Illuminating Books Set In Asheville We Think Everyone Should Read

From bubbly bookstores and The Hunger Games filming locations, Asheville is a bibliotourist’s dream. Explore the best books set in Asheville to inspire your North Carolina vacation, including books about Biltmore Estate to teach you more before you tour America’s largest home.

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Having lived and traveled across the world, I love reading books set in a location to grasp a destination’s history, culture, and vibe. In fact, I created an entire website, The Uncorked Librarian, dedicated to armchair traveling. Rogue librarian, literature/history major, and book blogger here. Plus, who doesn’t enjoy supporting local authors and seeing where they’ve been in a story?

Asheville books are especially memorable. They transport readers to the Gilded Age of Biltmore Estate and paint vivid imagery of those misty Blue Ridge Mountains. Meet a hometown boy with big dreams, a playful imagination, and, well, the desire to capture the town’s dirty laundry on those infamous pages.

So, what books should you read before visiting Asheville? Below, explore my favorite books about Asheville, Biltmore, and North Carolina (and one of my husband’s). P.S. Locals will also appreciate this list. I read many of these as I moved here.

Best Fiction Books Set In Asheville

While I read fiction to spark wanderlust, these fictional stories are more about Asheville’s history and culture. The authors will transport you across breathtaking landscapes while putting a spin on Appalachian life.

Look Homeward, Angel by Thomas Wolfe

If your goal is to read more Asheville authors, you cannot pass over Thomas Wolfe. I hadn’t read his work until Tom and I visited the Thomas Wolfe Memorial in Downtown Asheville, which is his mother’s boarding house and a small Asheville attraction. We take all our guests here as the tour is one of our favorite house visits; the stories and gossip are wildly entertaining.

Published in 1929, Look Homeward, Angel is classic and historical Asheville “fiction.”  Scandalous at the time, Wolfe infamously chronicles his life growing up in Asheville, North Carolina, barely and comically changing everyone’s names. The story loosely follows young Wolfe, or Eugene Grant, who desires much more than small-town life. Education is his means to move on (and out) to larger things.

Asheville, NC oozes off the pages, but a fair warning: many parts are dry. Wolfe is notoriously long-winded. Even I skimmed a bit.

Read Look Homeward, Angel: Amazon | Goodreads

Guests On Earth by Lee Smith

For historical fiction books about Asheville, Guests On Earth by Lee Smith is a must. Take a literary journey with the Fitzgeralds, who frequented Asheville, NC for their summer vacations.

F. Scott Fitzgerald’s wife, Zelda, was one of the nine women who perished in the Highlands Hospital fire in 1948. Zelda struggled with her mental health for most of her life, in what many now assume is bipolar disorder.

F. Scott Fitzgerald stayed at Asheville’s Grove Park Inn where it is rumored he shot a bullet into the ceiling and was kicked out for his drunken shenanigans.

Guests On Earth takes readers back to 1936 and Highland Hospital, Asheville’s mental institution. The renowned hospital admits 13-year-old Evalina Toussaint. Evalina grows intimate with Zelda Fitzgerald and witnesses the events leading up to the tragic fire.

If you are intrigued by Highland Hospital, read more about Asheville’s paranormal places.

Read Guests On Earth: Amazon | Goodreads

Serafina And The Black Cloak by Robert Beatty

One of the most well-known historical fiction books about Biltmore Estate, Serafina And The Black Cloak by Robert Beatty follows along with Serafina, a child secretly living in Biltmore’s basement. This is also the first in the Serafina series.

Set during the Gilded Age, Serafina’s father works in maintenance for the grand estate and warns her to maintain distance from its rich occupants.

However, when children start mysteriously disappearing, Serafina and Braeden Vanderbilt decide to solve the mystery, leading them into the dark forest. Of course, there is some magic too.

While an elementary-school-aged read, Serafina And The Black Cloak is one of the most engaging fantasy books set in Asheville, NC perfect for all ages. Relive the opulence of the time.

Read Serafina and The Black Cloak: Amazon | Goodreads

Book Lovers by Emily Henry

Nora is a workaholic publisher who has taken care of her now pregnant sister Libby since their mom died from cancer. In need of a break and reconnection, the two sisters travel to small-town Sunshine Falls, NC for a month-long vacation – with trips in, out, and around Asheville.

