Books Set in California

44,633 members

724 reviews

3.9

6 Members: hipdeep, sturlington, ahef1963, elia1168, janeet, ManWithAnAgenda
Explanations: sturlington: Salinas River Valley

4

East of Eden

27,433 members

480 reviews

½ 4.4

5 Members: aulsmith, sturlington, elia1168, NinieB, janeet
Explanations: sturlington: Salinas River Valley

5

Tales of the City

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?

5,400 members

113 reviews

3.9

5 Members: aulsmith, ahef1963, NinieB, janeet, ManWithAnAgenda
Explanations: aulsmith: San Francisco

6

by Philip K. Dick

22,202 members

531 reviews

4

4 Members: hipdeep, sturlington, janeet, ManWithAnAgenda
Explanations: sturlington: San Francisco

7

Mr Penumbra's 24-hour Bookstore

by Robin Sloan

9,445 members

758 reviews

3.8

4 Members: merrystar, sturlington, ahef1963, janeet
Explanations: sturlington: San Francisco and Silicon Valley

8

Angle of Repose

by Wallace Stegner

5,985 members

198 reviews

½ 4.3

4 Members: sturlington, ahef1963, NinieB, janeet

9

The Grapes of Wrath

39,163 members

518 reviews

4.1

4 Members: aulsmith, sturlington, elia1168, NinieB,janeet
Explanations: sturlington: Hooverville

10

The Joy Luck Club

by Amy Tan

19,317 members

220 reviews

3.9

3 Members: sturlington, ahef1963, ManWithAnAgenda
Explanations: sturlington: San Francisco

11

Parable of the Sower

by Octavia E. Butler

11,563 members

318 reviews

4.1

3 Members: sturlington, janeet, ManWithAnAgenda

12

Cannery Row

Wild: From Lost to Found on the Pacific Crest Trail

11,182 members

214 reviews

4

3 Members: hipdeep, ahef1963, ManWithAnAgenda

13

by Cheryl Strayed

10,170 members

554 reviews

3.9

3 Members: sturlington, ahef1963, janeet
Explanations: sturlington: Sierra Nevada mountains

14

Daughter of Fortune

by Isabel Allende

9,587 members

203 reviews

½ 3.7

3 Members: KimarieBee, sturlington, ahef1963
Explanations: sturlington: Gold Rush

15

The Jane Austen Book Club

by Karen Joy Fowler

6,785 members

199 reviews

3

3 Members: sturlington, ahef1963, janeet

16

Parable of the Talents

by Octavia E. Butler

4,892 members

126 reviews

4.1

3 Members: sturlington, janeet, ManWithAnAgenda

17

Practical Demonkeeping

by Christopher Moore

4,361 members

114 reviews

½ 3.7

3 Members: hipdeep, sturlington, janeet

18

The Postman Always Rings Twice

by James M. Cain

3,907 members

144 reviews

½ 3.7

3 Members: sturlington, ahef1963, ManWithAnAgenda

19

More Tales of the City

Further Tales of the City

2,804 members

28 reviews

3.9

3 Members: aulsmith, NinieB, janeet
Explanations: aulsmith: San Franciso

20

Telegraph Avenue

by Michael Chabon

2,560 members

99 reviews

½ 3.5

3 Members: aulsmith, sturlington, janeet
Explanations: sturlington: Oakland and Berkeley

21

2,505 members

25 reviews

3.9

3 Members: aulsmith, NinieB, janeet
Explanations: aulsmith: San Francisco

