Set in Seattle

Photo by Charity Burggraaf; Styling by Kira Corbin

Seattle-based titles and author recommendations from the exceptionally well-read folks at Seattle Public Library, Elliott Bay Book Company, and Third Place Books

Truth Like the Sun 

A masterful blend of fact and fiction, Jim Lynch tells a dual-timeline tale of Seattle’s evolution and the unofficial mayor of the city, alternating between the opening of the World’s Fair in 1962 and Seattle circa 2001.

Hotel on the Corner of Bitter and Sweet  

Set in World War II Seattle, Jamie Ford’s debut title follows the fictional relationship of a Chinese American boy and a Japanese American girl during the internment (Panama Hotel in Seattle’s Chinatown–International District plays a starring role).

This Is How It Always Is

In this story of a Seattle family whose youngest son declares he is a girl, local author Laurie Frankel pulls from life experience (her own son reached the same conclusion) to create a fictionalized account of one family’s journey to embrace its child’s identity.

The Boys in the Boat

Daniel James Brown recounts the University of Washington crew team’s pursuit of gold at the 1936 Berlin Olympics, painting a vivid picture of Depression-era Seattle amidst the underlying political drama of competing in Hitler’s Germany.

Where’d You Go, Bernadette?

Former Arrested Development writer and Emerald City transplant Maria Semple’s wry novel pulls no punches when it comes to calling out Seattle’s quirks, as told from the perspective of an eccentric, agoraphobic architect (the film adaptation, starring Cate Blanchett as the titular character, hits theaters this fall).