An American Sampler: The Best Books from Each Region!
What a good day to read books from every corner of the nation!
March 2nd is Read Across America Day! Read Across America is a program created by the National Education Association that promotes reading, especially among school-age children. Read Across America Day celebrates reading each year on Dr. Seuss’ birthday, March 2nd. For more info and resources, you can check out their website. Even though Read Across America Day has historically been focused on inspiring children to love reading, we are never too old to celebrate the value of great books and the privilege of being a reader. So, look below to check out some great books of various genres from every region in the United States, so you can literally “read across America.” I hope you will find your new favorite, perhaps from a region you live in, enjoy visiting, or haven’t experienced before.
Note: The links to the books are affiliate links. That means, if you purchase one of these books through the link, What A Good Day will receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. The opinions are my own. We appreciate your support!
The Northeast
I love Leigh Bardugo. Her writing is smart and crisp. Her characters are edgy and dynamic. And her world-building is some of the best of any author living today. In Ninth House, she sets those skills toward crafting a fictional world in the very real place of New Haven, Connecticut. We find ourselves on Yale’s campus, amidst the bright and powerful “Houses” of the college’s elite.
But Yale’s powerful players have dark secrets, and in the middle of it all is our heroine, Alex. She will face unsolved murders, occult practices, ghosts, and more by the time it’s all over, and you will find yourself frantically flipping the pages to see her through to the end. This is dark fantasy at its finest, and the setting of New Haven provides the perfect backdrop for Bardugo’s suspenseful storytelling.
Mary Oliver is one of my all-time favorite poets. Even if you don’t typically read poetry, no worries! Devotions features some of Oliver’s best, and they were hand-chosen by the poet herself from her illustrious career spanning decades. Oliver lived in Provincetown, Massachusetts for most of her adult life, and the beautiful landscapes and wildlife of Cape Cod inspired so many of her poems.
Having visited Provincetown myself many years ago for a lovely wedding, her poetry always takes me back to the serenity of the place. If you want words to feed your soul, this book is the one. Also, for a peek into her style, click here to read my favorite of her poems, “Wild Geese.”
The Southeast
It has been almost 20 years since I read this book, but I still remember vividly my feelings while reading it. Cold Mountain by Charles Frazier is a retelling of The Odyssey set in the south during the Civil War. The story follows Inman, an injured soldier who embarks on the long journey home through the war-torn South to reach his beloved Ada. In addition, Ada faces her own struggles to keep her home safe from challenges of all kinds.
This book is a love story. It is a war story. It is a hero’s journey. And it’s a descriptive masterpiece. It is many things at once, and all of it beautiful and meaningful and magical. I loved the story, but years later, it is how Frazier’s language drew me in that I remember most. Check it out!
South of Broad focuses on a group of friends growing up in Charleston, South Carolina. The first part of the novel takes place in the 60s when the characters are in their teens. Then, the second half takes place in the 80s when life has happened and each member of the group finds themselves changed irrevocably by the events that have brought them to where they are.
This book takes a hard look at how very real issues impact characters that feel like us. Be prepared to read about universal challenges like suicide, murder, and divorce along with historical events like the Aids Crisis of the 1980’s and the devastation of Hurricane Hugo. At its heart, though, this is a book about the ties that bind us, no matter what storms may come. Rather like a storm in its own right, it is as chaotic as it is captivating.
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Audible is a great way to listen to books while driving, multitasking, etc. Once you try it you'll never go back!
The Midwest
I recommend this one with a disclaimer. In my experience, people either love Neil Gaiman or hate him. His writing style is quirky. Also, his stories are a little out there to say the least. This book is no exception. But if you want something a little different, especially if you want an author to challenge how you think, this book is a must-read!
