Florida books

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Florida books

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1lindapanzo
Juin 30, 2009, 1:14 pm

Here's a place to talk about fiction/nonfiction set in Florida.

2RidgewayGirl
Juin 30, 2009, 8:08 pm

As Hot As It Was You Ought to Thank Me is a novel based on the author's childhood in Central Florida before air conditioning and tourism. It's one of my favorites for the strong sense of place and time.

Peter Matthiessen wrote Killing Mr. Watson, which is set in the Everglades at the turn of the last century.

The Tiger Rising by Kate DiCamillo is a young adult novel set in Florida.

And for non-fiction, I loved Dead Men Do Tell Tales by William R. Maples, which is about forensic anthropology. Florida is a magnet for serial killers (hey, the Dexter books would fit!) and if you like CSI/Bones type stuff, this is great.

3cyderry
Juin 30, 2009, 11:43 pm

Rita Lakin has the Gladdy Gold series set in Florida.

4sjmccreary
Juil 1, 2009, 2:36 pm

Tim Dorsey and Carl Hiaasen both set their books in Florida. They tend to be darkly humorous. I read Dorsey's Florida Roadkill - first in the series - and didn't like it much personally, but recognized a lot of the Florida landscape even though I've travelled in the state only a few times. These would be perfect Florida books if you enjoy this particular style.

5cmbohn
Juil 1, 2009, 3:19 pm

I read an old book of my mom's earlier for the 999, Cross Creek. It's set in Florida. But I couldn't finish it. I reflects the racial attitudes of the times, but I just couldn't stand reading about the 'darkies'.

6lahochstetler
Juil 9, 2009, 12:01 am

And for more dark humor, there's also Douglas Coupland's All Families are Psychotic

7clue
Juil 16, 2009, 9:47 pm

#2 Ridgeway Girl: Thanks for the note on Killing Mr. Watson, I've wanted to read that a long time but just never got to it. That will be my Florida book!

8pbadeer
Sep 2, 2009, 7:07 pm

Doesn't She Look Natural by Angela Elwell Hunt is about a divorced woman who inherits an old funeral home (in Florida) from a distant relative.

Paper Towns by John Green is also based in Florida, in the suburbs of Orlando.

9EBT1002
Fév 5, 2011, 8:34 pm

As a native Floridian, I've gotta recommend Tourist Season by Carl Hiaasen --- or any of his other delightful romps set in the Sunshine State. By no means are these an intellectual challenge but they are tremendously fun light reading.

10Matke
Fév 21, 2011, 8:39 pm

If you can find them, there is a whole set of Travis McGee mysteriesby John D. MacDonald, all with a color word in the title. The same author also wrote a frightening book called Condominium; it scared the pants off me when I read it as it described an extremely bad hurricane and its effect on shoddy construction going on in Florida at that time---I lived about 15 miles from MacDonald then. It's a good book and well worth a read.

11EBT1002
Fév 28, 2011, 1:16 am

I LOVED the Travis McGee series back in the 70s & 80s. Ignore the sexism and you have some very fun, very fine mystery novels with wonderful Florida scenes. I started with The Dreadful Lemon Sky (I mean, even the title is wonderful) and then went to the first (was that The Girl in the Plain Brown Wrapper?) and worked my way through - twice.

12clif_hiker
Fév 28, 2011, 6:42 am

I reread the whole McGee series last summer... and loved them all over again. MacDonald was sexist but I think he was trying hard NOT to be in these stories. The first book in the series is The Deep Blue Goodby. Looking forward to the movie supposedly starring Leonardo DiCaprio as McGee... not sure when it's going to release.

13clif_hiker
Modifié : Fév 28, 2011, 6:46 am

yet another author who has written a whole series of books set in Florida, with one central character (ala Travis McGee) is Randy Wayne White. The first book in the series is Sanibel Flats. I may be re-reading this series this summer...

14KindleKapers
Fév 28, 2011, 3:25 pm

I just started Swamplandia!, a debut novel by Karen Russell, set in the Thousand Islands/Everglades. Seems really good so far...definitely different from what I originally expected.

15KindleKapers
Mar 2, 2011, 9:18 am

Here's something you all might like - Florida Book Awards

16EBT1002
Modifié : Mar 2, 2011, 10:56 am

12 > I agree that MacDonald was trying not to be sexist and this is one of those series that has to be read with context/time in mind. I didn't know a movie was to be made of the first in the series! That will definitely be on my list.

KindleKapers > I will check out Swamplandia! -- I grew up in Florida in the 60s and 70s - in the central part of the state - so I really enjoy reading authors who can capture the place.

13> I think I read Sanibel Flats a long time ago but have no memory of the story. Worth re-investigating.

17Bjace
Juin 18, 2011, 11:52 pm

Edna Buchanan's Contents under pressure is set in Miami.

18GingerbreadMan
Mar 20, 2012, 6:12 pm

I -belatedly- second KindleKapers tip on Swamplandia! An odd and tender little gem with a very strong sense of place. Might not be for everyone, though, but if you can stomach a bit of weirdness: highly recommended!

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