The most recommended books about Kentucky

Who picked these books? Meet our 59 experts.

59 authors created a book list connected to Kentucky, and here are their favorite Kentucky books.
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Book cover of Trapped!: The Story of Floyd Collins

Keven McQueen Author Of Kentucky Book of the Dead

From my list on Kentucky weirdness.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a lifelong Kentuckian with a lifelong fascination for history, true crime, biography, and the supernatural, once I started writing, I pursued these and related topics. The writer Charles Fort’s research methods interested me: he read old newspapers looking for forgotten stories. That seemed a good way to find little-known information. I am a lecturer in the English Department at Eastern Kentucky University and have spent two decades reading old newspapers issue by issue between classes and taking notes on possible stories. The books on my list also include much detail on entertaining obscurities, and I hope you enjoy them. 

Keven's book list on Kentucky weirdness

Keven McQueen Why did Keven love this book?

This book is the frightening tale of Floyd Collins, the Kentucky cave explorer who in 1925 violated one of the cardinal rules of spelunking: don’t go alone.

His leg was pinned by a falling rock, and rescuers’ ultimately tragic efforts to feed and free him became a worldwide sensation. The book resonates with me because the incident well illustrates the best side of humanity (the dangerous rescue attempt) as well as the worst (persons who exploited Collins’s plight for personal gain). 

By Robert K. Murray, Roger W. Brucker,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Trapped! as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"When Floyd Collins became trapped in a cave in southern Kentucky in early 1925, the sensationalism and hysteria of the rescue attempt generated America's first true media spectacle, making Collins's story one of the seminal events of the century. The crowds that gathered outside Sand Cave turned the rescue site into a carnival. Collins's situation was front-page news throughout the country, hourly bulletins interrupted radio programs, and Congress recessed to hear the latest word. Trapped! is both a tense adventure and a brilliant historical recreation of the past. This new edition includes a new epilogue revealing information about the Floyed…


Book cover of The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry

Kassandra Montag Author Of After the Flood

From my list on our relationship with nature.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I lived outside as much as possible, finding joy in the company of trees and animals. So naturally, my reading tastes bent in the direction of the natural world; I loved to read about treacherous journeys, wonder-filled meditations, or stories of survival. To this day, I still gravitate toward books that feature the environment as a kind of character, providing it with a voice and a presence. Both on the page and off, my connection with nature remains multi-faceted, heartening, and sustaining.

Kassandra's book list on our relationship with nature

Kassandra Montag Why did Kassandra love this book?

Wendell Berry writes in multiple forms—poetry, essays, novels—and also practices sustainable farming in rural Kentucky. The World Ending Fire is a compilation of essays spanning over fifty years of his work and displays his wide-ranging intellect and care for the natural world. He emphasizes individual responsibility and stewardship of the earth, but his tone never becomes pedantic or preachy. Instead, his passion and conviction are contagious, and I always feel a sense of gratitude and clarity when I read his words. 

By Wendell Berry,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked The World-Ending Fire as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

'He is unlike anybody else writing today ... After Donald Trump's election, we urgently need to rediscover the best of radical America. An essential part of that story is Wendell Berry. Few of us can live, or even aspire to, his kind of life. But nobody can risk ignoring him' Andrew Marr

'Wendell Berry is the most important writer and thinker that you have (probably) never heard of. He is an American sage' James Rebanks, author of The Shepherd's Life

Wendell Berry is 'something of an anachronism'. He began his life as the old times and the last of the…


Book cover of Blood Horses: Notes of a Sportswriter's Son

Tom Bissell Author Of The Father of All Things: A Marine, His Son, and the Legacy of Vietnam

From my list on trying to understand your parents.

Why am I passionate about this?

I'm a journalist, fiction writer, and screenwriter, as well as the author of ten books, the most recent of which is Creative Types and Other Stories, which will be published later this year. Along with Neil Cross, I developed for television The Mosquito Coast, based on Paul Theroux’s novel, which is now showing on Apple TV. Currently, I live with my family in Los Angeles.

