It’s that time of the year again when students are packing up their backpacks and walking into school. Even though some books can be a bit of a pain to read, most books are beyond enjoyable! In honor of National Read-A-Book Day, we encourage you to get cozy and explore some great books from some local authors.

Kick back, relax, and enjoy the wonders of reading. Not only is reading good to help you take a chill-pill, but it is also great exercise for your brain. September 6th is National Read-A-Book Day, so we did some digging and found 9 awesome authors who happen to be from New Jersey!

  • 1

    Matthew Quick

  • 2

    James Fenimore Cooper

  • 3

    Judy Blume

    Well known for her heart-warming novels, Judy Blume made her rise to fame from her roots in Elizabeth, NJ.

    Some of her most beloved books are “Are You There God? It’s Me Margaret”, "Blubber", and "Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing".

  • 4

    Walt Whitman

    Although Walt Whitman is not technically from New Jersey, he lived in Camden, NJ for quite sometime before he died there.

    He was a poet who penned the famous “O Captain! My Captain!”, "Song of Myself", and "A Noiseless Patient Spider".

  • 5

    Janet Evanovich

    Janet Evanovich is another New Jersey native. She grew up in South River, NJ.

    She is famous for her romantic-suspense novels, such as her books “One for the Money” and "Takedown Twenty".

  • 6

    Harlan Coben

    Another suspense novelist is Harlan Coben, who is from Newark, NJ. He has published over 70 million books worldwide!

    His most famous works include “Tell No One”, "Fool Me Once", and "Deal Breaker".

  • 7

    Norman Mailer

    Originally from Long Branch, NJ, Norman Mailer gained his fame from writing enticing and dramatic novels.

    The novel that shot him into the spotlight was called “The Naked and the Dead”. He also wrote "The Armies of the Night" and "Harlot's Ghost".

  • 8

    George RR Martin

    You know that show that everyone is talking about from HBO called “Game of Thrones”? Well, it all started from the incredible mind of George RR Martin.

    Martin is from Bayonne, NJ and wrote the book “A Game of Thrones” and had it published in 1996, which inspired the show.

  • 9

    Peter Benchley

    Even though Benchley was not from Princeton, NJ, he died there in 2006. One of his biggest books he ever published was “Jaws” about the famous events that occurred at the Jersey Shore during 1916.

    His book was the main inspiration for the Steven Spielberg classic film that came out in 1975.

    Fun fact: Spielberg actually lived in Haddon Township, NJ as a child and worked at the Haddonfield Post Office. New Jersey is one popular place for brilliant minds to thrive!

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