Books Set in Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Missouri, and Nebraska

Book Summary

Wylie is a true crime writer who retreated to an isolated farmhouse to write her new book. She doesn’t mind being snowed in because the cozy fire and silence feel perfect. However, she doesn’t realize a storm is also brewing inside the farmhouse.

Decades earlier, two people were murdered, and a girl disappeared from the same house. As the storm rages on, Wylie is haunted by the secrets of the house, and the secrets of her past. When she discovers a small child outside in the snow, it becomes clear that the farmhouse isn’t as isolated as she thought.

Book Summary

This split-timeline historical romance was inspired by a real-life ballroom. Lorraine spent her youth in the 1940s swept away by big bands in the Surf Ballroom. Now, it’s 2017, and she is returning to the ballroom for the first time in decades after the death of her husband. 

As she steps back into the building, she’s transported back to the biggest decision of her youth. Torn between two men, did she make the right decision when choosing between personal conviction (a German from a local POW camp) and social expectations (her perfect high school boyfriend)? As she makes peace with her youth, ghosts from the past make it hard for her to know what is real.

Book Summary

Baseball fans and readers of magical realism may love this one! In 1979, Ray began hearing a voice at his farm outside Iowa City. “If you built it, he will come.” Ray becomes convinced that the voice is talking about Shoeless Joe Jackson and the rest of the 1919 Chicago Black Sox, who were banned from the game for life. 

He’s also convinced that they will show up if he plows up his cornfield, turning it into a baseball diamond. Everyone except his wife and daughter think he’s gone mad. With the field complete, the voice changes to say, “Ease his pain.” To Ray, the voice is talking about JD Salinger, and Ray believes he must find the reclusive author (1000 miles away) and take him to a baseball game. 

Part of the book takes place on the road trip with Salinger, but you’ll also get a good look at Iowa life and landmarks in Iowa City.

Book Summary

This historical fiction novel follows the life of John Henry “Doc” Holliday, a dentist and gambler who became a legend of the American West. Set in the 1870s and 1880s, the book explores the complex character of Holliday, a man who is often portrayed as a cold-blooded killer. However, he was also known to be compassionate and intelligent. 

Russell’s writing is engaging and vivid, capturing the sights, sounds, and smells of the Wild West with great detail. The book takes readers on a journey through Holliday’s life, from his early years as a dentist in Atlanta to his travels to Dodge City and Tombstone, AZ where he becomes embroiled in the infamous Gunfight at the O.K. Corral.

Along the way, readers meet a cast of equally fascinating characters, from Wyatt Earp and his brothers to Holliday’s lover, the spirited Kate Harony. Russell weaves a rich tapestry of historical detail into the novel, drawing on extensive research to bring the era to life.

Book Summary

The Persian Pickle Club brings you into the lives of gossipy quilters in a Kansas farming town. While crops are suffering from the ongoing drought and the job market is just as dry, a young farmer’s wife finds her weekly respite in the quilting club. 

But when a new club member stirs up a big secret, the women must unite in a new way to protect each other.

Book Summary

The Good Lord Bird is a unique work of historical fiction that offers a fresh and sometimes humorous perspective on the abolitionist movement and the notorious John Brown. The novel tells the story of Brown and Henry Shackleford, a young slave who is nicknamed “Onion” by Brown after he is mistaken for a girl. 

Onion joins Brown’s ragtag army, which is preparing to raid the federal arsenal at Harper’s Ferry in 1859. Along the way, Onion witnesses the horrors of slavery and the violence of Brown’s abolition campaign firsthand. Despite its serious subject matter, the Good Lord Bird is also a coming-of-age story that follows Onion’s journey of self-discovery.

Book Summary

Class Mom is a light and entertaining novel about the life of a 40-something mom in a large suburb southwest of Kansas City. She also has two daughters in college, as well as a son in kindergarten.

If you’ve ever done a little eye-rolling when dealing with other parents at your child’s school, this is the book for you. Former rockstar groupie Jen is bamboozled into being the class mom for her daughter’s kindergarten class. Her emails recruiting other parent volunteers are full of the things you wish you could say, but hopefully wouldn’t.

Book Summary

“That Distant Land” is a collection of 23 short stories exploring the lives of various characters living in a small community in rural Kentucky. The stories are set during the 20th century and offer glimpses into the everyday struggles, joys, and sorrows of the people who live there.

The collection combines three of Wendell’s prior story collections (“The Wild Birds,” “Fidelity,” and “Watch With Me”) and also includes four never-before-collected stories as well as a map of the setting. The stories in each section are interconnected, with recurring characters and themes.

Among the characters in these stories is Hannah Coulter, who is the title character in one of Wendell Berry’s full-length novels. The novel titled Hannah Coulter is set much later, when she is 80 years old and reflecting back on her life. If you enjoy the stories in That Distant Land, Hannah Coulter would make an excellent follow-up read.

Book Summary

Set in southern Appalachia, Prodigal Summer has been called a Hymn to the wilderness. Set over one summer, three stories intertwine into one nature-focused tale. 

