To many, Florida is a vacation destination full of salty palm tree lined beaches, busy theme parks, orange groves, humid weather, and vibrant cities. While all that is true, as a lifelong native Floridian, I know my home state is also wild, breathtakingly gorgeous, industrial, occasionally dangerous, weird, romantic, and sometimes frustrating. And I am very excited to share titles that reflect these many sides of the Sunshine State.
I won’t lie. Life in South Florida can often feel like a real life Jimmy Buffett song, especially after going to the beach and “watchin’ the sun bake all of those tourists covered in oil.” Don’t get me started on how many times I have blown out a flip flop! And not to mention being taught at a young age how to avoid alligators and prep for hurricanes.
With all that in mind, I wanted to make sure to showcase a real sense of place in today’s list. With a state so huge and varied (it would take over 13 hours to drive from the Southernmost point in Key West to Pensacola in the Panhandle), there is an abundance to discover. There are over 80 unique and fragile ecosystems found here including the Everglades, hardwood hammock forests, rivers, scrubs, lakes, mangroves, swamps, intercoastal waterways, and oceans. And of course, the culturally rich cities, exciting amusement parks, and island beach settings as well.
Florida often finds itself as the punchline in jokes about its residents, weather, and activities. Just ask my husband Chad about the 2000 election recount. (I actually spent the summer of 2001 working for the Palm Beach County Supervisor of Elections office, but that is a story for another time!) However, the recent book banning and limits by our state government officials are no laughing matter. It is an important uphill battle in a state normally known for its lack of elevation and hills. I am particularly grateful to our many booksellers, authors, librarians, teachers, and residents working tirelessly to keep books on shelves and in readers’ hands.
Times like these make our independent bookstores true rays of literary light, like Sunshine Book Co. in Clermont, Femme Fire Books in Jacksonville, Hello Again Books in Cocoa, Midtown Reader and Common Ground Books in Tallahassee, Books & Books in various locations (including a Key West outpost co-owned by the Judy Blume), Tombolo Books in St. Petersburg, Sundog Books in Seaside, and soon to open The Lynxfrom author Lauren Groff in Gainesville. The Sunshine state even got its first romance bookstore when Mel Saavedra opened the fantastic Steamy Lit Bookstore in Deerfield Beach a few weeks ago. If you do find yourself visiting, I highly recommend stopping by these special shops and attending their fabulous events or supporting them from afar. Plus for the past few years, I have had the incredible opportunity to partner with the amazing Miami Book Fair, an annual street fair and literary festival organized by Miami Dade College and Books & Books owner Mitch Kaplan to promote their awesome events and offerings.
If you’re interested in reading about sunshine, margaritas, mosquitos, key lime pie, late afternoon thunderstorms, sunscreen, and cheeseburgers in paradise, I have made sure to include a wide range of genres to pick from. There’s a bit of everything on this list including nonfiction, mysteries and thrillers, romances, sci-fi, and short stories, too. And of course, there are many more fabulous Floridian authors and books that are set here. I couldn’t list them all if I wanted to! Please make sure to chime in with your favorite Sunshine State reads in the comments, cause this Florida Woman can’t wait to hear all about them.
Literary Tourism: Florida
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Anne recommended this intriguing short story collection as a book flight pairing with Their Eyes Were Watching God to Elyssa in What Should I Read Next Episode 237: When the library is closed, what's a reader to do? Groff weaves interconnected tales using the state of Florida as one of the main characters. I truly felt transported to every location by her nuanced renditions of the land, the towns, the homes, and most of all the wildlife. While I did not connect with all of the short stories in the collection, I was really fascinated by her masterful writing and play of words like describing a dog as the color of “dryer lint.” More info →
If you are looking for a darker and more gritty side of Florida, this first in the Dexter series that inspired the popular Showtime adaptation fits the bill. Dexter is a blood spatter expert for the Miami Police Department who moonlights as a serial killer who only kills bad people. This gory mystery thriller is not something I would normally pick up nowadays but when I read it years ago, I remember being impressed by the details about Florida life and the unique premise. Perfect for fans of true crime podcasts and Butcher and Blackbird. The haunting audiobook is narrated by the author and Florida resident, Jeff Lindsay. Content warnings apply. (Check out 19 fiction audiobooks narrated by the author for more recommendations.) More info →
A dear friend recommended this sci-fi environmental horror about a possibly doomed scientific exploration to me years ago and I am so glad to have finally read it! This is the first in The Southern Reach Trilogy set in the wild and haunting Area X, a fictionalized version of St. Marks National Wildlife Refuge located about 25 miles south of Tallahassee, Florida’s capital city. VanderMeer, a Tallahassee local who has been called “the weird Thoreau” by The New Yorker, is also known for rewilding his own backyard, which he documents on YouTube. His vivid descriptions of Area X’s stark landscapes, sometimes frightening creatures, and active ecosystems paint a spot-on picture of how uniquely strange areas of Florida can be. I was completely enthralled by this tense and short novel on audio, chillingly narrated by Carolyn McCormick. Highly recommended to fans of books with unnamed narrators: think Rebecca and The Pit and the Pendulum. More info →
My ears perked up when MMD Team member Leigh brought this angsty MM contemporary romance to our annual team’s best books of summer episode. Set in a small town with a strong sense of place, I was hooked by the very first line: "Florida was hot and wet and I already hated it." Too Like the Lightning is about Andrew, a down-on-his-luck professor who drives to a small town outside St. Augustine to spend the summer at his friend’s rental house where he meets the groundskeeper full of sunshine, Coley. What starts as a fling develops into an emotional and touching romance. (Open door.) More info →
