Florida Books

After reading Before Women had Wings, I hungered for more from Connie May Fowler. I found Sugar Cage to be a deeply satisfying follow-up. The novel, told in many different voices, takes us on the unforgettable journeys of a diverse cast of characters, all of whom reel the reader into an intricate tapestry woven by Fowler. Startling descriptions of Hatian voodoo rituals were among the most vivid scenes from the book, whose magical conclusion leaves the reader spellbound. A mesmerizing novel, Sugar Cage, like Fowler's other work, has left me hungry for more!

SUGAR CAGE weaves the story of such disparate people as Inez Temple, black maid to rich folks, Patrick Lackley, finicky mortician, and Charlie Loonie, front-man schmoozer for a local band. The women in this book will steal your heart -- especially the dear-hearted Inez, Charlie's loyal wife, Rose, and the magical Soleil Marie Beauvoir. The story is often dark and sad, but the mystical ending will inspire and uplift you.

For a first novel, I found the writing astonishing. Anyone who can make you care about so many contrasting characters (and make it easy to follow the thread) is a born writer. I adore a novel that pulls you in from the very first sentence . . . SUGAR CAGE does that.

This was the type of book that you can never put down. I read it all in one night. The best part about the book is the way the author displayed each character individually. It then ended up showing how each of the characters were uniquely linked togeather. It's a book that I will always love to read again and again. I would most definitly reccomend it.

Connie May Fowler creates intimacy for the reader and all of the books characters. By bringing first person to all the characters we get to know more about how people choose the decisions they made and what motivates each one towards the life they choose. I really enjoyed the way she was able to keep the story progressing thorugh time but also using other's perspective on what occured or is occuring at the moment. Also the influences of Haitian voo-doo help add new depth to Florida southern culture. And gives new information to the reader about pagean religion and the intellegence and beauty it brings to the characters of this book. I felt her pride or her willingness to explore and place in a positive light Haitian voo-doo. I think the main essence of the book for me was that everyone needed to listen to thier own voice. And once they steered away from that is when thier lives turned towards unhappiness. The realness of coming to terms with our demons and releasing ourselves into our own strengths was what I felt Fowler was trying to get across. The beauty of how she used everyones perspective instead of one main character and narrator is what I enjoyed the most. I enjoyed being able to be sypathetic to everyone's life and the way they had/have chosen to live it.

Inez Temple is working as a maid in a cheap tourist hotel on the South Florida coast when she meets Rose Looney. A Haitian woman with an ability to "see' the outlines of peoples lives, Inez sees in the sugar crystals in the bottom of a glass Rose has drunk from the outlines of a cage and knows early on that Rose and her new husband, Charlie, and their friends Junior and Eudora, and their children, are destined to be trapped in many ways in the years to come.

15 years later, Rose knows this as well. How she struggles to find her way through her broken marriage and try to save her only son from the same fate in the midst of all the "bars of the cages" society and life confine her within--poverty, racism, sexism, cultural snobbery and so on, is at the core of this unusual tale of life in the melting pot that is South Florida.

The mysticism gets a bit out of hand at times-and stretches credulity it the process, but this is a minor flaw in an otherwise excellent novel.

Great historical book on Florida. The characters are all very likeable. I highly recommend it. GREAT WORK! I am anticipating the next novel by this talented author.

Much has been said about Mr. Rainey's gift for capturing the African American experience on paper. These statements narrow Mr. Rainey's gift. He gives voice to all the rural south. Reading his book, hearing his characters speak, I heard the voices of my childhood in central Florida back when folks remembered hard times, cattle country, and dirt farmers. I heard my own granddaddy's stories in Mr. Rainey's stories and heard the stories of my aunts and grandmothers, all told on the back porch while shelling peas. I suspect if they still lived, they'd hear the voices of their own aunts and grandparents in these pages. Mr. Rainey's words, his characters, their stories, are timeless. The things boys do to make mischief are the things boys do to make mischief, whether in Florida or Georgia, whether nowadays or back then. And "back then" can be a long way back. I wish my father was still alive to read this book. North Georgia in the 1920's, running barefoot across his uncle's fields with his cousins, and Florida in the 90's are just not that different when Mr. Rainey does the telling. Not unlike Mark Twain and Zora Neale Hurston, Mr. Rainey's characters and their stories are timeless.