Deanna Wolfe is a wildlife biologist on a mission to save a family of coyotes.

Lusa Maluf Landowski is a young, widowed scientist obsessed with insects.

Nannie Land Rawley is a 70-year-old apple grower. 

Separately, they all have challenges with the land and with relationships. Before fall, you’ll see their very different stories merge into one.

Book Summary

Amelia, aka Rae Rose, is a pop star feeling totally burnt out by years of maintaining her image for all of her adoring fans. She’s in desperate need of a break and would love to escape to Rome, as Audrey Hepburn does in her favorite film. But since she can’t discreetly get to Rome, Italy, she hops in the car and heads to Rome, Kentucky.

Noah runs his grandmother’s pie shop in Rome, and isn’t impressed when Amelia appears on his front lawn in her broken-down car. He’s the town grump, doesn’t have Wifi or a cell phone, and prioritizes privacy. But when the local B&B turns Amelia away because they don’t have any vacancies, he reluctantly agrees to let Amelia stay in his guest room.

Book Summary

This novel centers around four generations of Black women in Opulence, Kentucky. Everyone in the rural town knows everyone else’s secrets,
Minnie Mae is the matriarch of the Goode-Brown family. A family plagued by inherited mental illness, trauma, and moral judgment.
As the members of the youngest generation watch their mothers and grandmothers pass away, they fear going mad and must fight to survive.

Book Summary

Sixteen-year-old Arthur is thrilled when he becomes friends with Nola, the most alluring girl in school. Unfortunately, Nola is more romantically interested in Arthur’s older brother, Frank. However, Frank has his eye on someone else. 

Outside of dreaming of the perfect girl, the boys stay busy avoiding their father, who drinks too much after returning from war. And the drinking always leads to their father fighting with Frank. When a tragedy strikes, Arthur struggles with his grief and turns to nature to help him understand how the world will go on. 

Once he’s begun to understand grief, will he be able to get Nola to realize that they should be more than friends?

Book Summary

Summer means pool time, but during her most recent early morning swim at the country club, she swam right into her husband’s dead mistress.

It’s 1974, and Ellison is a WASP-y mom living an elite life in Kansas City. She’s not an average stay-at-home mom, though. She makes more as an artist than her husband does as a banker. He’s a stereotypical 1970s man, and not thrilled with being in financial 2nd place, so he begins an affair to soothe his ego.

Ellison finds out and plans a divorce…but not until their daughter is out of school. Of course, when the mistress turns up dead and Ellison is the only other person in the pool, she quickly becomes the prime suspect. She knows she needs to find the real killer herself.

Book Summary

This non-fiction book provides an in-depth look at the history of racial dynamics in the city of St. Louis, spanning from 1764 all the way up through the 2014 uprising in Ferguson. From Indian removal and slavery, through segregation and the Civil Rights Movement, to the ongoing struggles, this book addresses events that even many people born and raised in St. Louis may not know. 

While this book uses the author’s hometown of St. Louis as his case study, it also paints a portrait of two-and-half-centuries of race relations in the United States.

Book Summary

The boy is in a black t-shirt, hiding behind headphones and his book, trying to be invisible. The girl is new to town, with crazy red hair and mismatched clothes that make her stand out. Boy meets girl. Through late-night conversations and lots of mix-tapes, they fall in love the way you only can the first time.

Book Summary

By 1918, the farming community of Stuart, Nebraska, had already lost many to the Great War. Unfortunately, the losses had hardened the hearts of much of the community and allowed hatred to brew. 

Gerda Vogel is an American of German descent, and amidst war and the Spanish Flu Pandemic, her family is also experiencing rising anti-German sentiments. Her neighbors demand that the local university stop teaching German, and job listings specify “no krauts need apply.” Tensions build as Gerda works to keep her family safe.

Book Summary

Hallie is determined to become more of an adult after hitting rock bottom the morning after a one-night stand with a guy named Jack. She’s on the right track to her new life with a new apartment, haircut, and wardrobe. But when she logs into a dating app looking for an equally responsible new love, she only sees Jack. 

They quickly agree that they aren’t right for each other but team up to help each other find love. They even schedule dates at the same locations so they can ditch bad dates for tacos together if necessary…and life throws them many opportunities for tacos. 

Then, out of desperation, they agree to fake date each other for a wedding weekend. The more they act as a couple, the more natural it feels.

Book Summary

This novel tells the story of Sabine, the assistant and widow of a famous magician, Parsifal. After Parsifal dies, Sabine discovers that he had heirs in Nebraska. Allegedly this family was lost in a tragic accident, but it turns out they are very much alive. Seeking closure and understanding, she travels to Nebraska to meet Parsifal’s family and learn more about his past.

As Sabine spends time with Parsifal’s family, she begins to unravel the secrets of his life and comes to terms with her own grief and sense of loss. She befriends Parsifal’s mother and sister, and they bond over shared experiences and the memory of Parsifal.