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Minnesota Books: The Best Books Set in the Land of 10,000 Lakes
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 Minnesota, we’ve curated a diverse list of highly-rated titles about the Land of 10,000 Lakes! If you’re looking for another state, check our comprehensive list of books set in every state.
A Few Things Minnesota is Known For…
Minnesota’s story begins with the Dakota and Ojibwe/Anishinaabe peoples. French fur traders arrived in the 1600s, and after the Louisiana Purchase and later treaties, the area became a U.S. territory in 1849 and the 32nd state in 1858.
Fertile soils made Minnesota a leader in wheat production in the late 1800s, spawning a powerful flour-milling industry. Minneapolis leveraged the Mississippi’s waterpower, with firms like Pillsbury and General Mills. Food processing remains central today, with key players including General Mills, Hormel, and Cargill.
Geographically, Minnesota borders Canada, contains the Boundary Waters, and holds the Mississippi’s headwaters at Itasca State Park. “Land of 10,000 Lakes” is no exaggeration—there are over 11,000 lakes larger than 10 acres. Thanks to all those lakes freezing over during the long winters, the sport of hockey is deeply ingrained in the state’s identity, with youth participation rates among the nation’s highest.
The Twin Cities straddle the Mississippi River, but each maintains a unique vibe. Minneapolis, the larger of the two, is known for its modern skyline and vibrant arts scene, while St. Paul, the capital, maintains a historic and traditional character.
Situated on the shores of Lake Superior, Duluth is a major port city renowned for its rich maritime heritage. Home to the world-renowned Mayo Clinic, Rochester is a hub for healthcare and medical research. Best known for housing the Mall of America, the largest shopping mall in the U.S., Bloomington is a suburban city with a strong retail and hospitality industry. Located in the southern part of the state, Mankato is a vibrant college town that is home to Minnesota State University.
The Best Books Set in Minnesota
The Sideways Life of Denny Voss
Book Summary
This poignant novel takes you into the life of Denny Voss, a thirty-year-old man who lives with his Nana-Jo and his best friend, George, a blind Saint Bernard. He has a job with his cousin, who lives next door, picking up roadkill for the city. Denny just barely misses the cut-off of being officially “developmentally challenged,” but struggles to clearly communicate and recount stories succinctly. And that difficulty has led to some problems for him, including his recent arrest for the murder of a mayoral candidate in his small Minnesota town.
As Denny awaits his trial, he works with a court-appointed therapist. It takes many sessions (and most of the book) for the therapist to get the full story of Denny’s three arrests over the past year without Denny shutting down. Along the way, you’ll also be trying to figure out if Denny was involved in the murder. Plus, you’ll laugh as certain things are revealed, you’ll be angered by the way he is treated, and your heart will melt with some of his stories.
Our Thoughts on This Book
Melissa stumbled upon this gem of a book and decided to read it ASAP when she saw the 4.64 rating on Goodreads. And the other reviewers were right!
The author does an amazing job taking us into Denny’s mind and telling the story from his unique POV. You’ll want to shake some of the people he encounters, while others are so kind. Don’t miss the author’s note at the end after reading!
This novel is perfect for fans of Joe Nuthin’s Guide to Life, The Collected Regrets of Clover, and Forrest Gump (there’s even a Tom Hanks reference in the book!)
The Life We Bury
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Joe is a college student who needs to conduct an interview with a stranger and write a biography for his English class. With the deadline approaching, he visits a local nursing home to find a willing participant. But he doesn’t know this decision will change his life forever.
Nursing home resident Carl is a dying Vietnam veteran, as well as a convicted murderer. He was in prison until he was medically paroled to spend his final months at the home. As Joe writes about Carl’s time in Vietnam, he can’t reconcile the heroism during the war with the heinous crime Carl was convicted of. Along with his neighbor Lila, Joe tries to dig deeper into the crime and conviction to settle the truth of what really happened.