'The Thang That Ate My Grandaddy's Dog' is the most engaging book I've ever read. It's hysterically funny and heart-breakingly sad in just the right dose. In my opinion, John Calvin Rainey gets everything right. This is what good storytelling is all about!

I don't think I've ever "lived in a novel" as much as I have with this book. When you're reading it, you can almost feel yourself experiencing the same thoughts and actions as young Johnny, a boy who moves with his family to a rural Florida town. This is one of the few books I've read that depicts the life of rural blacks in Florida, a truly underrepresented population in American fiction. Only Zora Neale Hurston expresses this unique culture as well as Rainey, and that's saying a lot! Buy this book now!

I read this book three years ago and recently ordered a copy as a gift for my mother. Despite the fact that it's been three years, I still remember the characters, especially Grandma Gert, and the humor that they evoked. John Calvin Rainey did a spectacular job in capturing the true essence of African Americans in the South. It doesn't matter whether it's Florida or Arkansas, the warmth and wit knows no boundaries.

Along Florida's Expressways, 2nd Edition by Dave Hunter is another of Dave's Excellent travel guides, designed particularly for the fly/drive visitor. The book is filled with a wealth of information because the author and his wife personally drove every inch of the state's expressways in both directions. The couple tell points of interest you would never find on your own, vital information about rest stops, gas stations, museums, restaurants, and fast food places. But they also include fascinating trivia and fun facts that make the book a good read along the way. The many pages of detailed maps show just 25 miles at a time and tell everything you need to know! This is a MUST for your drive anywhere in Florida.

We bought this after purchasing the "Along Interstate 75" book because we loved the I-75 book so much.

I have the I-75 book by the same author so I had to have the Florida book. This book is terrific!!! It tells you everything you want & need to know about Florida and the highways. It tells you gas, lodging, restaurants, sights of interest, and even where the police might be looking for you. Also, construction sights, speed limits, what kind of highway, even the author's tips on what lanes to be in and if there is another way around busy traffic areas. This is TERRIFIC!!!!!

I WAS VERY HAPPY WITH ALL THE INFO AVAILABLE IN THIS BOOK. IT ARRIVED JUST BEFORE MY TRIP TO FLORIDA, SO IT WAS IMMEDIATELY PUT TO USE.

With "Along Florida's Expressways", Dave Hunter has produced a second indispensable travel guide. He is also the author of "Along I-75", the snowbird's best friend on their trip to Florida. "Along I-75" provides details of every gas station, hotel, restaurant, and more at every exit between Detroit MI and Lake Park GA, as well as "insider" information and historical notes. However, the shortcoming of that book is it abandons the reader at the Georgia border to make their own way to their Florida destination. For years, Mr. Hunter provided (free, on request) a bare bones pamphlet detailing I-75 from the border to Tampa, but that left many gaps. Now, with the advent of "Along Florida's Expressways", all gaps have been closed.

This volume has the same basic design as "Along I-75": 25 mile strip maps, accompanied by pages of text. However, because so many different roads are covered in this book, it is not as easy to use as it's counterpart. Finding the pages which apply to your own travel plans can be difficult, so bookmarking them with a paper clip is recommended. Perhaps in future editons, tabbed dividers will be inserted to label and divide one set of highway maps from another.

That said, it is hard to imagine any other improvements on this guide. No matter your destination, every service at every exit is detailed, making it simple to plan your trip.

One fact worth noting: "Along Florida's Expressways" will be updated in September of odd years (ie., September 2007). The companion volume will be updated in September of even years. This schedule is just about right. In past, when "Along I-75" was updated annually, it was possible to skip a year and use the old edition for a second trip. However, after two years the information was too stale to be useful. Dave Hunter has filled an important niche with his two guides, and I look forward to new editions of both for years to come.

