair Traveling: Books Set in Every U.S. State
The United States of America is an awfully big place. Sensibly, we chopped it into states a long time ago. This simplifies things—taxes, mapmaking, sports team allegiances—and it makes for an interesting way to divvy up the million-and-one stories that constitute American literature.
This time around, we’ve added another little twist. The 50 books below (51, actually, counting D.C.) have all been published within the last ten years. While many states have older books that are more readily identified with them individually, this list represents a kind of 21st-century survey of American reading.
This collection represents popular contemporary books set in each state, from Alabama to Wyoming. Our carefully curated list also covers a wide range of genres: contemporary “serious” literature, but also outstanding thrillers, comic novels, young adult, science fiction, mystery, historical fiction, and even a splash of nonfiction and biography, auto- and otherwise.
Scroll over the covers below to learn more about each book, and be sure to add those that pique your interest to your Want to Read shelf! Happy reading, America!
Alabama
A critical and commercial smash in 2020, author Yaa Gyasi’s deeply moving novel profiles a family of Ghanaian immigrants in Alabama. Young medical student Gifty, motivated by her family’s problems with depression and addiction, turns to science to try to solve the eternal mysteries of faith, suffering, and love. Bonus trivia: Gyasi is also the author of the celebrated 2016 novel Homecoming.
Alaska
From the author of The Nightingale, Kristin Hannah’s The Great Alone peers deeply into the wild and enduring appeal of Alaska, America’s last real frontier. When Vietnam veteran Ernt Allbright moves his family to a remote corner of the state, they find themselves in a land of transcendent beauty, enduring communities, and persistent danger.
Arizona
A piercing and personal account of life in the borderlands, Francisco Cantú’s acclaimed 2018 book combines elements of autobiography, memoir, history, and investigative reporting. As a Border Patrol agent in the scrublands of southern Arizona, Cantú has experienced firsthand the corrosive nature of failed public policy and the violence that seems to be tragically endemic to borderland areas throughout history.
Arkansas
Born and raised in small-town Arkansas, Garrard Conley was deeply and enthusiastically involved in church life. But when he came out as gay, this son of a Baptist pastor had to make a choice: agree to a church-supported “conversion therapy” program, or risk losing his connections to friends, family, and the God of his understanding. Conley’s memoir is a complex meditation on faith, family, and forgiveness.
California
Author Tommy Orange’s ambitious 2018 novel follows 12 characters from Native communities who travel to the Big Oakland Powwow in the San Francisco Bay Area—all of whom are connected in ways they have yet to discover. Orange’s poignant stories represent a kind of cultural cross-stitching, a gradually unfurling tapestry depicting the experience of urban Native Americans in contemporary America.
Colorado
Set in the fictional town of Crystal, Colorado, The Gifted School explores the conflicts that emerge when a very exclusive school for exceptional children opens in the community. The novel tracks four families as competition and the pursuit of academic prestige rattle marriages, careers, sibling relationships, and family dynamics. Being the smart kid in class brings its own set of problems.
Connecticut
Veteran storyteller Jodi Picoult centers her insightful 2016 novel on a hospital in Connecticut where labor and delivery nurse Ruth Jefferson finds herself in a situation so twisty and tragic that it eventually puts her square in the middle of the national media spotlight. Picoult’s smart and empathic story tackles thorny issues of race, privilege, and justice in modern America.
Delaware
Initially published in 2014, Cristina Henriquez’s heartrending novel stakes out new territory in the proud tradition of American immigrant stories. In a cinder-block complex off a highway in Delaware, the Rivera family is desperately hoping for a new future in the United States. Teenage daughter Maribel is recovering from a near-fatal accident, but the help she needs is blocked by language and cultural barriers.
Florida
As dedicated readers know, Colson Whitehead is constitutionally incapable of writing anything but great books. Winner of the 2020 Pulitzer Prize for fiction, The Nickel Boys is based on the real story of a reform school in Florida that operated for more than 100 years and left behind a grim legacy of corruption and abuse. Whitehead’s classic book ensures that this history shall not be forgotten.
