Books set in Tennessee

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September 27, 2022
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Books set in Tennessee

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 Tennessee 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 Color Purple

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

- Rating: 4.23 (52,546 ratings)
- Author: Catherine Marshall
- Published: June 1, 1967
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Christian Fiction
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Beard in Mind (Winston Brothers, #4)

- Rating: 4.20 (22,490 ratings)
- Author: Penny Reid
- Published: July 31, 2017
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction
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Batter of Wits (Love at First Sight, #2)

- Rating: 4.01 (2,689 ratings)
- Author: Karla Sorensen
- Published: April 21, 2020
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Fiction
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Under Water: A Natural Disaster Memoir

- Rating: 3.59 (1,115 ratings)
- Author: Owen Grimenstein
- Published: October 29, 2016
- Genres: History, Nonfiction
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American Gods

- Rating: 4.11 (856,237 ratings)
- Author: Neil Gaiman
- Published: June 19, 2001
- Genres: Fantasy, Fiction, Urban Fantasy, Mythology
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The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter, #2)

- Rating: 4.23 (519,035 ratings)
- Author: Thomas Harris
- Published: July 1, 1988
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Mystery
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Elvis and Me: The True Story of the Love Between Priscilla Presley and the King of Rock N' Roll

- Rating: 3.88 (7,021 ratings)
- Author: Priscilla Presley
- Published: September 19, 1985
- Genres: Biography, Nonfiction, Music, Memoir
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Grin and Beard It (Winston Brothers, #2)

- Rating: 4.14 (27,014 ratings)
- Author: Penny Reid
- Published: March 21, 2016
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Humor
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Natural Born Charmer (Chicago Stars, #7)

- Rating: 4.15 (35,061 ratings)
- Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
- Published: January 1, 2007
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit
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Fortune Calling (The Fortune Series, #1)

- Rating: 4.55 (149 ratings)
- Author: Hunter S. Jones
- Published: January 27, 2014
- Genres: Romance, Fiction, Short Stories
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Dolly: My Life and Other Unfinished Business

- Rating: 4.12 (3,651 ratings)
- Author: Dolly Parton
- Published: September 20, 1994
- Genres: Nonfiction, Memoir, Biography, Music
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March: Book One (March, #1)

- Rating: 4.33 (52,232 ratings)
- Author: John Lewis
- Published: August 13, 2013
- Genres: Graphic Novels, Nonfiction, History, Memoir
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The Dragon King (Chattanooga Supernaturals, #1)

- Rating: 3.80 (652 ratings)
- Author: Candace Blevins
- Published: March 17, 2015
- Genres: Paranormal, BDSM, Fantasy, Shapeshifters
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Carved in Bone (Body Farm, #1)

- Rating: 3.93 (12,309 ratings)
- Author: Jefferson Bass
- Published: January 1, 2006
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime
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She Walks These Hills (Ballad, #3)

- Rating: 4.10 (4,178 ratings)
- Author: Sharyn McCrumb
- Published: January 1, 1994
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Mystery Thriller
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Flight Behavior

- Rating: 3.80 (88,703 ratings)
- Author: Barbara Kingsolver
- Published: November 1, 2012
- Genres: Fiction, Literary Fiction, Environment, Contemporary
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Nothing to See Here

- Rating: 3.95 (141,627 ratings)
- Author: Kevin Wilson
- Published: October 29, 2019
- Genres: Fiction, Audiobook, Magical Realism, Fantasy
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Before We Were Yours

- Rating: 4.39 (505,677 ratings)
- Author: Lisa Wingate
- Published: June 6, 2017
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Audiobook
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The Firm

- Rating: 4.17 (60,976 ratings)
- Author: John Grisham
- Published: February 28, 1991
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Crime
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Only Human (Only Human #1)

- Rating: 3.98 (539 ratings)
- Author: Candace Blevins
- Published: February 1, 2015
- Genres: BDSM, Paranormal, Urban Fantasy, Erotica
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Say You Want Me (The Hennington Brothers, #2)

- Rating: 4.32 (13,335 ratings)
- Author: Corinne Michaels
- Published: October 29, 2016
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Audiobook
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Flesh and Bone (Body Farm #2)

- Rating: 4.06 (10,359 ratings)
- Author: Jefferson Bass
- Published: January 1, 2007
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Crime
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Roots: The Saga of an American Family

- Rating: 4.43 (155,905 ratings)
- Author: Alex Haley
- Published: August 17, 1976
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Classics, Historical
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The Women of Brewster Place

- Rating: 4.19 (19,799 ratings)
- Author: Gloria Naylor
- Published: June 2, 1982
- Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Classics, African American
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A Death in the Family

- Rating: 3.90 (15,364 ratings)
- Author: James Agee
- Published: January 1, 1957
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literature, Novels
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The Girls of Atomic City: The Untold Story of the Women Who Helped Win World War II

- Rating: 3.70 (28,615 ratings)
- Author: Denise Kiernan
- Published: March 5, 2013
- Genres: Nonfiction, History, World War II, Science
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Safeword Quinacridone (Safeword, #5)

