Books set in Illinois

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September 27, 2022
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Books set in Illinois

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鈥攖heir 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鈥攍ike 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鈥攐r 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鈥攂ooks where setting itself is one of the strongest characters.

compiled a list of books set in Illinois from . 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 Devil in the White City: Murder, Magic, and Madness at the Fair That Changed America

- Rating: 3.99 (616,210 ratings)
- Author: Erik Larson
- Published: February 11, 2003
- Genres: Nonfiction, History, True Crime, Crime
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The Time Traveler's Wife

- Rating: 3.99 (1.7 million ratings)
- Author: Audrey Niffenegger
- Published: January 1, 2004
- Genres: Fiction, Romance, Fantasy, Time Travel
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Ghost Hand (The PSS Chronicles, #1)

- Rating: 3.88 (1,045 ratings)
- Author: Ripley Patton
- Published: November 28, 2012
- Genres: Paranormal, Young Adult, Fantasy, Romance
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State of Horror: Illinois

- Rating: 4.21 (19 ratings)
- Author: Jerry E. Benns
- Published: August 23, 2014
- Genres: Horror
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The Jungle

- Rating: 3.76 (137,497 ratings)
- Author: Upton Sinclair
- Published: February 25, 1905
- Genres: Classics, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Literature
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Native Son

- Rating: 4.01 (95,100 ratings)
- Author: Richard Wright
- Published: January 1, 1940
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Historical Fiction, African American
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A Long Way from Chicago (A Long Way from Chicago, #1)

- Rating: 3.96 (33,184 ratings)
- Author: Richard Peck
- Published: January 1, 1998
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens
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A Heart Of Stone

- Rating: 3.71 (14 ratings)
- Author: Amanda Springer
- Published: September 29, 2014
- Genres: Christian
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The House on Mango Street

- Rating: 3.68 (158,830 ratings)
- Author: Sandra Cisneros
- Published: January 1, 1984
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Young Adult, Short Stories
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Will Grayson, Will Grayson

- Rating: 3.72 (378,675 ratings)
- Author: John Green
- Published: April 6, 2010
- Genres: Young Adult, LGBT, Contemporary, Fiction
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Across Five Aprils

- Rating: 3.54 (13,132 ratings)
- Author: Irene Hunt
- Published: September 1, 1964
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Young Adult, Civil War
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Storm Front (The Dresden Files, #1)

- Rating: 3.98 (329,620 ratings)
- Author: Jim Butcher
- Published: April 1, 2000
- Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Fiction
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A Raisin in the Sun

- Rating: 3.84 (83,631 ratings)
- Author: Lorraine Hansberry
- Published: January 1, 1959
- Genres: Plays, Classics, Fiction, Drama
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The Unicorn Hunter

- Rating: 4.11 (27 ratings)
- Author: Del Henderson
- Published: October 26, 2015
- Genres: Fantasy, Unicorns
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The Litigators

- Rating: 3.85 (71,085 ratings)
- Author: John Grisham
- Published: October 25, 2011
- Genres: Fiction, Thriller, Mystery, Legal Thriller
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Something Wicked This Way Comes (Green Town, #2)

- Rating: 3.92 (116,764 ratings)
- Author: Ray Bradbury
- Published: September 17, 1962
- Genres: Horror, Fantasy, Fiction, Classics
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Chicago Poems

- Rating: 4.02 (2,439 ratings)
- Author: Carl Sandburg
- Published: January 1, 1916
- Genres: Poetry, Classics, Fiction, American
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Deceptions (Cainsville, #3)

- Rating: 4.15 (10,172 ratings)
- Author: Kelley Armstrong
- Published: August 18, 2015
- Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery
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Deadlock (V.I. Warshawski, #2)

- Rating: 3.81 (5,273 ratings)
- Author: Sara Paretsky
- Published: December 12, 1984
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller
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Rose Madder

- Rating: 3.73 (105,733 ratings)
- Author: Stephen King
- Published: January 1, 1995
- Genres: Horror, Fiction, Thriller, Fantasy
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Wild Women and the Blues

- Rating: 3.78 (4,834 ratings)
- Author: Denny S. Bryce
- Published: March 30, 2021
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Historical, Adult
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Some Girls Bite (Chicagoland Vampires, #1)

- Rating: 3.98 (62,970 ratings)
- Author: Chloe Neill
- Published: April 7, 2009
- Genres: Urban Fantasy, Vampires, Paranormal, Fantasy
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It Had to Be You (Chicago Stars, #1)

- Rating: 4.01 (64,344 ratings)
- Author: Susan Elizabeth Phillips
- Published: January 1, 1994
- Genres: Romance, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary, Sports
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Omens (Cainsville, #1)

- Rating: 4.07 (19,880 ratings)
- Author: Kelley Armstrong
- Published: August 20, 2013
- Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Mystery, Paranormal
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Visions (Cainsville, #2)

