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50 Spain Books to read – Spanish themed novels & titles

50 Spain Books to read – Spanish themed novels & titles

50 Spain Books

A list of Spain Books for all those who love Spanish food, history and culture. I am often asked for reading recommendations about Spain themes. As I read quite a lot myself, I thought I´ve created a list of Spain Books that I are worth reading.

In this selection there is something for everyone. Civil war stories, romantic novels, cooking books and humorous expat tales. It´s not a definitive list. There are hundreds of titles out there. These are some of my personal favourites and books that may not be as well known too.

One of them, is a detailed guide on Walking and Trekking in the Sierra Nevada, knowing the author, it will be exact and a must for keen hikers and mountaineers heading to the Granada peaks.

Cicerone Guidebook Walking Sierra Nevada Richard Hartley

Spanish Civil War Books

Cicerone Guidebook Walking Sierra Nevada Richard Hartley (5)

Practical Spain Books

Granada weekend

Flamenco Themed Books

Puente Nuevo Ronda Spain

Spanish Classics

Authentic Spain Food

Food & Cooking in Spain Books

Field of Olives in Jaen Sierra Magina

Granada Themed Books

Washingon Irving Tales of Alhambra

Books set in Southern Spain

Federico Garcia Lorca Spanish Poet

Barcelona & Catalonia Themed Books

Spanish Cruise Palma Barcelona

Spain Books by British Writers

Madrid Plaza Mayor Spain Books

Page Turners with Spanish Themes

50 Spain Books by piccavey

I´m sure that in this Spain books list yet one of your favourite titles could have been missed.

Let me know in the comments below as I may need to add it to my reading list…

  1. Tineke Vlijm says:

    The series of novels by Almuneda Grandes – la guerra interminable. I think most of them have translations in English.
    InƩs y la alegria
    El lector de Julio Verne (my favourite)
    Las tres bodas de Manolita
    Los pacientes del doctor Garcia
    La madre de Frankenstein

    • Molly says:

      Thanks Tineke! I will take a look after finishing the two books IĀ“m reading now. There are some many amazing reads with Spain themes to discover

  2. Glen C says:

    Iā€™m currently enjoying ā€œThe Fountains of Silenceā€ by Ruta Sepetys. Set in Madrid during the 1950s. Full of local colour and captures the ambiance of the oppression of the time. Should evoke memories for anyone who visited the Dpanish cities in the 50s and 60s. Should be on oneā€™s bookshelf beside C.J. Sansomā€™s ā€œWinter in Madridā€.

  3. Keith Benson says:

    I enjoy all of Jason Websters books – whether the Travelogues like Duende or his Max Camara crime fiction novels

    Ive also read and enjoyed Spanish Steps: Travels With My Donkey by Tim Moore and The Pilgrimage by Paulo Coelho.

    As walking books go Gisela Radant Wood has had two Extremadura based books released;
    Walking in Extremadura
    The Sierras of Extremadura
    Both very useful

    Think I’ve also got Guy Hunter Watts Walking In Andalucia, though i still need to attempt one or two of those!

    Another one i really enjoy is Back Roads Spain (DK Eyewitness) – gets me quite excited before i ever come back out!

    • Molly says:

      Extremadura is just wonderful.. I have just returned from a 5 day break in the region.
      Great suggestions… Will add them now

      Best wishes Keith

      Molly

  4. How about my two novels:
    ‘Secrets of the Pomegranate’ set in Granada
    ‘The Red Gene’ (Civil War, Franco dictatorship, stolen babies)

  5. My Andalusian Mystery Series will consist of four books about four separate crimes linked by shared darkness. The first two books Darkness in MƔlaga and Darkness in Ronda are already on Amazon.
    The third Darkness in Velez-Malaga is a WIP to be followed by the finale Darkness in Nerja.
    More details are available on my website. http://www.paulbradley.eu

  6. Glen Cawdeary says:

    Molly, te falta incluir los libros de Mark Oldfield

  7. Molly says:

    Yes I did include Chris Stewarts first book in this list as its the most enchanting one, however I have read them all.

    Giles Tremletts book on Granada is a true personal favourite.
    Thanks for your additions!!

  8. wally bell says:

    Gerald Brennan ‘s books on life in the Alpujarras after he left the military are very good.
    Jan Morris “Spain” – Just reading this; originally written in 1975, reprinted 2008. Well written.
    Chris Stewart’s trilogy (although there are FOUR books in the series) about his life as a farmer in the Alpujarras. He was in a pop group and was also a sheep shearer. Very amusing.
    Any books by Giles Tremlett, Paul Preston, Tim Pickett.

  9. Tom Maentz says:

    Great updated list Molly!
    Thanks for including ‘The Reign in Spain’. This historical novel examining Spain’s turbulent 20th century is indeed a page turner! An honor to be mentioned among so many other wonderful books. Best wishes to you and your blog for continued success. Tom

  10. Sandra Danby says:

    Hi Molly,
    How about adding a Malaga section? My latest ‘Connectedness’ is set in the city and surrounding countryside, and has a strong art theme [more info at my website or I’m happy to email pic, mobi etc]
    I enjoyed the Robert Wilson series set in Seville and the Jason Webster series set in Valencia.
    Best
    Sandra

  11. Barry O Leary says:

    Hey Molly,

    Just been looking for some new novels set in Spain, so thanks.