Tom's book list on trying to understand your parents

Tom Bissell Why did Tom love this book?

Sullivan is probably best known today for his instant-classic essay collection Pulphead, but I actually prefer his first book, Blood Horses, a memoir he wrote in the aftermath of losing his beloved sportswriter father, whose special focus was horse racing and the Kentucky Derby. Sullivan, who cares nothing about horses and horse racing, tries to get closer to his lost father by covering the grand race and learning everything about the sport, and horses, that he can. This puts Sullivan on the grounds of the Kentucky Derby on the morning of September 11, 2001, while standing next to the Saudi owner of a celebrated racing horse. What happens when the Saudi’s phone starts ringing is too good to spoil here. An extraordinary memoir.

By John Jeremiah Sullivan,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Blood Horses as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

One evening late in his life, veteran sportswriter Mike Sullivan was asked by his son what he remembered best from his three decades in the press box. The answer came as a surprise. 'I was at Secretariat's Derby, in '73. That was ... just beauty, you know?'

John Jeremiah Sullivan didn't know, not really, but he spent two years finding out, journeying from prehistoric caves to the Kentucky Derby. The result is Blood Horses, a wise, humorous and often beautiful memoir exploring the relationship between man and horse and the relationship between a sportswriter's son and his late father.


Book cover of Same Sun Here

Shannon Hitchcock Author Of Flying Over Water

From my list on written by collaborators.

Why am I passionate about this?

I write about topics I’m curious about. When a friend’s daughter converted to Islam that piqued my interest in the religion. I started researching Islam, not entirely sure of where the journey would take me. Around that same time, I saw a picture in my minister’s office of a Syrian refugee and her young son. They held a handwritten sign that said, WE ARE FROM SYRIA, CAN YOU HELP US? I started writing a story about a Christian girl whose church is helping a Syrian refugee family. To enrich the book, I sought a Muslim coauthor to tell half of the story. Together, we read LOTS of books by collaborators. 

Shannon's book list on written by collaborators

Shannon Hitchcock Why did Shannon love this book?

Same Sun Here is told by pen pals Meena and River in their letters to each other. Meena is an Indian immigrant living in New York City. River lives in the coal mining region of Kentucky. I am from a rural area myself so was especially drawn to River’s voice and the rural setting. 

By Silas House, Neela Vaswani, Hilary Schenker (illustrator)

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Same Sun Here as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 9, 10, 11, and 12.

What is this book about?

“Even better than reading a refreshingly honest story by one talented writer is reading one by two such writers.” — Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Pen pals Meena and River have a lot in common: fathers forced to work away from home to make ends meet, grandmothers who mean the world to them, and faithful dogs. But Meena is an Indian immigrant girl living in New York City’s Chinatown, while River is a Kentucky coal miner’s son. With honesty and humor, Meena and River (each voice distinctly articulated by a separate gifted author) bridge the miles between them, creating a friendship…


Book cover of Lost, Buried, and Sunken Treasures of the Mid-West

Bill Lindsay Author Of Curse of a Devil

From my list on variety of quest for knowledge.

Why am I passionate about this?

Ghost stories were always a part of my childhood. I believe most people wonder about what comes ‘after’. I have tried to keep up with the latest information regarding the unusual. I was a paranormal searcher and spent much time in the woods and forests. I have seen a few unusual, unexplained things. Curiosity and the thirst for knowledge still burn inside me. I suppose the mundane and redundant characteristics of my job gave me a desire to keep my mind searching for answers to difficult questions.  

Bill's book list on variety of quest for knowledge

Bill Lindsay Why did Bill love this book?

Who doesn’t like a good treasure story? When you are an experienced metal detectorist, such as me, this book makes total sense. Much research is packed into the book which covers states: Illinois, Indiana, Ohio, and Kentucky. Even though only one of these legends came near my home, I enjoyed reading about the history and scanning the old maps. The book’s appearance reminds me of a personal journal written by an old explorer.

