DOMESTIC FICTION: FAMILY, FOOD, CRAFTS, HOUSE & GARDEN

Domestic Fiction

friends and families
family sagas
domestic violence
crafts and fashion
food and drink
house and garden

Domestic Fiction: Family, Food, Crafts

Village Fiction (State Library of Tasmania): Books featuring endearing characters and the social routines of village life. Author and title listed for about 20 books/series, summaries for some books. Authors include Bailey White, Barbara Pym, Miss Read, Angela Thirkell, Joanna Trollope, Ann Purser, Rebecca Shaw, others.

Friends and Families

Roles in Relationships: Grandmothers, Mothers, Daughters, Sisters, Friends (Westmount Public Library, Quebec): 2-page PDF file. Author, title, publication year, and summary for about 12 novels featuring grandmother, mother, daughter roles, and 16 novels on sisters and friends, published frm 1987 to 2004. Compiled in 2004.

Ties That Bind (Reader's Advice): Family relationships in fiction. Author, title, and Amazon link for about 350 titles, from Jeffrey Renard Allen's Rails Under My Back to Christy Yorke's Song of the Seals.

Off-beat, Eclectic, Quirky, Slightly Askew Fiction (Central Rappahannock Public Library, VA): "Fiction ranging from Redneck Gothic to really dysfunctional families to just plain, well, different. If you like stories that are a teensy bit bent, these titles are for you." Sections: Families Sure Are Funny; Out of Step With Everything; Off-beat Abroad; Out of This World; Southern Quirks; and Oh So Noir. Author, title, summary, webcat link for about 60 books.

Odd Families, Quirky Characters (Reader's Advice): 'Wry stories of the daily life involving families and people who are a little (or a lot!) off the beaten path.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 150 titles, from Nicola Barker's Behindlings to Thomas Wolfe's The Good Child's River.

Stories About Family Relationships (Portland Public Library, ME): Author, title, summary and webcat link for about 20 books about families, from Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie's Purple Hibiscus to Monica Wood's My Only Story.

Family and Friends (Winfield Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary, and webcat link for more than 15 books (mostly novels) exploring family and friend relationships, set in either Britain or the U.S.; most seem to be on the 'gentle read' side. From Buster Midnight's Cafe by Sandra Dallas to to Mama Makes Up Her Mind: And Other Dangers of Southern Living by Bailey White.

It's a Family Affair (Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jefferson City, MO): One of Wolfner's mini-bibliographies, this one "takes a look at the humorous side of love, marriage, raising a family, and dealing with eccentric family members." About 15 books (many light non-fiction), with author and detailed summary of each.

Memorable Family Fiction (Tompkins County Public Library, Ithaca, NY): "This list of books deals with memorable families, some dysfunctional, some not." Author, title, publication info, summary, and webcat link for 10 novels. Compiled 2003.

The Tie That Binds: Fiction that explores the mother/daughter relationship (Enoch Pratt Free Library): Provides list of about 20 authors, their titles, publication years, and summaries.

Mothers & Daughters in Fiction (Stonnington Library, Victoria, Australia): Author, title, and webcat link for about 25 books, from Cavedweller by Dorothy Allison to Nancy Thayer's Family secrets. Also a few biographies.

O My Papa (Lake County Public Library, Merrillville, IN): Stories about fathers. Author and title listed only for about 25 works of fiction featuring dads and 7 non-fiction books.

Sister, Sister: Novels Featuring Sisters (Lynne M. Kennedy, Sachem Public Library, Holbrook, NY): 47 titles, with author, publication info, and summary for each. Typography is little hard on the eyes. From Charlotte Vale Allen's Leftover Dreams to Nancy Wagner's Two Sisters.

Sisters: Friends or Foes (Des Plaines Public Library, IL): List of almost 20 books, with author and summary of each. From Julia Alvarez's How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents to Helen Yglesias's The Girls.

Sister Acts (Deb Warner, Durham County Library, NC): "Tragedies, comedies, and wild wild women." Provides author, title, and summary for over 30 novels featuring sisters. Compiled September 2000.

My Sister's Keeper: Sisters in Fiction (Lukie Marriott, Skokie Public Library, IL): "These books cover the gamut of the bonds and rivalries between sisters: humor and mystery, aging parents, younger sisters who are children, suicide, kidnapping, and murder, laughter, and love." Author, title, pub. year, webcat link for about 20 books, most published in the early 2000s. Updated Feb. 2006.

Sister, Sister (Kitchener Public Library, Ontario, Canada): Fiction about sisters. Authors and title(s) for over 30 novels, from Charlotte Vale Allen's Leftover Dreams to Phyllis Whitney's The Stone Bull.