I adored this bookish and fun rom com from Key West resident, Meg Cabot. (Yes, The Princess Diaries Meg Cabot!) Set at a literary festival on a fictional island in the Keys, this follows middle grade author Jo Wright and her writing nemesis, bestselling author Will Price, who made horrible comments about Jo’s books in the past. Now they are stuck together at the same book festival! Inspired by a similar real-life situation and the lack of book festivals during the pandemic, Meg Cabot crafts a cute and swoony tale filled with authentic Florida keys vibes. (Closed door.) More info →
This fast paced narrative nonfiction about alligator poaching reads like fiction. National Geographic writer Renner’s debut novel follows Jeff Babauta, an undercover Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officer, alligator poacher Peg Brown, and the agency’s Operation Alligator Thief. This fascinating story could only happen in Florida, and dives into the fragile Everglades ecosystem and those who are trying to protect it from harm. Think Susan Orlean’s The Orchid Thief with a dash of Tiger King. More info →
Calling all cozy mystery fans, the first book in the Caribbean Kitchen Series is fabulous! Mango, Mambo, and Murder features Miriam, a Cuban-American food anthropologist turned cooking show star who also happens to be a plucky amateur sleuth and loves Murder, She Wrote. After recently moving back to Florida with her husband and young son, Miriam finds herself too close to her in-laws in their small wealthy Miami village and extremely close to two very suspicious deaths. The audiobook narrated by the talented Frankie Corzo (who also performed Mexican Gothic) is so entertaining. And of course, there are delicious recipes at the end! More info →
I just heard about this second chance romance from a list of 2023 Florida author releases shared by Carmen of @tomesandtiles. Once I found out it was set in gorgeous Mount Dora, I knew I had to locate a copy. A Lakeside Reunion follows Reese Devlin who returns to Mount Dora after 10 years for her sister’s debutante ball and runs into her former flame, Duncan. It sounds like this title is angsty and steamy! I hope reading this will be like taking my own literary tourism trip back to one of my favorite Florida towns, filled with antique shops, the cutest bookstore, delicious restaurants, and a lovely lakeside. (Open door.) More info →
Fast-paced storytelling is my narrative nonfiction sweet spot! As a child, we often took school field trips to the nearby Flagler Museum, which was famously not air conditioned until the 2000s. (My mother-in-law volunteered as a docent there for many years!) However, there was so much I never knew about Henry Flagler and his many developments before reading this. I was riveted by the historical account of the Key West Railroad’s construction and ultimate destruction during the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. The depictions of the Gilded Age of Florida and the deadly “Storm of the Century” made this a truly gripping read. More info →
What a wild and absurd ride though Palm Beach Island and South Florida! I have always enjoyed native Floridian Carl Hiaasen’s quirky comedic thrillers and most of the action in this standalone from the Skink Series takes place just a stone’s throw from my home. This is filled with vivid characters like the series’ namesake—Skink, the crusading environmentalist, road-kill cooking, off the grid Everglades living, ex-governor of Florida. Told in a zany alternate universe where an unnamed President is still in office and Kiki Pew Fitzsimmons, one of his top supporters, goes missing at the height of Palm Beach Island’s season. So over the top and honestly very plausible for this wacky state. More info →
Dave Barry may just be one of Florida’s most famous humor writers. I mean, who can forget the early nineties sitcom based on his life called Dave’s World that ran for only one season and starred Night Court’s Harry Anderson and Designing Woman’s Meshach Taylor? (Dave would totally appreciate that joke!) In this silly and fun non-fiction, he travels to some of Florida’s more quirky cities and attractions to show why Florida is truly the Best. State. Ever. I especially loved the chapters on the rather infamous town of The Villages, the Skunk Ape Research Headquarters, and the crown jewels of Florida tourism, the Weeki Wachee Mermaids. The jokes probably aren’t for everyone but sometimes life in the Sunshine State is downright funny and it gave me quite a few chuckles! If you enjoyed the format of The Anthropocene Reviewed by John Green but wished it had been about wacky stuff in Florida, this book is for you! More info →
Any Jane the Virgin fans out there? This sweet historical romance novel “written” by the show’s main character, Jane Gloriana Villanueva, is a tie in for the absolutely fantastic telenovela series. Set in Miami in 1902, Snow Falling is filled with details about old Florida hotels, homes, and railroads. As a huge fan of the show, I think listening to the audiobook version is a must since it is performed by actors Ivonne Coll and Anthony Mendez, who played Alba and the Narrator in the series. It made me swoon and tear up a number of times! While that title about snow may seem out of place for a book set in South Florida, it is the perfect reference to the show. (Closed door.) More info →
I am so happy I stumbled across this excellent nonfiction collection in my local library and have been reading a chapter a day lately. Gillespie, who was once embarrassed to be Floridian, interviews all types of Floridians including storm chasers, Civil War re-enactors, cattle ranchers, drag queens, python hunters, and pet smugglers in an effort to make his home state less misunderstood. His writing delves into deep topics and issues with hilarious wit and quick pacing. And as a bonus, the book led me to discover Gillespie’s engaging and descriptive poetry from his Florida Man collection. More info →
Growing up, my mom always had a paperback copy of this classic memoir in essays on her nightstand. After reading this true gift of a book myself recently, I finally understand why. Written by Lindberg while vacationing on the west coast of Florida, her descriptions of shells, the beach, womanhood, life, and peace are a balm to a weary reader. Lindbergh’s musings written almost 75 years ago feel as touching and current as America Ferrera’s monologue from the recent Barbie movie. Short and beautiful, I plan on taking a page out of my mom’s book and keeping a copy on my own nightstand. More info →