- Rating: 3.73 (545 ratings)
- Author: Candace Blevins
- Published: December 28, 2012
- Genres: BDSM, Erotica, Romance, Erotic Romance
- Read more on Goodreads

Safeword Matte (Safeword, #2)

- Rating: 3.91 (818 ratings)
- Author: Candace Blevins
- Published: March 1, 2012
- Genres: BDSM, Erotica, Romance, M F Romance
- Read more on Goodreads

Duke (Rolling Thunder Motorcycle Club, #1)

- Rating: 3.75 (1,354 ratings)
- Author: Candace Blevins
- Published: April 22, 2015
- Genres: Paranormal, Romance, Paranormal Romance, Shapeshifters
- Read more on Goodreads

The Widow of the South

- Rating: 3.77 (16,351 ratings)
- Author: Robert Hicks
- Published: August 30, 2005
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Civil War, Historical
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Black Rose (In the Garden, #2)

- Rating: 4.06 (39,658 ratings)
- Author: Nora Roberts
- Published: May 31, 2005
- Genres: Romance, Fiction, Paranormal, Contemporary Romance
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A Summons to Memphis

- Rating: 3.65 (6,234 ratings)
- Author: Peter Taylor
- Published: June 29, 1986
- Genres: Fiction, Novels, Southern, Literary Fiction
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Beard Science (Winston Brothers, #3)

- Rating: 4.41 (31,169 ratings)
- Author: Penny Reid
- Published: October 11, 2016
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Humor
- Read more on Goodreads

Last Train to Memphis: The Rise of Elvis Presley

- Rating: 4.10 (8,579 ratings)
- Author: Peter Guralnick
- Published: March 1, 1994
- Genres: Music, Biography, Nonfiction, History
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Blue Moon (Anita Blake, Vampire Hunter, #8)

- Rating: 4.05 (64,311 ratings)
- Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
- Published: November 1, 1998
- Genres: Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Fantasy
- Read more on Goodreads

Zombies of the Gene Pool (Jay Omega, #2)

- Rating: 3.44 (1,173 ratings)
- Author: Sharyn McCrumb
- Published: February 1, 1992
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Humor, Science Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads

Red Lily (In the Garden, #3)

- Rating: 4.08 (38,518 ratings)
- Author: Nora Roberts
- Published: November 29, 2005
- Genres: Romance, Fiction, Paranormal, Contemporary Romance
- Read more on Goodreads

Cut to the Bone (Body Farm, #8)

- Rating: 4.09 (3,620 ratings)
- Author: Jefferson Bass
- Published: September 24, 2013
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Suspense
- Read more on Goodreads

Inherit the Wind

- Rating: 3.93 (22,774 ratings)
- Author: Jerome Lawrence
- Published: January 1, 1955
- Genres: Plays, Classics, Fiction, Drama
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The Children

- Rating: 4.50 (1,238 ratings)
- Author: David Halberstam
- Published: March 24, 1998
- Genres: History, Nonfiction, American History, Politics
- Read more on Goodreads

The Sandbox & The Death of Bessie Smith

- Rating: 3.60 (341 ratings)
- Author: Edward Albee
- Published: October 1, 1963
- Genres: Plays, Drama, Theatre, Fiction
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The Reivers

- Rating: 3.79 (7,103 ratings)
- Author: William Faulkner
- Published: January 1, 1962
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Literature, Historical Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads

Whistle

- Rating: 3.86 (556 ratings)
- Author: James Jones
- Published: March 1, 1978
- Genres: Fiction, War, Historical Fiction, World War II
- Read more on Goodreads

Ghost Riders

- Rating: 3.94 (1,814 ratings)
- Author: Sharyn McCrumb
- Published: January 1, 2003
- Genres: Mystery, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical
- Read more on Goodreads

Walland (Hesse Creek #1)

- Rating: 4.07 (340 ratings)
- Author: Andrea Thome
- Published: August 12, 2016
- Genres: Romance, Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads

Christmas at Carnton (Carnton, #0.5)

- Rating: 4.18 (2,599 ratings)
- Author: Tamera Alexander
- Published: October 3, 2017
- Genres: Christmas, Historical Fiction, Christian Fiction, Romance
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The Hiding Girl (Emily Calby, #1)

- Rating: 4.32 (227 ratings)
- Author: Dorian Box
- Published: June 15, 2020
- Genres: Thriller, Fiction, Suspense
- Read more on Goodreads

Secondhand Smoke (Dartmoor, #4)

- Rating: 4.41 (1,798 ratings)
- Author: Lauren Gilley
- Published: January 14, 2016
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Dark, Suspense
- Read more on Goodreads

The Serpent King

- Rating: 4.16 (18,891 ratings)
- Author: Jeff Zentner
- Published: March 8, 2016
- Genres: Young Adult, Contemporary, Fiction, Realistic Fiction
- Read more on Goodreads

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