San Francisco Books
a list of books that take place in my favorite foggy city
Inspired by my recent trip to San Francisco, I’ve compiled a list of great books that take place in the city. I was lucky to call San Fran my home for two years in my early twenties. It boasts beautiful scenery, amazing restaurants and dramatic hills.
Tales of the City by Armistead Maupin
True story: When my dad originally read these books, I used to steal them from his bedside table and read them when he wasn’t home. These are light books about an apartment complex and its inhabitants. Think Melrose Place, but San Francisco.
fun, soapy read
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings by Maya Angelou
San Francisco is a place Maya Angelou came to heal from her difficult childhood in the South. This is a beautiful, poignant and painful memoir.
reflective memoir
The Story of a Marriage by Andrew Sean Greer
It is 1953 and Pearlie, a dutiful young housewife, finds herself living in the Sunset District in San Francisco, caring not only for her husband's fragile health, but also for her son, who is afflicted with polio. Then, one Saturday morning, a stranger appears on her doorstep, and everything changes.
I haven’t read this one, but you know Andrew Sean Greer for his Less novels.
quiet novel, 1950’s
A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius by Dave Eggers
Confession: I feel like the only person on the planet who never read this book. This memoir begins in Illinois and ends up in…you guessed it, San Francisco. It’s about Eggers losing both parents within a year of each other.
reflective memoir
Mr. Penumbra’s 24-Hour Bookstore by Robin Sloan
Clay works at a bookstore and notices customers are scant and instead of buying books, they "check out" large, obscure volumes from strange corners of the store. Suspicious, Clay seeks help from his engineering friends and soon discover the bookstore's secrets extend far beyond its walls.
speculative, books about books
Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg
I still have my pocket series of Ginsberg’s seminal collection of poetry that launched the Beat Generation, with well over 1,000,000 copies in print.
poetry
All the Birds in the Sky by Charlie Jane Anders
An ancient society of witches and a hipster technological startup go to war in order to prevent the world from tearing itself apart. To further complicate things, each of the groups' most promising followers (Patricia, a brilliant witch and Laurence, an engineering "wunderkind") may just be in love with each other, with San Francisco as the backdrop.
fantasy, speculative
We Run the Tides by Vendela Vida
Oh how I loved this book when I read it in 2021. It’s about teenage best friends Eulabee and Fabiola who live in Sea Cliff in San Francisco. One day, they witness a terrible act. Or do they? Their narratives of the event are conflicting, but the city of San Francisco is a major player in this moody novel.
teenage friendship, mystery
Valencia is the fast-paced account of one girl's search for love and high times in San Francisco's Mission District. Michelle Tea records a year lived in a world of girls. And, head’s up, she will soon be a guest on my book recommendation podcast, Books Are My People!
LGBTQ+ Memoir
What other books that take place in San Francisco would you add to this list?
I haven’t read any of these books either… but would like to as your reviews always leave me with a list of… I think I’m going to read this next. Also went to San Francisco back in 2018, so being able to relate to the city would be fun.
Haven't ready any of these, but will take a look, I loved SF when I visited!