I have a Florida readerly confession that may shock some of you. I have never read a Chanel Cleeton book! Over the years, many of my family members and friends have raved about her historical novels that take place in Florida and Cuba. So when I heard about this upcoming gothic mystery releasing in early April 2024, I knew I would be adding it to my TBR immediately. Told in a dual timeline, The House on Biscayne Bay is a suspenseful tale about two women and the glamorous waterfront Miami estate that intertwines them. I'm looking forward to sinking into this atmospheric read later this spring! More info →
I am so grateful to the MMD Book Club for choosing Their Eyes Were Watching God back in March 2021, prompting me to finally read this fabulous classic. As a native Floridian living near Belle Glade and Palm Beach, I was embarrassed to have not done so sooner! Janie’s tale set in the 1920’s is utterly captivating. Hurston writes so beautifully about Janie’s life and loves. Plus, the detailed descriptions of Florida landscape, life, and weather are spot on. The audiobook narrated by Ruby Dee is so very entertaining and lively. Their Eyes Were Watching God is truly a masterpiece. More info →
Florida is known for its many thrilling theme parks, big and small. Who hasn’t visited a theme park and thought it would be the perfect setting for a rom-com? Alicia Thompson’s lovely romance set at a kitschy winter snow theme park in humid Orlando does just that. Lauren and Asa are Cold World workplace rivals whose relationship goes from frosty to steamy (pun intended!) after being tasked to come up with some new ways to revitalize the attractions. Things really start to heat up when the two get locked in Cold World overnight. I really enjoyed the more touching aspects that deal with the foster system and mental health. Plus, I just adore the beautiful and very fitting cover. Set around the holidays with a secret Santa exchange and office decorating challenges, With Love, from Cold World is a great read anytime of the year. (Open door.) More info →
Which books set in Florida have you read and loved? Please tell us all about them in the comments section!
Brigid Misselhorn is our MMD Book Club Community Administrator. Her go-to genres are mystery, romance, and sci-fi. You can find Brigid on Instagram @brigid_emily.
What perfect timing – we are visiting Key West and the Marathon area next week! It’s our first time. I downloaded No Words to enjoy by the pool, and will definitely be stopping by Judy Blume’s bookstore! If anyone has any other recommendations for restaurants/bars/activities let me know! We are doing a fishing trip one day but other than that no schedule.
Oh perfect timing, Sarah! If you will be driving down from the Miami area highly recommend a pit stop at Robert is Here fruit stand for local produce, milkshakes, and the unique animals.
For food and drink, we love Lazy Days and Florida Keys Brewing on Islamorada, Kiki’s on Little Torch Key, and Two Friends Patio in Key West.
The Hemingway House is a fun and interesting visit and our favorite souvenir getting a pair of handmade sandals from Kino’s Sandals in Key West.
Y’all will have so much fun! So glad you anre planning a stop at Books &Books too. Enjoy the Conch Republic.
I haven’t read the House on Biscayne Bay yet, but LOVED The Last Train to Key West – don’t read about the event this historical fiction book is based upon, just read it!:-)
Hi Anne and readers! I’m leaving for my first trip to Scotland in a few weeks and would love a fantastic fictional read to get me ready. I loved the Outlander series and like Anne, I love epic family dramas. Currently reading Family Family, loved Demon Copperhead, A Frozen River and Tom Lake to give you 3 of my sort of favorite recent books.
My favorite Florida book is a tie between The Orchid Thief and The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton. I loved that last one because of all the history with the hurricane and Flagler’s railroad, so I’m putting your nonfiction selection about that on my TBR! Oh, it’s also more like a thriller than Cleeton’s other books, so that was really entertaining!
Courtney, love The Orchid Thief too, it is SO Florida. I think you would enjoy Gator Country above cause it has the same feels. And yes, Last Train to Paradise would be a great pairing with The Last Train to Key West!
I loved The Last Train to Key West which is a historical fiction account of the railroad and the Labor Day hurricane. It weaves together the stories of three very very different women and was one of those stories that draws you in and you can’t put it down. Now I’ll have to read the non-fiction book you recommended about Henry Flagler!
Hope you enjoy it, Jen! And if you haven’t read Banyan Moon by Thai Thao yet, I think you would enjoy its Florida setting and story of three generations of Vietnamese American women.
I used to drive to Florida from Maryland to visit my retired parents. They retired first to Zephyrhills, later they lived in Lakeland. On my last car trip to Florida, I listened to these CD audiobooks in the car:
– Cosmos, Carl Sagan (updated with other authors’ introductions)
– In Other Words, Jhumpa Lahiri (a memoir about learning Italian)
– Unlucky 13, James Patterson
– Notes From Underground, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
Oh Melanie, you are in for a gruesome treat if you liked the TV series! I was very impressed by the author’s audiobook narration when I read them years ago.
My husband has enjoyed the Randy Wayne White series of novels. He even has restaurants named after the Doc Ford character (in Sanibel, Fort Myers, Captiva Island and St. Pete).
Karen, my mother in law loves that Doc Ford series and we have been talking about needing to go over to one of the restaurants. And enjoy Sanibel and Captiva too!
Whoa! Never knew the book tie-in to the restaurants–this Florida girl is intrigued! Also, a shout-out to Book and Bottle in St. Pete for the winning coffee+wine+books combination!
Hello from Fort Myers! What a great list of book. Just added a bunch to my TBR. I would also include “Devil in the Grove” by Gilbert King. It’s narrative nonfiction that exposes the history of the orange industry and the racism deeply embedded in Florida’s past. As a transplant to Florida, it was eye-opening.
