Florida: Not for the Faint-Hearted

Florida -- what an odd, yet magnificent state. When they say, "be a tourist in your hometown," well, this is certainly the kind of place you want to be in. If Florida were a book, you might creep upon a twist and turn, albeit a little early, on page 56, and possibly cover your eyes while reading the last sentence while reading page 198 (possibly while reading about someone's face being chewed on!). You might delight and smile to yourself on page 236, and then close the book when you're done, probably ready to read it all over again.

Florida is in the headlines, for good reasons and bad, and I remember reading Dave Barry's columns in The Miami Herald while growing up. I couldn't wait to see what he would satirize next. His uncanny ability to mix humor and a very astute and literary eye is just one of the many things that made me fall in love with Florida. I mean, we've got chupacabras, alligators laying on alleys, hot springs, cruise ships, and haunted hotels.

And let's not forget about Carl Hiaasen, who wrote The Tourist Season, published in 1986. GQ magazine called it “one of the 10 best destination reads of all time." Jimmy P (nee James Patterson) said, "Carl Hiaasen remains the undefeated, unscored-upon conscience of Florida..."

Our bookstore features a variety of books on Florida. Come check them out when you have a chance. Personally, I can't get enough of books about Florida and it's great that we have fiction and non-fiction alike to learn about this interesting -- sometimes highly misunderstood -- sticky state.

As always, happy reading, and stay safe out there!