This will not provide a treasure map with an X mark on where to dig, but for me, it does incite an itch to dust off the old Gold Bug and take a backroads to drive looking for a promising site to explore and recede to an earlier time when grandma might have lost her broach in the chicken pen.

By Michael Paul Henson,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Lost, Buried, and Sunken Treasures of the Mid-West as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Treasure Leads in Illinois; Treasure Sites of Indiana; Treasure Locations of Ohio; Treasure Clues of Kentucky; General John H. Morgan's Great 1863 Raid


Book cover of The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek

Eugenia Parrish Author Of A Cold Blue Killing

From Eugenia's 3 favorite reads in 2024.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author

Eugenia's 3 favorite reads in 2024

Eugenia Parrish Why did Eugenia love this book?

Based on a real person, this book let me see a part of American history that often gets lost: the people who live in hard to reach places and don't want to leave their homes, but hunger for knowledge of the outside world. A "bookwoman" on the back of a mule can be a Godsend.

By Kim Michele Richardson,

Why should I read it?

9 authors picked The Book Woman of Troublesome Creek as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

A NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER
A LOS ANGELES TIMES BESTSELLER
AN OKRA PICK
The bestselling historical fiction from Kim Michele Richardson, this is a novel following Cussy Mary, a packhorse librarian and her quest to bring books to the Appalachian community she loves, perfect for readers of Lee Smith and Lisa Wingate. The perfect addition to your next book club!
The hardscrabble folks of Troublesome Creek have to scrap for everything-everything except books, that is. Thanks to Roosevelt's Kentucky Pack Horse Library Project, Troublesome's got its very own traveling librarian, Cussy Mary Carter.
Cussy's not only…


Book cover of Fine: A Comic About Gender

Erika Erickson Malinoski Author Of Pledging Season

From Erika's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Sci-fi nerd Fluffy dress aficionado Mom Activist Worldbuilder

Erika's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Plus, Erika's 6-year-old's favorite books.

Erika Erickson Malinoski Why did Erika love this book?

Rhea Ewing’s Fine is a must read for anyone interested in gender.

It’s a compassionate and nuanced compilation of interviews with people across the gender spectrum about their experience with gender and how they make sense of it. There’s no agenda, and there’s no simple takeaway, just a glimpse into real people’s lived experiences.

The comic/graphic novel format adds brilliantly to the reader’s exploration of what gender is and how it works.

By Rhea Ewing,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Fine as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

For fans of Alison Bechdel's Fun Home and Meg-John Barker's Queer, Fine is an essential graphic memoir about the intricacies of gender identity and expression. As Rhea Ewing neared university graduation in 2012, they became consumed by the question: What is gender?

This obsession sparked a quest in their quiet Midwest town, where they anxiously approached both friends and strangers for interviews to turn into comics. A decade later, their project has exploded into a fantastical and informative portrait of a surprisingly vast community spread across the America. Questions such as How do you identify? invited deep and honest accounts…


Book cover of High Tide in Tucson: Essays from Now or Never

Sarah Williamson Author Of Elevator Bird

From Sarah's 3 favorite reads in 2023.

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Artist Nature lover Walker Reader Traveler

Sarah's 3 favorite reads in 2023

Sarah Williamson Why did Sarah love this book?

I picked up this book randomly at a bookstore and fell in love with the intriguing cover (a hermit crab emerging from some nopales cactus in a wide open desert setting).

The book is as unexpected as this cover with the author touching on many subjects and making keen observations – her life in Tucson, Kentucky, and even Thoreau. Her writing is thoughtful and intelligent and this book still sits prominently on my bookshelf. 

By Barbara Kingsolver,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked High Tide in Tucson as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

"There is no one quite like Barbara Kingsolver in contemporary literature," raves the Washington Post Book World, and it is right. She has been nominated three times for the ABBY award, and her critically acclaimed writings consistently enjoy spectacular commercial success as they entertain and touch her legions of loyal fans.

