Reading Around the World is a feature that combines my love of travelling with my love of reading. Each month I plan to spotlight either a city I have visited, or a city I plan to visit in the near future, and recommend some of my favourite books set there. After all even if you can’t visit these cities yourself the next best thing has to be reading about them and living the experience through the eyes of the characters.
San Francisco was the last stop in mine and my sister’s tour of the West Coast. We stopped off in Vegas first, before flying to LA, and finally San Francisco before travelling home again. Of the three states we visited San Francisco was not only the best, in my opinion, but a new favourite city of mine. The city reminded me of New York in small ways, but a lot less people and a lot more hills. Although I never got used to the treks uphill the views at the end were worth it; Lombard Street, Alcatraz, Pier 39, and of course the Golden Gate Bridge.
Lola and the Boy Next Door by Stephanie Perkins is one of the best books set in San Francisco that I can recommend. The whole of the Anna and the French Kiss trilogy really makes the most of the cities they’re set in. I’d already been to San Francisco when I picked up this book, and reading Lola’s story brought back all my memories of my time there.
Penryn and the End of Days series by Susan Ee is set on the West Coast. I can’t say for sure whether all three books are set in San Francisco, it’s been quite a while since I read the series, but I can say with 100% certainly that World After is. Alcatraz plays a large part in the second book as Penryn finds herself trapped there while searching for her sister Paige.
Also set in San Francisco, but that I haven’t read myself, is You Know Me Well by Nina LaCour and David Levithan. I have all of Nina LaCour’s books on my to-read list, they’ve been recommended to me by a fair few bloggers who’ve loved her work, so I can’t wait to get started.
Have you ever been to San Francisco before; what was your favourite part of the city to see and explore? Also what are some of the amazing books you’ve read set in San Francisco, or America, that you’d recommend? Let me know in the comments.
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