- Rating: 4.25 (12,603 ratings)
- Author: Kelley Armstrong
- Published: August 14, 2014
- Genres: Urban Fantasy, Fantasy, Paranormal, Mystery
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Brush Back (V.I. Warshawski, #17)

- Rating: 3.93 (4,001 ratings)
- Author: Sara Paretsky
- Published: July 16, 2015
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller
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Skin Game (The Dresden Files, #15)

- Rating: 4.56 (79,214 ratings)
- Author: Jim Butcher
- Published: May 27, 2014
- Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery
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The Firebrand (Great Chicago Fire Trilogy #3)

- Rating: 3.90 (2,148 ratings)
- Author: Susan Wiggs
- Published: April 1, 2001
- Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction
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The Mistress (Great Chicago Fire Trilogy, #2)

- Rating: 3.78 (1,757 ratings)
- Author: Susan Wiggs
- Published: October 1, 2000
- Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction
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Blood Secrets

- Rating: 3.89 (282 ratings)
- Author: Craig Jones
- Published: January 1, 1978
- Genres: Horror, Mystery, Fiction, Thriller
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Arsenic and Adobo (Tita Rosie's Kitchen Mystery, #1)

- Rating: 3.56 (49,123 ratings)
- Author: Mia P. Manansala
- Published: May 4, 2021
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Cozy Mystery, Mystery Thriller
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Dandelion Wine (Green Town, #1)

- Rating: 4.08 (63,916 ratings)
- Author: Ray Bradbury
- Published: September 1, 1957
- Genres: Fiction, Classics, Science Fiction, Fantasy
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Time Between Us (Time Between Us, #1)

- Rating: 3.90 (11,084 ratings)
- Author: Tamara Ireland Stone
- Published: October 9, 2012
- Genres: Young Adult, Time Travel, Romance, Fantasy
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Insurgent (Divergent, #2)

- Rating: 3.99 (1.4 million ratings)
- Author: Veronica Roth
- Published: May 1, 2012
- Genres: Young Adult, Dystopia, Fiction, Fantasy
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The Hostage (Great Chicago Fire Trilogy #1)

- Rating: 3.90 (2,211 ratings)
- Author: Susan Wiggs
- Published: April 1, 2000
- Genres: Romance, Historical Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction
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If We Were Villains

- Rating: 4.22 (102,871 ratings)
- Author: M.L. Rio
- Published: April 11, 2017
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Thriller, Contemporary
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The Summer I Saved the World . . . in 65 Days

- Rating: 4.12 (1,281 ratings)
- Author: Michele Weber Hurwitz
- Published: January 1, 2014
- Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction
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Sister Carrie

- Rating: 3.76 (38,660 ratings)
- Author: Theodore Dreiser
- Published: November 8, 1900
- Genres: Classics, Fiction, Literature, American
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Deliver Us from Normal

- Rating: 3.41 (554 ratings)
- Author: Kate Klise
- Published: January 1, 2005
- Genres: Realistic Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Middle Grade
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About Average

- Rating: 3.71 (1,651 ratings)
- Author: Andrew Clements
- Published: June 26, 2012
- Genres: Realistic Fiction, Middle Grade, Fiction, School
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A Year Down Yonder (A Long Way from Chicago, #2)

- Rating: 4.13 (29,030 ratings)
- Author: Richard Peck
- Published: January 1, 2000
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Fiction, Childrens
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Indemnity Only (V.I. Warshawski, #1)

- Rating: 3.90 (17,327 ratings)
- Author: Sara Paretsky
- Published: February 3, 1982
- Genres: Mystery, Fiction, Crime, Mystery Thriller
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My Chocolate Year: A Novel with 12 Recipes to Make Your World a Little Sweeter

- Rating: 3.54 (144 ratings)
- Author: Charlotte Herman
- Published: February 19, 2008
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Juvenile, Childrens, Historical
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Ghost Story (The Dresden Files, #13)

- Rating: 4.25 (92,055 ratings)
- Author: Jim Butcher
- Published: July 26, 2011
- Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Fiction, Mystery
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The Jazz Palace

- Rating: 3.68 (750 ratings)
- Author: Mary Morris
- Published: April 7, 2015
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Fiction, Music, Jazz
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A Kiss of Shadows (Merry Gentry, #1)

- Rating: 4.01 (57,038 ratings)
- Author: Laurell K. Hamilton
- Published: September 30, 2000
- Genres: Fantasy, Urban Fantasy, Paranormal, Romance
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Just Your Average Princess (Just Your Average #1)

- Rating: 3.38 (386 ratings)
- Author: Kristina Springer
- Published: October 11, 2011
- Genres: Young Adult, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Romance
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The Paper Cowboy

- Rating: 4.19 (1,248 ratings)
- Author: Kristin Levine
- Published: September 4, 2014
- Genres: Historical Fiction, Middle Grade, Historical, Family
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