Best Books Set in Colorado

Every state is known for something. As you work your way through the list, don't miss the best books set in Colorado. While you're at it, check out the best movies set in Colorado, too.

Colorado, a western U.S. state, has a diverse landscape of arid desert, river canyons, and the snow-covered Rocky Mountains, which are partly protected by Rocky Mountain National Park. Elsewhere, Mesa Verde National Park features Ancestral Puebloan cliff dwellings. Perched a mile above sea level, Denver, Colorado’s capital and largest city, features a vibrant downtown area.

In this post:

Best Books Set in Colorado

On the Road

Amazon Kindle Edition
Kerouac, Jack (Author)

On The Road

Author: Jack Kerouac

Inspired by Jack Kerouac's adventures with Neal Cassady, On the Road tells the story of two friends whose cross-country road trips are a quest for meaning and true experience.

Written with a mixture of sad-eyed naiveté and wild ambition and imbued with Kerouac's love of America, his compassion for humanity, and his sense of language as jazz, On the Road, is the quintessential American vision of freedom and hope, a book that changed American literature and changed anyone who has ever picked it up.

The Shining

Amazon Kindle Edition
King, Stephen (Author)

The Shining

Author: Stephen King

Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing.

But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

Centennial: A Novel

Amazon Kindle Edition
Michener, James A. (Author)

Centennial

Author: James A. Michener

Written to commemorate the Bicentennial in 1976, James A. Michener’s magnificent saga of the West is an enthralling celebration of the frontier.

Brimming with the glory of America’s past, the story of Colorado—the Centennial State—is manifested through its people: Lame Beaver, the Arapaho chieftain and warrior, and his Comanche and Pawnee enemies; Levi Zendt, fleeing with his child bride from the Amish country; the cowboy, Jim Lloyd, who falls in love with a wealthy and cultured Englishwoman, Charlotte Seccombe.

In Centennial, trappers, traders, homesteaders, gold seekers, ranchers, and hunters are brought together in the dramatic conflicts that shape the destiny of the legendary West—and the entire country.

Plainsong (Plainsong series Book 1)

Amazon Kindle Edition
Haruf, Kent (Author)

Plainsong

Author: Kent Haruf

A heart-strong story of family and romance, tribulation and tenacity, set on the High Plains east of Denver.

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In the small town of Holt, Colorado, a high school teacher is confronted with raising his two boys alone after their mother retreats first to the bedroom, then altogether. A teenage girl—her father long since disappeared, her mother unwilling to have her in the house—is pregnant, alone herself, with nowhere to go.

The Bookseller: A Novel

Amazon Kindle Edition
Swanson, Cynthia (Author)

The Bookseller

Author: Cynthia Swanson

A provocative and hauntingly powerful debut novel reminiscent of Sliding Doors, The Bookseller follows a woman in the 1960s who must reconcile her reality with the tantalizing alternate world of her dreams.

Now that you've completed the list of best books set in this state, why not check out some others? Here are the Best Books Set in All 50 States.

To continue learning, check out the Colorado State History Project.

DOWNLOAD AND PRINT BOOKS SET IN ALL 50 STATES

Click here to download the printable. It has a list of books in all 50 states including the Best Books Set in Colorado.

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RELATED: Best Books Set in Oregon

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Maxanne

Anne is a recent college grad who majored in Business Administration and Marketing Management. She is a hopeless romantic who makes sure our content stays up-to-date.