Best Books for the Coastal South
“Some books are so familiar that reading them is like being home again.”
― Louisa May Alcott
If you love to curl up on a cozy veranda with a good book and dream of the salty shores of the coastal South, you are in the right place. Welcome to a little collection of a few of the best books for your coastal-loving heart.
While I love reading seaside stories, I confess I have not read every book that could or should be on this list! You all have so many beautiful recommendations, so I encourage you to send me your recommendations in the form at the bottom of the page! I do update this periodically.
So notify your book club, snag some copies of a book for two, share this with a friend, and enjoy!
PS) as an Amazon Associate, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Top Five Favorite Reads:
A Land Remembered
By Patrick D. Smith
[403 pages] In this best-selling Florida novel, Patrick Smith tells the story of three generations of the MacIveys. Ranked #1 Best Florida Book eight times in annual polls conducted by Florida Monthly Magazine.
The Gulf: the Making of an American Sea
by Jack E. Davis
[608 pages] Published in 2018 and winner of the Pulitzer Prize for History, this book is a beautiful ecological and historical overview of the Gulf of Mexico. A personal favorite!
Where the Crawdads Sing
By Delia Owens
[400 pages] A nonfiction novel about a marsh girl who is one with nature, watches the birds and paints in watercolor? Sign me up! Hailed by The New York Times Book Review as “a painfully beautiful first novel that is at once a murder mystery, a coming-of-age narrative and a celebration of nature.”
Cross Creek
By Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
[380 pages] A snapshot into life of a 1940s hamlet in Florida, poetically captured by Majorie Kinnan Rawlings. The novel takes you through the seasons in Cross Creek, where Rawlings lived for thirteen years. A great companion for this book is the Cross Creek Cookery.
The Old Man and the Sea
[128 pages] A quick read from a brilliant storyteller, The Old Man and the Sea shares the tale of an old Cuban fisherman dealing with poverty, loss, and a bit of bad luck who encounters a giant marlin in the Gulf Stream. Beautifully written, and a poetic love story to the sea. Highly recommend reading on a boat.
Other Recommended Coastal South Books:
(Note: These are in no particular order, and cookbooks are not included here, but will be listed separately in the future!)
Fiction Books:
Their Eyes Were Watching God by Zora Neale Hurston
The Water Is Wide: A Memoir by Pat Conroy
Florida by Lauren Groff
The Girls in the Stilt House by Kelly Mustian
Isaac's Storm: A Man, a Time, and the Deadliest Hurricane in History by Erik Larson
Nature Girl by Carl Hiaasen
Call Your Daughter Home: A Novel by Deb Spera
Stiltsville: A Novel by Susanna Daniel
Turtle in Paradise by Jennifer L. Holm
The Shark Club: A Novel by Ann Kidd Taylor
South by Southeast by Walter Cronkite (Author), Ray G. Ellis (Illustrator)
Killing Mister Watson by Peter Matthiessen
Reef Road by Deborah Goodrich Royce
The Marsh Queen by Virginia Hartman
Swamp Story by Dave Barry
The Prince of Tides by Pat Conroy
Where the River Ends by Charles Martin
Last Train to Key West by Chanel Cleeton
The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks
The High Tide Club by Mary Kay Andrews
Ecology of a Cracker Childhood by Janisse Ray
Spring Creek Chronicles by Leo Lovel
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Nonfiction Books:
Saints of Old Florida: A Coastal Lifestyle Book by Emily Raffield, Melissa Farrell, Christina McDermott
Island Whimsy: Designing a Paradise by the Sea by Celerie Kemble
The Book of Palms by H. Walter Lack
The Swamp: The Everglades, Florida, and the Politics of Paradise by Michael Grunwald
Florida Cowboys: Keepers of the Last Frontier by Carlton Ward Jr.
Path of the Panther: New Hope for Wild Florida by Carlton Ward Jr.
Cabinet of Natural Curiosities by Irmgard Müsch, Jes Rust, Rainer Willmann
Florida Made: The 25 Most Important Figures Who Shaped the State by George LeMieux and Laura Mize
Saltwater: Coastal Carolina by Faith Teasley
Last Train to Paradise: Henry Flagler and the Spectacular Rise and Fall of the Railroad that Crossed an Ocean by Les Standiford
Know of a book that should make the list?
Thank you for your love of reading, and desire to help bring others to a great book. Use the form below to share your contribution with me - I do update this page periodically!