Adult Fiction on Adoption (Bill Gage): This is page one (A-B titles) of a multi-page list of fiction titles on adoption and foster parenting. Included are author, title, publication info, longish summaries, some book cover images, links to Amazon. Following pages are C-E titles, F-G titles, H-K titles, L-M titles, N-R titles, S titles, T-Z titles, romance novels, and mystery and suspense novels.

Ties That Bind -- Adoption and Stepfamilies (Auburn Hills Public Library, MI): "Stories of family relationships involving adoption or stepfamilies." Author and title only for about 25 books, from Terri Blackstock's Never Again Good-Bye to Susan Wiggs' Home Before Dark. Updated Nov. 2005.

Foster Care Fiction (Newton Free Library, MA): Author, title, and publication info for about 25 novels about foster care, from Noel Alumit's Letters to Montgomery Clift to Jose Yglesias's Break In. Compiled May 2002.

Divorce Novels, Poems, and Short Stories (Precious Heart Chaplaincy, Crisis, Grief, Death and Divorce Archive, TX): Author, title, publication info, page count, and sometimes brief summary for about 65 books.

Ties That Bind -- Divorce (Auburn Hills Public Library, MI): Author and title only for about 30 novels about divorce, from David Amsden's Important Things That Don't Matter to Sarah Tucker's The Last Year of Being Married. Updated Nov. 2005.

Fiction About Friendship (Johnson County Library, KS): Author, title, and webcat link for about 40 books, from Stephen Amidon's The New City to William Wharton's Birdy.

Women's Friendships (Reader's Advice): Author, title, and Amazon link for about 70 contemporary novels about women's friendships, from Margaret Bacon's The Ewe Lamb to Amy Yurk's The Kind of Love That Saves You.

High Society (Memorial Hall Library, Andover MA): 2-page PDF. Author, title, pub. year, summary for about 15 books, from Her Infinite Variety by Louis Auchincloss to Phillipa Stockley's A Factory of Cunning. Compiled May 2005.

Upper Crust New York Fiction (Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh): Author, title, webcat link, and summary for 9 novels, from Her Infinite Variety by Louis Auchincloss to Bergdorf Blondes by Plum Sykes.

Fiction Featuring a Wedding (Johnson County Library, KS): Author, title, summary, webcat link, and genre indiction (if applicable) for about 55 novels, from Jessica Adams' Tom, Dick and Debbie Harry to Mark Zubro's Here Comes the Corpse.

GENEALOGY AND GENEALOGISTS

FAMILY SAGAS

Keep It In the Family: Family Sagas (Lincoln City Libraries, NE): Multiple generation family sagas. Author, title/series, webcat link for about 600 titles, many in series, from Alice Adams' Caroline's Daughters to Norman Zollinger's Riders to Cibola. Compiled Jan. 2005.

Family Saga (Halton Hills Public Library -- Georgetown, Ontario, CAN): Listed by author, titles of novels that feature family trials and tribulations, with links to webcatalog. About 100 books, from Cyrill Abraham's The Onedin Line series to Robert Wall's Blackrobe.

Family Sagas: The South (Reader's Advice): Author, title, and Amazon link for about 50 titles, from Gwen Bristow's Louisiana series to Janice Woods Windle's Woods Family series.

Family Sagas: English/Irish/Scottish (Reader's Advice): Author, title, and Amazon link for about 125 titles, from Valerie Anand's Bridges Over Time series to Sarah Woodhouse's Enchanted Ground.

Family Sagas: Other Countries (Reader's Advice): 'Family Sagas set in locations other than the U.S. South and the British Isles.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 120 titles, from Isabel Allende's del Valle Family series (set in Chile) to Nancy Zaroulis's The Last Waltz.

Family Sagas: Rags to Riches (Reader's Advice): 'Usually set in America, often featuring immigrant families.' Author, title, and Amazon link for about 40 titles, from Jeffrey Archer's Kane and Abel series to Herman Wouk's Inside, Outside.

Family Sagas (Davenport Public Library, IA): Author, title, and series name only for about 55 family saga series, from Ellen Argo's Cape Cod trilogy to Herman Wouk's World War II series.

Family Sagas (Ocean County Library, NJ): Lists 8 authors of family sagas and a few titles for each. No summaries. From Barbara Taylor Bradford to Jean Stubbs.

What Can I Read Next: Family Sagas (North East Lincolnshire Library Service, Grimsby, UK): Simple list of about 100 authors of family sagas, from Kate Alexander to Sarah Woodhouse.

