They say that books are the cheapest form of travel…and with this list of 50 Books for 50 States, you can make your way around the US from the comfort of your own couch.
Start your journey at the Whistle Stop Café in Alabama (Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café), then journey into the Alaskan wilderness in Jon Krakauer’s Into the Wild. Travel back in time to 1800’s Chicago for the Chicago World’s Fair in Devil in the White City, then get a true taste of Wyoming’s beautiful landscape in Annie Proulx’s collection of stories, Close Range.
This is the ultimate reading list for those looking to learn about the eclectic culture of the US, from the rough and tough landscapes of the American southwest to the picturesque mountains and valleys that abound on our coastal states.
Reading Around the Country: 50 Books for 50 States
- Alabama – Fried Green Tomatoes at the Whistle Stop Café, Fannie Flagg
- Alaska – Into the Wild, Jon Krakauer
- Arizona – Stargirl, Jerry Spinelli
- Arkansas – I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings, Maya Angelou
- California – East of Eden, John Steinbeck
- Colorado – Kings of Colorado, David E. Hilton
- Connecticut – Revolutionary Road, Richard Yates
- Delaware – And Never Let Her Go, Ann Rule
- Florida – Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston
- Georgia – Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil, John Berendt
- Hawaii – The Descendants, Kaui Hart Hemmings
- Idaho – Walk Two Moons, Sharon Creech
- Illinois – Devil in the White City, Erik Larson
- Indiana – All the Bright Places, Jennifer Niven
- Iowa – The Bridges of Madison County, Robert James Waller
- Kansas – In Cold Blood, Truman Capote
- Kentucky – Beloved, Toni Morrison
- Louisiana – The Awakening, Kate Chopin
- Maine – It, Stephen King
- Maryland – The Sot-Weed Factor, John Barth
- Massachusetts – The Crucible, Arthur Miller
- Michigan – The Virgin Suicides, Jeffrey Eugenides
- Minnesota – The Good Girl, Mary Kubica
- Mississippi – The Help, Kathryn Stockett
- Missouri – Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain
- Montana – A River Runs Through It and Other Stories, Norman Maclean
- Nebraska – O Pioneers!, Willa Cather
- Nevada – Desperation, Stephen King
- New Hampshire – A Separate Peace, John Knowles
- New Jersey – American Pastoral, Philip Roth
- New Mexico – The Milagro Beanfield War, Joe Mondragon
- New York – A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, Betty Smith
- North Carolina – A Land More Kind Than Home, Wiley Cash
- North Dakota – The Round House, Louise Erdrich
- Ohio – Deadeye Dick, Kurt Vonnegut
- Oklahoma – The Grapes of Wrath, John Steinbeck
- Oregon – One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Ken Kesey
- Pennsylvania – Rabbit, Run, John Updike
- Rhode Island – The Witches of Eastwick, John Updike
- South Carolina – The Secret Life of Bees, Sue Monk Kidd
- South Dakota – The Personal History of Rachel DuPree, Ann Weisgarber
- Tennessee – A Death in the Family, James Agee
- Texas – Friday Night Lights, Buzz Bissinger
- Utah – The 19th Wife, David Ebershoff
- Vermont – Where the Rivers Flow North, Howard Frank Mosher
- Virginia – Bridge to Terabithia, Katherine Paterson
- Washington – Border Songs, Jim Lynch
- West Virginia – Rocket Boys, Homer H. Hickam, Jr.
- Wisconsin – A Reliable Wife, Robert Goolrick
- Wyoming – Close Range: Wyoming Stories, Annie Proulx
Looking for a new book to read? Check in every Friday for a “Bee Happy” post, where I share reviews of books I’ve read or other book-themed lists.
The Hob-bee Hive 