22

The Wayward Bus

2,399 members

46 reviews

3.8

3 Members: aulsmith, elia1168, janeet
Explanations: aulsmith: Central Valley

23

Babycakes

2,124 members

21 reviews

3.8

3 Members: aulsmith, NinieB, janeet
Explanations: aulsmith: San Francisco

24

Significant Others

1,951 members

16 reviews

3.8

3 Members: aulsmith, NinieB, janeet
Explanations: aulsmith: San Francisco

25

Sure of You

Tea with the Black Dragon

1,927 members

17 reviews

3.8

3 Members: aulsmith, NinieB, janeet
Explanations: aulsmith: San Francisco

26

Frog Music

by Emma Donoghue

1,665 members

99 reviews

½ 3.3

3 Members: KimarieBee, sturlington, janeet
Explanations: sturlington: San Francisco

27

by R. A. MacAvoy

1,599 members

43 reviews

3.9

3 Members: merrystar, sturlington, ahef1963

28

The Drowning Pool

929 members

21 reviews

3.8

3 Members: aulsmith, NinieB, janeet
Explanations: aulsmith: Los Angeles

29

The Gold Coast

by Kim Stanley Robinson

864 members

24 reviews

½ 3.5

3 Members: aulsmith, sturlington, janeet

30

The Goodbye Look

Helter Skelter: The True Story of the Manson Murders

594 members

11 reviews

½ 3.7

3 Members: aulsmith, NinieB, janeet
Explanations: aulsmith: Los Angeles

31

1st to Die

by James Patterson

9,006 members

188 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: dara85, janeet

32

A Dirty Job

by Christopher Moore

7,309 members

282 reviews

4

2 Members: sturlington, ManWithAnAgenda

33

by Vincent Bugliosi

5,765 members

100 reviews

4

2 Members: sturlington, ahef1963

34

The Last Thing He Told Me

by Laura Dave

5,542 members

184 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: dara85, ahef1963

35

The Sisters Brothers

by Patrick deWitt

4,737 members

340 reviews

3.9

2 Members: sturlington, ahef1963

36

Sandman Slim

by Richard Kadrey

2,720 members

192 reviews

3.8

2 Members: hipdeep, janeet

37

A Single Man

by Christopher Isherwood

2,633 members

95 reviews

4

2 Members: aulsmith, janeet

38

Always Coming Home

by Ursula K. Le Guin

2,514 members

22 reviews

3.9

2 Members: sturlington, janeet

39

Gun, with Occasional Music

by Jonathan Lethem

2,501 members

68 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: sturlington, janeet

40

Postcards from the Edge

by Carrie Fisher

1,742 members

34 reviews

½ 3.6

2 Members: sturlington, ahef1963

41

Into the Forest

by Jean Hegland

1,651 members

58 reviews

3.8

2 Members: sturlington, janeet

42

Michael Tolliver Lives

Invasion of the Body Snatchers

1,478 members

52 reviews

3.8

2 Members: aulsmith, janeet
Explanations: aulsmith: San Francisco

43

by Jack Finney

1,451 members

61 reviews

3.8

2 Members: sturlington, janeet

44

The Wild Shore

by Kim Stanley Robinson

1,232 members

24 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: aulsmith, janeet
Explanations: aulsmith: Alternate Orange County