Domestic Violence and Abuse

Domestic Abuse in Fiction (Jasper County Public Library, IN): Authors and titles (some summaries) for about 20 fiction and autobiographical books on the topic.

Domestic Violence Booklist (Overbooked): Author, title, publication info, summaries for 5 fiction and 3 non-fiction titles and 1 book for teens about domestic abuse. Updated May 2006.

Crafts and Fashion

NEEDLEWORK

Piece Together a Good Read (Des Plaines Public Library, IL): Author, title, summary for a dozen books, from Alias Grace by Margaret Atwood to Twelve Golden Threads by Aliske Webb. Compiled 2002.

A Stitch in the Story (State Library of Tasmania): Fiction with a needlework theme. Author and title, most with summaries, for over 35 novels.

Fiction about Hobbies - Quilting and Sewing (Northbrook Public Library, IL): Title, author, summary for 6 novels.

QUILTING

Quilts, Quilters, Quilting, and Patchwork in Adult Fiction (Betty Reynolds): Author, title, publication info, and summaries (for many) of short stories and novels about quilting. Extensive. Links to Amazon book reviews.

A Common Thread: Fiction about quilts and quilting (Laura McGrath, Skokie Public Library, IL): Lists about a dozen books, general fiction and mysteries, featuring quilting. Summaries, webcat links and publication year. Updated Feb. 2006.

Quilting in Fiction (B. Hinton, Memorial Hall Library, Andover MA): 2-page PDF. Author, title, pub. year, summary for more than 20 books (some in series), from Love of Quilts: A treasury of classic quilting stories (ed. Benberry and Crab) to Lauraine Snelling's The Healing Quilt. Compiled Aug. 2004.

Fiction About Quilts (Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jefferson City, MO): One of Wolfner's mini-bibliographies, this is a list of about 15 titles (mysteries first, then general fiction), with author and detailed summary of each book.

Quilting Fiction (Harris County Public Library, Houston, TX): Author, title, summary, and webcat link for about a dozen fiction works featuring quilting, from the story collection This Old Quilt: A Heartwarming Celebration of Quilts and Quilting Memories, ed. by Margret Aldrich, to The Fragile Thread by Aliske Webb. Also, about 20 non-fiction books about quilting.

Stitching Up Stories: Novels about Quilts and Quilting (Addison Public Library, IL): Author, title, brief summary, webcat link for about a dozen books, from Buried in Quilts by Sarah Hoskinson Frommer to Twelve Golden Threads by Aliske Webb. Compiled Sept. 2002.

Quilts, Quilters, and Quilting Fiction (Kitchener Public Library, Ontario, Canada): Authors and title(s) only for 43 novels featuring quilting.

Fiction About Quilts (Lynn Sutherland, Fiction-L): Compiled July 2001. Author/title for over 20 mysteries featuring quilting, and 30 books/series of general fiction.

KNITTING

Knitting References in Books (Wool Works): Extensive list of books featuring knitting, a knitter, a knitted item, or any reference to knitting! Author and title only, with the knitting reference, for about 140 works of general fiction, mystery, science-fiction/fantasy, fairy tales, biography, non-fiction, children's fiction, more. [For movies and TV shows featuring knitting, try Angel Hair Yarn Company's list.]

FASHION

Fashion Industry (Auburn Hills Public Library, MI): Stories that take place in the fashion industry. Author and title only for about 25 books, from Sam Baker's Fashion Victim to Tia Williams's The Accidental Diva. Updated May 2006.

Games

See Games, under "Sports"

Food and Drink

FOOD AND COOKING

Edible Fiction (Leane Ellis - Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA): Author, title, publication data, and links to catalog information on each of about 120 books featuring food. Adapted from Halton Hills Public Library's What's On the Menu?.

Cooked Books (Overbooked): These books have received starred reviews from the major reviewing sources. Author, title, publication info, and brief reviews for about 30 fiction titles and 20 non-fiction books involving "cooks and caterers, bakers and baking, dinning and diners."

Fiction Good Enough to Eat -- With Recipes (Central Rappahannock Public Library, VA): Author, title, summary, webcat link for over 20 books, from Biggie and the Devil Diet by Nancy Bell to World of Pies by Karen Stolz. Many are mysteries.

Featuring Food (Halton Hills Public Library -- Georgetown, Ontario, CAN): Authors and titles with webcatalog links for each. About 50 books listed, from Marian Babson's Death Warmed Up to Lou Jane Temple's A Stiff Risotto.

Food in Fiction (Memorial Hall Library, Andover MA): 2-page PDF. Author, title, pub. year, summary for about 20 books (some mystery series), from Crescent by Diana Abu-Jaber to Eleanor Widmer's Up From Orchard Street. Compiled Dec. 2005.

