Travel by Book

While I’m generally a homebody, I have thoroughly appreciated the times in my life that I have been able to travel and see new places. The ability to travel is a privilege with many benefits. It exposes us to new places, people and ideas; it allows us to disconnect from our everyday stresses; it broadens horizons and encourages creativity and peacefulness. I haven’t travelled as much as some, but I have such wonderful memories from trips around the world – from eating the best pasta ever in Italy with my sister to enjoying nature’s playground at Slide Rock in Arizona with my kids. I feel lucky to have been able to experience these things and hope to continue traveling throughout my lifetime. 

Travel isn’t always possible though. It is expensive and requires time commitments. And now, many people are wary of traveling or unable to travel due to COVID. The last year and a half have found us spending more time at home than ever before and now we may be starting to feel a little restless. 

Here’s where the library comes in…

Books have the magic to take us places! While it’s not the same as a real trip somewhere, stories can spark our imaginations. A good book can transport its reader. A good author can provide readers with such a sense of place in their stories that even fictional tales can make us feel like we’ve been somewhere else. 

To help you armchair travel the country from home, below are books that take place in every state in the U.S. You might even want to challenge yourself and “visit” each one! The titles are varied and include fiction, memoir, young adult and even a few great children’s chapter books. Some of the choices were obvious (Stephen King for Maine!) and some were more difficult (too many good choices for New York!). I hope you enjoy this list and that it keeps you busy until you’re able to travel IRL again. Maybe a great book will even inspire your next trip! And when you’re ready to armchair travel outside the U.S., just ask a librarian. 

Alabama

Invisible Man
by Ralph Ellison

Alaska

Into the Wild
by Jon Krakauer

Arizona

Stargirl
by Jerry Spinelli

Arkansas

True Grit
by Charles Portis

California

White Oleander
by Janet Fitch

Colorado

When the Wind Blows
by James Patterson

Connecticut

Because of Mr. Terupt
by Rob Buyea

Delaware

Fight Club
by Chuck Palahniuk

Florida

Skinny Dip
by Carl Hiaasen

Georgia

Gone with the Wind
by Margaret Mitchell

Hawaii

The Descendants
by Kaui Hart Hemmings

Idaho

Rescue my Heart
by Jill Shalvis

Illinois

A Long Way from Chicago
by Richard Peck

Indiana

The Fault in our Stars
by John Green

Iowa

The Bridges of Madison County
by Robert James Waller

Kansas

Little House on the Prairie
by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Kentucky

The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek
by Kim Michele Richardson

Louisiana

Out of the Easy
by Ruta Sepetys

Maine

It
by Stephen King

Maryland

The Silence of the Lambs
by Thomas Harris

Massachusetts

Girl, Interrupted
by Susanna Kaysen

Michigan

Bud, Not Buddy
by Christopher Paul Curtis

Minnesota

In the Lake of the Woods
by Tim O’Brien

Mississippi

A Time to Kill
by John Grisham

Missouri

Sharp Objects
by Gillian Flynn

Montana

A River Runs Through It
by Norman Maclean

Nebraska

My Antonia
by Willa Cather

Nevada

Strangers
by Dean Koontz

New Hampshire

Peyton Place
by Grace Metalious

New Jersey

Cheaperby the Dozen
by Frank Gilbreth Jr.

New Mexico

Code Talker
by Joseph Bruchac

New York

The Nanny Diaries
by Emma McLaughlin & Nicola Kraus

North Carolina

The Notebook
by Nicholas Sparks

North Dakota

The Round House
by Louise Erdrich

Ohio

Little Fires Everywhere
by Celeste Ng

Oklahoma

The Grapes of Wrath
by John Steinbeck

Oregon

One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest
by Ken Kesey

Pennsylvania

The Catcher in the Rye
by J. D. Salinger

Rhode Island

My Sister’s Keeper
by Jodi Picoult

South Carolina

Brown Girl Dreaming
by Jacqueline Woodson

South Dakota

Dragon Teeth
by Michael Crichton

Tennessee

Monkey Town
by Ronald Kidd

Texas

Lonesome Dove
by Larry McMurtry

Utah

Thunderhead
by Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child

Vermont

Midwives
by Chris Bohjalian

Virginia

Misty of Chincoteague
by Marguerite Henry

Washington

The Absolutely True Diary of a Part-Time Indian
by Sherman Alexie

West Virginia

The Exile
by Pearl S. Buck

Wisconsin

Vinegar Hill
by A. Manette Ansay

Wyoming

The Revenant
by Michael Punke

Happy reading!

- Christine C., Hollowbrook Branch