Books written by authors with connections to Boston

What’s better than a good book? A good book written by your neighbor (or former neighbor). Brew up a batch of your favorite cup of tea or coffee and get ready to meet your next read, because we’re talking about locally written books in Boston.

Photo via @wirangrongg

Fiction

• “The Town” by Chuck Hogan | Release date: 2004 | The movie “The Town” was based on this book featuring a group of thieves from Charlestown that rob a Boston bank at gunpoint.
• “The Art Forger” by B.A. Shapiro | Release date: 2012 | This story follows young artist Claire Roth and her discoveries about the Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum art heist.
• “Little Fires Everywhere” by Celeste Ng | Release date: 2017 | This story follows two families brought together by the friendship of the children.
• “The Scarlet Letter” by Nathaniel Hawthorne | Release date: 1850 | This classic is about the life of Hester Prynne in a Puritan colony during the 1640s after having a child by a man who wasn’t her husband.
• “Little Women” by Louisa May Alcott | Release date: 1868 | This iconic, semi-autobiographical novel tells the story of four sisters as they grow up and find their way.
• “The Gilda Stories” by Jewelle Gomez | Release date: April 1, 1991 | A Lambda Literary Awards-winning novel set in 1850s Louisiana about a woman who escapes slavery by joining a coven of vampires.
• “Mystic River” by Dennis Lehane | Release date: 2001 | This Dorchester native’s thriller follows three friends and a shared traumatic experience.
• “The Degenerates” by J. Albert Mann | Release date: March 17, 2020 | A “fiery historical novel” set in the 20th century about four young women determined to escape “The Massachusetts School for the Feeble-Minded.”
• “Nine Lives” by Peter Swanson | Release date: 2022 | Nine strangers find their names on a mysterious list in the mail — and must work to uncover the sender as they’re picked off one by one.
• “Herrick’s End” by T.M. Blanchet | Release date: 2022 | When down-on-his-luck Ollie finds his friend Nell has gone missing, he must travel out of Boston’s North End to a magical underground world beneath the city.
• “Manhunt” by Gretchen Felker-Martin | Release date: Feb. 22, 2022 | A speculative horror novel that follows transgender women and men in a gender-based apocalypse.
• “That Which Sings” by Wren Scarborough | Release date: Oct. 28, 2024 | BOStoday reader Toni G. said, “Brilliant read, eloquently written — your imagination will color the pages. [It] should be a movie!”
• “A Gentleman in Moscow” and “The Lincoln Highway” by Amor Towles | Release dates: March 2019 + March 2023 | BOStoday reader Sarah L. recommends these titles by the local author, the first of which is a novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel.

For the family

• “Make Way For Ducklings” by Robert McCloskey | Release date: 1941 | Follow Mrs. Mallard and her ducklings through the Beacon Hill neighborhood.
• “Change Sings: A Children’s Anthem” by Amanda Gorman | Release date: 2021 | This children’s book about the power of using your voice is written by the Harvard alum + presidential inaugural poet.
• “On the Loose in Boston” by Sage Stossel | Release date: 2009 | This “Where’s Waldo” style book follows Franklin Park Zoo animals as they explore Boston landmarks.
• “86 Years: The Legend of the Boston Red Sox” by Melinda Boroson | Release date: 2005 | This children’s story follows the season the Red Sox broke the curse and finally won the World Series.

Learn something new

• “Dark Tide: The Great Boston Molasses Flood of 1919" by Stephen Puleo | Release date: 2003 | Learn about the sticky history of the Great Molasses Flood.
• “The Perfect Storm” by Sebastian Junger | Release date: 1997 | This creative non-fiction title shares the story of the fishermen from Gloucester who were lost at sea.
• “A Queer History of the United States” by Michael Bronski | Release date: May 15, 2012 | Harvard professor Michael Bronski shares a comprehensive history of LGBTQ+ America.
• “Bunker Hill: A City, a Siege, a Revolution” by Nathaniel Philbrick | Release date: 2013 | Learn more about the famous Charlestown battle.

Part of a series

• “Back Bay” by William Martin | Release date: 1979 |The first in the Peter Fallon series dives into a family’s secrets and history of treasure hunting.
• “Martha’s Vineyard Mysteries” by Phillip R. Craig | Release date: 1989 | This series follows a retired Boston police officer solving murders and other mysteries.
• “Poems of Edgar Allan Poe” by Edgar Allan Poe | Release date: 1849 | This thrilling collection comes from the famed writer of mystery and macabre.
• “Clementine” by Sara Pennypacker | Release date: 2006 | This book series follows the adventures of 8-year-old Clementine.

Personal stories

• “Second Wind: The Memoirs of an Opinionated Man” by Bill Russell and Taylor Branch | Release date: 1979 | Learn about the life and legacy of this basketball legend + his perspective on freedom, race, marriage, and American culture.
• “Borrowed Time: An AIDS Memoir” by Paul Monette | Release date: June 1, 1998 | A gripping memoir chronicling the death of Monette’s partner.
• “Ordinary Girl: The Journey” by Donna Summer| Release date: 2003 | The disco diva shares her story from her time as a Boston choir girl through her rise to stardom.
• “A Promised Land” by Barack Obama | Release date: 2009 | Hear from the 44th POTUS in his own words.
• “The Beginning (2nd Edition)” by David Scondras | Release date: 2018 | This memoir shares the perspective of the first openly gay elected Boston City Counselor.
• “Other Boys” by Damian Alexander | Release date: Sept. 28, 2021 | A middle grade graphic memoir about a seventh-grade boy with a crush on another boy.
• “Animals I Want to See” by Tom Seeman | Release date: May 14, 2024 | The philanthropist, entrepreneur, and Massachusetts resident shares the stories from his childhood that taught him to defy the odds and spread kindness.

Need more recommendations? Stop by Beacon Hill Books and Cafe, Trident Booksellers and Cafe, Brattle Book Shop, Frugal Bookstore, or Brookline Booksmith to get expert advice from Boston’s local booksellers.