Why We Think You’ll Love This Book
Readers enjoy the twists in this story along with the characters. Joe has a complicated family life and past, impacting his investigation and making him an engaging character. There are two additional books in the Joe Talbert series, which also receive great reviews!
Another Book by Allen Eskens
You may also want to consider reading Eskens’ 2025 historical thriller, The Quiet Librarian. It’s a dual-timeline book set partially in Minnesota and partially in Bosnia during the Bosnian War (1992-1995).
The Autumn of Ruth Winters
Book Summary
At nearly seventy years old, Ruth Winters is a widow whose orderly suburban life depends on routine and solitude. She’s retired, emotionally guarded, and has settled into a comfortable isolation, until three unexpected events upend everything.
First, her beloved niece drops a life-changing announcement. Then, an old high-school flame reaches out. Finally, her estranged sister resurfaces with news that challenges their fractured past.
Suddenly, Ruth finds herself reevaluating long-held beliefs about family, forgiveness, and joy.
Thoughts on This Book
This is a character-driven novel that readers describe as quiet and charming.
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Long before spring meant placing orders for seeds through gardening catalogs, the Dakotas relied on their strong seed-saving traditions for survival. While this book will teach you about that seed-saving heritage, it also covers so much more.
Rosalie Iron Wing grew up learning about plants and her ancestry as a Dakhóta from her father. However, when he goes missing, she is sent to live with a foster family. Decades later, Rosalie is now both a mother and the widow of a farmer. She still takes solace in their land, although it has been threatened by both nature and man.
When Rosalie returns to her birthplace to learn more about her family history, she learns about the trauma of boarding schools, the war between the Dakhótas and the government, and the cache of seeds that survived through generations.
About the Author
Diane Wilson is a Dakota writer and an enrolled member of the Rosebud Reservation who draws upon her personal experience to illustrate a broader social and historical context. A longtime advocate for Indigenous food sovereignty, she has led Dream of Wild Health and the Native American Food Sovereignty Alliance. Based in Minnesota, Wilson’s work braids family history, land, and seeds with contemporary Native life today.
Just for the Summer
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Every woman Justin goes on a date with seems to find their soulmate right after breaking up with him. It’s his curse, and now, thanks to a Reddit thread, everyone knows.
However, his viral embarrassment may have a silver lining. Emma has the same problem and has sent him a message. The solution is obvious. They’ll date each other, break up, and then destiny will bring them each their own soulmates.
Traveling nurse Emma finds a job in Minnesota and rents a cute cottage on Lake Minnetonka for her summer fling with Justin. But when Emma’s toxic mother shows up and Justin has to assume guardianship of his three siblings, they’re suddenly navigating a lot more than they expected. Will these challenges quickly rip them apart, or does fate have other plans?
Our Thoughts on This Book
Abby Jimenez’s books never fail to make us laugh out loud, but this is much more than just a breezy beach read. It also tackles many complex and heavy topics, making this novel an excellent summer book club pick.
When Just for the Summer was released, it was originally marketed as a standalone (and can definitely be read as such). However, after reading it, we both felt like it should have been listed as part of the series because you get brief but important updates on characters from the first two books (Part of Your World and Yours Truly). Goodreads and other sites have since been updated to include this title as Part of Your World Book #3.
Why This Book Made the List
Author Abby Jimenez resides in Minnesota, and her love for the state comes through strongly in many of her books, but none more so than Just for the Summer. She mentions numerous real locations, including Minnehaha Falls and the Glensheen Mansion in Duluth.
Book Club Resources for Just for the Summer
We have a great printable Just for the Summer book club guide available on Etsy, including discussion questions, themed games, custom bookmarks, and more!
You can also find free resources for your book club discussion about Just for the Summer on our website.