Georgia
Set in Georgia and the dubiously progressive environs of the “New South,” Tayari Jones’ hit novel tells the tale of newlyweds Celestial and Roy, whose relationship is shattered when Roy is convicted of a crime he didn’t commit. An American Marriage has been widely heralded as a masterpiece of storytelling and a kind of sustained gaze into the past, present, and future of the country.
Hawaii
In 1995, off the coast of Kailua-Kona, Hawaii, a strange miracle occurs. Seven-year-old Nainoa Flores is saved from a watery death by—of all things—a school of sharks. Kawai Strong Washburn’s story moves to the strange rhythms of magical realism as the Flores family experiences further encounters with the numinous. Maybe those old Hawaiian gods are still around, after all.
Idaho
Tara Westover’s startling 2018 memoir begins in the wild and remote mountains of Idaho, where she was raised in a community of radical survivalists. Westover never saw a school classroom—or a doctor, for that matter—until she was 17 years old. Her determination to engage with the real world eventually takes her to Brigham Young University, then Harvard and Cambridge, England. Educated is a coming-of-age story unlike any other.
Illinois
Set in the art scene of Chicago during the 1980s, The Great Believers documents the personal and societal ravages of the AIDS epidemic at a time when much of the country was deliberately looking away. Later contemporary passages in Paris put the era into unique historical perspective through two intertwining story lines.
Indiana
Returning home to the ravaged and despairing Indiana factory town where she was raised, African American engineer Ruth Tuttle finds that her Ivy League education cannot save her from the shadows of her past. When she befriends Midnight, a young white boy in trouble, the two discover that rural Indiana is just another microcosm for the nation’s abiding trauma.
Iowa
Pulitzer Prize winner Marilynne Robinson returns to the town of Gilead in this heralded 2014 novel set in the heartland of Iowa. After spending her childhood on the run, a young woman named Lila takes shelter in a small-town church. Lila’s life takes a series of hard turns as she tries to reconcile her new situation with her desperate past.
Kansas
Author Ben Lerner’s 2019 novel, shortlisted for several major awards, chronicles the fate of the Gordon family in Topeka, Kansas. Married couple Jane and Jonathan work at the Foundation, a famous psychiatric clinic that attracts patients and caregivers from around the world. When their son Adam befriends the loner Darren Eberheart, The Topeka School becomes an insightful investigation of family, identity, and toxic masculinity.
Kentucky
In Depression-era rural Kentucky, five courageous women sign on for an ambitious project: taking books and literacy to nooks and crannies of America. Based on actual events, British author Jojo Moyes’ novel brings an outsider’s perspective to American historical fiction with the amazing story of the Packhouse Librarians of Kentucky.
Louisiana
Raised in a small Louisiana Black community, the Vignes twins ran away at age(s) 16 to chase their dreams. One sister ultimately elects to stay in the South and now lives with her daughter. The other sister goes north and, passing for white, discovers an entirely different experience of America. Brit Bennett’s deeply thoughtful story examines themes of race and history, memory and dreams.
Maine
This 2020 Goodreads Choice nominee for Debut Novel tells the story of Maine teenager Vanessa Wye, who falls into a relationship with her 40-year-old English teacher. Seventeen years later, Vanessa is persuaded to revisit her adolescence and make a difficult decision. My Dark Vanessa explores complex issues of consent, complicity, and victimhood.
Maryland
In a delightfully original mystery that might be termed "Maryland noir," veteran scribe Laura Lippman takes readers back in time to Baltimore in the 1960s with a story that combines elements of psychological suspense, historical fiction, and crime story. Recovering housewife Maddie Schwartz has forged a new life as an investigative journalist, and she’s determined to solve the city’s latest murder case.
Massachusetts
It’s 1997 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and Casey Peabody is in crisis. Running away from mounting debt, a recent breakup, and her mother’s death, Casey is making one last stand in an effort to finish her novel and live a life less ordinary. Massachusetts native Lily King (Euphoria) has won a loyal readership due to her stubborn insistence on writing books with insight, humor, and heart.
