New York, New York

Welcome to New York, it’s been waiting for you.

Yes, I did just quote a Taylor Swift song. I like her music and I feel this quote is appropriate.

So, New York City. The place I call home.

(Well, full disclosure: I live in one of the outer boroughs of New York City, not in Manhattan, but it still counts).

I was going through my list of read books on Goodreads and I realized that I haven’t really read a lot of books set in New York City. Which seems odd as I know there are plenty of them. One of my favorite quotes from a defunct Disney ride called The Timekeeper was “New York City, home of a million dreams and one parking spot.” I think it does accurately describe New York (including the one parking spot) and why so many people choose to set their stories there.

Now, I have read some books set in New York City. The Maxwell sisters from the Supernatural Series (reviews 1, 2, 3) called New York City home but I never felt like New York played a big role in the series. April Asher never really described the city well and used many places that are very well known to people who have never lived in New York City, maybe to avoid having to describe it. I don’t know where she lives but I didn’t get from her books that she has spent much time here. There just seemed to be a lot of “all the real New Yorkers know this” that just felt off to me.

If the Shoe Fits also had scenes set in New York City but author Julie Murphy never really let her locations play a role in her stories so it almost feels like those scenes could’ve taken place anywhere else. California felt more defined than New York.

One book that I felt really used New York well and described it was Baker’s Dozen by Allison Fuller. I do know Allison and I know she lives in New York, which I think helped in allowing her to really use the city as a backdrop to her love story between Victoria and Gavin.

Now, I have a lot of books I’m still working through in my To Be Read pile – especially from Once Upon a Book Club – but I wouldn’t mind reading a few more books set in New York City. If you have any recommendations, let me know in the comments. As you can probably tell from my blog, I do have a strong preference for romances but I am willing to branch out if I find the book interesting enough.

See you next time!