Sunshine Falls is the setting of Nora’s successful author’s latest book, making this the ultimate bibliotourism trip. Libby also has prepared a bucket list for the two of them, including saving the local bookstore and finding her sister a boyfriend – just like in the stories she edits.

When Nora runs into a gorgeous editor from her past, they work together to make the author’s newest novel the best it can be. Is there more to this working relationship? And, what is Libby hiding?

Romance books set in Asheville, North Carolina (or near it in imaginary towns) don’t get any more devour-worthy than this, especially if you enjoy themes of family, overcoming loss, and the power of really seeing and appreciating each other.

This is truly a soulmate story, and for books that take place in Asheville, smirk at the “dinky” Asheville airport. You will most definitely recognize that rooftop bar serving Cuban food. Did someone say Hemingway’s?

Read Book Lovers: Amazon | Goodreads

Murder In Rat Alley by Mark de Castrique

Although Book 7 in the Blackman Agency Investigations series, if you enjoy murder mysteries and are looking for detective books set in Asheville, try Murder in Rat Alley. Travel through the Blue Ridge Mountains and Asheville’s music scene.

The discovery of a dead body – buried long ago near the Pisgah Astronomical Research Institute – sparks a new murder in Rat Alley. Iraq War veteran Sam Blackman must determine how and if the cases are connected.

Read Murder In Rat Alley: Amazon | Goodreads

Many Of Mark de Castrique’s Books Are Set In Asheville:

Blackman’s Coffin (Book 1)
The Fitzgerald Ruse (Book 2)
Hidden Scars (Book 6)

Nonfiction Books About Asheville

The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan

We always tell visitors that you cannot visit Asheville without seeing Biltmore at least once. Yet, we understand those ticket prices are quite expensive. If you need a little more justification for dropping over $70+ on Biltmore admission, we highly recommend reading The Last Castle by Denise Kiernan. To us, The Last Castle is one of the best books about Biltmore Estate, showcasing its more hidden history and obscured role – Kiernan’s MO as a historian and author.

The Last Castle discusses the construction of Biltmore and shares the love story behind George and Edith Vanderbilt along with terrific Biltmore Estate facts. As the largest home in America, Biltmore is more than just its beautiful tapestries and gardens.

Learn about Edith’s role in politics and leadership over the home upon George’s death. Discover the Vanderbilts’ legacy in forestry. Also, witness their progressive ideals during a more conservative time. You’ll find special guest appearances from literary greats, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Thomas Wolfe, Henry James, and Edith Wharton. The Vanderbilts help put Asheville, NC on the map, leaving a legacy of occasional debt, community, and rich history.

Read The Last Castle: Amazon | Goodreads

Lady On The Hill by Howard E. Covington

In Covington’s Lady On The Hill learn more about the architecture of George Vanderbilt’s vision for this beautiful and iconic house. Explore the recent restoration and preservation efforts in one of the only nonfiction historical preservation books about Asheville on this reading list.

If you read Kiernan’s The Last Castle, you know that George and his wife Edith faced numerous challenges with the construction and financial maintenance of Biltmore, almost running the operation into the ground. When Cecil inherits his share of Biltmore in the 1950s, he ignores any and all advice, transforming this once financial burden into a thriving private historic site and business.

Uncover Biltmore’s self-sustaining efforts, including those in the wine and farming industry, and of course, read more about Biltmore’s role as a major tourist attraction. This is another one of the books about Biltmore Estate that offers readers a new perspective.

Read Lady On The Hill: Amazon | Goodreads

The Man Who Flew the Memphis Belle by Robert Morgan

When you are looking for books set in Asheville, many people overlook The Man Who Flew The Memphis Belle by Robert Morgan. Granted, a large portion of this memoir takes place elsewhere, but Morgan’s story originates in Asheville, NC. Tom read this one since he loves aviation and WWII history (he is a commercial airline pilot, after all).

Robert Morgan grew up in high society as a friend of the Vanderbilts. During WW2, though, this once playboy transformed into a legendary pilot of the Memphis Belle. As the leader of the first bombing crew, Morgan’s team survived over 25 daytime missions over Nazi-occupied France and Germany.

Read The Man Who Flew The Memphis Belle: Amazon | Goodreads

Are there any other books set in Asheville, NC that you enjoy? Have you read any nonfiction or even fiction books about Biltmore Estate that just blew you away? Let us know in the comments.