Books set in Georgia
Every state has its hallmark writers. Mississippi has William Faulkner and his incomparable (fictional) Yoknapatawpha County and Missouri can lay claim to Mark Twain. The state of Maine is gifted with Pulitzer winner Richard Russo and horror icon Stephen King. Rural Pennsylvania is the playground of the much-heralded (and occasionally maligned) John Updike, and when many bibliophiles think of New Jersey, they also think of Richard Ford's series of novels featuring recurring Everyman character Frank Bascombe. Illinois can lay claim to William Maxwell, Sandra Cisneros, and Adam Langer, among numerous others. And what reader can think of Washington State without contending with the sparkle-vampire yarns of Stephanie Meyer?
What makes authors like these inextricably associated with a particular state is not simply the matter of their having been born there or choosing to live there. The connection, from a writerly standpoint, is deeper than that—their work, nearly all of it, is set in "their" state.
Of course, there are certainly exceptions. Whether a writer sets a tale in the town where they went to college or spent part of their childhood—like Donna Tartt's "The Secret History" and its New England arts school setting and the almost-factual small town of Jo Ann Beard's "In Zanesville," respectively—or crafts a story that follows a social or political theme to a location they know little about but lay narrative claim to anyway, the world is rife with books known, loved, and respected that also capture the essence of place—books where setting itself is one of the strongest characters.
Stacker compiled a list of books set in Georgia from Goodreads. Whether you're looking for a good read set in the state you call home, or you're looking to expand your curiosity with a writer you're already familiar with, we've got you covered.
Gone with the Wind
- Author: Margaret Mitchell
- Published: June 30, 1936
- Genres: Classics, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance
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Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil
- Author: John Berendt
- Published: January 13, 1994
- Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Mystery, Crime
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The Color Purple
- Author: Alice Walker
- Published: June 1, 1982
- Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Feminism
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Cold Sassy Tree
- Author: Olive Ann Burns
- Published: January 1, 1984
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics, Southern
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The Poisonwood Bible
- Author: Barbara Kingsolver
- Published: September 24, 1998
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Africa, Classics
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The Underground Railroad
- Author: Colson Whitehead
- Published: August 2, 2016
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook
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Blindsighted (Grant County, #1)
- Author: Karin Slaughter
- Published: May 1, 2001
- Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Fiction
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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simonverse, #1)
- Author: Becky Albertalli
- Published: April 7, 2015
- Genres: Young Adult, LGBT, Contemporary, Romance
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Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption
- Author: Bryan Stevenson
- Published: October 21, 2014
- Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Social Justice, Race
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Between, Georgia
- Author: Joshilyn Jackson
- Published: January 1, 2006
- Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Southern, Audiobook
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An American Marriage
- Author: Tayari Jones
- Published: January 29, 2018
- Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Literary Fiction
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The Night the Lights Went Out
- Author: Karen White
- Published: April 11, 2017
- Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Chick Lit, Contemporary
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Hex Hall (Hex Hall, #1)
- Author: Rachel Hawkins
- Published: March 2, 2010
- Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic
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Fallen (Fallen, #1)
- Author: Lauren Kate
- Published: December 8, 2009
- Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
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Run with the Horsemen
- Author: Ferrol Sams
- Published: January 1, 1982
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern, Classics
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Dear Martin (Dear Martin, #1)
- Author: Nic Stone
- Published: October 17, 2017
- Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction
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The Downstairs Girl
- Author: Stacey Lee
- Published: August 13, 2019
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Fiction
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The March
- Author: E.L. Doctorow
- Published: September 20, 2005
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Civil War, War
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Looking for Salvation at the Dairy Queen
- Author: Susan Gregg Gilmore
- Published: January 1, 2008
- Genres: Fiction, Southern, Chick Lit, Coming Of Age
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The Member of the Wedding
- Author: Carson McCullers
- Published: January 1, 1946
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Coming Of Age, Novels
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Saving CeeCee Honeycutt
- Author: Beth Hoffman
- Published: January 12, 2010
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Chick Lit, Southern
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An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood
- Author: Jimmy Carter
- Published: January 1, 2000
- Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, History
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Savannah Blues (Weezie and Bebe Mysteries, #1)
- Author: Mary Kay Andrews
- Published: January 1, 2002
- Genres: Chick Lit, Mystery, Fiction, Romance
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A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety
- Author: Jimmy Carter
- Published: July 7, 2015
- Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics
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The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir
- Author: Samantha Power
- Published: September 10, 2019
- Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics, Biography
- Read more on Goodreads
Endangered Species (Anna Pigeon, #5)
- Author: Nevada Barr
- Published: January 1, 1997
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Thriller
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East Is East
- Author: T. Coraghessan Boyle
- Published: January 1, 1990
- Genres: Fiction, Novels, Humor, Contemporary
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This Side of the River
- Author: Jeffrey Stayton
- Published: February 1, 2015
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Civil War, Fiction, 19th Century
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Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit
- Author: Jaye Robin Brown
- Published: August 30, 2016
- Genres: LGBT, Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
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With His Dying Breath (JJ Matthews Murder Mystery #1)
- Author: Nancy Hogue
- Published: March 28, 2012
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery
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The Fixer Upper
- Author: Mary Kay Andrews
- Published: June 23, 2009
- Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Southern
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Pride of Eden
- Author: Taylor Brown
- Published: March 17, 2020
- Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Animals, Contemporary
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Lost Lake (Lost Lake, #1)
- Author: Sarah Addison Allen
- Published: January 21, 2014
- Genres: Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Romance
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Crux
- Author: Julie Reece
- Published: July 1, 2012
- Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
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Deep Dish
- Author: Mary Kay Andrews
- Published: January 1, 2008
- Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Southern
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Tobacco Road
- Author: Erskine Caldwell
- Published: January 1, 1932
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Southern
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Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings
- Author: Joel Chandler Harris
- Published: January 1, 1881
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Childrens, Folklore
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Morning Glory
- Author: LaVyrle Spencer
- Published: January 1, 1989
- Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction
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Hissy Fit
- Author: Mary Kay Andrews
- Published: August 17, 2004
- Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Humor
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Sophie and the Rising Sun
- Author: Augusta Trobaugh
- Published: January 1, 2001
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical
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Little Bitty Lies
- Author: Mary Kay Andrews
- Published: July 1, 2003
- Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Southern
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Tailspin
- Author: Sandra Brown
- Published: August 7, 2018
- Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Mystery, Thriller
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The Sweetness of Water
- Author: Nathan Harris
- Published: June 15, 2021
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, LGBT
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Crossing Ebenezer Creek
- Author: Tonya Bolden
- Published: May 30, 2017
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Romance
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The Last Buffalo Soldier
- Author: Michael S. Nuckols
- Published: April 15, 2015
- Genres: Historical Fiction
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The Dog Star
- Author: Donald Windham
- Published: January 1, 1950
- Genres: Fiction
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Ecology of a Cracker Childhood
- Author: Janisse Ray
- Published: January 1, 1999
- Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Nature, Biography
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Hummingbird
- Author: Kimberly Greene Angle
- Published: May 27, 2008
- Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Death
- Read more on Goodreads