Books Set in DC
So… I read chick lit. It’s true, the sparkly pink kind, with high heels and cocktails on the front. The kinds of books my mother would call a brain snack, and I’m not afraid to admit it. As I’ve been devouring popular chick lit books lately, I’ve run across more and more set in DC – I just picked up Mindy Klasky’s Sorcery and the Single Girl and opened up the first page to find the story being set in a bakery in Georgetown.
I gobbled up both of Kristin Gore’s Sammy series books, Sammy’s Hill and Sammy’s House. Since Kristin Gore is Al Gore’s daughter, I bought her realistic viewpoint of both DC and Capitol Hill. Rebecca Flower’s Nice To Come Home To was a fun read since I was able to imagine exactly what her shop would look like set on upper Connecticut Ave. I’ve heard interesting things about Washingtonienne, and am looking for others – thoughts, dear readers?
What book set in DC has recently tickled your fancy? When you read them, do you find them mostly accurate or is it more a loosly-based 24 In DC translation of our city?
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9 Responses to “Books Set in DC”
March 16th, 2009 at 10:36 am
George Pelecanos is the man for books set in DC. He’s a great crime writer and his books are full of DC landmarks and history.
http://www.georgepelecanos.com
For some good DC inspired poetry, check out the list at http://www.poets.org/dc
March 16th, 2009 at 10:49 am
Kim Stanley Robinson’s series that begins with “Forty Signs of Rain” and continues with “Fifty Degrees Below” and ends with “Sixty Days and Counting” are all set in modern-day (or near future) D.C. Worth reading if only for the different disasters that befall the city.
March 16th, 2009 at 12:03 pm
I have a copy of DC Noir that I am working my way through at molasses speed. It’s a collection of noir-style stories set in various regions of the city and was sufficiently popular that they’ve released a DC Noir 2 since I bought it.
If you like the hard-boiled genre it’s a good purchase and the short story format makes it a great nightstand book for when you want a short-ish read.
March 16th, 2009 at 12:59 pm
I definitely suggest Ana Marie Cox’s book (title escapes me). Total DC setting with just enough media-politco mixing to make it believeable
March 16th, 2009 at 1:30 pm
What I’m really looking forward is the next Dan Brown novel which will be set in D.C.
March 16th, 2009 at 2:14 pm
Ana Marie Cox’s book is Dog Days, and is pretty solid from what I understand.
March 16th, 2009 at 4:36 pm
There’s Christopher Buckley’s books which are funny but you don’t get a real sense of life beyond the monuments in them.
March 16th, 2009 at 5:15 pm
Ana Marie Cox’s Dog Days was a stinker, but if “set in DC” is the only criteria, it fits.
March 18th, 2009 at 6:05 pm
Dan Brown’s “Digital Fortress”