The Hidden Life of Cecily Larson
Book Summary
In 1924, when Cecily was only four, her mother reluctantly left her at an orphanage and promised to return when she had money to support her. However, three years later, her mother hasn’t returned, and Cecily is “adopted” by a traveling circus. She’s assigned to be the “little sister” of a glamorous bareback rider and believes she’s found the family she has always dreamed of. By the time Cecily is a teenager, she’s seen the problems in her traveling world. When she falls in love with a roustabout named Lucky, her life changes again in a dangerous way.
In 2015, Cecily is 94 and leads a quiet life in Minnesota with her daughter, granddaughter, and great-grandson. When her great-grandson has a project for school, the family takes DNA tests, and the results reveal a tragic story Cecily has kept secret for decades. Four generations are forced to reevaluate what “family” really means.
Consider This Before Reading
You should know that the connections between the characters aren’t clear in the book’s early chapters, and the POV and timeline change frequently. While everything comes together nicely in this excellent story, this won’t be the best choice if you’re in the mood for an easy, linear read.
The Lager Queen of Minnesota
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
93% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Sisters Edith and Helen couldn’t be more different. Older sister Edith has a heart as big as Minnesota, while the younger Helen is as rigid as a steel keg. When their father leaves his entire estate to Helen, the family fractures.
Edith is an excellent pie baker, but she struggles to make a living. She can’t help wondering how life might look if she’d gotten a share of the farm money.
With her inheritance, Helen builds one of the most successful light-beer breweries in the country. But when Helen finds herself in need of help, she realizes she might find it close to home, if it’s not too late.
Meanwhile Diana, Edith’s granddaughter, grows up knowing the world can be tougher than her grandma lets on. When she gets a chance to learn the craft beer business from the ground up, it could change all of their fortunes forever. And maybe even reunite her splintered family.
Why We Think You’ll Love This Book
This multigenerational novel is filled with a cast of lovable characters and a huge dose of Americana.
Other Minnesota Novels by This Author
J. Ryan Stradal has also authored several other Minnesota novels.
Kitchens of the Great Midwest (2015) This is a unique book that follows approximately 30 years in the life of Eva Thorvald, who becomes the star chef behind a legendary and secretive pop-up supper club. The story of her life is told through a series of eight short stories that ultimately become intertwined. The stories are told by a wide variety of people, from her father to her first boyfriend, and even a jealous rival. Some readers don’t like the short-story style of this book, but Angela really enjoyed seeing one character from so many different perspectives.
Sunday Night at the Lakeside Supper Club (2023) Although the ratings are a bit lower, this book is on both of our TBR lists because we are fascinated by Minnesota’s supper club history.
The River We Remember
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
100% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
On Memorial Day in 1958, the residents of Jewel, Minnesota, are shocked to discover the dead body of the town’s most powerful citizen, wealthy landowner Jimmy Quinn. Sheriff Brody Dern must investigate, but he’s still carrying the physical and emotional scars of his military service, which complicate his career.
The townspeople have a prime suspect before Dern even has the autopsy report. Noah Bluestone, a Native American WWII veteran, has recently come back to town with a Japanese wife. But does the couple’s return have anything to do with this case?
The River We Remember explores midcentury life in America and highlights how countless small towns were affected by the WWII scars that remained well after the last shots were fired.
More Books by William Kent Krueger
Most of William Kent Krueger’s books are highly-rated and set in Minnesota. We also recommend Ordinary Grace, This Tender Land, and his Cork O’Connor series, which starts with a prequel, Lightning Strike.
Book Summary
Recently divorced, 29-year-old Type-A attorney Charley is still figuring things out: she’s strapped for cash, her career feels stagnant, and all she can see are the flaws in romantic relationships. So when her free-spirited sister announces plans to elope with her on-again-off-again childhood sweetheart, Charley feels it’s her responsibility to put a stop to the wedding.
The only person who can help her derail the nuptials is Ethan, Charley’s childhood best friend and the brother of the groom. Charley and Ethan jump into his van for a last-minute road trip that sends them north through lake towns and pine forests to the Boundary Waters. Between campground breakfasts, canoe portages, and wayward detours, old inside jokes resurface—and so do the feelings they’ve pretended not to have for years.