45

Devil House

by John Darnielle

995 members

29 reviews

½ 3.5

2 Members: sturlington, ManWithAnAgenda

46

You Don't Love Me Yet: A Novel

by Jonathan Lethem

946 members

33 reviews

2.9

2 Members: sturlington, ManWithAnAgenda

47

The Chill

824 members

26 reviews

4

2 Members: aulsmith, NinieB
Explanations: aulsmith: Los Angeles

48

The Galton Case

806 members

21 reviews

4

2 Members: NinieB, janeet

49

The Underground Man

803 members

20 reviews

½ 3.7

2 Members: aulsmith, NinieB
Explanations: aulsmith: Los Angeles

50

Pacific Edge

by Kim Stanley Robinson

740 members

16 reviews

3.8

2 Members: aulsmith, janeet
Explanations: aulsmith: Alternate Orange County

51

California Girl

by T. Jefferson Parker

587 members

13 reviews

½ 3.4

2 Members: dara85, NinieB

52

Bride of the Rat God

by Barbara Hambly

569 members

20 reviews

3.8

2 Members: sturlington, janeet

53

The City, Not Long After

by Pat Murphy

540 members

22 reviews

3.9

2 Members: sturlington, janeet

54

Fadeout

532 members

22 reviews

4

2 Members: aulsmith, ManWithAnAgenda
Explanations: aulsmith: Los Angeles

55

Death Claims

317 members

12 reviews

3.8

2 Members: aulsmith, ManWithAnAgenda
Explanations: aulsmith: Los Angeles

56

Gravedigger

The Final Girl Support Group

224 members

3 reviews

½ 3.6

2 Members: aulsmith, ManWithAnAgenda
Explanations: aulsmith: Los Angeles

57

The Maltese Falcon

by Dashiell Hammett

10,365 members

302 reviews

3.9

Member: sturlington
Explanations: sturlington: San Francisco

58

The Circle

by Dave Eggers

6,965 members

450 reviews

½ 3.4

Member: sturlington

59

Less Than Zero

by Bret Easton Ellis

6,396 members

99 reviews

½ 3.4

Member: ManWithAnAgenda

60

Shanghai Girls

by Lisa See

5,045 members

323 reviews

3.8

Member: aulsmith
Explanations: aulsmith: San Francisco

61

All Tomorrow's Parties

by William Gibson

4,829 members

38 reviews

½ 3.7

Member: sturlington

62

I'll Give You the Sun

by Jandy Nelson

4,308 members

181 reviews

½ 4.3

Member: aspirit

63

The Girls

by Emma Cline

4,131 members

259 reviews

½ 3.5

Member: sturlington

64

Earth Abides

by George R. Stewart

4,073 members

129 reviews

3.9

Member: sturlington

65

Ghosts: A Graphic Novel

by Raina Telgemeier

4,033 members

97 reviews

4

Member: aspirit
Explanations: aspirit: Northern California (fictional city); graphic novel

66

The Tortilla Curtain

by T. Coraghessan Boyle

3,959 members

105 reviews

3.8

Member: dara85

67

The Loved One

by Evelyn Waugh

3,864 members

78 reviews

3.8

Member: hipdeep

68

by Grady Hendrix

3,706 members

126 reviews

½ 3.7

Member: sturlington

69

The Particular Sadness of Lemon Cake

by Aimee Bender

3,640 members

291 reviews

½ 3.4

Member: ManWithAnAgenda

70

The Age of Miracles

by Karen Thompson Walker

3,579 members

349 reviews

½ 3.7

Member: sturlington

71

Inherent Vice

by Thomas Pynchon

3,498 members

103 reviews

½ 3.6

Member: drenglish

72

Coyote Blue

by Christopher Moore

3,188 members

59 reviews

½ 3.7

Member: sturlington

73

Cemetery Boys

by Aiden Thomas

3,025 members

90 reviews

4.2

Member: aspirit
Explanations: aspirit: Los Angeles

74

Double Indemnity

by James M. Cain

2,219 members

85 reviews

4

Member: sturlington

75

Interior Chinatown

by Charles Yu

2,025 members

102 reviews

3.9

Member: sturlington

76

Dog on It

by Spencer Quinn

1,943 members

155 reviews

3.8

Member: blakelylaw

77

Devil in a Blue Dress + Crimson Stain

by Walter Mosley

1,363 members

49 reviews

3.8

Member: sturlington

78

In a Lonely Place

by Dorothy B. Hughes

1,155 members

44 reviews

4.2

Member: sturlington

79

A Stir of Echoes

by Richard Matheson

1,061 members

40 reviews

½ 3.7

Member: sturlington

80

Redwoods

by Jason Chin

943 members

63 reviews

½ 4.3

Member: aspirit
Explanations: aspirit: Picture book

81

Sundial

by Catriona Ward

798 members

39 reviews

3.8

Member: sturlington

82

Gold Fame Citrus

by Claire Vaye Watkins

762 members

42 reviews

½ 3.3

Member: sturlington

83

Already Dead: A California Gothic

by Denis Johnson

740 members

12 reviews

½ 3.5

Member: drenglish

84

Golden State

by Ben H. Winters

596 members

29 reviews

½ 3.6

Member: sturlington

85

The Mark of Zorro

by Johnston McCulley

594 members

23 reviews

½ 3.7

Member: aulsmith

86

The Black Kids

by Christina Hammonds Reed

544 members

21 reviews

3.8

Member: ManWithAnAgenda

87

The Velvet Room

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

537 members

15 reviews

4.2

Member: ManWithAnAgenda

88

Sleepless

by Charlie Huston

521 members

28 reviews

½ 3.7

Member: sturlington

89

The Wycherly Woman

Passing Strange {novella}

483 members

13 reviews

3.8

Member: NinieB

90

by Ellen Klages

446 members

38 reviews

3.9

Member: sturlington

91

Picture Us In The Light

by Kelly Loy Gilbert

394 members

23 reviews

4.1

Member: ManWithAnAgenda

92

Security: A Novel

by Gina Wohlsdorf

388 members

68 reviews

½ 3.4

Member: sturlington

93

Vanishing Point

by Michaela Roessner

345 members

12 reviews

3.8

Member: sturlington

94

The Trespassers

by Zilpha Keatley Snyder

328 members

7 reviews

3.2

Member: ManWithAnAgenda

95

The Moon Within

by Aida Salazar

278 members

9 reviews

4.1

Member: aspirit
Explanations: aspirit: Oakland

96

A Country of Old Men