Michigan
After a 20-plus-year career as a journalist, author Anissa Gray made her fiction debut in 2019 with this portrait of an American family in trouble. Sisters Viola and Lillian return to the Michigan house of their childhood to help eldest sister Althea as she awaits trial for a crime no one seems to quite understand. Caring for Althea’s teenage daughters, the sisters rediscover that abiding truism: Blood is thicker than anything.
Minnesota
Funny and moving, this playful family saga from author J. Ryan Stradal (Kitchens of the Great Midwest) has its priorities in order. It’s about family, mostly. But it’s also about beer, and it’s hard to argue with that. Two sisters raised on a Minnesota farm go in different directions in life, until they don’t. Their reconciliation may determine the fate of the most successful light brewery in the country.
Mississippi
Author Jesmyn Ward is the only woman—and the only African American—to win the National Book Award for fiction twice. One of those prestigious awards went to Sing, Unburied, Sing, her engaging and resonant 2017 novel about the Mississippi Gulf Coast, the plight of 21st-century rural families, and the still-unfolding saga of America herself. Ward’s writing has been compared with Toni Morrison’s and William Faulkner’s, and that’s pretty good company.
Missouri
In the event you’ve been in a coma and/or recently returned from space, Gone Girl is a true blockbuster of a novel, one of the most successful books of the decade. Gillian Flynn’s 2012 thriller is set in the town of North Carthage, Missouri, and you’re better off going into this one with no other advance details. Flynn puts plot twists on her plot twists, so avoid spoilers at all costs.
Montana
Social worker Pete Snow is in deep. After helping a nearly feral 11-year-old boy living in the Montana wilderness, Pete confronts the boy’s father, a disturbed survivalist with visions of Armageddon. Smith Henderson’s debut is squarely in the tradition of Big American Novels, with its weighty themes addressing the fundamental character of the nation.
Nebraska
The often strange and always intense world of pop culture fandom provides the backdrop for this acclaimed 2013 YA novel, which tracks two Nebraska sisters and their enduring love of the fictional Simon Snow. Author Rainbow Rowell delivers a new kind of coming-of-age story for the fast-moving, multimedia, increasingly weird 21st century.
Nevada
If you’ve ever longed for a page-turning story about handsome Nevada ranch hands, wealthy heiresses, amateur aviatrixes, and divorce laws in 1930s Reno—well, we have surprisingly good news. Julia Claiborne Johnson (Be Frank with Me) delivers a genre-busting novel about money, friendship, love, class, and the improvised families we make in life.
New Hampshire
Joe Hill is a marquee name in contemporary horror fiction and, thanks to recent events, The Fireman may be his single most terrifying premise. A bizarre plague is causing victims to spontaneously combust, resulting in violence, panic, and rather effective contemporary allegory. But a mysterious stranger, patrolling the ruins of New Hampshire, may have some answers.
New Jersey
Bruce Frederick Joseph Springsteen is New Jersey’s biggest celebrity booster and surely its most favorite son. His long-awaited and critically acclaimed 2016 memoir chronicles his unparalleled career in the music business, and also offers a unique perspective on the culture and history of New Jersey itself. Springsteen’s emotional eloquence translates just fine to prose, it turns out, and this book is a must-read for any serious fan.
New Mexico
In the small town of Las Penas, New Mexico, unemployed 33-year-old Amadeo Padilla has been issued the part of Jesus in the annual Good Friday procession. But when his 15-year-old daughter shows up on his doorstep, everything changes. Author Kirstin Valdez Quade’s debut novel details one unforgettable year among five generations of a singular New Mexico family.
New York
Hanya Yanagihara’s celebrated novel—a Booker Prize nominee and a National Book Award finalist—follows four friends as they make their way in the urban wilds of 21st-century New York City. An actor, a painter, an architect, and a lawyer walk wide-eyed into the city that never sleeps, and things get dark in a hurry. A Little Life is a notoriously heavy read but an ultimately rewarding experience.
