5 Arizona authors you’ll want on your summer reading list

Discover books by Arizona authors to add to your summer reading list, featuring thrillers, literary and historical fiction, sci-fi, and more.

There’s something special about reading a book written by someone who’s walked the same streets you have. And that’s especially true with Arizona. Arizona has been home to a wide range of creatives, including notable actors, athletes, musicians, and civil rights leaders. And among these artists is a vibrant community of writers whose words have been, and continue to be, shaped by the Grand Canyon State.

Here are five Arizona authors—and their best books—to add to your summer reading list.

1. Dusti Bowling

As a Scottsdale native, Dusti Bowling has called Arizona home her entire life. Her award-winning middle grade novels continue to inspire both young readers and the adults who love them.

Her most popular book, “Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus,” has resonated deeply with readers of all ages, but she has many others worth exploring, too.

Bowling now lives in Eagar, Arizona, where she continues to write stories that help kids feel seen and understood.

‘The Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus’

“No one lights a lamp and hides it under a basket. They put it on a table so it can shine for all to see.” 

When you’re a tween (or a teen), it can feel like no one else in the world understands what you’re going through. You’re convinced you’re the first person to feel this lonely, this awkward, this unsure. That’s what makes books like “Insignificant Events in the Life of a Cactus” so powerful. Young readers see themselves reflected in characters who face real challenges, yet still discover their own strength.

In “Cactus,” the main character, Aven, was born without arms. At home, she’s surrounded by people who have known and accepted her since birth. But when her family moves from Kansas to Arizona, everything changes. Being the new kid is hard enough, especially in middle school, but Aven finds an unexpected friendship with Connor, a classmate with Tourette syndrome.

Their connection is sweet, funny, and endearing. With a surprise mystery, this story is both moving and unputdownable. It’s a perfect read for middle grade audiences, and a powerful reminder that self-confidence grows when we stop trying to blend in and start proudly shining as ourselves.

2. Diana Gabaldon

Born in Flagstaff and now living in Scottsdale, Diana Gabaldon is one of Arizona’s most successful and widely read authors. She’s best known for her “Outlander” series, which has captivated readers (and now TV audiences) everywhere.

Before becoming a full-time novelist, Gabaldon lived many lives. She earned three degrees: a B.S. in Zoology, an M.S. in Marine Biology, and a Ph.D. in Ecology, plus an honorary doctorate from the University of Glasgow. Along the way, she also wrote freelance comic books for Walt Disney, served as a professor for twelve years, and ran a scientific journal. Then in 1991, the real adventure began with the first publication of “Outlander,” a novel she wrote for “practice,” to learn what it takes to write a novel and whether it was something she wanted to do. As it turns out, she has more than what it takes to write a good novel, and it’s most certainly something she wanted to do

Today, she continues to write “Outlander” novels and serves as a co-producer and advisor on the TV adaptation.

‘Outlander’ series 

“It was in a way a comforting idea; if there was all the time in the world, then the happenings of a given moment became less important.”

So, what is “Outlander” about? And should you read it? The first answer is a bit complicated, but the second is an easy yes.

“Outlander” began as a single novel and grew into a large, genre-defying series. Though each of the 13 books builds on the one before it, Gabaldon has said they’re written to stand on their own, meaning you can dive into book one and keep going, or simply pick up one that catches your interest, even if it’s mid-series. One of these books, “The Exile,” is a graphic novel companion, if that’s more your style.

Simply put, the series is a mix of historical fiction, time travel, and romance. It follows a British World War II nurse who accidentally time-travels to 18th-century Scotland, where she meets a Highland warrior who changes the course of her life. But love and adventure are just one piece of something much larger. The books also grapple with themes like betrayal, family, loyalty, justice, and identity.

3. JA Jance 

One of the New York Times’ top bestselling authors, JA Jance was raised in the small mining town of Bisbee, Arizona. Today, she splits her time between Seattle and Tucson, but the Southwest still shows up often in her work.

Jance knew she wanted to be a writer ever since second grade, after reading the “Wizard of Oz” series. She became the first in her family to attend a four-year college, earning a degree in English Literature and Secondary Education. But the road to becoming a full-time author was full of obstacles. For years, she woke up at 4 a.m. to write before getting her kids ready for school and heading to her full-time job selling life insurance as a single mom.

Her first attempt at fiction was a “slightly fictionalized” take on a series of Tucson murders from the 1970s. From there, she found her calling in crime fiction. Her first official novel launched the long-running “JP Beaumont” series, followed by several others. My personal favorite is the “Joanna Brady” series.

Joanna Brady Series

“It’s tempting to try to be everything to all people, but you can’t keep it up forever. It’s too hard on you. You forget to stop and smell the roses. As you know, when those roses are gone, they’re gone forever.”

After writing ten novels from the perspective of a middle-aged male detective (the “JP Beaumont” series), Jance decided it was time for a change. That shift gave us Joanna Brady, a resilient character with heart, sharp intuition, and a strong sense of justice.