Why This Book Made the List
We both love a good rom com, and this friends-to-lovers road-trip romance specifically made the list for its vivid sense of place. Minnesota’s back roads, lake country, and the Boundary Waters come alive on the page.
The Long Way Back
Book Summary
Charlie and her daughter Eva were not seeking social media fame, but found it when a photo of Eva went viral. Then, they spent two years on the road in a vintage Airstream, documenting their travels. Now, Eva is thrilled to be stationed in a small Minnesota town where she can finish high school and apply to college like a normal teenager. However, Charlie misses life on the road.
Unfortunately, Eva disappears less than a week before her graduation. Charlie is the primary suspect with both the duo’s online fans and the FBI. As the truth about their real-life relationship comes to light, Charlie must confront how much she really knows about her daughter in an effort to clear her own name.
Book Summary
Jessie and Hillary were childhood best friends who were reunited each summer at Camp Chickawah. They vowed that they’d both become counselors so they could continue spending summers together, but their friendship fractured when Hillary broke her promise.
Jessie, on the other hand, stuck to the plan and worked her way up from summer counselor to camp director. But now the owners plan to sell the camp, and Jessie decides to host one last hurrah, inviting past counselors, including Hillary, to a nostalgic “adult summer camp.”
The reunion rekindles their deep bond as they navigate camp traditions with an adult twist: wine at dinner, late-night skinny-dipping, and romantic entanglements.
Hillary embarks on a no-strings-attached fling with Cooper, the camp chef and her first kiss, while Jessie finds herself drawn to a reclusive writer renting a cabin to work on his novel.
As they relive cherished memories and confront unresolved tensions, the duo collaborates to save Camp Chickawah from being sold.
About the Authors
Ali Brady is the pen name for the BFF writing duo of Alison Hammer and Bradeigh Godfrey.
A Similar Book You Might Enjoy
If you love the summer camp setting of Until Next Summer, you might also like Into the Woods by Jenny Holiday. This enemies-to-lovers rom com is set at a Northern Minnesota summer camp. It follows Teddy, whose music career is derailed when his bandmate decides to go solo. Teddy accepts an artist-in-residence gig at an arts camp despite his grumpy demeanor and general dislike of kids. There, he meets Gretchen, a dance teacher who is working at the summer camp as a means of escaping her midlife crisis.
Orphan Train
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
99% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
During the 80 years leading up to the Great Depression, so-called Orphan Trains transported children from cities on the East Coast to the farmlands of the Midwest. The fates of the children on board – whether they would end up with loving families or end up with a childhood of hard labor – were determined by pure luck.
Vivian – now 91 – was one of those children, and the memories of her childhood are now tucked inside trunks in her attic. Eighteen-year-old Molly is aging out of the foster care system and is assigned community service helping the elderly Vivian clean out her home. She will soon learn that the two have much more in common than she ever expected.
Our Thoughts on This Book
Melissa read Orphan Train a few years back and was shocked to learn about the Children’s Aid Society trains. While some have criticized the book as seeming like a young adult novel, Melissa enjoyed the story and characters.
The Night Watchman
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
In 1953, a new “emancipation” bill was being considered in the US Congress. However, the Chippewa Council knows that the bill isn’t about freedom; it’s a threat to their rights and land. Thomas is the night watchman at the jewel-bearing plant near the reservation and serves as a Council member.
Valedictorian Patrice also works at the plant, using all her money to support her mother and brother. Her older sister, Vera, left the reservation to live in Minneapolis, but the family hasn’t heard from her in months. Eventually, she travels to Minnesota, trying to track down Vera.
The lives of Thomas and Patrice interact with many other memorable characters on and off the reservation as they encounter the best and worst of human nature.
Critical Acclaim
This novel is based on the real-life of the author’s grandfather and won the 2021 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction as well as the 2025 William Dean Howells Medal.
