These Are the Most Famous Books Based in All 50 States
Bibliophiles know that one of the best things about reading a book (besides the mesmerizing smell) is getting completely transported to a different time, place or society. But while Parisian reads and otherworldly sci-fi books may have us longing for a fantastic adventure, there’s also a certain nostalgia that comes with reading a book that takes place in your home state.
Thanks to the people at Business Insider, we now have an unofficial list of the most popular books set in every state. From William Faulkner to Stephenie Meyer, the list transcends genres and generations. Don’t worry, Washington: Fifty Shades of Grey didn’t make the cut. Scroll on to find out what book takes the top spot in your home state.
1. Alabama:To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee ($9)
2. Alaska:Into the Wild by Jon Krakauer ($15)
3. Arizona:The Bean Trees by Barbara Kingsolver ($7)
4. Arkansas:A Painted House by John Grisham ($16)
5. California:East of Eden by John Steinbeck ($18)
6. Colorado:The Shining by Stephen King ($8)
7. Connecticut:Revolutionary Road by Richard Yates ($17)
8. Delaware:The Saint of Lost Things by Christopher Castellani ($20)
9. Florida:To Have and Have Not by Ernest Hemingway ($16)
10. Georgia:Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell ($20)
11. Hawaii:Hawaii by James A. Michener ($18)
12. Idaho:Housekeeping by Marilynne Robinson ($16)
13. Illinois:The Jungle by Upton Sinclair ($5)
14. Indiana:The Magnificent Ambersons by Booth Tarkington ($6)
15. Iowa:A Thousand Acres by Jane Smiley ($16)
16. Kansas:The Wonderful Wizard of Oz by L. Frank Baum ($15)
17. Kentucky:Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe ($7)
18. Louisiana:Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice ($8)
19. Maine:Carrie by Stephen King ($8)
20. Maryland:Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant by Anne Tyler ($16)
21. Massachusetts:Walden by Henry David Thoreau ($12)
22. Michigan:The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides ($16)
23. Minnesota:Main Streetby Sinclair Lewis ($18)
24. Mississippi:The Sound and the Fury by William Faulkner ($15)
25. Missouri:The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark Twain ($6)
26. Montana:A River Runs Through It by Norman Maclean ($12)
27. Nebraska:My Ántonia by Willa Cather ($7)
28. Nevada:Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson ($15)
29. New Hampshire:The Hotel New Hampshire by John Irving ($17)
30. New Jersey:Drown by Junot Díaz ($16)
31. New Mexico:Red Sky at Morning by Richard Bradford ($14)
32. New York:The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald ($16)
33. North Carolina:A Walk to Remember by Nicholas Sparks ($16)
34. North Dakota:The Round House by Louise Erdrich ($16)
35. Ohio:The Broom of the System by David Foster Wallace ($18)
36. Oklahoma:Paradise by Toni Morrison ($16)
37. Oregon:One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey ($10)
38. Pennsylvania:The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold ($16)
39. Rhode Island:My Sister’s Keeper by Jodi Picoult ($17)
40. South Carolina:The Secret Life of Bees by Sue Monk Kidd ($16)
41. South Dakota:A Long Way from Home by Tom Brokaw ($13)
42. Tennessee:The Client by John Grisham ($16)
43. Texas:No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy ($16)
44. Utah:The 19th Wife by David Ebershoff ($17)
45. Vermont:Pollyanna by Eleanor H. Porter ($5)
46. Virginia:Bridge to Terabithia by Katherine Paterson ($7)
47. Washington:Twilight by Stephenie Meyer ($16)
48. West Virginia:Shiloh by Phyllis Reynolds Naylor ($8)
49. Wisconsin:Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder ($9)
50. Wyoming:The Laramie Project by Moises Kaufman ($15)
Washington, DC:The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown ($16)
Did your favorite book make the list? Tweet us @BritandCo!
(Photos via Getty and Skye Gould/Tech Insider)