The narrative style of this book makes the reader feel like they are sitting down with an old friend recounting a special piece of their history in law enforcement. For those who are interested in the harrowing adventures of cops in a big city, this book is definitely for you. A truly enjoyable read!

. . . Badge 149 "Shots Fired!" is for you. Gary Jones has taken a stack of his own personal experiences as a police officer in South Florida and turned them into an exciting, fast paced re-telling of the daily heart-pounding, adrenalin pumping, often dangerous situations police officers are exposed to everywhere. Using official police reports, radio transmission tapes, interviews with former co-workers, and his own personal memory, Gary keeps the reader glued to the pages of his book.

Police officers are often faced with "Shoot/Don't Shoot" scenarios which almost always require an instantaneous decision, knowing their actions will later be scrutinized in minute detail by investigators, lawyers, the media, and the public. Throughout the book there are "Situation" analysis questionnaires in which the reader has a chance to decide what they would do if they were in the shoes of the police officer. At the end of the book you can see the right answers, and what your score would be.

If you like true cop stories turned into an interesting and entertaining book, then go get Gary Jones' Badge 149 "Shots Fired!". I highly recommend it.

This book is testament to all the fine Men and Women in Law Enforcement. Written in a manner that shows the dedication of the officers, the callous attitude of the criminals, the failings to society of the Justice system. Exciting events that are True, that really happened in a beautiful city by the ocean. While tourists partied in Ft. Lauderdale little did they know what was happening around them.. Great read, masterfully written, keeps your adrenaline flowing. This book should be made into a movie, makes most of the Hollywood crime movies look like a Sunday School picnic.

Great book, puts you in the action, makes you think with the scenario questions at the end of every chapter, Shows how a team of cops go out and do proactive police work to make the streets safe. READ IT

As voracious a reader as I am, I have rarely purchased a book more worthwhile. I found the narrative style to be absolutely delightful, flowing smoothly and easily. Opening with the heart-pounding car chase grabs the reader's attention and interest, which never have a chance to wane.
The hatefulness and hypocrisy of the Deerfield Beach Sergeant, the ensuing pain and hardship from the injury, the pace, the perfect amount of humor sprinkled in ( I LOVED Natalie's "contributions" to the rug)...all this and more made a fascinating read. I thought the "situations" were a unique addition to the narrative, most especially situation #6, deadly force. They made the reader an analytical participant rather than a passive observer.
All in all, Badge 149 accomplished something very important: readers will have a new appreciation for just what - - and how difficult - - the role of a policeman truly is. It will also help the reader to identify with police officers as whole, multi-faceted individuals.

I can't believe this is Mr. Yancey's first novel. It is like nothing I've ever read before, he weaves a great story. I love how the story is half narrated by a character "outside" the main plot. This second perspective makes it like two stories in one. The only complaint I have is that I had hoped the ending would be a little stronger, but I can't complain that much because it is written realistically. This author has tremendous talent!

I just could not put this book down! I read the whole thing from start to finish in one sitting. This book speaks true about so many things, most importantly love, and its consequences. I highly recommend it!

Yancey develops his characters beautifully in this historic Southern tale. This future classic will keep readers entrigued from beginning to end. Anyone who starts this book will find it truly difficult to forgo reading the rest of it. The novel is fraught with rough characters and mundane sorrows. This author's future success is indubitable.

The summer of 1960 in Homeland, Florida would be hot just based on climate, but for several of the townsfolk, relationships turn even more heated. Seven-year-old Shiny Parker observes the Pastor Ned Jefferies nearly burned alive, but that is nothing to what else happens to him that fateful summer when the Preacher's wife and ten year old daughter Sharon Rose take over the lad's home following the inferno. Because he accidentally sees Sharon-Rose naked, Shiny finds himself engaged to the older woman for compromising her. Even that pales next to eye witnessing a murder.