Joanna’s life is upended when her husband, a respected police officer, dies by suicide—or at least, that’s what the authorities claim. But Joanna knows her husband, and she doesn’t buy it. As she digs deeper, the truth turns out to be far more dangerous than she expected.

Determined to uncover what really happened and honor his legacy, Joanna runs for sheriff, and she wins. Her honesty, strength, and deep roots in the Bisbee community make her the kind of leader people trust. Over the course of the series, readers follow Joanna as she navigates her new life as a single mom, tackles Bisbee politics, and takes on the stakes of law enforcement in the Arizona desert.

4. Barbara Kingsolver 

My love for Barbara Kingsolver runs deep. Every time I read one of her books, I want to find my kindergarten teacher and thank her for teaching me how to read, because it means I get to read life-changing novels like Kingsolver’s. So, Mrs. Meese, if you’re reading this for whatever reason… thank you.

Though Kingsolver grew up in rural Kentucky, she traveled frequently as a child, which sparked her appreciation for different cultures and ways of life. She was a writer from a young age; she even published an article in grade school titled, “Why We Need a New Elementary School,” after the roof collapsed on her teacher’s head. But despite her early love for storytelling, she didn’t always see writing as a realistic career. She earned a degree in biology, taught undergrad courses, and eventually earned a Master’s from the University of Arizona’s Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology.

While working as a scientific writer, Kingsolver began to find her way (publicly) into creative writing. Eventually, she was supporting herself as a full-time freelancer while living in Tucson, a place she deeply loved.

She has written fiction, nonfiction, poetry, essays, and short stories, nearly all of which are critically acclaimed, many award-winning, and even Oprah-endorsed. Her first novel, “The Bean Trees,” was nearly thrown in the trash (thankfully, it wasn’t). And though I recommend every book she’s written, I’ve narrowed it down to two personal favorites.

‘Demon Copperhead ‘

“The wonder is that you could start life with nothing, end with nothing, and lose so much in between.”

Truly a modern masterpiece, “Demon Copperhead” is a coming-of-age story filled with sorrow, beauty, and hope in the face of hopelessness. Inspired by Charles Dickens’ “David Copperfield” and set in the Appalachian Mountains, it follows a boy born to a teenage mother and raised in poverty in a Virginia trailer park. Described as the voice of a “new generation of lost boys,” Demon’s life feels cursed from the start as it’s marked by loss, addiction, foster care, and heartbreak.

But this isn’t just a story of suffering. It’s also a story of resilience, love, and finding light in the darkest places. Kingsolver masterfully weaves modern struggles, like the opioid crisis and systemic poverty, into a narrative that opens your heart, then unapologetically breaks it, again and again.

If you’re only going to read one book from this list, let it be this one.

‘The Poisonwood Bible’

“Everything you’re sure is right can be wrong in another place.”

Described as a “dance between the dark comedy of human failings and the breathtaking possibilities of human hope,” “The Poisonwood Bible” tells the epic story of one family through the voices of the wife and four daughters of evangelical pastor Nathan Price. In 1959, they leave their home in Georgia and embark on a mission trip to the Belgian Congo, where Nathan is determined to convert the locals and save their souls.

While the Congolese people are generally welcoming of the Price family, they’re resistant to his rigid preaching. With the country on the verge of independence, they have more pressing things to worry about than an outsider’s idea of salvation.

The narrative is woven together by the alternating voices of Nathan’s wife and daughters. Through their eyes, we witness the unlearning of racial biases (shaped by their Southern upbringing), their evolving understanding of morality outside their father’s control, and their own desires, losses, and questions about identity. It’s a story about colonization, religion, family, and the slow, painful process of learning how to see the world for what it really is.

5. Stephenie Meyer

Phoenix local Stephenie Meyer is one of today’s best-selling authors. She grew up in Cave Creek before earning a degree in English Literature from Brigham Young University in Utah. She’s best known for her “Twilight” series, which has sold over 160 million copies worldwide, but her more recent novel, “The Chemist” (2016), is also well worth the read.

‘The Chemist’

“I’ve never been drawn to someone the way I am to you, and I have been from the very first moment I met you. It’s like the difference between…between reading about gravity and then falling for the first time.”

They say love finds you when you least expect it, and that’s certainly true in “The Chemist.” Dr. Juliana Fortis, a former government agent, is now on the run. Her old employer has decided she’s a liability, and her life has become a blur of aliases, booby-trapped safe houses, and sleeping with a gas mask—because yes, someone is actually trying to kill her.

Just when she’s reached her limit, she’s offered a way out: one last job. And what’s her assignment? To capture a (handsome) man named Daniel Beach, also known as a “secret biological terrorist.”

You can probably guess where this is going.

“The Chemist” breaks away from Meyer’s vampire-filled “Twilight” universe and into the world of spy thrillers. But even in this new genre, she keeps doing what she does best: danger, suspense, and of course, unlikely romance.

This article first appeared on Good Info News Wire and is republished here under a Creative Commons license.

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