In High Tide in Tucson, she returnsto her familiar themes of family, community, the common good and the natural world. The title essay considers Buster, a hermit crab that accidentally stows away on Kingsolver's return trip from the Bahamas to her desert home, and turns out to have manic-depressive…


Book cover of Dark Highway: Love, Murder, and Revenge in 1930s' Kentucky

Keven McQueen Author Of Kentucky Book of the Dead

From my list on Kentucky weirdness.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a lifelong Kentuckian with a lifelong fascination for history, true crime, biography, and the supernatural, once I started writing, I pursued these and related topics. The writer Charles Fort’s research methods interested me: he read old newspapers looking for forgotten stories. That seemed a good way to find little-known information. I am a lecturer in the English Department at Eastern Kentucky University and have spent two decades reading old newspapers issue by issue between classes and taking notes on possible stories. The books on my list also include much detail on entertaining obscurities, and I hope you enjoy them. 

Keven's book list on Kentucky weirdness

Keven McQueen Why did Keven love this book?

Dark Highway is the best piece ever written on one of the state’s most fascinating murder cases.

In November 1936, Gen. Henry Denhardt, prominent politician and former lieutenant governor, was suspected of shooting his fiancée Verna Garr Taylor (“the prettiest woman in two counties”). DAngelo uses an impressive array of sources to recreate what almost certainly happened.

The case strikes me as especially enigmatic since an elderly woman claimed to be the only surviving person who knew the truth behind the murder but swore she would never reveal it. As I recall, she died just after the book was published in 2016, so if she had information of value it is lost forever.

By Ann DAngelo,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Dark Highway as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

On a cold November night in 1936, the body of beautiful businesswoman Verna Garr Taylor is found in a ditch along a lonely highway in rural Kentucky. Verna has been shot through the heart, and fiancé, former lieutenant governor and brigadier general Henry Denhardt insists she committed suicide.

But the clues left behind point to murder, and General Denhardt quickly becomes the target of investigators. The general's sensational murder trial draws reporters from all over the country to the small Kentucky community. The case is featured in the New York Times, the London Herald, Newsweek, Time, Life, and other national…


Book cover of Courting Morrow Little: A Novel

Davalynn Spencer Author Of An Improper Proposal

From my list on Western romance rugged heroes and fiery heroines.

Why am I passionate about this?

As a child, I fell in love with horses. As a teen, I fell in love with a cowboy. That’s how I became the wife and mother of professional rodeo bullfighters and wrote for rodeo magazines. Today I write historical cowboy romances. The Western way of life is down-to-earth, honest, and God-fearing—even in our contemporary world, and I’ve written several of those stories as well. But my favorite challenge takes me back to the 1800s when life was simpler. Not easier, just simpler even though people faced the same emotional challenges we face today. I love writing about their journeys and encouraging readers that there is hope.

Davalynn's book list on Western romance rugged heroes and fiery heroines

Davalynn Spencer Why did Davalynn love this book?

I was put off by the title of this book because of the name, Morrow Little. I mean, who has a name like that? Plus, I wasn’t a fan of stories set in the 1700s American frontier. But a friend insisted I read it, and yeah, my friend knew me well. I wanted to run away with this hero, but no spoilers here. Morrow Little embodies every woman looking for honest love and she has the courage to pursue it. Or follow it. You be the judge. Because of this story, I’ve read every other Laura Frantz book I could find. She has a way of capturing the setting and atmosphere and dropping you right in the middle of it.

By Laura Frantz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Courting Morrow Little as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Morrow Little is haunted by the memory of the day her family was torn apart by raiding Shawnee warriors. Now that she is nearly a grown woman and her father is ailing, she must make difficult choices about the future. Several men-ranging from the undesired to the unthinkable-vie for her attentions, but she finds herself inexplicably drawn to a forbidden love that both terrifies and intrigues her. Can she betray the memory of her lost loved ones-and garner suspicion from her friends-by pursuing a life with him? Or should she seal her own misery by marrying a man she doesn't…


Book cover of Trapped!: The Story of Floyd Collins
Book cover of The World-Ending Fire: The Essential Wendell Berry
Book cover of Blood Horses: Notes of a Sportswriter's Son

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