Books written by authors with ties to Chattanooga

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

Fiction

• “The Spare Man” by Mary Robinette Kowal | Release date: Oct. 11, 2022 | This “stylish science fiction mystery” is written by a local Hugo, Locus, and Nebula Award-winning author.
• “Fire and Ice” by B.T. Polcari | Release date: Aug. 15, 2022 | Looking for a new mystery? This novel is filled with ciphers, coded messages, and more to solve alongside the protagonist.
• “Animal Heart” by Paul Luikart | Release date: May 17, 2016 | This collection of stories addresses “lives in transition, focusing on raggedy characters in need of redemption — whether they realize it or not.”
• “The Last Boyfriends Rules for Revenge” by Matthew Hubbard | Release date: April 30, 2024 | This YA coming of age novel is about three queer teenage boys setting out to get revenge on their exes, but end up fighting their school’s anti-LGBTQ+ initiatives.
• “The Biltmore’s Mona Lisa: A Heist Novel” by Daniel D. Smith | Release date: July 15, 2024 | Read a historical fiction piece set in the 1940s that follows Leonardo da Vinci’s Mona Lisa painting being moved to the Biltmore House near Asheville, NC. Bonus: Read our Q+A with the author.

Photo provided by Angela Ballard

For the family

• “A Snicker of Magic” by Natalie Lloyd | Release date: Feb. 25, 2014 | Lloyd’s debut novel about returning the magic back to a town made the New York Times Bestseller list in 2015. Her other pieces such as “The Key to Extraordinary” are filled with magical and adventurous tales for younger readers and those young at heart.
• “The Oldest Student: How Mary Walker Learned to Read” by Rita Lorraine Hubbard | Release date: Jan. 7, 2020 | Learn the story of the nation’s oldest student who learned to read at the age of 116.
• “Jeremiah’s New Beginning” by Greg Funderburg | Release date: Feb. 6, 2022 | Funderburg’s book aims to teach a lesson that creates stronger, happier, and healthier families.
• “Storm Bugs” by Andrea Zoppo | Release date: Sept. 1, 2022 | Zoppo is a local artist, educator, and author who published this children’s book all about our pollinator friends and what bugs do when it storms.
• “Allyson Megan’s Rainbow Land Adventure” by Judith E. Gallagher + Allyson Urban | Release date: Oct. 3, 2022 | This story was originally written with Gallagher’s then 3-year-old daughter ~34 years ago, and is now published with illustrations by a Georgia-based artist.
• “Yeti Needs a Haircut” by Angela Halgrimson | Release date: March 22, 2022 | This fun book tackles the never-ending battle of children’s first haircuts.
• “Elina Ballerina” by Haley Williams | Release date: July 1, 2023 | Follow this mother and daughter elephant that shares a love for ballet as Elina deals with self-doubt.
• “Ruby The Emotional Stingray” by Christal Majestic |
  Release date: Sept. 19, 2022 | Join Ruby on a journey through different emotions, including anger, fear, and sadness + her relationships with family and friends.

Learn something new

• “The Hassle with the Tassel: How to Succeed When Returning to School” by Lanise Featherstone | Release date: July 19, 2021 | This book is a resource guide for anyone interested in returning to school or enrolling for the first time.
• “Conjure: Selected Poems” by Ishmael Reed | Release date: Jan. 1, 1972 | Reed is a prominent African American literary figure, having published over 30 books of poetry. “Conjure” was a Pulitzer Prize Finalist and nominated for the National Book Award. “Chattanooga” is a collection of poems about the city. You can read more about his legacy here.
• “Fraud of the Century” by Roy Morris Jr. | Release date: Feb. 4, 2003 | Embark on a historical journey about stolen elections and the Civil War.
• “Find Your Where” by Rose Opengart | Release date: Oct. 15, 2019 | This book is all about helping people find work they love to avoid feeling unhappy in their job.
• “Marble and Sculptor: A Personality Type Manifesto” by Joe Arrigo | Release date: June 15, 2022 | This is a Personality Type Manifesto from Arrigo, a local MBTI practitioner and YouTube creator.
• “Haunted Chattanooga: Haunted America” by Jessica Penot + Amy Petulla | Release date: Aug. 16, 2011 | Read about the historically haunted places within the Scenic City, like the ghost of the Delta Queen.

Photo by NOOGAtoday

Part of a series

• “Murder at Hotel 1911” by Audrey Keown | Release date: Sept. 8, 2020 | The first installment of the Ivy Nichols Mysteries explores puzzling murder mysteries set in historic hotels based in Chattanooga. The sequel, “Dust to Dust,” is also available now.
• “Double Wide” by Gretchen Archer | Release date: June 28, 2021 | This is the 10th novel in the David Way Crime Caper series by the USA Today Bestselling author.
• “The Witchfinder” by J. Todd Kingrea | Release date: Sept. 21, 2021 | The first installment of the Deiparian Saga Trilogy has been nominated for the PushCart Prize. The second installment, “The Crimson Fathers,” was recently released.
• “Faded” by Greg Wilkey and K.L. Bone | Release date: April 28, 2022 | This is the second book in the Starbound series. Wilkey has also written several other supernatural adult and young adult fiction books.
• “Images of Rail: Chattanooga’s Terminal Station” by Justin W. Strickland | Release date: April 29, 2009 | Dive into the history behind our iconic landmark, the Chattanooga Choo Choo Terminal Station + how it became the destination it is today in this installment of a multi-author part series.
• “Learn Your Lesson” by Kandi Steiner | Release date: April 19, 2024 | This is the third and latest book of the Kings of the Ice series, which takes you on a romantic journey with professional hockey players and “the women who bring them to their knees.” Bonus: Read our Q+A with the author.
• “Heroes of the Flame: Rise of Phoenix” by Elizabeth Anderton | Release date: April 28, 2023 | In this first book, you’ll meet Brinley Connely, a sophomore in New York struggling with mental instability.
• “Stars Below the Concrete” by Aaron Quinn | Release date: March 8, 2022 | This YA fantasy novel follows the main character Sparrow + three immortal brothers. Make sure to check out book two, “Battles.”

Personal stories + poetry

• “How Y’all Doing?” by Leslie Jordan | Release date: April 27, 2021 | Read the “misadventures and mischief from a life well lived” by one of Chattanooga’s most beloved celebrities.
• “Bespoke” by Meredith Jade | Release date: Oct. 24, 2022 | This collection of poems from Chattanooga’s River City Street Poet represents their “real interactions, revelations, and mutual discoveries made alongside strangers.”
• “Almost Everything, Almost Nothing” by K.B. Ballantine | Release date: Sept. 6, 2017 | This collection of poems discusses “our connections with the past, with each other and our surroundings, and how current events sculpt our attitudes and actions.”
• “It’s Just a Phase” by Ray Zimmerman | Release date: Nov. 1, 2024 | This poetry book invites readers to find joy and reflection in the cycles that shape our world accompanied by the author’s personal photos and drawings.

Need more recommendations? Stop by The Book & Cover, Winder Binder, or Walnut Street Publishing to get expert advice from Chattanooga’s local booksellers.