About the Author
Louise Erdrich is an acclaimed Native American author and an enrolled member of the Anishinaabe Nation. She was born in Little Falls, Minnesota, and she grew up in Wahpeton, North Dakota, where her parents taught at a Bureau of Indian Affairs school. Erdrich owns Birchbark Books, an Indigenous-focused bookstore in Minneapolis.
We also recommend her 2021 novel, The Sentence, which is also set in Minneapolis, Minnesota during the one-year period between All Souls’ Day 2019 to All Souls’ Day 2020.
Angry Housewives Eating Bon Bons
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
95% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This novel follows the friendship of five women from the 1960s through the 21st century. They began as neighbors, then formed a book club, but over time, it became a lifeline for each of them as they saw each other through all the seasons of life. From the stay-at-home motherhood days to new careers, second chances, grandchildren, and all that life throws at them. Laughter is the glue that holds them together, even when they are mending broken hearts or shattered dreams.
Why We Think You’ll Love This Book
Don’t let the fluffy title of this book fool you… It’s so much more than that!
Book lovers will especially enjoy that each chapter is headed by the title of the book they read, why it was chosen, and by whom.
In the Night of Memory
Book Summary
Indian Country has a long, devastating history of missing Native women. Shortly after Loretta surrenders her 3- and 4-year-old daughters, Azure and Rain, she disappears.
Following a series of foster placements, both good and bad, the girls return to their extended Mozhay family. Though their lives are filled with loss (and love), these two Ojibwe girls become women who must reconcile their past.
Thoughts on This Book
In the Night of Memory won the Northeastern Minnesota Book Award. At 177 pages, it’s a short read but will give you insight into the joys and troubles of modern-day Ojibwe.
About the Author
Linda LeGarde Grover is an Anishinaabe author and enrolled member of the Bois Forte Band of Ojibwe. She is a professor of American Indian Studies at the University of Minnesota Duluth, and her writing includes fiction, poetry, and essays about Ojibwe family life and history.
If You Lived Here You’d Be Home By Now: Why We Traded the Commuting Life for a Little House on the Prairie
Book Summary
In this memoir, author Chris Ingraham and his wife decide to uproot their family and relocate to the most unlikely of places. As a reporter for the Washington Post, Chris came across a list of ranking America’s 3,000 counties from ugliest to most scenic. Based on this data, he wrote an article stating, “The absolute worst place to live in America is (drumroll please) … Red Lake County, Minn.”
After the story went viral, he began hearing from the residents of Red Lake County. Despite being “Minnesota Nice,” they called him out and suggested that he visit their community before sharing any more opinions about it. He agreed, and was surprised by what he found.
He and his wife, who had been struggling to make ends meet in the East Coast suburbs, decided to relocate to the very place that Chris had badmouthed in his article. This book documents their experiences.
Thoughts on This Book
The memoir is described as hilarious and charming, but some reviewers were frustrated that it glossed over some of the more difficult topics.
The Good Girl
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
84% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
Mia stops at a bar one night to meet up with her on-again, off-again boyfriend. But when he doesn’t show up, she leaves with a charmingly mysterious stranger named Colin, which is the worst mistake of her life.
Colin is supposed to deliver Mia to his “employers,” but instead he hides her away in a secluded cabin in rural Minnesota. Her mother and a local detective are determined to find them at any cost.
Why We Think You’ll Love This Book
This was the debut novel of author Mary Kubica, who went on to write the popular Local Woman Missing (set in Illinois). While this thriller is a bit lesser known, it earned her a Goodreads nomination for Best Debut and Best Mystery & Thriller back in 2014.
Hannah Swensen Mysteries
Series Summary
Amateur sleuth Hannah Swensen owns The Cookie Jar bakery in Lake Eden, Minnesota. In between baking, she spends her time dodging her mom’s attempts to find her a husband.
