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Arizona Books: The Best Books Set in the Grand Canyon State
By: Angela & Melissa
Updated:
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, we may earn a referral fee from qualifying purchases.Whether you’re participating in our Read Around the USA Challenge or simply found your way to our website researching books set in Arizona, we’ve curated a diverse list of highly-rated titles about the Grand Canyon State! If you’re looking for another state, check our comprehensive list of books set in every state.
A Few Things Arizona is Known For
Each year, five million people visit the 277-mile-long Grand Canyon, one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the World. But this is not the only place to sightsee in Arizona. Saguaro National Park, the Petrified Forest, Hoover Dam, Havasu Falls, and the O.K. Corral in Tombstone are all popular destinations.
According to a study by Arizona State University, the population of Arizona increases by 300,000 people each winter when ”snowbirds” from around the country relocate to condo communities and RV parks throughout western Arizona. Drawn by the warm, sunny weather and year-round golf, these snowbirds typically stay for 5-6 months at a time.
The Best Novels Set in Arizona
Half Broke Horses
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Book Summary
Lily Casey was born in Texas in 1901 and learned about ranching from her father. By the age of 6, she was helping him break horses. And at the age of just 15, she left home and rode over 500 miles alone on her pony to take a job as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse in Arizona.
Lily married and raised two children on a vast Arizona ranch, but she never lost her adventurous spirit. She learned to repair cars and how to fly a plane. She survived tornadoes, droughts, floods, the Great Depression, and personal tragedy. Throughout her life, Lily pushed back against any kind of prejudice – whether it be against women, Native Americans, or anyone else who didn’t fit the expected mold.
The Book Girls Say…
Author Jeannette Walls is most well-known for her memoir, The Glass Castle. Half Broke Horses is a novelistic re-creation of her maternal grandmother’s life. Although she wrote The Glass Castle first, if you haven’t already read it, we recommend reading Half Broke Horses first because it provides so much context for how Jeannette’s mother, Rosemary, came to be the woman she was.
Readers have noted specifically enjoying the author’s narration.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Songbirds of Sedona
Book Summary
Lori has a high-powered city life when she unexpectedly inherits a neglected fruit farm in Sedona from her aunt. She decides to take on the challenge of bringing it back to life, and as she works ,she realizes that she’s also restoring her own life.
Gemma has just been released from prison and has the opportunity to work on Rosefield Farm through a unique rehabilitation program. She finds peace with the fruit trees and comfort through the kindness of her new employer, Lori.
While there is a sweet romance between these characters, this is also a story of new beginnings, community, and family.
Epitaph: A Novel of the O.K. Corral
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Book Summary
Since this region includes a large part of what was considered the “Wild West,” we wanted a book with a true Western feel for Arizona. In Epitaph, we travel back in time and meet Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday in Tombstone, Arizona.
By 1881, tensions bubbling across the country culminated in a now-fabled 30-second gunfight at the OK Corral. What should have been a quick arrest led to the death of three citizens and the wounding of three officers. The only man standing at the end was Wyatt Earp.
Rumors about the battle began spreading immediately, and many continue to this day. In this well-researched historical fiction novel, Mary Doria Russell tells the real story of the region.
The Book Girls Say…
Epitaph was a Goodreads Nominee for Best Historical Fiction in 2015. For an earlier look at Doc Holliday in his Texas years, try Doc by the same author.
One of our readers said that Epitaph is “The story behind Tombstone, the Earp brothers, the women that loved them, and the battle at the O.K. Corral. Arizona Territory comes to life as people try to make a new life here….some want to enforce the laws, and others want the freedom to exploit the riches of all types to be found there.”
Waiting to Exhale
Book Summary
Originally published in 1992, this book was turned into a popular movie starring Angela Basset and Whitney Houston a few years later. The women in the book range in age from 35 to 38, and each one is dealing with a different aspect of life in their upper 30s, including parenting and caring for their own parents. Throughout this book of friendship, you’ll see the women leaning on each other.
Dinosaurs
Book Summary
In an attempt to recover from a failed love, a 45-year-old oil heir named Gil walks from New York to Arizona. With his inherited wealth, he moves into a large home in Phoenix. His windows look directly into the glass-walled house next door, giving him a view of the family inside similar to that of fish in a fishbowl. With such an intimate view of their activities, his life begins to intertwine with theirs.
