Books set in Georgia

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September 27, 2022
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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

- Rating: 4.30 (1.2 million ratings)
- Author: Margaret Mitchell
- Published: June 30, 1936
- Genres: Classics, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance
- Read more on Goodreads

Midnight in the Garden of Good and Evil

- Rating: 3.92 (251,299 ratings)
- Author: John Berendt
- Published: January 13, 1994
- Genres: Nonfiction, True Crime, Mystery, Crime
- Read more on Goodreads

The Color Purple

- Rating: 4.25 (609,269 ratings)
- Author: Alice Walker
- Published: June 1, 1982
- Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Feminism
- Read more on Goodreads

Cold Sassy Tree

- Rating: 4.02 (101,078 ratings)
- Author: Olive Ann Burns
- Published: January 1, 1984
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Classics, Southern
- Read more on Goodreads

The Poisonwood Bible

- Rating: 4.08 (703,577 ratings)
- Author: Barbara Kingsolver
- Published: September 24, 1998
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Africa, Classics
- Read more on Goodreads

The Underground Railroad

- Rating: 4.05 (363,522 ratings)
- Author: Colson Whitehead
- Published: August 2, 2016
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook
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Blindsighted (Grant County, #1)

- Rating: 4.09 (84,092 ratings)
- Author: Karin Slaughter
- Published: May 1, 2001
- Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Crime, Fiction
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Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda (Simonverse, #1)

- Rating: 4.20 (389,112 ratings)
- Author: Becky Albertalli
- Published: April 7, 2015
- Genres: Young Adult, LGBT, Contemporary, Romance
- Read more on Goodreads

Just Mercy: A Story of Justice and Redemption

- Rating: 4.62 (201,418 ratings)
- Author: Bryan Stevenson
- Published: October 21, 2014
- Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Social Justice, Race
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Between, Georgia

- Rating: 3.88 (15,240 ratings)
- Author: Joshilyn Jackson
- Published: January 1, 2006
- Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Southern, Audiobook
- Read more on Goodreads

An American Marriage

- Rating: 3.95 (326,904 ratings)
- Author: Tayari Jones
- Published: January 29, 2018
- Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Audiobook, Literary Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads

The Night the Lights Went Out

- Rating: 4.03 (12,597 ratings)
- Author: Karen White
- Published: April 11, 2017
- Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Chick Lit, Contemporary
- Read more on Goodreads

Hex Hall (Hex Hall, #1)

- Rating: 3.92 (140,862 ratings)
- Author: Rachel Hawkins
- Published: March 2, 2010
- Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Paranormal, Magic
- Read more on Goodreads

Fallen (Fallen, #1)

- Rating: 3.72 (553,933 ratings)
- Author: Lauren Kate
- Published: December 8, 2009
- Genres: Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance, Paranormal
- Read more on Goodreads

Run with the Horsemen

- Rating: 4.31 (3,475 ratings)
- Author: Ferrol Sams
- Published: January 1, 1982
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Southern, Classics
- Read more on Goodreads

Dear Martin (Dear Martin, #1)

- Rating: 4.36 (68,933 ratings)
- Author: Nic Stone
- Published: October 17, 2017
- Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads

The Downstairs Girl

- Rating: 4.00 (26,131 ratings)
- Author: Stacey Lee
- Published: August 13, 2019
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Fiction
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The March

- Rating: 3.74 (13,624 ratings)
- 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

- Rating: 3.76 (11,873 ratings)
- Author: Susan Gregg Gilmore
- Published: January 1, 2008
- Genres: Fiction, Southern, Chick Lit, Coming Of Age
- Read more on Goodreads

The Member of the Wedding

- Rating: 3.82 (16,800 ratings)
- Author: Carson McCullers
- Published: January 1, 1946
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Coming Of Age, Novels
- Read more on Goodreads

Saving CeeCee Honeycutt

- Rating: 3.94 (82,181 ratings)
- Author: Beth Hoffman
- Published: January 12, 2010
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Chick Lit, Southern
- Read more on Goodreads

An Hour Before Daylight: Memories of a Rural Boyhood

- Rating: 3.94 (2,536 ratings)
- Author: Jimmy Carter
- Published: January 1, 2000
- Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, History
- Read more on Goodreads

Savannah Blues (Weezie and Bebe Mysteries, #1)

- Rating: 3.99 (22,036 ratings)
- Author: Mary Kay Andrews
- Published: January 1, 2002
- Genres: Chick Lit, Mystery, Fiction, Romance
- Read more on Goodreads

A Full Life: Reflections at Ninety

- Rating: 3.82 (4,893 ratings)
- Author: Jimmy Carter
- Published: July 7, 2015
- Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics
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The Education of an Idealist: A Memoir