Set mostly in the midwest, American Gods is about a mortal, Shadow, caught up in the affairs of the gods. This includes versions of the “old gods” you know, but there are “new gods” of money and media as well. Gaiman portrays these “gods” to represent who we are as Americans in surprising and often unsettling ways. In many ways, this book is a commentary on how our beliefs shape our worldview, and why opposing worldviews can create conflict between generations of Americans.
I am not as well-versed in nonfiction as I am in other genres so I have to thank my book club friends for introducing me to this one. The Devil in the White City is about the 1893 World’s Fair in Chicago. It follows two stories, that of Daniel H. Burnham, the architect behind the fair’s construction, and H.H. Holmes, a serial killer as charming as he was effective, who terrorized the visitors to the fair.
The two stories run concurrently, switching back and forth between the two men who serve as a look into both sides of genius, the marvelous and the malevolent. It’s a very readable book, with some cameos by important historical figures. And the backdrop of Chicago at the turn of the century feels like a character all its own.
The Southwest
Barbara Kingsolver has been one of my favorite writers for years, and this was the book that started it for me. I read Animal Dreams in high school. It was recommended to me by one of my favorite teachers, John Beasley. In just about all of Kingsolver’s books, the setting is essential to the story. In this book, the main character of Codi Noline has to face past mistakes and present challenges in her hometown of Grace, Arizona. Through it all, she forges her own identity in a way that is remarkable and relatable.
This is a book about relationships: with family, with soulmates, and with ourselves. It shows with beauty and poise how relationships can be broken, repaired, and reborn.
I know I’ve already expressed in my Dystopian Literature post how much I love Cormac McCarthy, but I can’t talk about literature of the Southwest without recommending his Border Trilogy. The trilogy contains the books All the Pretty Horses, The Crossing, and Cities of the Plain. All three books are set across the Southwest and Mexico and chronicle the journeys of two cowboys, John Grady Cole and Billy Parham. All the Pretty Horses focuses on Cole, The Crossing switches to Parham, and the final book brings both together.
These books are about love, loss, and growing up. The stories are told with the brutal frankness fans of McCarthy will expect. The lack of punctuation may be a deterrent for some readers, but if you are looking for an epic book trilogy, this is it!
The Northwest
I’ve read many hundreds of books in my life, so it takes a special book to make it onto my favorites list. But this is one that did. I laughed out loud. I cried. Like, I ugly cried. And it stayed with me. It still stays with me.
The Art of Racing in the Rain is set in Seattle, one of the rainiest places in the U.S. It follows a few years in the life of race car driver, Denny, and his wife and daughter. Their joys and losses are described through the eyes of their dog, Enzo. Enzo is one of the most intimate, vulnerable narrators I have ever had the pleasure to read. At the end of the book, I felt I knew him as well as any human being I’ve ever known. If you have ever loved a dog, read this book. It is beautiful, and heartbreaking, and truly one of the best books I’ve ever read.
Sherman Alexie grew up on the Spokane Indian Reservation in Washington and has been writing about life on reservations for decades. The Lone Ranger and Tonto Fistfight in Heaven is equal parts heart-wrenching and humorous. The short story collection covers multiple topics centered around life on a Native American Reservation.
Appropriate for teens and adults, the stories are filled with important themes and memorable characters, and are pieced together by Alexie’s signature style and wit. What I love most about this book is that it is about a specific kind of life, and so it was eye-opening for me in understanding a group of people different from myself, but it is also about what it means to be human, and therefore reminds me as well that we are really all the same no matter where we live in America.
I hope you enjoy reading across America!
I hope you find a new favorite book to read on Read Across America Day or anytime! If you have a favorite book from a certain region, drop a comment below and share it with us!
Need other book recommendations? Check out these posts!
- Need More Mystery in Your Life? Discover a New Mystery Series to Read!
- Ten Remarkable Dystopia Books That Will Make You Think!
- Fantastic Poetry Books Everyone Will Love!
Have a good day!
Jamie
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There is always a great list of book recommendations! Just need more time!!!!
You are so right!! 📚📚📚