UPDATE: Check out our new 2023 Best Cities to Live in the U.S. list.
#4. Hendersonville NC
Book: “Songbirds and Stray Dogs” by Meagan Lucas
The setting of North Carolina plays a big part in this novel, which follows a young woman named Jolene who grows up with her aunt after her mother abandons her. When Jolene becomes pregnant and her aunt kicks her out, she flees to the mountains to find a new life.
Lucas’s Place Recommendation: Hendersonville, North Carolina
“My favorite reading spot is Black Bear Coffee in Hendersonville, NC. Hendersonville is not only where I live, but where my novel Songbirds and Stray Dogs is set, and Black Bear is where I overheard the argument that became the inspiration for this novel. Black Bear Coffee has excellent drinks and baked treats, a cool patio where you can watch people on the street, or on a chilly day, you can curl up in one of the comfy armchairs at the back. You can often find me there reading, writing, meeting with my writing group or listening for a new novel idea.”