    I’ve just published a novel set in Seville actually. It’s called Falling for Flamenco. Would you be interested in adding it to your list?

    Thanks

    Barry O’Leary

  12. JOAN FALLON says:

    Thank you Molly for including me on your list. Readers who live in Andalusia might like to consider my books on al-Andalus in the time of the Moors, ‘The al-Andalus Series’. And I’m not alone in writing about this period. There are some fine novels from Lisa Yarde, David Penny and Dr John D Cressler. I know you are particularly interested in Granada and its history, so you may have come across them already. You can find us all on Amazon or on our new joint FB page al-Andalus Authors.

    • Molly says:

      Thanks for checking out the list Joan, taking note of some of those recommendations too

  13. Cherry Radford says:

    Hi Molly!

    A few suggestions:
    DEATH AND THE SUN by Edward Lewine (bullfighting, but not for or against)
    Two more by Jason Webster that are essential hispanophile reading: GUERRA and ANDALUS.
    FLAMENCO ACADEMY by Sarah Bird.
    FLAMENCO BABY by… me! (Cherry Radford).
    Oh, and THE LIGHTHOUSE KEEPERā€™S DAUGHTER, takes place in Madrid among flamencos – check it out!

  14. Thanks for mentioning my ‘Walking and Trekking in the Sierra Nevada” guidebook Molly. Appreciated.

  15. Very honoured to feature in this list of some of my favourite writers, Molly. Thanks for including me. And some top tips, although I would add some Paul Read aka The Gazpachomonk titles.

  16. Barry O Leary says:

    Great list. Thanks for that. I’m reading Duende, by Jason Webster, for the 3rd time, but I think it’s time to explore your list a bit more. I’m writing a novel too based on Sevilla, so the above will prove interesting reading. Thanks.

    Barry

  17. TripFiction says:

    What a good list and some great comments
    I rather liked Mr Lynchā€™s Holiday by Catherine Oā€™Flynn (Algeria/Andalusia)

    The Calligraphy of Dreams by Juan MarsƩ (Barcelona)

    Bay of Secrets by Rosanna Ley (Barcelona, Fuerteventura and West Dorset)

    As you say, lots of books set in Spain out there. Happy Reading everyone!

  18. John Pashley says:

    Guernica the most moving book I have ever read, and Guernia is a place I feel I will have to visit one day.

    • Dave Boling says:

      Thanks for mentioning Guernica, John! I hope you can get to the Basque country. I’ve had a number of readers tell me they took trips there and visited the sites and villages mentioned in the book. All have given very positive feedback on their trips!

  19. Sandra Staas says:

    What a great list!
    I published my memoir about Spain on Amazon Kindle in May of this year, 2015. It’s called, “Aventuras in Spain” and deals with my experiences living in Spain from 1972-1976, and from 1980-1984.

  20. Thanks very much for mentioning “Chickens”, Molly. When I wrote it, I had no idea my love of living in a Spanish village would make me write four more. Somebody should confiscate my laptop maybe.
    Victoria šŸ™‚

  21. Johann Kennedy says:

    The Return by Victoria Hislop is worth a read. It’s set in Granada.

    • Molly says:

      Yes, I love that book, fabulous read and makes you want to walk around the city to retrace the places in the novel.

  22. Lisa says:

    Thanks for the early promo Molly. Although we are not actually cooking our kids, we do plan to make language learning more fun for others šŸ™‚

  23. Ron Adam says:

    I suggest “Between the Fires” by David Beard, an excellent history of the Guerrilla War in the mountains above Frigiliana after the end of the Second World War. The book tells the story of the Resistance to Franco in mountains boarding Malaga and Grenada provinces. The author includes the oral histories of many involved on both sides of the little known conflict. I also suggest “Ornament of the World, How Muslims, Jews and Christians Created a Culture of Tolerance in Medieval Spain”, a very readable history written by Maria Rosa Menocal. It’s a must read full of interesting background around the nearly 800 years of Moorish life in Spain.

    • Molly says:

      Wow, thanks for those great suggestions!
      The Ornament of the World certainly will go onto my Reading list.
      The David Beard book I will recommend to a friend of mine who lives in Frigiliana.

  24. Books Set in Spain | SusanNadathur says:

    […] traveling to Spain and would like to readĀ a book set in this fascinating country, check out this list by the awesome Spain blogger Molly Piccavey.Ā I cannot believe how many books Molly found to include […]

  25. debsjenkins from nativespain.com says:

    thanks for the inclusion Molly x

  26. Josh says:

    This has highlighted how few books to do with Spain I’ve read since being here. Think I’ll start with Ghosts of Spain, since that one is on the coffee table next to me as I type.

    Thanks for this Molly!

