As you may know, I love to read. I especially enjoy devouring books about places I have lived or visited (which includes all 50 states as well as a dozen foreign countries).

My current home state of Florida is no exception, and thankfully, there are a number of prominent authors here. My dear friend, Karen also an avid reader, turned me onto Carl Hiaasen novels at least a decade ago.

His books prepared me for the oddness that is Florida which I encountered during my first trip to the Keys back in 2018. I recollect Hiaasen saying that as a columnist for the Miami Herald, he didn’t have to search hard for weird subject matter, he pulled the wild tales right from the news desk.

I’ve gleaned so much about my new home from his novels (and his YA books, which I also adore). More recent additions to my reading list are Randy Wayne White’s books. In contrast to Hiaasen’s typical setting of Miami and south, White’s are centered on the Fort Meyers area (along the Gulf coast of Florida).

While both authors include a healthy dose of history, geography, and biology in their tales they never take themselves too seriously (irreverent is an understatement), as evidenced by this Author’s Note in White’s first novel, Sanibel Flats.