Waving hi from across the state, Jane! And thank you for that recommendation, I just saw it in the FL section of a bookstore last weekend and wondered about it.
I read The Water Keeper, the first in Charles Martin’s series, a few months back and loved it! A great story, and so absolutely full of Florida atmosphere
As a native Floridian myself I love this article for so many reasons. I am so excited to read some of these. And I was really hoping you would recommend a Carl Hiassen book I hadn’t read. 🙌🏽 Also, I would add To Have and to Have Not which is one of my favorites by Ernest Hemingway.
I really liked Light Pirate by Lily Brooks- Dalton- a dystopian read of Florida after too many hurricanes- very good! These are great pics, Brigid and from the comments! We ive in Florida part time, so I will be sure to look some up!
Thanks for these book recommendations, I grew up in Gainesville, Florida!
Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is a great Florida book, it’s interesting to read about her rural 1930s life, and it’s interesting to be able to visit her same house and land today.
One of my favorite Florida authors is Tim Dorsey! His books are similar to Carl Hiaasen mixed with Dexter, to reference two other Florida books listed here, haha.
He has two reoccurring main characters, Serge and Coleman, who I picture looking like the two main characters in the “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” movie.
Tim Dorsey unfortunately passed away recently. We are lucky to have so many Tim Dorsey books that remain for us!
I was just chatting about Tim Dorsey with a reader friend. So sad that he passed but agree his books are a fun mix of Hiaasen and Dexter! Dorsey grew up really close to me and his settings are so fun to read.
Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen was a 2008 National Book Award winner and one of my all time favorite books. It’s not a light read, but it’s an excellent one. The time period is late 1800’s through early 1900’s and I learned so much about history and environmental impact of activities happening in FL at that time. I highly recommend it.
I have a love hate relationship with Florida. I graduated from The University of Tampa and lived in Tampa for 6 years. My mom and sister live in the Tampa Bay area. I’m back in my home state of WI and now my trans daughter cannot safely visit Florida, which I find to be immensely sad. I hope that one day Florida can learn to accept all humans and treat them kindly.
I did very much appreciate your bookstore list. My mother and I will surely add some of these to our list. Thank you!
Totally understand your love-hate relationship, Stacie and truly hope that for Florida too.
Thank you for reading and think y’all will love visiting the bookstores! There are so many more that I couldn’t list them all but did my best to highlight some great ones.
Hi Brigid, thanks so much for this great list of books.
As a recent Florida resident snow bird I’ll look forward to many of them.
Here are a few of my finds:Non fiction, Ringling, The Florida Years, 1911-1936.
About the Ringling’ family impact on Sarasota.
Fiction in the humor category is Tim Dorsey is a hoot, but may not be for everyone. He often goes over the edge a bit.
John D MacDonald, mysteries, all set in Florida and then there is Randy Wayne White. His books are mysteries set with often a marine biology perspective. My husband has checked out many of the sea life info from the books & have found them to be accurate.
Also a new find is a wonderful Indi book store in downtown Sarasota. Bookstore One.
The Incredible Winston Browne, by Sean Dietrich — great as an audiobook! I can’t remember if the fictional town of Moab is meant to be in “LA” — Lower Alabama — or in north Florida, but the two are pretty interchangeable so it doesn’t matter too much.
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank is excellent and no longer as widely read. It takes place during the Cold War and is a fictionalized portrayal of a group of survivors following a nuclear bomb. It does have a few scenes of 1950s language regarding race portrayal but overall is a classic Florida tale.
Great list and lots to add to my tbr list The Land Remembered by Patrick D. Smith is so far my all time favorite about Florida. Takes place in the 1800’s and goes until the early 1960’s about a family that is driving cattle. It’s so good!
For a magical realism take on Florida, I love Swamplandia! by Karen Russell. Her short stories also often take place in Florida and are always weird and wonderful.
Oooh, I have seen this one around Sarah and think I need to add it to my TBR for the fall. Did you find it to be really scary? (Asking for my scaredy cat self!)
This is such a great list! So many titles I love and some I had never heard of but just added to my list! This perfectly captures the many sides Florida and now I want to plan a Florida bookstore road trip!
Wendy Wax’s Ten Beach Road series, especially the House on Mermaid Point. I agree wholeheartedly with Carl Hiassen an any o his books and the Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton. I love the Keys!!!
A avid reader and 44 year resident of Fl. I have enjoyed quite a few books about this beautiful and fun state. I would recommend A Land Remembered by Patrick D Smith for YA and adult readers.
Marias song by Eugenia Price Historical fiction. Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen Turn of the century True Crime. Tourist Season Carl Hassan and I read every Travis McGee adventure in the 80’s. Great detective stories John D Macdonald. Cheers from St. Augustine!
I would add Southernmost by Silas House, set in Key West. An excellent literary fiction read that also partially takes place in Kentucky. Also, Lee Smith’s “Silver Alert” is supposed to be excellent.
As a recovering Floridian myself, I appreciate this list very much. I want to recommend a title that is no doubt under everyone’s radar. “In Troubled Waters” by Beverly Coyle was written in the early 90s. It’s a family drama centered on a man in his 90s, while the drama revolves around overcoming institutionalized racism, as well as facing other societal issues. It is well written and it hooks you. We studied it in my 1999 high school English class because our teacher knew the author, but I have purchased and reread it several times in recent years. A great Florida read!
Thanks for these segments that focus on different states, so interesting. I second Susan Orlean’s Orchid Thief, fascinating non fiction. Carl Hiassen’s irreverent books have given me hours of laughter, (Squeeze Me not so much). Carrying Albert Home has Florida as the characters’ destination & they arrive at the time of the hurricane. And, having lived in Houston & now south central Texas, when I travel I head north.