In the first book, her milk delivery man, Ron, is found behind her bakery, with her chocolate chip cookies scattered around his body. Terrified that the situation will give her shop a bad reputation, she sets out to find the killer.
Long-Running Series
This cozy mystery series currently spans 30 books across 25 years, and as far as we know, Joanne Fluke isn’t done yet.
Companion Cookbook
Fans of this long-running series may also want to pick up the companion cookbook, Joanne Fluke’s Lake Eden Cookbook: Hannah Swensen’s Recipes from the Cookie Jar.
The Man Burned by Winter
Book Summary
Investigative journalist Rooker Lindström is the son of one of Minnesota’s most notorious serial killers. After a personal tragedy, he finds the dilapidated cabin on Deer Lake that he inherited from his father.
Detective Tess Harlow needs Rooker’s help finding the copycat killer that seems to be imitating Rooker’s dad. After agreeing to help as a consultant, he makes a terrifying discovery. Something about each of the five victims appears to be taunting him personally. Amidst the harsh Minnesota winter, Rooker must confront his past to help catch the killer before there is a 6th victim.
Heidi’s Guide to Four Letter Words
Book Summary
After a few awkward encounters with her handsome next-door neighbor and a box of wine, former kindergarten teacher Heidi decides it’s a good idea to set up some hand-me-down podcasting equipment. In an effort to push herself out of her comfort zone, she begins recording the steamiest parts of the romance novels that make blush and stutter.
She never thought anyone would actually be listening. But she was wrong, and that’s how her podcast – Heidi’s Discount Erotica – came to be. As her listener count rises and her podcast breaks down her inhibitions, she’s able to finally take control of her off-air life, as well.
About the Authors
This hilarious rom-com set in the world of audiobooks is co-written by USA Today bestselling author Tara Sivec and award-winning audiobook narrator Andi Arndt.
Thoughts on This Book
Since it’s about a podcaster and co-authored by a narrator, it probably comes as no surprise that we think this book is best enjoyed in audiobook format, narrated by Arndt herself. Angela especially loved the Minnesota accents. Note that the audiobook is currently available exclusively through Audible.
As you would expect from the summary of the book, we don’t recommend this one for anyone who shies away from books with steamy scenes.
The Many Mothers of Dolores Moore
Book Summary
Dolores, aka Dorrie, has become a 35-year-old orphan after the funeral of the last member of her family. She’d feel completely alone if it weren’t for the chorus of dead relatives constantly interrupting her life with unsolicited advice and opinions.
While she made a deathbed promise to return to Colombia, the voices are amplifying her own doubts. How could she leave the country while trying to deal with her new inherited home, her mother’s aging Minneapolis Victorian, which also comes with two cats. She’s also recently broken up with her long-time boyfriend and been laid off from her job as a cartographer.
However, the hand-drawn map of her hometown is intriguing, so when an old flame offers to housesit, she takes the chance and flies south to discover her roots.
Thoughts on This Book
Approximately half of this novel is set in Minnesota. The book opens there before moving to Colombia and San Francisco, and then returns back to Minnesota again at the end.
Things We Didn’t Say
Book Summary
Johanna Berglund is a blunt linguistics student who is strong-armed into working as a translator in the German POW camp that opens in her small hometown in Minnesota.
Having felt the freedom of life in the Twin Cities, she is not eager to return home. However, she is determined to do a good job at the camp and to treat the prisoners with respect.
Through letters and newspaper articles, the reader sees the daily lives of both the prisoners and staff at the camp, as well as the reactions of the townspeople.
Johanna’s friend, Peter Ito, is struggling with his feelings as he teaches US servicemen Japanese while his family is held at a Japanese-American Internment Camp.
When Johanna is accused of treason, can her personal correspondence save her?
Historical Context
While the specific town in this novel is fictional, the story is inspired by the true history of the German POW camps that operated in Minnesota during WWII and the nearby language school.