Read It and Eat (Madison Public Library, WI): Author, title, and note about whether the book is mystery or fiction. 75 books listed. Compiled 2000.

Edible Fiction: Food and Cooking Fiction (Sherry Sharpe, Fiction-L): Compiled June 1997. Over 40 books listed, from Judie Angell's Leave the Cooking to Me to James White's Galactic Gourmet. Author and title only.

Food in Fiction (State Library of Tasmania): Author and title listed for over 50 books and series (many mysteries), from Susan Wittig Albert's Thyme of Death to Van Whitfield's Something's Wrong With Your Scale. Some summaries.

Fiction with Recipes (Judy O'Connell, Fiction-L): Compiled June 2001. Over 55 books listed, from Jorge Amado's Dona Flor and Her Two Husbands to Vinita Hampton Wright's Velma Still Cooks in Leeway. Author and title only.

Fiction about Hobbies: Cooking (Northbrook Public Library, IL): Title, author, summary for 14 novels, including mysteries.

Books For Your Appetite (Mukwonago Community Library, WI): Lists author, title, brief summary of about 25 books with themes of food, restaurants, cafes, eateries, and the catering industry, from Dorothy Cannell's Thin Woman to Anne Tyler's Dinner at the Homesick Restaurant.

Food for Thought (Omaha Public Library, NE): Author and title listed for about 40 novels featuring food, from Daniel Akst's St. Burl's Obituary to James White's The Galactic Gourmet. Compiled May 2001.

DIETS

Diet Fiction (Leane Ellis - Lucius Beebe Memorial Library, MA): 'A List of Books Featuring the Pleasingly Plump.' Author, title, publication year, and webcat link for about 35 books, from Richard Bachman's Thinner to Jennifer Weiner's Good in bed.

Diet Fiction (Robin Beerbower, Fiction-L): Compiled Jan. 2002. About 30 books listed, from Richard Bachman's Thinner to Van Whitfield's Something's Wrong with Your Scale!. Author and title only.

BEVERAGES

Coffee-Related Books (Sherri L. Lazenby, Fiction-L): Compiled Jan. 2001. Over 20 fiction titles, plus a few non-fiction and children's books listed. Fiction titles from Sandra Benitez's Bitter Grounds to Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole: The Cappuccino Years. Author and title only.

Break Time ... Coffee, Tea, A Good Book (St. Charles Public Library, IL): List of over 25 novels (with authors) featuring coffee or tea. No summaries. Prepared August 2001.

Coffee With Books (Omaha Public Library, NE): Author, title, pub. year listed for 10 novels featuring coffee, from Sandra Benitez's Bitter Grounds to Sue Townsend's Adrian Mole: The Capuccino Years. Compiled Jan. 2001.

One Lump or Two? Tea with Books (Omaha Public Library, NE): Author, title, pub. year listed for a dozen novels featuring tea, from Douglas Adams's The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul to Milorad Pavic's Landscape Painted With Tea. Compiled January 2001.

Wine/Grape Fiction (Carol Kubala, Fiction-L): Compiled Sept. 2001. About 40 titles listed, with authors.

Pleasures of the Table... Vintage Reads (St. Charles Public Library, IL): List of over 20 novels (with authors) featuring wine. No summaries. Prepared November 2001.

CHOCOLATE

Chocolate Fiction (Sophie Manta, Skokie Public Library, IL): Author, title, pub. year, webcat link for about 20 books, published from 1953-2001, from David M. Alexander's The Chocolate Spy to Cole Thompson's Chocolate Lizards. Updated Feb. 2006.

Chocolate Fiction (Lisa Dick, Fiction-L): Compiled July 2001. Over 40 fiction titles, plus a few non-fiction books listed, from David Alexander's The Chocolate Spy to Helen Wingo's Sweeter Than Chocolate. Author and title only.

Chocolate Lovers' Delight (Wolfner Library for the Blind and Physically Handicapped, Jefferson City, MO): One of Wolfner's mini-bibliographies, this one features fiction and non-fiction with a chocolate connection. Lists about 20 titles, with author and detailed summary of each book.

Fiction with Chocolate (Omaha Public Library, NE): Author, title, pub. year listed for 15 novels (2 young adult) and a book of poetry featuring chocolate, from Agatha Christie's Poirot Investigates (The Chocolate Box) to Barbara Whitehead's Sweet Death, Come Softly. Compiled July 2001.

EATING OUT

Cafe-Diner-Restaurant Fiction (Susanne Booker, Fiction-L): Compiled Sept. 2001. Over 90 titles listed, with authors.