Gil is determined to use his wealth for good, so he embarks on a life of service. In between bird watching, Gil volunteers at a women’s shelter and works to find purpose in his community.
The Book Girls Say…
This literary fiction novel is written in a very sparse style, with short paragraphs and fragmented thoughts. While the stark style might suggest a novel in which something dark might transpire, this novel is said to be quietly sweet and ultimately profound just when you least expect it.
These Is My Words: The Diary of Sarah Agnes Prine, 1881-1901
Book Summary
This fictionalized diary is inspired by the author’s own family memoirs. It shares ten years in the life of the main character, Sarah Agnes Prine, as her family tries to stake a claim in the Arizona territories between 1881-1901.
Sarah is a very likable main character who loves to read, strives for more education, and falls for a charming man. However, you’ll also find that this novel is a realistic look at the brutality of life in this region at this time. This includes both sickness and violent combat with the Native Americans who inhabited the area before the Prine family arrived. As you read, you’ll feel like you are experiencing life on the frontier firsthand.
The Book Girls Say…
If you’ve already enjoyed These is My Words and the Sarah Agnes Prine series, we recommend Light Changes Everything by the same author, which is set in 1907 Arizona and follows Sarah’s niece, Mary Pearl.
Strictly Business
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Book Summary
CEO Izabelle is preparing for the most important presentation of her career at a Sedona resort. She’s known for being independent and doing everything without assistance, but then she runs into a handsome yet awkward stranger who has the expertise she needs.
Jake has been sent for mandatory time away from the office, and they won’t even let him log in to the company network. He’s going stir-crazy until he runs into his dream woman twice. When she asks for his help, he can’t find the words to explain why that’s a bad idea.
Izabelle and Jake both do their best to resist the urge to mix business and pleasure, but how long can they keep things strictly business?
The Book Girls Say…
This rom-com is said to be as steamy as the Arizona sun, so avoid it if you prefer a clean read. For another Arizona rom-com, try Wait for It by Jenn McKinlay, which is set in Phoenix.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Birding with Benefits
Book Summary
Celeste is 42, newly divorced, and soon to be an empty-nester, allowing her to finally put herself first for a change. She’s eager for adventure, so when a friend asks her to “partner” with his buddy for an event, she misunderstands the request and happily agrees to play the role of temporary girlfriend. It turns out that John isn’t looking for love, he’s just looking for birds. He needs a partner for Tucson’s biggest bird-watching contest in hopes that a win could launch his guiding business. By the time the two have sorted out the mixed messaging, they’ve become both teammates and a fake couple.
Celeste is clueless when it comes to birds, but John is a great teacher. As the two spend hours hiking through the Arizona wilderness, he’s able to practice for his dream job as a guide. The more time they spend birdwatching, the harder it becomes to ignore their chemistry. But both are firmly on team stay-single, so Celeste suggests their status should be “birders with benefits.”
The Book Girls Say…
While some readers appreciate that this steamy romance features middle-aged main characters, others feel that they don’t act their age. Avid birders, however, praise the author for getting the birding details right.
Dying to Go
Book Summary
At 39, Rosi has hit a rough patch as her twenty-year marriage just ended in a divorce, and she’s out of work in her journalism career. Her parents live in a Tuscon retirement community, so it seems like a great time to travel to visit them.
Her plans for a peaceful visit go awry when she finds the body of a local business owner (who is also known as a tart). Luckily, her reporting skills come in handy as Officer Dan Daniel isn’t the best at his job. Along the way, she wonders why her parents are friends with some of their neighbors. Luckily, she also makes her own new friends, including a handsome landscaper and a brand-new Golden Retriever puppy she names Barley.
The Book Girls Say…
There are eight books in this series set at the Tucson Valley Retirement Community, and as of January 2025, all are included with Kindle Unlimited.
Sprinkle with Murder/Cupcake Bakery Mystery
Book Summary
After opening Fairy Tale Cupcakes in Scottsdale, Arizona, Melanie and her best friend, Angie, are excited to have the first big order of 500 custom wedding cupcakes. Except that the client, Christie, is a total bridezilla and known for being a nasty businesswoman!
When Christy is killed via a cupcake, Mel becomes the prime suspect. To save the bakery’s reputation (and keep Mel out of jail), they become amateur detectives to find the real killer.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
The Miracle Life of Edgar Mint
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Book Summary
When a half-Apache boy named Edgar is run over by a mail truck, he miraculously survives, but the incident changes the path of his life. When authorities discover that he’s mostly orphaned, he’s sent to a boarding school in Arizona for Native American orphans, which is not a nice place to be.