The engaged couple investigates the suspicious fire and soon finds a link to a two decades old murder. Walter Hughes was accused of raping Miss Mavis and her hero Halley Martin defends her honor by killing the accused. Halley and Mavis exchanged letters over the twenty years while he did hard time. Now he is to be freed and a reckoning is a coming as those who participated in the 1940 homicide are coming together for the final act with Shiny as the audience.

A BURNING IN HOMELAND is a strong southern historical novel that works on several levels because of a powerful cast. In some ways this gothic like tale is more of a character study, but Richard Yancey provides a deep gritty atmosphere with plenty action in a taut story line. Shiny with his woes of the world eases some of the tension with his humorous predicaments yet also keeps the powerful plot moving forward. Fans of mid twentieth century southern gothic will want to read this puissant tale.

Harriet Klausner

this is, quite simply, a terrific novel. the book is beautifully written and fun to read. highly engaging plot, steeped in a very romantic southern setting. the characters are well-developed and diverse. the narrative style is very clean and unpretentious. yet this is a very deep book, w/ lots of nuance and subtlety below the surface. this book would be a great choice for book clubs and contemporary literature courses. i think this book will have enduring value.

Having had the forune of being born and raised in Florida's...pre theme park era, I have had the luxury of experiencing an evolving FLORIDA.

Jon Kral's photo journalistic approach to capturing a little known, and almost forgotten quality of Florida is remarkable. Not only for the absolute thought provoking images, but what they represent...where we are from...and where we are going.

From the images of the Kissimmee round up and cattle drive, to those of a lone horseman at the end of the day...one is left with a new sense of what the true Florida was...and remains today.

The images range from brutally honest, to surrealistic, yet each conveys it's message clearly...provoking the human spirit and emotion.

This approach to a "land forgotten" should be high on one's list to view. Jon Kral touches not only the meaning of the past...but how it drives the future.

Jon Kral has created a beautiful picture story of the life of the Florida "Cracker". Words are not necessary when the picures tell the story, Kral has insight into the life of the cowboy, and it is obvious that he loved every minute of photgraphing the men at work and at home. He put the book together with love of each and every picture. Readers will be surprised and amazed at the cattle country in Florida. We forget that there is more to this state than Walt Disney and Interstate Highways. This book will make the reader want to take a car trip to the Cowboy Country and see the country in person.

"Kral captures (the cowboys) laboring and relaxing in rich monochrome photos that, when meticulously focused and organized, sometimes echo the sculptural quality of Ansel Adams' work, and when more softly focused and granier, resemble impressionist paintings in-oddly enough-black and white." Ray Olson, BookList

I have read every book Carl has written and I keep waiting for the next one, the new novel to come out. Carl, I miss you! Please put a new book out for us. No one does it better. Do you hear me, Carl? HURRY please because I'm going through Hiaasen Withdrawal!

I'm a Welshman who has ranched in Florida for nine years, and I can tell you this is indeed a remarkable book of atmospheric photographs concerning the life of the Florida cowboy. It is a creation that colour could not do, building up a fascinating, fantastic reality in an unique way. I salute the author for his originality. I bought four copies, kept one and sent the rest to my kids across the Pond, sayin', "Y'all better come an' see your ol' pop, Florida ain't what ya think it is!"

This is a great book. I've found it very helpful in planning my cuttting garden. The only point that surprised me a bit was the lack of photos. There are hand drawings which are nice, but really don't convey what the flowers look like. I'd love to see a new addition with a directory of photos that corresponds to the text. Regardless, I do recommend the book.

Very good resource for learning about fall/winter gardening in Florida. There is a lot of information in it on how to cut & preserve the different flowers for arrangements. And it lists and describes which flowering plants will survive in Florida (so many won't), using the authors' firsthand experience. This book was very helpful in that way. Too bad I found out my soil is too alkaline. Hopefully, it can be improved.

A practical, precise, and unique book, essential for anyone trying to grow a floriferous garden in Central Florida's challenging climate... If you're not interested in cut flowers per se, don't be put off -- the book is an excellent reference for growing any flowers in Central Florida.