North Carolina
This remarkable 2018 historical mystery novel proved to be that rarest of literary phenomena: the book that comes almost literally out of nowhere to win over millions of readers worldwide. Delia Owens’ tale of the “Marsh Girl” brings readers into the swamps and estuaries of coastal Carolina for a historical murder mystery with deep ecological themes. Every good thing you’ve heard about this book is true; go ahead and believe the hype.
North Dakota
A member of the Anishinaabe Nation, author Louise Erdrich has been called one of the most significant writers in the literary movement known as the Native American Renaissance. Her acclaimed 2020 novel, The Night Watchman, weaves together multiple story lines concerning family, public policy, and Native American dispossession in 1950s rural North Dakota. Bonus trivia: The story is based in part on the life of Erdrich’s grandfather.
Ohio
Named Book of the Year by a dozen major media outlets, Little Fires Everywhere is set in the staid and ordered Cleveland suburbs of Shaker Heights. When Mia Warren and her teenage daughter Pearl rent a house with the Richardson family, issues emerge that upset the slow flow of the status quo. Celeste Ng’s insanely popular book explores themes of art, identity, and the cancerous nature of old secrets.
Oklahoma
The scope of David Grann’s riveting true-crime epic is suggested in the subtitle: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI. The book digs deeply into a sickening chapter of American history, wherein dozens—and maybe hundreds—of Indigenous people were murdered in pursuit of oil profits. The book is also a fascinating depiction of the quasi-frontier territories of Osage County, Oklahoma, in the 1920s. Bonus trivia: A film adaptation by Martin Scorsese is in the works.
Oregon
Squarely in the tradition of incisive, forward-facing speculative fiction, Leni Zumas’ Red Clocks imagines an America in which abortion is illegal, in vitro fertilization is banned, and every embryo has the rights of full personhood. The book tracks the stories of five women in Oregon, each providing a different perspective on the issues at hand. Set about five minutes into the future, potentially, Red Clocks is state-of-the-art social science fiction.
Pennsylvania
In the upper-class environs of Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, a Black babysitter is wrongly accused of kidnapping while babysitting for a white family. Things go downhill from there. Author Kiley Reid’s insightful 2019 novel was longlisted for the Booker Prize and has been heralded for spotlighting the everyday racial biases that plague so many. Bonus trivia: Reid’s book was inspired by her own adventures in babysitting.
Rhode Island
Born in London, raised in Rhode Island, and known for her stories of the Indian immigrant experience, Jhumpa Lahiri is truly an international storyteller. Her 2013 novel, The Lowland, follows its characters around the world but is largely set in Rhode Island, where Calcutta-born Subhash Mitra pursues a scientific career. Bonus trivia: Lahiri won a Pulitzer Prize for her debut short story collection, Interpreter of Maladies.
South Carolina
Set in 19th-century Charleston, South Carolina, Sue Monk Kidd’s revered historical novel follows the fate of two resourceful women: Sarah Grimke, the headstrong daughter of a wealthy Southern family, and the enslaved Hetty “Handful” Grimke, Sarah’s childhood handmaiden. Kidd’s unflinching narrative follows the two women’s amazing journey over four decades in pursuit of abolition and women’s rights.
South Dakota
A unique kind of crime thriller with about a dozen clever twists, Winter Counts introduces the character of Virgil Wounded Horse, freelance enforcer on the Rosebud Indian Reservation in South Dakota. When bad guys slip through the cracks of the legal system, whether federal or tribal, Virgil is the last line of defense and/or retribution. Author Weiden’s debut novel offers a new spin on the old mystery thriller.
Tennessee
From the author of First Comes Love and Something Borrowed comes a dramatic story of scandal among the privileged and not-so-privileged in Nashville, Tennessee. Emily Giffin’s novel was a Goodreads Choice nominee for fiction in 2018 and continues to earn praise for its treatment of class resentments, family dynamics, and the dangers of drinking and clicking.
Texas
Recently back in circulation due to the excellent film adaptation with Tom Hanks, Paulette Jiles’ News of the World is a thrilling update to the classic western genre. In the aftermath of the Civil War, retired officer Captain Jefferson Kyle Kidd makes his living wandering between deep Texas towns, reading the latest newspapers to desperate, often illiterate pioneer communities. Then a ten-year-old orphan girl changes everything.