Thoughts on This Book
This novel is published as Christian Fiction, but readers say the faith thread is relatively subtle, with occasional references to church and prayer, as well as themes like grace, forgiveness, and loving one’s neighbor. Readers appreciate that the book references a diverse range of religions, including Protestant, Lutheran, Baptist, Catholic, and Buddhist, as well as Native American beliefs.
The Cape Ann
Book Summary
Told from the perspective of six-year-old Lark, this book gives an all too common look at a family struggling through the Great Depression in a small Minnesota town.
Lark and her mother dream of purchasing a home of their own. Her mom is dedicated to saving for the house they picked out of a catalog, called the Cape Ann. However, her father is harsh with his words and treatment of Lark, and his gambling problem threatens every penny her mother has saved.
As Lark prepares for her First Communion, she becomes more aware of those around her, wondering who is really sinning and how people became who they are now.
Thoughts on This Book
This book is heavily character-driven as you see Lark’s relationships with and observations of others around her.
Although Lark is preparing for her First Communion and wrestling with Catholic ideas, this book is not categorized as Christian fiction.
Series Summary
Margot runs a needlework store on the shore of Lake Minnetonka. Her sister, Betsy, comes to visit, but unfortunately, a few days into the visit, Margot is murdered in the shop. Betsy is determined to find out who murdered her sister. At the same time, she is up against a huge learning curve trying to run the shop.
Why This Book Made the List
It captures the small-town charm of Minnesota’s many lake towns.
The author’s extensive knowledge of needlework is apparent throughout the series, and the books also include various needlework patterns.
Consider Before Reading
This book is best enjoyed as part of a full series, especially since it takes a couple of books for Betsy to develop into a likable character. On the other hand, there are plenty of likable minor characters who bond over their love of needlework despite being from different backgrounds.
Where Rivers Part: A Story of My Mother’s Life
Book Summary
This memoir is written by the daughter of Tswb Muas, a Hmong woman who left her homeland with her husband and 2 daughters to take up residence in Minnesota.
The first half of the book describes the experiences of the family fleeing their home and living in refugee camps before arriving in Minnesota. Then the second half paints a portrait of their life in St. Paul, Minnesota, and everything they did to survive and to help their children thrive.
Historical Context
In the late 1960s and 1970s, there was a fairly large Hmong community in the state of Minnesota due to churches and agencies sponsoring families who were displaced and reviled for helping the Americans during the Vietnam War. There is still a significant presence in the state to this day. In 2001, gymnast Suni Lee, who was born and raised in St. Paul, Minnesota, became the first woman of Hmong descent to win an Olympic gold medal.
A Guide to Midwestern Conversation
Book Girls’ Readers Rate This Book
93% Would Recommend to a Friend
Book Summary
This short, illustrated guide will make you laugh out loud as you learn about the colloquialisms and sentiments of the Heartland. For example, if a Midwesterner says, “I didn’t really care for it,” that actually means they hated it beyond belief.
The author was born and raised in Kansas City, Missouri, right in the heart of the Midwest, giving an authentic feel to this non-fiction guide that strikes the humorous balance of being both heartwarming and self-deprecating.
States Covered by This Book
This book covers a total of 12 Midwestern states with a chapter for each of Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Missouri, Nebraska, North Dakota, Ohio, South Dakota, and Wisconsin.
About the Author
Taylor Kay Phillips is a writer, actor, and comedian who worked for Last Week Tonight with John Oliver. To quote John Oliver: “Taylor is as funny as she is Midwestern. And she is thunderously midwestern. You will enjoy this book!”
Read Around the USA – Books Set in Other States
We hope you enjoyed this list of books about Minnesota 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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Printable Version of This Book List
Readers who support The Book Girls’ Guide through our Buy Me a Coffee (BMAC) membership site can access printable versions of the reading challenge book lists.
As we create stand-alone book lists for the Read Around the USA Challenge throughout the year, each individual state book list will be available in a single-page printable format for both our Inner Circle and our BFF Level BMAC members.
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