Set in a Small Town

Participating in Spring Books & Bites Bingo? Try these books that feature road trips!

Updated April 1, 2026
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Beartown : a novel
Backman, Fredrik
Paper Book
"You'll love this engrossing novel." --People From the bestselling author of A Man Called Ove and Anxious People, Fredrik Backman captivates readers with a dazzling, profound novel about a small town with a big dream--and the price required to make it come...
The murders in Great Diddling : a novel
Bivald, Katarina
Paper Book
2024 Lillian Jackson Braun Edgar Award Nominee The best stories are the ones we didn't know needed to be told The small, rundown village of Great Diddling is full of stories--author Berit Gardner can feel it. The way the villagers avoid outsiders, the furtive stares and whispers in...
Mississippi blue 42
Cranor, Eli
Paper Book
Former quarterback turned Edgar-winning author Eli Cranor throws a glorious game winner in this series debut starring a rookie FBI agent who finds herself caught in the tangled web of a college football empire--and the bloody greed that fuels it. "Former college quarterback Eli...
My heart is a chainsaw
Jones, Stephen Graham
Paper Book
Winner of the Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel Named a Best Book of 2021 by NPR In her quickly gentrifying rural lake town Jade sees recent events only her encyclopedic knowledge of horror films could have prepared her for in this latest novel from the Jordan...
Miracle Creek
Kim, Angie
Paper Book
Winner of the Edgar Award for Best First Novel A Time Best Mystery and Thriller Book of All Time The "gripping... page-turner" (Time) hitting all the best of summer reading lists, Miracle Creek is perfect for book clubs and fans of Liane...
'Salem's lot
King, Stephen
Paper Book
When a writer returns to his Maine home town, he discovers that the peaceful hamlet is being overrun by vampires and sets out to curb this ancient evil before it can spread.
It : a novel
King, Stephen
Paper Book
Welcome to Derry, Maine. It's a small city, a place as hauntingly familiar as your own hometown. Only in Derry the haunting is real. They were seven teenagers when they first stumbled upon the horror. Now they are grown-up men and women who have gone out into the big world to gain...
To kill a mockingbird
Lee, Harper
Paper Book
The unforgettable novel of a childhood in a sleepy Southern town and the crisis of conscience that rocked it, To Kill A Mockingbird became both an instant bestseller and a critical success when it was first published in 1960. It went on to win the Pulitzer Prize in 1961 and was later made...
Every Tom, Dick & Harry : a novel
Lipman, Elinor
Paper Book
From the author of Ms. Demeanor--one of the most beloved comedic writers of our time--comes a charming, laugh-out-loud tale of love and criminality, a pitch-perfect romantic comedy. "Over the course of more than thirty years and at least fifteen books, Elinor Lipman has been creating a...
Very cold people : a novel
Manguso, Sarah
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES EDITORS' CHOICE * The masterly debut novel from "an exquisitely astute writer" (The Boston Globe), about growing up in--and out of--the suffocating constraints of small-town America. LONGLISTED FOR THE PEN/JEAN STEIN BOOK AWARD * "Compact and beautiful ....
Betty
McDaniel, Tiffany
Paper Book
A stunning, lyrical novel set in the rolling foothills of the Appalachians about a young girl and the family truths that will haunt her for the rest of her life. "A girl comes of age against the knife." So begins the story of Betty Carpenter. Born in a bathtub in...
Lula Dean's little library of banned books : a novel
Miller, Kirsten
Paper Book
"Kirsten Miller has that rare ability to take a serious subject and make it very, very funny. I enjoyed this novel and you will too."--James Patterson The provocative and hilarious summer read that will have book lovers cheering and everyone talking! Kirsten Miller, author of The Change...
Daughter of mine : a novel
Miranda, Megan
Paper Book
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER A USA TODAY BESTSELLER Her father was the town detective. Her mother its most notorious criminal. Now the secrets of Mirror Lake are coming to the surface...and changing everything. "[A] stunning...
Buckeye : a novel
Ryan, Patrick
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * READ WITH JENNA BOOK CLUB PICK AS FEATURED ON TODAY * "A glorious sweep of a novel" (Ann Patchett) that weaves the intimate lives of two midwestern families across generations, from World War II to the late twentieth century. "Mesmerizing."--...
The prettiest star
Sickels, Carter
Paper Book
One of 2020's most acclaimed books. A Kirkus Best Fiction Book of 2020 * One of O Magazine's Best LGBT Books of 2020 * Winner of the Ohioana Book Award * Winner of the Weatherford Award * A Finalist for the Southern Book Prize * A Finalist for the Granum Foundation Prize ...
Mother-daughter murder night : a novel
Simon, Nina
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER - REESE'S BOOK CLUB PICK  Nothing brings a family together like a murder next door. "I just loved how intriguing the mystery is but also the dynamics between a grandmother, a mother, and a teenage daughter." --Reese Witherspoon Think: Gilmore...
Tell me everything : a novel
Strout, Elizabeth
Paper Book
NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER * OPRAH'S BOOK CLUB PICK * From Pulitzer Prize-winning author Elizabeth Strout comes a "stunner" (People) of a novel about new friendships, old loves, and the very human desire to leave a mark on the world. "Tell Me Everything...
Listen for the lie
Tintera, Amy
Paper Book
A New York Times Bestseller * A Good Morning America Book Club Pick * An NPR Best Book of the Year * A Washington Post Best Thriller of 2024 "I read this in one sitting! Such a fun and engaging read, with an ending that blew my mind!" --<...
This is happiness
Williams, Niall
Paper Book
The November 2025 Late Show Book Club Pick! "I am such a fan of Niall Williams." -Ann Patchett, New York Times bestselling author of Tom Lake A profound and enchanting novel set in the rural Irish village of Faha, from bestselling Time...
Now is not the time to panic : a novel
Wilson, Kevin
Paper Book
NATIONAL BESTSELLER Named a Best Book of the Year by: Time * Kirkus Reviews * USA Today * Entertainment Weekly * Garden & Gun * Vox * Atlanta Journal-Constitution A Most Anticipated Book of Fall from: Associated Press * Atlanta Journal-Constitution * BookPage * Book...

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