Utah
A unique memoir from conservationist and activist Terry Tempest Williams, When Women Were Birds finds the author reflecting on her childhood among a large Mormon clan in northern Utah. By way of a curious detail concerning her mother’s own journals, Williams’ autobiography explores themes of feminism, environmentalism, and the concept of absence—in art, in life, and in Utah.
Vermont
Deep in the woods of Vermont, restoration expert Maggie Holt is moving to a ramshackle Victorian estate named, rather excellently, Baneberry Hall. Twenty-five years earlier, Maggie’s parents fled the same house in the dead of night, driven out by a spectral malevolence. And it just gets creepier from there. Author Riley Sager (Final Girls) has earned a devoted following with his high-octane thrillers. Close those closet doors before you start reading.
Virginia
Author and journalist Ta-Nehisi Coates (Between the World and Me) makes his novel-length fiction debut with The Water Dancer, an ambitious blend of historical fiction, magical realism, and thrilling escape story. Set in the dark days leading up to the Civil War, Coates’ book details an underground war between slavers and enslaved—and confirms the abiding power of love. Click here for a Q&A with the author.
Washington
After years of living a life in Seattle that she never really wanted, Bernadette Fox has vanished. For her daughter Bee, there’s no other option: She must solve the mystery herself. By wading through an ocean of email, invoices, and other clues, Bee discovers that Mom has been hiding a secret past. Bonus trivia: Author Maria Semple is a former staff writer for TV’s immortal Arrested Development.
Washington, D.C.
Generally acknowledged as one of the true genius writers of his generation, author George Saunders made a giant splash with his 2017 debut novel. Set in Washington, D.C., on the eve of the Civil War, this phantasmagoric epic features Abraham Lincoln, Tibetan mysticism, and characters both historical and invented. It also breaks just about every rule on how novels are supposed to behave. Highly recommended.
West Virginia
Set in the misty mountain hollers of West Virginia, Amy Jo Burns’ lyrical Appalachian novel takes place in the appropriately named town of Trap, where 15-year-old Wren Bird and her mother are forced to live in seclusion by preacher patriarch Briar Bird. Wren’s quest for escape drives a powerful novel about family, hope, faith, snake handlers, moonshiners, and heartbreak.
Wisconsin
In the small Wisconsin town of Little Wing, childhood friends Hank, Leland, Kip, and Ronny have returned to their roots in an effort to find their futures. So what do a farmer, a commodities trader, a rodeo stud, and a rock star have in common? The past, that’s what. Nickolas Butler’s heartfelt novel explores the age-old question of whether you can ever really come home again.
Wyoming
Author C.J. Box has won a devoted following with his Joe Pickett series, which chronicles the adventures of a Wyoming game warder named, not coincidentally, Joe Pickett. Dark Sky finds Pickett squaring off against a wily assassin in the treacherous wilderness of Wyoming’s farthest reaches. Box provides readers with another great story that straddles the divide between crime fiction and classic western.
Now it's your turn! Which books do you think best represent your state? Tell us in the comments below!
Comments Showing 101-150 of 197 (197 new)
message 101:
by
Tara
(new)
May 24, 2021 06:57PM
All these books sound like exactly the same thing. I get that "diversity" is the in-thing right now, but could we maybe have some diversity of ideas? It feels tired and stale at this point.
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Angela wrote: "I would like to see one for Canada."Angela wrote: "I would like to see one for Canada."
Gabry wrote: "Many literature junkies love talking about Willa Cather when they think of Nebraska books/authors, but for me and maybe it’s where I live, but Bess Streeter Aldrich is a bigger deal. Besides the fa..."
Would never be so presumptuous and add my name to a list of such Canadian prominence, but track Montreal set books on Lists, for possibilities - also authored a book set in Canada you might might consider, thanks
That was nice to read, can you make a list for Europe? (Eventhough that are countries and not states).