I’d also highly recommend Fern & Fable Books in Ormond Beach (near Daytona). Just over the bridge from the beach next to the bustling restaurants and bars of downtown. It has a wide range of fiction and non, a special “banned books” shelf, YA, as well as the most adorable kids’ room. The owner makes an effort to bring diverse authors’ books into the store.
Yay Florida! Also Writer’s Block in Winter Park & Winter Garden!!
And for used in the Orlando area, Ocoee Book Rack, Joybird Books & Walls of Books. I looooove a good bookstore visit. Love Sunshine Books and Hello Again, but I think Tombolo is my very favorite of all that you mentioned – I’m adding the rest to my list!
Oh, thank you for mentioning Joybird and Writer’s Block, Jenny! I love those bookstores too and have added the others you recommended to my list.
With such a huge state, it was hard to narrow down the list of stores to mention so I tried to get at least one from each area that I could. Have you been to Spellbound Bookstore and Maya Books & Music in Sanford or Muse Bookstore in DeLand? We went to all three recently and loved them.
As a young teen, my grandmother (a lifelong Floridian), introduced me to the wonderful books of Floridian Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. My favorite is her memoir Cross Creek. It’s about her life in the small backwater town of Cross Creek and the struggles of managing an orange grove. Her descriptions of the beauty of central Florida were spot on, and reminded me of visiting my grandparents each summer. I believe there was a movie adaptation; a very young Mary Steenburgen played the author. Definitely a book that describes the Florida of long ago.
Please, please, please add Southernmost by Silas House. Such a moving read. Also, if focusing on Key West – Lucy Burdette Mysteries. I thought I was too high brow to read one, and it was admittedly a little bit corny, but it was funny and she mentions so. many. real people and places in Key West that I spent half of my vacation there pointing and saying, “Oh my gosh. That place is described in the book I’m reading!” I even met Suzanne the owner of the used bookstore – Key West Island Books and felt like I already knew her because she is described in Lucy’s books. She went on to tell me about other friends from Key West who are featured as characters in Lucy’s books. It was very cool! Also Island Affair and Anchored Hearts are the titles of two light hearted tropey romance novels set in Key West written by Priscilla Oliveras. Both feature the same Latino family who run a popular Cuban restaurant on the island. Both books mention tons of real Key West locations and elements of Cubano Key West culture.
These are such great recommendations, Sarah! I have got to look up the Lucy Burdette mysteries, they sound right up my alley. And so glad you mentioned Priscilla Oliveras’ romances! I enjoyed Island Affair and need to pick up Anchored Hearts sometime.
Almost every summer, we vacation in St. George Island, Florida. There is a charming local bookstore nearby in Apalachicola called Downtown Books and Purl. It’s worth a visit if you’re ever in that area. Happy reading!
Laura, I was just in that bookstore Saturday! We rode over from SGI to eat and shop. I came to recommend the Forgotten Coast series by Dawn Lee McKenna that take place there in Eastpoint, Apalachicola and St. George Island. They are short books, but oh so good! You will fall in love with the characters, and on your next visit to Apalachicola, you’ll find yourself looking for the landmarks and trying to spot the characters…she makes them so REAL!
Being a long-time Floridian, Carl Hiaasen has been my favorite author to write about Florida. I enjoy his humor and find it spot on with his fictional characters who are not hard to picture as real.
Great list of TBRs –
I LOVE Randy Wayne White and Doc Ford restaurants.
I LOVE Chanel Cleeton and can’t wait for the new book.
And I really liked “A Land Remembered” by Patrick D Smith – nonfiction book about old Florida (Or maybe historical fiction?) – I was told that in parts of Florida it is required reading in middle schools – great picture into old Florida!
(Condo in Stuart on east coast – LOVE Florida – currently laid up with a broken hip!)
The Light Pirate depicts a dystopian future Florida where hurricanes and flooding have created a rewilded water world. I loved the characters, the eerie feels, the little hints of magic, the strong sense of place, how the words flow like the water-essentially everything. This is a beautiful coming of age story in addition to an all too imaginable cli-fi story. Totally recommend it!
Thank you for this list. I’ve lived in Palm Beach county since I was 10 and I usually avoid lists about Florida books because they never seem to capture what it is “really” like here, but your list was excellent and I added a bunch to my tbr. Make sure you add Rohi’s Readery to your list of must visit bookstores. It is the excellent Children’s social justice bookstore here in West Palm Beach. As for other Florida books, the Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead and Bright Young Women are both set in the Tallahassee area.
If you like historical fiction, I highly recommend Eugenia Price’s Florida Trilogy ( Don Juan McQueen, Maria, and Margaret’s Story) which takes place in the 1800’s. Our visit to St Augustine a few years ago was inspired by the book Maria, and you can tour the homes of some of the characters in the story.
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What perfect timing – we are visiting Key West and the Marathon area next week! It’s our first time. I downloaded No Words to enjoy by the pool, and will definitely be stopping by Judy Blume’s bookstore! If anyone has any other recommendations for restaurants/bars/activities let me know! We are doing a fishing trip one day but other than that no schedule.
Oh perfect timing, Sarah! If you will be driving down from the Miami area highly recommend a pit stop at Robert is Here fruit stand for local produce, milkshakes, and the unique animals.
For food and drink, we love Lazy Days and Florida Keys Brewing on Islamorada, Kiki’s on Little Torch Key, and Two Friends Patio in Key West.
