Got a summer journey on your calendar? Maybe the settings of these books include your destination (Hawaii, Alaska, Texas, Florida, etc.), and you can dive into your destination before you get there. Or even if these settings are not on your bucket list, these books deserve a look, and are a great way to take a little journey without leaving your home.
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This list focuses on books set in interesting and travel-worthy United States destinations. Stay tuned for the international version.
Alaska:
The Great Alone by Kristin Hannah
I love this book, and it is one of my favorites from the last few years. It’s the exciting, inspiring and heartbreaking tale of a family learning to survive in the harsh isolation of Alaska.
Chicago:
The Devil in the White City: A Saga of Magic and Murder at the Fair that Changed America by Erik Larson
This fascinating nonfiction book is set in late 19th century Chicago. It tells the parallel tales of (1) architect David Hudson Burnham’s transformation of Chicago in the “White City” for the World’s Fair, and (2) serial murderer/doctor Henry H. Holmes, who built a torture chamber complete with dissection table, gas chamber and crematorium, and lured scores of gullible young women to their deaths. Exciting, interesting and well-written.
Detroit:
Middlesex by Jeffrey Eugenides
Winner of the 2003 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, this astonishing book tells the tale of immigrants, family, race riots in Detroit, and identity. Set partially in Detroit, it brings to life the rise and fall of that city. But it is so much more than that. Middlesex is one of my favorite books of all time.
Florida:
Check out any of the many books by Carl Hiaasen. They are funny and satirical accounts of life in southern Florida. One of my favorites is Tourist Season.
Hawaii:
Hawaii by James Michener
Immerse yourself in rich epic historical fiction about the history of Hawaii.
Moloka’i: A Novel by Alan Brennert
Fascinating historical but fictional account of the leper colony on the island of Moloka’i.
Idaho
Educated: A Memoir by Tara Westover
This memoir tells the tale of growing up in a survivalist family in the hills of Idaho. Please read this book. I’m not alone in recommending it; it’s won a gajillion awards.
New York City
The Bonfire of the Vanities by Tom Wolfe
This book epitomizes New York City in the late 20th Century, and is a great and exciting tale. You might have seen the movie. In my opinion, the book is much superior.
The Gods of Gotham by Lindsay Faye
The protagonist is a an officer in the newly-formed police force in New York City in the 19th Century. The book paints a picture of a gritty, dirty, lawless early New York City, while presenting a compelling mystery.
Oklahoma
I realize not everyone has Oklahoma on the top of their travel bucket list. Maybe it’s not on your bucket list at all. But each of these books deserves your attention. Read them not because you might visit, but because they are terrific and engaging books.
The Worst Hard Time: The Untold Story of Those Who Survived the Great American Dust Bowl by Timothy Egan
The Dust Bowl, the dust storms that ravaged the plains during the depression, were devastating, terrifying, and unbelievable, and were arguably one of the greatest environmental disaster in the United States in modern times.
Killers of the Flower Moon: The Osage Murders and the Birth of the FBI by David Grann
This is the nonfiction account of the true-life murders of multiple members of the Osage Nation in an attempt to acquire their “headrights,” their ownership of vast oil fortunates arising out of tribal ownership of land. It is also the story of the early days of the FBI and the attempt to find the murderers. And stay tuned — Martin Scorsese is working on the movie.
Check out my recommendation of this book at Unlikely Book Recommendation: Boom Town. The accounts of the land run, devastating tornadoes, and the terrorist attack will stay with you forever.
Texas
Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry
I don’t read Westerns. They don’t appeal to me at all. If that’s your thought as well, don’t let it stop you from reading this book. I literally couldn’t put this book down. I read it during law school finals and stayed up all night reading when I clearly should have studying Property Law instead. It will entertain you, break your heart, and make you cheer. (And it is one of Kalisa’s husband’s favorite books).
The Midnight Assassin: Panic, Scandal, and the Hunt for America’s First Serial Killer by Skip Hollandsworth
The Midnight Assassin is the nonfiction true-crime story of a jack-the-ripper type serial killer in Austin Texas in the late 19th Century.
This charming memoir, set in an East Texas oil town, is funny, entertaining, sweet, heartbreaking, and poignant.
Washington D.C.
The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown
It’s an exciting page-turner mystery, featuring a scavenger hunt through our nation’s capital.
Savannah, Georgia
Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil by John Berendt
A true-life (nonfiction) murder mystery set in the charming and quirky old-south city of Savannah Georgia. A must-read if you’re headed to Savannah.
San Francisco
The Joy Luck Club by Amy Tan
What a great book! Mothers, daughters, cultures, home. And it takes place in San Francisco’s Chinatown.
Tales of the City: A Novel by Armistead Maupin
A book full of interesting characters and stories, from a free and easy time in San Francisco. It inspired a series of books and a TV series.
Utah
Under the Banner of Heaven: A Story of Violent Faith by Jon Krakauer
Under the Banner of Heaven is an absolutely fascinating book about polygamist Mormon Fundamentalist communities. It explores the early history and founding of the Church of Latter Day Saints and the splintering of groups that held on to some of the early concepts. You get a birds-eye view into the astonishing and heartbreaking existence in some of these communities.
Do you associate any books with a particular area? Would you recommend them before a friend traveled there? Shoot me a message if you got any thoughts. I need a new book, and I love to travel!
For more about books we love, see:
- Classic Books I’m Glad I Read, and a Few I Wish I Hadn’t
- Books: French Fries and Vegetables
- Unlikely Book Recommendation: Boom Town
