Books set in Pennsylvania
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 Pennsylvania 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.
The Lovely Bones
- Author: Alice Sebold
- Published: July 3, 2002
- Genres: Fiction, Mystery, Young Adult, Contemporary
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Fever 1793
- Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
- Published: September 1, 2000
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Historical
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The Perks of Being a Wallflower
- Author: Stephen Chbosky
- Published: February 1, 1999
- Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Contemporary, Classics
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The Cabin Faced West
- Author: Jean Fritz
- Published: January 1, 1958
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Childrens, American History
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Miracles on Maple Hill
- Author: Virginia Sorensen
- Published: January 1, 1956
- Genres: Fiction, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade
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The Midnight Brigade
- Author: Adam Borba
- Published: September 7, 2021
- Genres: Middle Grade, Fantasy, Childrens, Family
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My Heart is on the Ground: the Diary of Nannie Little Rose, a Sioux Girl, Carlisle Indian School, Pennsylvania, 1880
- Author: Ann Rinaldi
- Published: April 1, 1999
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Fiction
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Winter Wheat (At Home in Pennsylvania Amish Country #1)
- Author: Karen Anna Vogel
- Published: April 5, 2017
- Genres: Amish, Amish Fiction
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Good in Bed (Cannie Shapiro, #1)
- Author: Jennifer Weiner
- Published: April 2, 2002
- Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
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Ben & Me: An Astonishing Life of Benjamin Franklin by His Good Mouse Amos
- Author: Robert Lawson
- Published: January 1, 1939
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy
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Jimmy's Stars
- Author: Mary Ann Rodman
- Published: April 29, 2008
- Genres: Historical Fiction, War, Fiction, Historical
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Blubber
- Author: Judy Blume
- Published: January 1, 1974
- Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens, Middle Grade
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Prom
- Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
- Published: March 3, 2005
- Genres: Young Adult, Fiction, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary
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As Bright as Heaven
- Author: Susan Meissner
- Published: February 6, 2018
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook
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Forge (Seeds of America, #2)
- Author: Laurie Halse Anderson
- Published: October 19, 2010
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Fiction
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The Way Home Looks Now
- Author: Wendy Wan-Long Shang
- Published: April 28, 2015
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Sports, Middle Grade, Realistic Fiction
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Addy: An American Girl (Boxed Set)
- Author: Connie Rose Porter
- Published: January 1, 1994
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Historical
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Funerals and Fly Fishing
- Author: Mary Bartek
- Published: September 1, 2004
- Genres: Childrens
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In Her Shoes
- Author: Jennifer Weiner
- Published: September 1, 2002
- Genres: Chick Lit, Fiction, Romance, Contemporary
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The Lost Ones
- Author: Michaela MacColl
- Published: October 11, 2016
- Genres: Historical Fiction
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Rebecca Rides for Freedom: An American Revolution Survival Story
- Author: Emma Carlson Berne
- Published: August 1, 2020
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Survival
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Goodbye, Mr. Spalding
- Author: Jennifer Robin Barr
- Published: March 26, 2019
- Genres: Middle Grade, Sports, Historical, Historical Fiction
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Wolf Hollow
- Author: Lauren Wolk
- Published: May 3, 2016
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Young Adult, Fiction
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Good-Bye Billy Radish
- Author: Gloria Skurzynski
- Published: January 1, 1992
- Genres: Juvenile, Historical Fiction
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Kappy King and the Puppy Kaper (An Amish Mystery #1)
- Author: Amy Lillard
- Published: December 1, 2017
- Genres: Amish, Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction
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Midwinter Night's Dream (Unwrapping Hank #2)
- Author: Eli Easton
- Published: November 25, 2015
- Genres: M M Romance, Contemporary, Holiday, Romance
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Bethlehem
- Author: Karen Kelly
- Published: July 9, 2019
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Adult
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Boy21
- Author: Matthew Quick
- Published: January 1, 2012
- Genres: Young Adult, Sports, Realistic Fiction, Fiction
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What Became of Her
- Author: M.E. Kerr
- Published: April 1, 2000
- Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction
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Dreamthorp
- Author: Chet Williamson
- Published: January 1, 1989
- Genres: Horror, Weird Fiction
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With the Fire on High
- Author: Elizabeth Acevedo
- Published: May 7, 2019
- Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Audiobook
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As The Wolf Loves Winter (Hemlock County, #3)
- Author: David Poyer
- Published: January 1, 1996
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction
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Tender Mercies (Men of Lancaster County, #2)
- Author: Eli Easton
- Published: October 27, 2017
- Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, Disability
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Cusp of Night (Hode's Hill, #1)
- Author: Mae Clair
- Published: June 12, 2018
- Genres: Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller, Suspense
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Soulstorm
- Author: Chet Williamson
- Published: January 1, 1986
- Genres: Horror, Weird Fiction, Fiction
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Tinker (Elfhome, #1)
- Author: Wen Spencer
- Published: October 1, 2003
- Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Science Fiction, Romance
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Jessica's Guide to Dating on the Dark Side (Jessica, #1)
- Author: Beth Fantaskey
- Published: October 19, 2000
- Genres: Young Adult, Vampires, Romance, Paranormal
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Lime Gelatin and Other Monsters (Offbeat Crimes, #1)
- Author: Angel Martinez
- Published: May 24, 2015
- Genres: Paranormal, M M Romance, Romance, Fantasy
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Due Diligence (Takeover, #3)
- Author: Anna Zabo
- Published: June 21, 2016
- Genres: M M Romance, Romance, Contemporary, LGBT
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Girl Gone Mad
- Author: Avery Bishop
- Published: September 1, 2020
- Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Mystery, Suspense
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Life As We Knew It (Last Survivors, #1)
- Author: Susan Beth Pfeffer
- Published: October 1, 2006
- Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Science Fiction, Fiction
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We Are Not Like Them
- Author: Christine Pride
- Published: October 5, 2021
- Genres: Fiction, Contemporary, Race, Audiobook
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Spring Seeds (At Home in Pennsylvania Amish Country #2)
- Author: Karen Anna Vogel
- Published: April 22, 2018
- Genres: Amish
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Takeover (Takeover, #1)
- Author: Anna Zabo
- Published: August 19, 2014
- Genres: M M Romance, BDSM, Romance, Contemporary
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Sleeping Freshmen Never Lie
- Author: David Lubar
- Published: July 21, 2005
- Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Humor, Fiction
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The Killer Angels : A Novel of the Civil War
- Author: Michael Shaara
- Published: January 1, 1974
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Civil War, War
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Summer Haze (At Home in Pennsylvania Amish Country #3)
- Author: Karen Anna Vogel
- Published: September 12, 2018
- Genres: Amish
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Kappy King and the Pickle Kaper (An Amish Mystery #2)
- Author: Amy Lillard
- Published: June 1, 2018
- Genres: Cozy Mystery, Amish, Mystery, Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads
Just Business (Takeover, #2)
- Author: Anna Zabo
- Published: June 16, 2015
- Genres: M M Romance, BDSM, Romance, Contemporary
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Grape Expectations
- Author: Tamar Myers
- Published: January 1, 2006
- Genres: Mystery, Cozy Mystery, Fiction, Humor
- Read more on Goodreads