The Hemingway House is a fun and interesting visit and our favorite souvenir getting a pair of handmade sandals from Kino’s Sandals in Key West.
Y’all will have so much fun! So glad you anre planning a stop at Books &Books too. Enjoy the Conch Republic.
Thank you!!!
I haven’t read the House on Biscayne Bay yet, but LOVED The Last Train to Key West – don’t read about the event this historical fiction book is based upon, just read it!:-)
Last Train To Key West—yes!! I have become a Chanel Cleeton completist.
Hi Anne and readers! I’m leaving for my first trip to Scotland in a few weeks and would love a fantastic fictional read to get me ready. I loved the Outlander series and like Anne, I love epic family dramas. Currently reading Family Family, loved Demon Copperhead, A Frozen River and Tom Lake to give you 3 of my sort of favorite recent books.
We published a Literary Tourism post for Scotland a while back: https://modernmrsdarcy.com/literary-tourism-scotland/
Happy travels!
ESPECIALLY if you liked Outlander, I highly recommend The Lost Queen by Signe Pike. It was incredible in audio format.
My favorite Florida book is a tie between The Orchid Thief and The Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton. I loved that last one because of all the history with the hurricane and Flagler’s railroad, so I’m putting your nonfiction selection about that on my TBR! Oh, it’s also more like a thriller than Cleeton’s other books, so that was really entertaining!
Courtney, love The Orchid Thief too, it is SO Florida. I think you would enjoy Gator Country above cause it has the same feels. And yes, Last Train to Paradise would be a great pairing with The Last Train to Key West!
I loved The Last Train to Key West which is a historical fiction account of the railroad and the Labor Day hurricane. It weaves together the stories of three very very different women and was one of those stories that draws you in and you can’t put it down. Now I’ll have to read the non-fiction book you recommended about Henry Flagler!
Hope you enjoy it, Jen! And if you haven’t read Banyan Moon by Thai Thao yet, I think you would enjoy its Florida setting and story of three generations of Vietnamese American women.
I used to drive to Florida from Maryland to visit my retired parents. They retired first to Zephyrhills, later they lived in Lakeland. On my last car trip to Florida, I listened to these CD audiobooks in the car:
– Cosmos, Carl Sagan (updated with other authors’ introductions)
– In Other Words, Jhumpa Lahiri (a memoir about learning Italian)
– Unlucky 13, James Patterson
– Notes From Underground, Fyodor Dostoyevsky
I didn’t know Dexter was based on a book series!
Oh Melanie, you are in for a gruesome treat if you liked the TV series! I was very impressed by the author’s audiobook narration when I read them years ago.
Love Carl Hiassen. Tourist Season and Native Tongue are my favorites.
Also, the Islamorada Fish Company is great. I would go back for the coconut crusted grouper (and, I am not a Florida person).
Thos are great ones, Abigail! I also love Hiassen’s books for younger readers like Hoot.
My husband has enjoyed the Randy Wayne White series of novels. He even has restaurants named after the Doc Ford character (in Sanibel, Fort Myers, Captiva Island and St. Pete).
Karen, my mother in law loves that Doc Ford series and we have been talking about needing to go over to one of the restaurants. And enjoy Sanibel and Captiva too!
I’ve only read one of the Doc Ford series, but I really did love his Hannah Smith series which has some crossover with Doc Ford here and there.
Whoa! Never knew the book tie-in to the restaurants–this Florida girl is intrigued! Also, a shout-out to Book and Bottle in St. Pete for the winning coffee+wine+books combination!
Megan, I have Book and Bottle on my list as a must visit for the next time we are in St. Pete! Love the sound of that combo.
Hello from Fort Myers! What a great list of book. Just added a bunch to my TBR. I would also include “Devil in the Grove” by Gilbert King. It’s narrative nonfiction that exposes the history of the orange industry and the racism deeply embedded in Florida’s past. As a transplant to Florida, it was eye-opening.
Waving hi from across the state, Jane! And thank you for that recommendation, I just saw it in the FL section of a bookstore last weekend and wondered about it.
The Shark Club by Ann Kidd Taylor and the Murphy Shepherd Trilogy by Charles Martin are amazing Florida books!
Candice! I didn’t know Charles Martin had a Florida-based series. Thank you for sharing.
I read The Water Keeper, the first in Charles Martin’s series, a few months back and loved it! A great story, and so absolutely full of Florida atmosphere
As a native Floridian myself I love this article for so many reasons. I am so excited to read some of these. And I was really hoping you would recommend a Carl Hiassen book I hadn’t read. 🙌🏽 Also, I would add To Have and to Have Not which is one of my favorites by Ernest Hemingway.
Oh yes, we definitely need an Ernest Hemminway recommendation! Hope you love the Hiassen you haven’t read. It is wild and wacky!
I really liked Light Pirate by Lily Brooks- Dalton- a dystopian read of Florida after too many hurricanes- very good! These are great pics, Brigid and from the comments! We ive in Florida part time, so I will be sure to look some up!
Ooh I need to add that one to my TBR, Kate. Thank you!
I came here to recommend The Light Pirate too. Great book.
I loved The Light Pirate! It’s a very interesting post-apocalyptic-type book.
Thanks for these book recommendations, I grew up in Gainesville, Florida!
Cross Creek by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings is a great Florida book, it’s interesting to read about her rural 1930s life, and it’s interesting to be able to visit her same house and land today.
One of my favorite Florida authors is Tim Dorsey! His books are similar to Carl Hiaasen mixed with Dexter, to reference two other Florida books listed here, haha.
He has two reoccurring main characters, Serge and Coleman, who I picture looking like the two main characters in the “Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas” movie.
