Our “Read Your Way Around the World” series has brought readers book recommendations from writers in Paris, Cairo, Seoul, Buenos Aires and 40 other literary destinations. And at every step of the way, readers have responded — arguing for their favorite books in the comments sections, debating with each other and often surprising us with suggestions we hadn’t considered.

Of course, it couldn’t be any different when the series turned toward home, with a look at literary New York. We asked for the books that capture your slice of the city, and the answers were thought-provoking, funny and reflective of all that New York can be — for those who are here for a moment or for a lifetime.

Some classic books made the top of several readers’ lists.

A TREE GROWS IN BROOKLYN, by Betty Smith. A story of growing up, of imaging a world so different from your own and striving toward it — these are all things that brought me, and thousands of others, to New York in the first place. — Christine Roberts

THE CATCHER IN THE RYE, by J.D. Salinger. The aimless adventure of a young kid crisscrossing the city at all hours of the day and night resonated deeply with me as an adolescent. I’m from the Upper West Side and the scene at the Museum of Natural History has remained imprinted on my mind since I first read it. — Max Weinstein

ELOISE, by Kay Thompson. Everyone should read “Eloise.” Even though the story never leaves the Plaza Hotel, it is the most New York book ever written. — Alison Tergis

THE NEW YORK TRILOGY, by Paul Auster. So much walking and public transit rides — if I remember correctly — and waiting for people. Before the never-bored world of smartphones, that made up a big chunk of my time in N.Y.C. — Frank Vigorito Torres

WINTER’S TALE, by Mark Helprin. What a love letter to the city! A time-traveling romance with unforgettable characters that weave themselves into the fabric of the past and future of New York. — Dee Kelly

HERE IS NEW YORK, by E.B. White. I worked at Oxford University Press on Madison Avenue from 2007 to 2009. When I (tearfully!) left New York — which I’d obviously fallen in love with — for grad school, my colleague Leslie York gave me White’s short book as a going-away present. These words from 60 years prior knocked my socks off: “The intimation of mortality is part of New York now: in the sound of jets overhead, in the black headlines of the latest edition …” — Justin C. Tackett

As for nonfiction, readers agreed on one must-read book.

THE POWER BROKER, by Robert Caro, is the indispensable book to understand the development of New York City as an urban center in the 20th century. — Peter M. Nadler

Some readers mentioned books that capture aspects of the city they love.

INTIMATE NIGHTS: The Golden Age of New York Cabaret, by James Gavin, brings to life an era that doesn’t exist anymore, when rich sophisticates, college intellectuals and closeted-by-day homosexuals packed into tiny, smoke-filled clubs to discover edgy young stand-ups like Lenny Bruce and Woody Allen; improv and sketch comedy ensembles introducing the likes of Nichols and May, Lily Tomlin and Carol Burnett; and singers like Barbra Streisand and Eartha Kitt. — Thomas Park

JUST KIDS, by Patti Smith, allows the reader to picture a gritty New York that is survivable and thrivable, despite what they’ve always been told. — Shannon Beck

SEVEN DAYS IN JUNE, by Tia Williams, and THE NEIGHBOR FAVOR, by Kristina Forest, celebrate New York City as a literary nucleus. They both offer romantic (but not romanticized) glimpses at the bookish world of writing and publishing that thrives here. — Alison Tergis

THE CITY WE BECAME, by N.K. Jemisin. It’s technically science fiction/fantasy but expresses so much love for the city. — Barbara J. Schwartz

DEACON KING KONG, by James McBride. The humanity! The twists and turns of the plot! The tapestry of rich, colorful, diverse, caring characters in the unique environment that is a housing complex in New York! The pathos — the edge between laughter and tears has rarely been so near and so fine. I treasure this book. — Elizabeth Racheva

And many others suggested books that capture aspects of the city they love even — or particularly — when it is hardest to love.

ROSEMARY’S BABY, by Ira Levin, shows the lengths some people will go to for a New York apartment — and you could argue that the real horror occurs when they install carpet over the original hardwood floors. — Kate Wood

BEHOLD THE DREAMERS, by Imbolo Mbue, is an entertaining and moving book and likely relatable to anyone who lived in N.Y.C. during the financial crisis of 2008. It touches on class, race, privilege, psychological health and tough choices we make in life. — Sean A. Stokes

There is GOODBYE TO ALL THAT, edited by Sari Botton — a collection of essays by writers talking about leaving New York. I read it immediately upon moving to Baltimore last January, after being priced out. The most New York thing you can do is be priced out of your hometown! I also love LAST EXIT TO BROOKLYN, by Hubert Selby Jr. I find N.Y. to be a place with an ever-shrinking middle class. If you aren’t on top, you’re at the bottom, and this is the book to read to get that feeling. It’s dark and brutal. You can’t have your trees growing in Brooklyn without this to balance it out. — Claude Thierry Hector

Everyone should read the essay GOODBYE TO ALL THAT, from Joan Didion’s “Slouching Towards Bethlehem.” It’s about her decision to leave New York, but it also captures beautifully the spirit of coming to the city, of experiencing everything for the first time, and then the second time, and then too many times. It’s so beautiful. — Mia Marion

Readers also had very specific thoughts on the best places to read in New York. On the subway, of course, but which line? In libraries and parks, but which reading room, or what bench?

The top choice: the Rose Reading Room, at the New York Public Library on 42nd Street.

I did most of my reading on the E or F train between Jamaica-179th Street and Midtown, on my way to and from work, before I moved into Manhattan. The rhythm of the subway is a great accompaniment to reading. — Kirk McElhearn

The N train, where my innocent wife was once shouted at by one of our many colorful denizens: “Don’t you disrespect me by reading!” We say those words to each other to this day. — John Deal

Prospect Park lawn, on the first truly warm day of spring. — Lydia Downing

Brighton Beach Library, just off the boardwalk, especially in summer. They have a little shaded area where you can smell the ocean. — Holly Stuart Hughes

The gardens at the Cathedral of St John the Divine. — Karsten Vagner

Walk up to the top step of the Low Library at Columbia, then walk all the way to the left and there’s a kind of banister with an ornate green lantern at the end. Sit down in front of the left-most pillar with your back resting on the pillar. Perfect campus view, peaceful, light, warm in the summer. — Peter M. Nadler