Though the title says it's for Florida, in fact the authors are pretty upfront with their geographical focus: North Florida can use any gardening book published for the Deep South, so this book concentrates on gardening in Central and, to a lesser degree, South Florida.

A Cutting Garden is not the work of horticultural experts in the narrow sense, since neither of the authors is a professional landscaper or botanist. That's by no means a criticism: Sometimes you need the wise words of experienced lovers of green things. Add that to a pretty good ear for good gardening prose and enough exactitude to please without overwhelming, and Brandies and Mackey's book fills a real niche.

The level of specificity is this book's best attribute: To a degree I've never before encountered in a gardening book for Florida, "Cutting Garden" offers exact advice on when, where and what to plant in your garden to produce plenty of blooms. They begin the book with an excellent and efficient discussion of Florida's climactic and soil conditions before offering the the whys and hows of establishing a cutting garden, intelligently treating the installation of garden beds, mulching, frost insurance, pest control. Readers will find the best seasonal guide to planting I've found for Florida (with the exception of MacCubbin's Month-by-month Gardening In Florida) and a fine section on starting plants from seeds and cutting.

Florida's humidity, heat and sun make growing Foxglove, Snapdragons, Delphinum, Stock, and many other traditional cutting flowers difficult. Mackey and Brandies advise planting many of these perennials as biennials, taking advantage of Central Florida's nearly frost-free climate to plant seedlings in November for blooms in February through June. Of course, since most of these plants aren't available in the nurseries around here, you'll have to start them as seeds. The book offers advice on specific cultivars and species, and even seed distributors.

A long chapter, the best of its kind for Florida, is devoted to bulbs that work in Central Florida's sandy, hot and nematode-prone soils. Many of these are hard-to-find or "old-fashioned" bulbs that have fallen out of favor: Sparaxis, Freesia, Camassia, Babiana, Watsonia and Tritonia. (They can be purchased through easytogrowbulbs.com, which specializes in hot-climate bulbs.) Some bulbs are practically care-free: Spraxis and Watsonia, for instance, are essentially Gladiolus, bulbs that perform well here 10 months of the year. Some of the bulbs they recommend Ranunculus and (maybe) Oxalis will have to be dug out and stored. Frankly, many of these bulbs cost less than a dollar apiece when bought in quantity -- I plan to treat them like annuals and, if they come back next year, so much the better.

Especially strong is their concentration on atypical bulbs, perennials and annuals -- plants like Candytuft, Bells of Ireland, Sweet William Catchfly, Toadflax, Laurentia, Pot Marigolds, Shoo-fly Plants, and Love in a Mist. I haven't had a chance to try any of these, but I've bought the seeds at Thompson & Morgan and Parks Seeds and already started many of them.

Since this is a book devoted to cutting gardens, every flower entry has directions on how to cut and best preserve the flowers for long vase life. The last part of the book is devoted to a discussion of flower arranging -- not my thing, personally, but the advice is good.

Some minor gripes, and then I'll have to bring this review to a close: There's practically no discussion of the garden rose -- the best flower, for cutting or otherwise, here in Central Florida. The authors admit that roses should find their way into every garden, but offer little in the way of substantive advice on choice and cultivation. For that, you'll have to turn to Barbara Oehlbeck's quirky but excellent For the Love of Roses in Florida and Elsewhere. Mackey and Brandies give short shrift to orchids, too, though they are fairly easy to grow here in Florida and make excellent cut flowers.

Finally, I haven't seen the latest edition of the book, but the second edition lacks photographs, illustrations amounting to a few sketches that aren't terribly useful. For pictures to go with the excellent text descriptions, you'll have to look on the web (Dave's Garden is a great place to start) or in other books (Florida Gardener's Guide by Georgia Tasker and Tom MacCubbin has the best, most useful illustrations for Florida flora that I've found).

Simply fabulous is the word for this book and not only for those gardeners who live in Florida! A Cutting Garden For Florida was written to help those who live there learn to extend the season and be able to grow plants for bouquets in both the warm and cool seasons however a gardener in the northern states could just as easily adapt the information to their specific climate.