Eventually, he’s sent to foster care with a dysfunctional Mormon family in Utah. Despite his difficulties and lack of consistent family, Edgar’s goodness remains. He’s determined to find and forgive the man driving the mail truck.
The Book Girls Say…
Reviews say this author’s writing style is similar to John Irving’s, and you’ll enjoy it if you love The World According to Garp or A Prayer for Owen Meany. Also, like Irving, the author is not particularly kind to his main character.
Also Featured on These Book Lists:
Book Titles with The Life or Lives of…
Utah Books: Best Books Set in the Beehive State
Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus
Book Summary
Aven Green is used to the questions about why she doesn’t have arms. She’s come up with some creative stories – like she lost them in an alligator wrestling match – but the truth is that she was born without them.
When her parents take a new job running a rundown western theme park in Arizona called Stagecoach Pass, Aven knows that the move means she’ll have to answer the same questions over and over again in her new home. But her life in Arizona takes an unexpected turn when she bonds with a classmate named Connor who feels isolated due to his Tourette’s.
Aven and Connor discover that Stagecoach Pass holds bigger secrets than they could have ever imagined, but solving the mystery will mean facing their worst fears.
Non-Fiction Books About Arizona
The Emerald Mile: The Epic Story of the Fastest Ride in History Through the Heart of the Grand Canyon
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Book Summary
In the winter of 1983, superstorms battered the west, followed by a massive snowmelt that threatened the Glen Canyon Dam at the head of the Grand Canyon. While engineers and federal officials scrambled to prevent a catastrophic dam failure, rescuers scrambled to evacuate rafters by helicopter, and future launches were forbidden until the waters were under control.
However, Kenton Grua saw an opportunity. The floodwaters could work as a hydraulic slingshot, assuring his place as a new record-holder for the fastest trip down 277 miles of whitewater through the canyon. He was already known as being fearless, but this was unlike anything anyone had ever attempted.
The Book Girls Say…
A river guide intimately familiar with the setting wrote this thrilling non-fiction tale. The Emerald Mile won the National Outdoor Book Award for History/Biography in 2013. If you prefer a fiction title with characters traversing the Colorado River through the Grand Canyon, try In the Heart of the Canyon.
The Line Becomes a River: Dispatches from the Border
Book Summary
In this award-winning book, the author’s mother was a park ranger, and he became a border patrol agent. As he tracked other humans through blistering sun and frigid nights, he’s haunted by the dehumanizing nature of the work.
Readers praise the way the author cuts through the stereotypes of the Mexican-American border and takes you into his first-hand accounts. Instead of short quips from those on both sides of the issue, you get a deep exploration into both the landscape and the people stuck in the middle of US border policy. Reviewers say the book is beautifully written but also horrifying at points.
The Book Girls Say…
For another non-fiction look at life on the Arizona-Mexico border, try Devil’s Highway which follows the brutal journey a group of men take to cross the Mexican border in 2001.
The Three-Cornered War: The Union, the Confederacy, and Native Peoples in the Fight for the West
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Book Summary
This riveting non-fiction takes you to the American West during the Civil War. While plenty has been written about the South during this period, it wasn’t the only region of conflict. In the territory that later became Arizona & New Mexico, there was a three-sided fight between the Union, the Confederacy, and several tribes, including the Navajo and Apache.
The book shares the history of nine individuals, including a Texas legislator, a Union Army wife, a Navajo weaver, and a gold miner. Each of the nine demonstrates the difference individual actions can make amid a larger battle. The book is based on their letters, diaries, military records, photographs, and more.
The Book Girls Say…
This book was a Pulitzer Prize Nominee for History in 2021. We learned a lot about the region just while researching the book, so it’s a great one if you want to add to your knowledge of US history. For a more modern non-fiction look at Arizona, consider reading The Devil’s Highway, the 2005 Pulitzer Prize nominee about 26 men attempting to cross the border.
Read Around the USA – Books Set in Other States
We hope you enjoyed this book list of books about Arizona and found some great titles to add to your TBR. If you’re participating in our Read Around the USA Challenge, be sure to check out our alphabetical index of books set in each state.
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