- Rating: 4.35 (15,880 ratings)
- Author: Samantha Power
- Published: September 10, 2019
- Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Politics, Biography
- Read more on Goodreads

Endangered Species (Anna Pigeon, #5)

- Rating: 3.87 (7,070 ratings)
- Author: Nevada Barr
- Published: January 1, 1997
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Mystery Thriller, Thriller
- Read more on Goodreads

East Is East

- Rating: 3.65 (2,553 ratings)
- Author: T. Coraghessan Boyle
- Published: January 1, 1990
- Genres: Fiction, Novels, Humor, Contemporary
- Read more on Goodreads

This Side of the River

- Rating: 3.75 (72 ratings)
- Author: Jeffrey Stayton
- Published: February 1, 2015
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Civil War, Fiction, 19th Century
- Read more on Goodreads

Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit

- Rating: 3.77 (10,100 ratings)
- Author: Jaye Robin Brown
- Published: August 30, 2016
- Genres: LGBT, Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary
- Read more on Goodreads

With His Dying Breath (JJ Matthews Murder Mystery #1)

- Rating: 3.89 (64 ratings)
- Author: Nancy Hogue
- Published: March 28, 2012
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery
- Read more on Goodreads

The Fixer Upper

- Rating: 3.92 (22,925 ratings)
- Author: Mary Kay Andrews
- Published: June 23, 2009
- Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Southern
- Read more on Goodreads

Pride of Eden

- Rating: 3.95 (462 ratings)
- Author: Taylor Brown
- Published: March 17, 2020
- Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Animals, Contemporary
- Read more on Goodreads

Lost Lake (Lost Lake, #1)

- Rating: 3.88 (34,337 ratings)
- Author: Sarah Addison Allen
- Published: January 21, 2014
- Genres: Fiction, Magical Realism, Fantasy, Romance
- Read more on Goodreads

Crux

- Rating: 3.62 (1,094 ratings)
- Author: Julie Reece
- Published: July 1, 2012
- Genres: Fantasy, Young Adult, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy
- Read more on Goodreads

Deep Dish

- Rating: 3.72 (14,059 ratings)
- Author: Mary Kay Andrews
- Published: January 1, 2008
- Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Southern
- Read more on Goodreads

Tobacco Road

- Rating: 3.72 (14,491 ratings)
- Author: Erskine Caldwell
- Published: January 1, 1932
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, Southern
- Read more on Goodreads

Uncle Remus: His Songs and His Sayings

- Rating: 3.75 (610 ratings)
- Author: Joel Chandler Harris
- Published: January 1, 1881
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Childrens, Folklore
- Read more on Goodreads

Morning Glory

- Rating: 4.27 (13,679 ratings)
- Author: LaVyrle Spencer
- Published: January 1, 1989
- Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads

Hissy Fit

- Rating: 3.96 (24,475 ratings)
- Author: Mary Kay Andrews
- Published: August 17, 2004
- Genres: Chick Lit, Romance, Fiction, Humor
- Read more on Goodreads

Sophie and the Rising Sun

- Rating: 3.67 (854 ratings)
- Author: Augusta Trobaugh
- Published: January 1, 2001
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Romance, Historical
- Read more on Goodreads

Little Bitty Lies

- Rating: 3.85 (12,905 ratings)
- Author: Mary Kay Andrews
- Published: July 1, 2003
- Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Southern
- Read more on Goodreads

Tailspin

- Rating: 3.82 (16,595 ratings)
- Author: Sandra Brown
- Published: August 7, 2018
- Genres: Romantic Suspense, Romance, Mystery, Thriller
- Read more on Goodreads

The Sweetness of Water

- Rating: 4.19 (32,182 ratings)
- Author: Nathan Harris
- Published: June 15, 2021
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, LGBT
- Read more on Goodreads

Crossing Ebenezer Creek

- Rating: 3.86 (611 ratings)
- Author: Tonya Bolden
- Published: May 30, 2017
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Romance
- Read more on Goodreads

The Last Buffalo Soldier

- Rating: 4.08 (12 ratings)
- Author: Michael S. Nuckols
- Published: April 15, 2015
- Genres: Historical Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads

The Dog Star

- Rating: 3.71 (76 ratings)
- Author: Donald Windham
- Published: January 1, 1950
- Genres: Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads

Ecology of a Cracker Childhood

- Rating: 4.01 (2,600 ratings)
- Author: Janisse Ray
- Published: January 1, 1999
- Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Nature, Biography
- Read more on Goodreads

Hummingbird

- Rating: 3.84 (140 ratings)
- Author: Kimberly Greene Angle
- Published: May 27, 2008
- Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Death
- Read more on Goodreads

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