Tim Dorsey unfortunately passed away recently. We are lucky to have so many Tim Dorsey books that remain for us!
I was just chatting about Tim Dorsey with a reader friend. So sad that he passed but agree his books are a fun mix of Hiaasen and Dexter! Dorsey grew up really close to me and his settings are so fun to read.
I would add all of John D. Macdonald’s work to the Florida list. The Travis McGee “Color” books are a great place to start.
Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen was a 2008 National Book Award winner and one of my all time favorite books. It’s not a light read, but it’s an excellent one. The time period is late 1800’s through early 1900’s and I learned so much about history and environmental impact of activities happening in FL at that time. I highly recommend it.
I really enjoyed The Lola Quartet, which doesn’t exclusively take place in Florida, but I thought the Florida scenes were so well done.
The Light Pirate!! Oh my word did that book touch my heart!! I had a hangover for about a week after reading that book!
I have a love hate relationship with Florida. I graduated from The University of Tampa and lived in Tampa for 6 years. My mom and sister live in the Tampa Bay area. I’m back in my home state of WI and now my trans daughter cannot safely visit Florida, which I find to be immensely sad. I hope that one day Florida can learn to accept all humans and treat them kindly.
I did very much appreciate your bookstore list. My mother and I will surely add some of these to our list. Thank you!
Totally understand your love-hate relationship, Stacie and truly hope that for Florida too.
Thank you for reading and think y’all will love visiting the bookstores! There are so many more that I couldn’t list them all but did my best to highlight some great ones.
Hi Brigid, thanks so much for this great list of books.
As a recent Florida resident snow bird I’ll look forward to many of them.
Here are a few of my finds:Non fiction, Ringling, The Florida Years, 1911-1936.
About the Ringling’ family impact on Sarasota.
Fiction in the humor category is Tim Dorsey is a hoot, but may not be for everyone. He often goes over the edge a bit.
John D MacDonald, mysteries, all set in Florida and then there is Randy Wayne White. His books are mysteries set with often a marine biology perspective. My husband has checked out many of the sea life info from the books & have found them to be accurate.
Also a new find is a wonderful Indi book store in downtown Sarasota. Bookstore One.
Thank you, Helen! Adding Bookstore One to the list.
The Incredible Winston Browne, by Sean Dietrich — great as an audiobook! I can’t remember if the fictional town of Moab is meant to be in “LA” — Lower Alabama — or in north Florida, but the two are pretty interchangeable so it doesn’t matter too much.
Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank is excellent and no longer as widely read. It takes place during the Cold War and is a fictionalized portrayal of a group of survivors following a nuclear bomb. It does have a few scenes of 1950s language regarding race portrayal but overall is a classic Florida tale.
I have not heard this mentioned for decades! It’s a great one that has stayed with me!
Megan, this is another one I have a copy of sitting unread on my bookshelf. Thank you for the suggestion and reminder!
Great list and lots to add to my tbr list The Land Remembered by Patrick D. Smith is so far my all time favorite about Florida. Takes place in the 1800’s and goes until the early 1960’s about a family that is driving cattle. It’s so good!
I came to suggest A Land Remembered! In my Top Ten Best Books Ever!
For a magical realism take on Florida, I love Swamplandia! by Karen Russell. Her short stories also often take place in Florida and are always weird and wonderful.
I love the southern Reach series and Their Eyes are Watching God is one of my favorite books.
I recommend A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens by Raul Palma.
Oooh, I have seen this one around Sarah and think I need to add it to my TBR for the fall. Did you find it to be really scary? (Asking for my scaredy cat self!)
This is such a great list! So many titles I love and some I had never heard of but just added to my list! This perfectly captures the many sides Florida and now I want to plan a Florida bookstore road trip!
Wendy Wax’s Ten Beach Road series, especially the House on Mermaid Point. I agree wholeheartedly with Carl Hiassen an any o his books and the Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton. I love the Keys!!!
How fun, Julie! I have heard of some of Wendy Wax’s other books but did not know about her Ten Beach Road series. thank you for the rec!
A avid reader and 44 year resident of Fl. I have enjoyed quite a few books about this beautiful and fun state. I would recommend A Land Remembered by Patrick D Smith for YA and adult readers.
Marias song by Eugenia Price Historical fiction. Shadow Country by Peter Matthiessen Turn of the century True Crime. Tourist Season Carl Hassan and I read every Travis McGee adventure in the 80’s. Great detective stories John D Macdonald. Cheers from St. Augustine!
I would add Southernmost by Silas House, set in Key West. An excellent literary fiction read that also partially takes place in Kentucky. Also, Lee Smith’s “Silver Alert” is supposed to be excellent.
Would also add Karen Russell’s Swamplandia! A dark literary/fantastic realism book set at a fictional theme park in Florida.
As a recovering Floridian myself, I appreciate this list very much. I want to recommend a title that is no doubt under everyone’s radar. “In Troubled Waters” by Beverly Coyle was written in the early 90s. It’s a family drama centered on a man in his 90s, while the drama revolves around overcoming institutionalized racism, as well as facing other societal issues. It is well written and it hooks you. We studied it in my 1999 high school English class because our teacher knew the author, but I have purchased and reread it several times in recent years. A great Florida read!
Thanks for these segments that focus on different states, so interesting. I second Susan Orlean’s Orchid Thief, fascinating non fiction. Carl Hiassen’s irreverent books have given me hours of laughter, (Squeeze Me not so much). Carrying Albert Home has Florida as the characters’ destination & they arrive at the time of the hurricane. And, having lived in Houston & now south central Texas, when I travel I head north.
