Books Set in Sicily
Join me as we journey around the world in our book club. This month we are in Sicily!
Our featured reads whisk you away to the sun-soaked shores and charming villages of Sicily. To Sicily with Love by Jennifer Probst is a heartfelt journey of family, healing, and second chances as Aurora York discovers her Italian roots and a possible new future. In The Out of Office Girl by Nicola Doherty, a stalled career takes an unexpected turn when Alice Roberts is sent to edit a Hollywood bad boy’s memoir—only to find herself tangled in glamour, secrets, and irresistible temptation.
Book Club Pick – Sicily
To Siciliy with Love by Jennifer Probst
What is To Sicily with Love about?
Aurora York had it all together: loving parents, a steady relationship, and a promising career. But after she loses both parents unexpectedly, she can’t seem to stay on track any longer. Lonely and lost after a public meltdown that threatens her professional credibility, she’s shocked when DNA test results show a blood relative in Sicily. When her cousin reaches out online and begs her to come to Italy to meet everyone in person, Aurora makes the leap.
Aurora arrives in Sicily for a month, and there she meets a colorful, dynamic family steeped in tradition. The younger generation is fascinated by her social media fame in America, and even though her grandparents have more traditional viewpoints, Aurora begins to heal from her grief…and enjoys the attention of a kind and handsome Italian man.
But when the summer ends, a new opportunity calls her back to the States and her old habits threaten to reemerge. Will Aurora leave everything in Sicily she loves behind, or take the chance on a whole new future?
Jennifer Probst on Literary Escapes Podcast
Want to know more about Jeannine and her books? Listen to the conversation on the Literary Escapes Podcast!
Author Interview with Jennifer Probst
Jennifer’s previous appearance on the podcast – Episode 77
Companion Book
Each month we choose two books to read from our destination. Here’s the second book!
The Out of Office Girl by Nicola Doherty
Genre: Sweet Romance
Alice Roberts is having a rubbish summer. She’s terrified of her boss, her career is stalling, and she’s just been dumped – by text message. But things are about to change…
When her boss Olivia is taken ill, Alice is sent on the work trip of a lifetime: to a villa in Sicily, to edit the autobiography of Hollywood bad boy Luther Carson. But it’s not all yachts, nightclubs and Camparis. Luther’s arrogant agent Sam wants him to ditch the book. Luther himself is gorgeous, charming and impossible to read. There only seems to be one way to get his attention, and it’s not one her boss would approve of.
Alice is out of the office, and into deep trouble…
More Books Set in Sicily
Beyond our two featured titles, this list of additional books offers even more unforgettable escapes to the sun-soaked shores and storied streets of Sicily. From heartfelt memoirs to charming romances and gripping family dramas, these stories capture the island’s vibrant spirit. Whether you’re savoring the sweetness of lemon groves, uncovering long-buried family secrets, or tracing the footsteps of history’s unsung heroes, each book promises a rich literary journey steeped in beauty, passion, and tradition.
Which book will you choose for a literary escape to Sicily?
From Scratch by Tembi Locke
Genre: Memoir
It was love at first sight when actress Tembi met professional chef, Saro, on a street in Florence. There was just one problem: Saro’s traditional Sicilian family did not approve of his marrying a black American woman. However, the couple, heartbroken but undeterred, forged on. They built a happy life in Los Angeles, with fulfilling careers, deep friendships, and the love of their lives: a baby girl they adopted at birth. Eventually, they reconciled with Saro’s family just as he faced a formidable cancer that would consume all their dreams.
From Scratch chronicles three summers Tembi spends in Sicily with her daughter, Zoela, as she begins to piece together a life without her husband in his tiny hometown hamlet of farmers. Where once Tembi was estranged from Saro’s family, now she finds solace and nourishment—literally and spiritually—at her mother-in-law’s table. In the Sicilian countryside, she discovers the healing gifts of simple fresh food, the embrace of a close knit community, and timeless traditions and wisdom that light a path forward. All along the way she reflects on her and Saro’s romance—an incredible love story that leaps off the pages.
In Sicily, it is said that every story begins with a marriage or a death—in Tembi Locke’s case, it is both. “But her story is also about love, finding a home, and chasing flavor as an act of remembrance. From Scratch is for anyone who has dared to reach for big love, fought for what mattered most, and those who needed a powerful reminder that life is…delicious.
My Lemon Grove Summer by Jo Thomas
Genre: Women’s Fiction
When life hands you lemons … is it ever too late for a second chance?
Zelda’s impulsive nature has got her precisely nowhere up until now. A fresh start in a beautiful hilltop town in Sicily looking for new residents, together with her best friend Lennie, could be just what she needs. And who better to settle down with than the person who knows her best?
But the sun-filled skies and sparkling seas can’t hide the shadow hanging over Citta d’Ora, which means not everyone is pleased to see their arrival. The dreams Zelda and her fellow new residents had of setting up a new life might be slipping away. But a friendship with restauranteur Luca could be about to unlock the possibilities that lie in the local lemon groves. And there’s a wedding on the horizon that might be just what the town needs to turn it around…
Could a summer in Sicily help Zelda learn to trust her instinct and follow her heart?
Secrets in Sicily by Penny Feeny
Genre: Historical Fiction
Sicily, 1977.
Ten-year-old Lily and family arrive for their annual summer holiday in Sicily. Adopted as a toddler, Lily’s childhood has been idyllic. But a chance encounter with a local woman on the beach changes everything…
10 years later…
Ever since that fateful summer Lily’s picture-perfect life, and that of her family, has been in turmoil. The secrets of the baking hot shores of Sicily are calling her back, and Lily knows that the answers she has been so desperately seeking can only be found if she returns to her beloved island once more…
The Sicilian Inheritance by Jo Piazza
Genre: Mystery
Sara Marsala barely knows who she is anymore after the failure of her business and marriage. On top of that, her beloved great-aunt Rosie passes away, leaving Sara bereft with grief. But Aunt Rosie’s death also opens an escape from her life and a window into the past by way of a plane ticket to Sicily, a deed to a possibly valuable plot of land, and a bombshell family secret. Rosie believes Sara’s great-grandmother Serafina, the family matriarch who was left behind while her husband worked in America, didn’t die of illness as family lore has it . . . she was murdered.
Thus begins a twist-filled adventure that takes Sara all over the picturesque Italian countryside as she races to solve a mystery and learn the story of Serafina—a feisty and headstrong young woman in the early 1900s thrust into motherhood in her teens, who fought for a better life not just for herself but for all the women of her small village. Unsurprisingly the more she challenges the status quo, the more she finds herself in danger.
As Sara discovers more about Serafina, she also realizes she is coming head-to-head with the same menacing forces that took down her great-grandmother. At once an immersive multigenerational mystery and an ode to the undaunted heroism of everyday women, The Sicilian Inheritance is an atmospheric, page-turning delight.
Other Books to Explore Italy
Looking for other destinations beyond Sicily? Check out these two lists.
Books Set in Amalfi Coast
Books Set in Italy
Connie Mann – The Crown Conspiracy
Connie Mann’s latest book includes some time in Italy!
From Germany’s grand castles and soaring cathedrals through the Alps to the canals of Venice, Sophie must choose her allies carefully if she hopes to find the portraits, rescue her best friend—and perhaps save a throne—before time runs out. Read The Crown Conspiracy today!
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