  27. 50 Spain books - Novels set in Spain. Books abo... says:

    […] Fifty Spain books. A mixture of Cooking, recipes, football, history, romantic novels, politics and expat anecdotes. How many have you read so far? Spanish c  […]

  28. Tim says:

    I loved The Winemaker by Noah Gordon. Which you can also read in Spanish under the title La Bodega.

    • Molly says:

      Noah Gordon is famous for Ā“El mĆ©dicoĀ“ too. As IĀ“d duplicated one line on the list I have replaced it with your suggestion as I think Noah Gordon should be on my list. Thanks Tim!

  29. Jill van der Kolk says:

    Really interested in your list. I’d like to add: Guernica by David Boilng; Guerra by Jason Webster and The Carpenter’s Pencil by Manuel Rivas. Thanks for creating the list.

    • Lolita Lacuesta says:

      I was waiting for someone to add Guernica! One of my favorite novels on Spain!

    • Dave Boling says:

      Thanks, Jill! So glad you liked Guernica!

    • I was looking through to see if anyone had added Guernica. It must be one of the most moving books I’ve ever read – full of the spirit of Spain.

      • Dave Boling says:

        Thanks, Sandra! So glad you liked Guernica!

      • Molly says:

        Thanks Sandra!
        I was also asked on Twitter by @cherryrad to add: Death and the Sun by EdwardLewine, Leaving the Atocha Station by Ben Lerner, Flamenco Academy by SarahBird & Flamenco Baby by Cherry Radford

        So Many lovely Spain books!

    • Molly says:

      Oooh, all good choices there. See how many great books there are. I could have probably done 100 rather than 50!

  30. Joan Fallon says:

    Thanks for including me in your list. Daughters of Spain was written quite some time ago now and I have written quite a few more books on or set in Spain since then that might interest your readers.

    • Molly says:

      I added Daughters of Spain as itĀ“s a theme that particularly interests me, although your new book about the Madinat al Azahara in Cordoba also sounds fascinating too.

  31. TripFiction says:

    Ooooh, what a great list. We have recently read Mr Lynch’s Holiday by Catherine O’Flynn, which is a gentle exploration of a Father/Son relationship set on an urbanisation in Almeria/Andalusia. It was a delight both for the story and setting.

    • Molly says:

      I love spending time in Almeria, this book was quite a bestseller if I recall, will look into this one too.

  32. Wonderful list! I’ve read abut 20 – have a long way to go!

  33. Sandra Cooper says:

    Have read many of these but a brilliant one I picked up recently is Encarnitas Journey. Couldnt put it down. ! Have leant it out at the mo and cant recall the Author.

    • Molly says:

      That book is by Joan Lingard and set in Yegen, Granada. The same setting as Gerard BrenanĀ“s South of Granada. I didnĀ“t know about that one either..

    • Molly says:

      That book is by Joan Lingard and set in Yegen, Granada. The same setting as Gerard BrenanĀ“s South of Granada. I didnĀ“t know about that one either..

  34. Emily McDonald says:

    The Perfume Garden by Kate Lord Brown – Set in modern day Valencia and the Spanish Civil War, an easy read. Thanks for the list Molly. I will try and work my way down it!

    • Molly says:

      Easy read. They are the kind of books I love for hazy Summer days. I hadnĀ“t Heard of that so I will take a look at it. Thanks Emily

  35. Malcolm Cliff says:

    You have Sid Lowe in your list, so for anyone interested in Spanish football I would add:
    “Barca” and “Spain: The inside story of La Rojaā€˜s historic treble” both by Graham Hunter
    “La Roja” by Jimmy Burns
    “Pep Guardiola” and “Messi” both by Guillem Balague
    “Morbo” by Phil Ball

    And on the subject of sport, of course thereā€˜s John Carlinā€˜s book “Rafa: My Story”!

  36. Steve Hall says:

    Great list!

    The New Spaniards would be in my Top Ten.

    In a Top 50, I’d also find room for Fear and Loathing in La Liga and Spain: The Inside Story of La Roja. Both are far more than just football books.

    Thankfully, you left out 501 Spanish verbs. I fear I spent more time with my head in that than most of our 50s put together!

  37. paul murphy says:

    Molly, great list, lots of new ones for me to look at. Thanks for the mention of my book.

    You did ask so here are a few of my favourites:

    1. Homage to Catalonia-Colm Toibin
    2.The Angel of the Stories- John Simmons
    3. The Forging of a Rebel-Arturo Barea
    4. Death on a Galician Shore -Domingo Villar
    5. The Telling Room -Michael Paterniti

    I now have a great library, to write a book, I realize now you have to read a lot of books

    Paul

    • Cat Gaa says:

      I greatly enjoyed the Telling Room. Just re-read Iberia, a James Michener classic, after a decade in Spain. It’s about his travels in Spain in the 60s and enjoyable (though long). Devouring Grape, Olive, Pig at the moment, which is a food writer’s love letter to Spanish cuisine.

    • Molly says:

      Some interesting titles to look into there. Thanks Paul!

  38. anna nicholas says:

    Thanks Molly! How lovely to be included in your list. Some interesting choices there and a few I haven’t yet read. Have a great weekend. Annax

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