Marilyn, I have had a copy of Carrying Albert Home for years and need to read it! Thank you for the reminder.
This is a perfect and perfectly wonderful post. I love literary traveling! What a lovely range of books to read. Thank you!
Such perfect timing! We are spending the month of Feb in Florida to get away from the NJ winter. Love these options.
I’d also highly recommend Fern & Fable Books in Ormond Beach (near Daytona). Just over the bridge from the beach next to the bustling restaurants and bars of downtown. It has a wide range of fiction and non, a special “banned books” shelf, YA, as well as the most adorable kids’ room. The owner makes an effort to bring diverse authors’ books into the store.
Adding this one to my list to visit for sure. Thank you, Natalie!
Yay Florida! Also Writer’s Block in Winter Park & Winter Garden!!
And for used in the Orlando area, Ocoee Book Rack, Joybird Books & Walls of Books. I looooove a good bookstore visit. Love Sunshine Books and Hello Again, but I think Tombolo is my very favorite of all that you mentioned – I’m adding the rest to my list!
Oh, thank you for mentioning Joybird and Writer’s Block, Jenny! I love those bookstores too and have added the others you recommended to my list.
With such a huge state, it was hard to narrow down the list of stores to mention so I tried to get at least one from each area that I could. Have you been to Spellbound Bookstore and Maya Books & Music in Sanford or Muse Bookstore in DeLand? We went to all three recently and loved them.
As a young teen, my grandmother (a lifelong Floridian), introduced me to the wonderful books of Floridian Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings. My favorite is her memoir Cross Creek. It’s about her life in the small backwater town of Cross Creek and the struggles of managing an orange grove. Her descriptions of the beauty of central Florida were spot on, and reminded me of visiting my grandparents each summer. I believe there was a movie adaptation; a very young Mary Steenburgen played the author. Definitely a book that describes the Florida of long ago.
Great list. Dave Barry’s book is a must-read! Nickle Boys by Colson Whitehead, which takes place in Tallahassee, is another must read.
Thank you, David! So glad you added Nickle Boys to the recommendations.
Please, please, please add Southernmost by Silas House. Such a moving read. Also, if focusing on Key West – Lucy Burdette Mysteries. I thought I was too high brow to read one, and it was admittedly a little bit corny, but it was funny and she mentions so. many. real people and places in Key West that I spent half of my vacation there pointing and saying, “Oh my gosh. That place is described in the book I’m reading!” I even met Suzanne the owner of the used bookstore – Key West Island Books and felt like I already knew her because she is described in Lucy’s books. She went on to tell me about other friends from Key West who are featured as characters in Lucy’s books. It was very cool! Also Island Affair and Anchored Hearts are the titles of two light hearted tropey romance novels set in Key West written by Priscilla Oliveras. Both feature the same Latino family who run a popular Cuban restaurant on the island. Both books mention tons of real Key West locations and elements of Cubano Key West culture.
These are such great recommendations, Sarah! I have got to look up the Lucy Burdette mysteries, they sound right up my alley. And so glad you mentioned Priscilla Oliveras’ romances! I enjoyed Island Affair and need to pick up Anchored Hearts sometime.
Almost every summer, we vacation in St. George Island, Florida. There is a charming local bookstore nearby in Apalachicola called Downtown Books and Purl. It’s worth a visit if you’re ever in that area. Happy reading!
Thank you, Laura! It has been about 20 years since I visited beautiful St. George and Apalachicola which is far too long. Adding it to the list.
Laura, I was just in that bookstore Saturday! We rode over from SGI to eat and shop. I came to recommend the Forgotten Coast series by Dawn Lee McKenna that take place there in Eastpoint, Apalachicola and St. George Island. They are short books, but oh so good! You will fall in love with the characters, and on your next visit to Apalachicola, you’ll find yourself looking for the landmarks and trying to spot the characters…she makes them so REAL!
Being a long-time Floridian, Carl Hiaasen has been my favorite author to write about Florida. I enjoy his humor and find it spot on with his fictional characters who are not hard to picture as real.
Great list of TBRs –
I LOVE Randy Wayne White and Doc Ford restaurants.
I LOVE Chanel Cleeton and can’t wait for the new book.
And I really liked “A Land Remembered” by Patrick D Smith – nonfiction book about old Florida (Or maybe historical fiction?) – I was told that in parts of Florida it is required reading in middle schools – great picture into old Florida!
(Condo in Stuart on east coast – LOVE Florida – currently laid up with a broken hip!)
The Light Pirate depicts a dystopian future Florida where hurricanes and flooding have created a rewilded water world. I loved the characters, the eerie feels, the little hints of magic, the strong sense of place, how the words flow like the water-essentially everything. This is a beautiful coming of age story in addition to an all too imaginable cli-fi story. Totally recommend it!
Thank you for this list. I’ve lived in Palm Beach county since I was 10 and I usually avoid lists about Florida books because they never seem to capture what it is “really” like here, but your list was excellent and I added a bunch to my tbr. Make sure you add Rohi’s Readery to your list of must visit bookstores. It is the excellent Children’s social justice bookstore here in West Palm Beach. As for other Florida books, the Nickel Boys by Colson Whitehead and Bright Young Women are both set in the Tallahassee area.
Here are a few more to add to the list:
Float Plan by Trish Doller
Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce
Cocoa Beach by Beatriz Williams
If you like historical fiction, I highly recommend Eugenia Price’s Florida Trilogy ( Don Juan McQueen, Maria, and Margaret’s Story) which takes place in the 1800’s. Our visit to St Augustine a few years ago was inspired by the book Maria, and you can tour the homes of some of the characters in the story.