Gabry wrote: "Many literature junkies love talking about Willa Cather when they think of Nebraska books/authors, but for me and maybe it’s where I live, but Bess Streeter Aldrich is a bigger deal. Besides the fa..."Thanks for this list - son and wife recently moved to Omaha so will enjoy reading these with DIL.
Evelin wrote: "That's fun, next one should be for Europe :)"Oh yes please, that would be lovely!! :D
This list is great, but I'd love to see a list for a book set in each country! An Around the World List. If it's already been done, I'd love for someone to post the link for me :)
Tina wrote: "This list is great, but I'd love to see a list for a book set in each country! An Around the World List. If it's already been done, I'd love for someone to post the link for me :)"This one has several suggestions for each country where possible: https://ayearofreadingtheworld.com/th...
The Queen's Gambit, written by a Kentucky author and set in Kentucky, was just sitting there ripe for the picking, and they went with a book by an English journalist?? Love you Goodreads, but come on.
I would suggest any Karin Slaughter or several of Joshilyn Jackson as a better choice for Georgia. And Washington DC is not a state 😂
Elyse wrote: "Tina wrote: "This list is great, but I'd love to see a list for a book set in each country! An Around the World List. If it's already been done, I'd love for someone to post the link for me :)"Th..."
Thank you so much! I'm gonna go check them out now :)
This is such a clever idea for a list! I work in a library and it made me think how fun it would be to create a book display with this theme!
Denise wrote: "I am a Jersey girl and I love Springsteen. However, most of these books are fiction and I don't think Springsteen's book "fits". A better choice, in my opinion, would have been Unsheltered by Barba..."I very much agree! Was disappointed by the NJ pick. Kingsolver's book is a great choice, or even a Sarah Dessen book like Keeping the Moon.
I added 4 from this list to my "Want to Read" list! Thanks for the suggestions!
Jaden wrote: "Could you do this again for canada"Yes, please do!
Restricting the list by year of publication isn't helpful, because that doesn't guarantee every book on the list is good. I'd prefer a list that gave the best book set in each state, regardless of when it was written.
I would say for Ohio you should have Mindy McGinnis, Toni Morrison, and Ernest Cline. Authors also from Ohio and have their books set in Ohio, although not sure if Ready Player One is st in Ohio, I have yet to read it. I know Celeste Ng is and sets her book in Ohio I think Heroine by Mindy Mcginnis would be a more hard hitting novel. Love to all my fellow Ohioans on here and to everyone else, too
Erika wrote: "I would say for Ohio you should have Mindy McGinnis, Toni Morrison, and Ernest Cline. Authors also from Ohio and have their books set in Ohio, although not sure if Ready Player One is st in Ohio, I..."RPO is indeed set in Ohio. Future Ohio but still Ohio.
Jim wrote: "Pennsylvania: Coal Run by Tawni O'Dell"I second.
The is is perfect! I am doing a World Traveling Challenge, and I am starting with the states!
Jaden wrote: "Could you do this again for canada"Here, here!!
Angela wrote: "I would like to see one for Canada."I agree!!
Thomas Perry "Jane Whitefield" series for New York. There is much more to NY besides the city.
Jayne wrote: "For Minnesota, one of many I would suggest is Virgil Wander."Agree. I just finished it and thought it was terrific. Minnesota author/Minnesota locale. Interesting, quirky characters.
Very disappointed to see that "Gone Girl" is the choice for Missouri.
Evelin wrote: "That's fun, next one should be for Europe :)"That's a great idea!!!
Yesica wrote: "I like challenging myself to read one book of each continent every year..."That's a great idea. Do you have Australian recommendations? Do you count Antarctica?
Yesica wrote: "I like challenging myself to read one book of each continent every year..."thats a cool challenge! i light try that (:
While I know "Where the Crawdads Sing" is popular, it doesn't capture my home state of North Carolina and makes some glaringly odd choices. (One example: a character who lives in Eastern NC goes to Asheville to buy a car.....um, probably not.....) To represent NC, for this summer, I would recommend A Good Neighborhood by Theresa Anne Fowler instead--she writes a compelling story that feels authentic and reflective of our state, and it's a deeper read than Crawdads.If you want a classic, read Look Homeward Angel, by Thomas Wolfe. Please.
