Ledgestone Hotel – YakimaHere’s some books you might love set in and around Yakima to get you excited for the trip – after COVID-19 is over!
Where I’m Coming From – Raymond Carver
Raymond Carver grew up in Yakima and Where I’m Coming From is a collection of 37 short stories he wrote. Each displays a segment of life – the trials, tribulations, and triumphs that happen from day to day. It’s rare to have a collection of short stories where each is considered spectacular but Carver pulls it off.
History Of The Yakima Valley, Washington: Comprising Yakima, Kittitas, And Benton Counties – William Denison Lyman
This book is a great resource to learn the history of the Yakima Valley, from the Native American tribes that settled the area to the Americans who ventured into the territory later to the modern society that exists and how it developed.
Anybody Can Do Anything – Betty MacDonald
This memoir tells MacDonald’s story of trying to survive as a single mother during the Great Depression in Washington. As trying as the times were, she manages to keep a sense of humor in the book, the same humor that likely kept her going through such a difficult period. Some of her experiences transcend time while others will just paint a picture of the lives that happened before.
The Last Town On Earth – Thomas Mullen
Read about life in Washington during a pandemic – not COVID-19, but the Spanish Flu in 1918. The small town that the story is set in self-quarantines, but that is not without its own issues. Confined, scared, and angry, the residents turn on each other as they try to survive. It’s an amazing work of fiction that will keep you riveted.
The Plague And I – Betty MacDonald
If you like Anybody Can Do Anything, you’ll also enjoy MacDonald’s other works, including The Plague And I. MacDonald was quarantined for a year due to tuberculosis, and her memories of the experience manage to bring some levity to a situation that, particularly in the current climate, people can relate to.