Miami’s heady optimism has always been matched by dangerous reality, a fissure that runs through its literature. P Scott Cunningham takes us on a journey through city in fiction, theatre and poetry

There’s much more to Austin than SXSW. If you’re planning a trip to the music capital of Texas, or want to be transported there by literature, check out our readers’ book recommendations. Tell us what we’ve missed in the comments below

A bastion for liberals in Texas, Austin’s literary roots run deep. From stories about gentrification to books that explore its bohemian side, the dotcom era and crime, Michael Barrett examines the city’s literature in all its glory

The twin cities of the midwest have a compelling and distinctive literature. Kathryn Savage runs us through the books that will transport you to this rich landscape of contrasts, from F Scott Fitzgerald to Louise Erdrich

From the origins of Uncle Tom to the stories of revolutionary, radical women, Michael Griffith takes us on a tour of literary Cincinnati – including Toni Morrison, Edmund White and a drive to attract America’s best poets

The literature of Atlanta reflects a history steeped in violence and racial tension. From Gone with the Wind to The Walking Dead, Anna Schachner explores the essential literary companions for the Georgian capital

Winning in Las Vegas makes a good story, but losing sometimes makes an even better one. Here are our readers’ favourite books about Sin City

The ‘neon oasis’ known as Sin City has spawned many a tale of gangsters and gambling, but its literature also reveals that there is more to Las Vegas than the Strip. Maile Chapman offers a guided tour

The Hawaiian state capital offers literary gems galore. Whether you’re heading there or just want to add some tropical flair to your library, here are our readers’ recommendations

The most un-American of all American cities is bathed in literary culture. Anisse Gross investigates Hawaiian detective novels and alerts us to stories of Pearl Harbor, examines Hawaii’s oral tradition and sifts through the many writers who spent time on its sands – from marathon correspondent Hunter S Thompson to novice surfer Mark Twain

If you’re planning a trip to Michigan, or feel attracted by the contradictions of the ever-changing Motor City, here are our readers’ book suggestions

The Motor City has inspired impassioned poetry, meticulous realism, tales of the supernatural, riveting non-fiction dramas and more. Anna Clark sorts through a great city’s stories

The Pacific Northwestern city offers a range of reads, from jazz era tales to bleak portrayals of modern American life. Here are some of our readers’ favourites

Known as a vegan-friendly, coffee-obsessed, bike-riding haven, the Oregon city has only recently entered popular consciousness – mostly thanks to parodies of its hipsters. Jon Raymond explores the books that cast light on the best-kept secret of the Pacific Northwest

Technology, wilderness and counterculture coexist in Seattle – our readers suggested their favourite books about the northwestern American city, and here are some of the best

The north-western American city of entrepreneurs, where nature coexists with a tech-obsessed culture, has a rich cultural life despite its small size. Ryan Boudinot looks out its literary highlights, from poetry to speculative fiction

A city of books as much as a capital of music and culture, our round-up of the best literature about the Big Easy has been filled out with readers’ recommendations. Here are some of the best

To mark the Tennessee Williams New Orleans literary festival, Susan Larson walks us through the essential literature to understand the city – from classics to accounts of life after Katrina

From LA noir to 21st-century satire, the literature of this Californian city embraces extremes of wealth, fame, frustration and failure. Here’s a selection of our readers’ suggestions of books to bring you closer to the city of Angels

Whether hymning it as the City of Angels or writing it off as La La Land, thousands of authors have pictured Los Angeles in prose. Kate Gale defends its romantic appeal and recommends the essential literary companions for a trip to this West Coast metropolis