Sandra wrote: "Another for North Carolina is A LAND MORE KIND THAN HOME, by Wiley Cash. Issues of control, religion, and family told through the story of two brothers, the older one taking care of his differently..."And this one....I agree!
Pegi wrote: "For Arizona, although I don't really like the title, These Is My Words by Nancy Turner is a great read!"Pegi wrote: "For Arizona, although I don't really like the title, These Is My Words by Nancy Turner is a great read!"
Yes, i loved These Is My Words! I read this before i trekked across Alamogordo, NM to Las Cruces and into Tombstone, AZ - so when i was driving that route, i had this in my thought process the whole time the journey this story took me on via wagon train...i always try to read a book relevant to an area that i am going to visit.
Marilyn wrote: "Ordinary Grace is a much better choice for Minnesota, and an unforgettable read."On my TBR list!
Shirley223 wrote: "Colorado- Tallgrass by Sandra Dallas, Most of her books are about Colorado and she is a wonderful writer."I am a fan and follower of Sandra Dallas myselfl
I love this list! I'm glad to see several of the books i have already read. Iowa has the Bridges of Madison County by Robert James Waller and A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley (awarded the Pulitzer Prize).
Guys!! I just found out that a kid I grew up with in small-town Arizona became a writer!!! How awesome is that!?!? Thank you for this list Goodreads!
Evelin wrote: "That's fun, next one should be for Europe :)"YES, I LIKE THAT IDEA AS WELL.
Carrie wrote: "Rebecca Carroll’s memoir, Surviving the White Gaze is an excellent exploration of race as experienced by a transracial adoptee and set largely here in lily-white New Hampshire, where she was born &..."THANKS FOR THE RECOMMENDATION!
John wrote: "Any fictional murders, based on real ones? Any fictional crimes, based on real ones? Any fictional misconceptions, based on real misconceptions? Any books in which someone gets lost, and eventually..."TWO THAT COME TO MIND:
OLEANDER - SET IN L.A. (but there are many more)
GOLDEN STATE KILLER - CALF. (Zodiac killer too I believe)
Jaden wrote: "Could you do this again for canada"Yes! That way we can learn about all of the territories and provinces!
Katie Murphy wrote: "As an American expat living in Wales, I am so looking forward to readying MANY of these books, if for no other reason but to have the American accents whirling around in my head! Having already rea..."Do you have any novels that you love set in Wales, as an American with Welsh, Scotts, and Irish ancestry?
If not, no worries!
Jan wrote: "For Oregon I would suggest Mink River by Brian Doyle. Set in a rural coastal Oregon fictional small town, a beautifully written story about people and the place they live, with loggers, fishermen, ..."thank you! adding to tbr
Chelsea wrote: "I'm very intrigued by the Nevada and Wisconsin entries. Was also delighted by how state-diverse my reading has been!"Me as well! I had a shelf for US and different countries, but have been adding the 50 states this past year.
Teneal wrote: "Ohhh I wish I could save this list as a PDF!"That would be faster than adding every book to my tbr with each state as it's own shelf, but doing it nonetheless!
Pippin wrote: "For Illinois, I would highly recommend Long Way from Chicago by Richard Peck - probably the antithesis of The Great Believers:https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/3......"
THIS ONE IS A TRUE GEM!!!
I'm from Chicago and read this to my daughter years ago - we both loved it. TY for reminding me.
K wrote: "Would love to apply this to romance, sci-fi, urban fantasy, history and women’s fiction titles. Would also love to do one for each Australian state."
YES, ADD AUSTRALIA!
AND CANADA, SOUTH AMERICA, EUROPE, ISLANDS, ETC.
Max wrote: "The Queen's Gambit, written by a Kentucky author and set in Kentucky, was just sitting there ripe for the picking, and they went with a book by an English journalist?? Love you Goodreads, but come on."Yes, good point!
