Books set in Oregon
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 Oregon 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.
One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest
- Author: Ken Kesey
- Published: January 1, 1962
- Genres: Classics, Fiction, Psychology, Literature
- Read more on Goodreads
The Wild Birds
- Author: Emily Strelow
- Published: March 13, 2018
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, LGBT, Historical
- Read more on Goodreads
Ramona the Brave (Ramona, #3)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1975
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Classics
- Read more on Goodreads
Sometimes a Great Notion
- Author: Ken Kesey
- Published: January 1, 1964
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literature, Novels
- Read more on Goodreads
Ramona and Her Father (Ramona, #4)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: August 1, 1977
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
Beezus and Ramona (Ramona, #1)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: July 1, 1955
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Classics
- Read more on Goodreads
Ramona the Pest (Ramona, #2)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1968
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Classics
- Read more on Goodreads
Ramona and Her Mother (Ramona Quimby, #5)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1979
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
Henry Huggins (Henry Huggins, #1)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1950
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Classics
- Read more on Goodreads
Tip of a Bone
- Author: Christine Finlayson
- Published: September 1, 2013
- Genres: Mystery, Crime, Amateur Sleuth
- Read more on Goodreads
A Girl from Yamhill
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1988
- Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Biography Memoir
- Read more on Goodreads
Ramona Quimby, Age 8 (Ramona, #6)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1981
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
Ramona Forever (Ramona, #7)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: April 28, 1984
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
Ready Player One (Ready Player One, #1)
- Author: Ernest Cline
- Published: August 16, 2011
- Genres: Science Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Fantasy
- Read more on Goodreads
Henry and Beezus (Henry Huggins, #2)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1952
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
Darkhouse (Experiment in Terror, #1)
- Author: Karina Halle
- Published: May 1, 2011
- Genres: Paranormal, Horror, Ghosts, Fantasy
- Read more on Goodreads
Stubborn Twig: Three Generations in the Life of a Japanese American Family
- Author: Lauren Kessler
- Published: January 1, 1993
- Genres: Nonfiction, History, Japan, Biography
- Read more on Goodreads
Listening for Coyote: A Walk Across Oregon's Wilderness
- Author: William L. Sullivan
- Published: January 1, 1988
- Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Nature, Biography
- Read more on Goodreads
Wildwood (Wildwood Chronicles, #1)
- Author: Colin Meloy
- Published: August 30, 2011
- Genres: Fantasy, Middle Grade, Fiction, Young Adult
- Read more on Goodreads
Little Century
- Author: Anna Keesey
- Published: June 1, 2012
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Westerns, Historical
- Read more on Goodreads
Moontrap
- Author: Don Berry
- Published: September 28, 1962
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
Ramona's World (Ramona Quimby, #8)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: August 25, 1999
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
Roller Girl
- Author: Victoria Jamieson
- Published: March 10, 2015
- Genres: Graphic Novels, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction, Comics
- Read more on Goodreads
Winterkill
- Author: Craig Lesley
- Published: January 1, 1984
- Genres: Fiction, Literature, Contemporary, Literary Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
The River Why
- Author: David James Duncan
- Published: January 1, 1983
- Genres: Fiction, Nature, Philosophy, Novels
- Read more on Goodreads
Otis Spofford (Ellen & Otis, #2)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1953
- Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
Henry and Ribsy (Henry Huggins, #3)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: October 18, 1953
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
Henry and the Clubhouse (Henry Huggins, #5)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1962
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Chapter Books
- Read more on Goodreads
Henry and the Paper Route (Henry Huggins, #4)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1957
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
Good Grief
- Author: Lolly Winston
- Published: April 13, 2004
- Genres: Fiction, Chick Lit, Romance, Contemporary
- Read more on Goodreads
Arsenic with Austen (Crime with the Classics #1)
- Author: Katherine Bolger Hyde
- Published: July 12, 2016
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Romance
- Read more on Goodreads
B Is for Beaver: An Oregon Alphabet
- Author: Marie Smith
- Published: October 1, 2003
- Genres: Picture Books, Childrens
- Read more on Goodreads
Geek Love
- Author: Katherine Dunn
- Published: March 1, 1989
- Genres: Fiction, Horror, Fantasy, Contemporary
- Read more on Goodreads
A Merciful Death (Mercy Kilpatrick, #1)
- Author: Kendra Elliot
- Published: January 17, 2017
- Genres: Mystery, Thriller, Romantic Suspense, Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
The Boys from Little Mexico: A Season Chasing the American Dream
- Author: Steve Wilson
- Published: June 1, 2010
- Genres: Nonfiction, Sports, Soccer, Historical
- Read more on Goodreads
The Oregon Trail: A New American Journey
- Author: Rinker Buck
- Published: June 30, 2015
- Genres: Nonfiction, History, Travel, Memoir
- Read more on Goodreads
Homestead: Modern Pioneers Pursuing the Edge of Possibility
- Author: Jane Kirkpatrick
- Published: February 1, 1991
- Genres: Nonfiction, Christian, Memoir, Biography
- Read more on Goodreads
The Hearts of Horses
- Author: Molly Gloss
- Published: November 6, 2007
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Horses, Animals
- Read more on Goodreads
Something to Hold
- Author: Katherine Schlick Noe
- Published: December 6, 2011
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Historical, Cultural
- Read more on Goodreads
Breaking Chains: Slavery on Trial in the Oregon Territory
- Author: R. Gregory Nokes
- Published: May 1, 2013
- Genres: History, Nonfiction, Historical
- Read more on Goodreads
Oregon Geographic Names
- Author: Lewis A. McArthur
- Published: January 1, 1974
- Genres: Reference, History
- Read more on Goodreads
Emily's Runaway Imagination
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1961
- Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Historical Fiction, Middle Grade
- Read more on Goodreads
Walking with Ramona: Exploring Beverly Cleary's Portland
- Author: Laura O. Foster
- Published: April 15, 2009
- Genres: Travel, Nonfiction, Childrens, Books About Books
- Read more on Goodreads
Ellen Tebbits (Ellen & Otis, #1)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1951
- Genres: Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
The Jump-Off Creek
- Author: Molly Gloss
- Published: August 1, 1989
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Westerns, Historical
- Read more on Goodreads
Dies the Fire (Emberverse, #1)
- Author: S.M. Stirling
- Published: August 3, 2004
- Genres: Science Fiction, Fantasy, Post Apocalyptic, Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
My Own Two Feet
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: September 27, 1995
- Genres: Memoir, Nonfiction, Biography, Biography Memoir
- Read more on Goodreads
Ribsy (Henry Huggins, #6)
- Author: Beverly Cleary
- Published: January 1, 1964
- Genres: Childrens, Fiction, Middle Grade, Animals
- Read more on Goodreads
Tales of the Otherworld (Otherworld Stories, #2)
- Author: Kelley Armstrong
- Published: April 13, 2010
- Genres: Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Fantasy, Vampires
- Read more on Goodreads
Trask
- Author: Don Berry
- Published: January 28, 1960
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Westerns
- Read more on Goodreads