This is one of the few gardening books that has kept me intrigued enough to not want to put it down until I was finished with it. Also it does contain a lot of basic information about seed starting, choosing a site and other information a more advanced gardener would already know I would still highly recommend this book as there is information that even they may not know.

The book goes on to give specific details about various plants that make excellent cut flowers, as well as tips for drying the bouquets and basic flower design techniques.

This one is definitely up there on my list of books you simply must have regardless of where you live but if you live in Florida you simply cannot do without this one!

Living in Florida I can vouch for the difficulties of growing just about anything in the sandy, nutrient poor, water deficient soil. Starting from that less than perfect base Betty Barr Mackey and Monica Moran Brandies walk the reader through the various things they need to know in order to grow a beautiful cutting garden. From finding the right place, to properly preparing the soil, to picking the appropriate flowers for soil, sun, and moisture conditions "A Cutting Garden for Florida" covers everything you need to know to have a successful garden. It even covers germination times, when a particular flower blooms, how long it blooms, and other information so you can make sure that when one flower goes out of season another is coming in. This is a highly recommended book for anyone dealing with the daunting task of getting flowers to grow in Florida.

I am really glad I bought this book. I also purchased The Unofficial Guide to Walt Disney World 2008 and Beyond Disney. The latter 2 are Huge books (one of them being over 800 pages of info) full of more info than I can possibly dig into.
This book is great because it is short and to the point telling you the top 10 attractions in many different catergories. I suggest getting this book on top of your Frommers or Unofficial guide as it will help you know what you want to research in the other books.
While there is not a lot of details in this book about each place, it is best used as a guide to figure out what you want to research more into. It also has some really nice fold out laminated maps on the cover which will be so helpful to bring with on our vacation.

This travel guide combines the right amount of Theme parks with classic Orlando. The top 10 attractions covered are primarily theme parks but then when region by region is broken down you can really see the various areas to explore in Orlando. From downtown Orlando to Cape Canaveral there are lots of fun and cheap things that can be done outside of Disney and Universal. This is a great start to planning any trip. If you are just going for the theme parks than I would use a different book but if you want to see it all this is the one to get.

You will love the precise but beautifully informative ideas in this particular edition on Orlando.

DK is noted for it's thorough and colorful books.
This book catagorizes the sights and gives the top 10 for each. Categories include: golf courses, places to cool off, festivals, high end restaurants, dinner shows, hip clubs, ways to have fun on the cheap, family restaurants, etc.
Each listing has a short description plus the address, phone and sometimes the hours. I do recommend getting a basic Fodor's or Frommer's for your trip and supplement it with Top 10 Orlando.
Within the theme parks, it lists the top ten attractions so you can make the most of your time. Really a handy little book (fits easily into a purse or camera bag).
With so much to see in the Orlando/Kissimmee area, this helps you prioritize your visit.

I do recommend getting a basic Fodor's or Frommer's for your trip and supplement it with Top 10 Orlando. This book catagorizes the sights and gives the top 10 for each. Categories include: golf courses, places to cool off, festivals, high end restaurants, dinner shows, hip clubs, ways to have fun on the cheap, family restaurants, etc.
Each listing has a short description plus the address, phone and sometimes the hours.
Within the theme parks, it lists the top ten attractions so you can make the most of your time. Really a handy little book (fits easily into a purse or camera bag).
With so much to see in the Orlando/Kissimmee area, this helps you prioritize your visit.

this was a gify for my son and it arrived earlier than promised. he is enjoying the book very much.

I just finished reading this book and I found it to be an excellent piece of work. I have read most of Pedro Pans books, as I am one myself. It is true that this book and Conde's book are very similar; but who cares, they are both excellent books.

The reason Alina Lopez-Marin thought that some of the chapters from Dr Triay's book reminded her of Yvonne Conde's book, is because Dr Triay's wrote his book first, a year earlier. The "untold story" Conde's title is completely misleading the public, the story was first told by Dr. Victor Triay. Shameful sales tactic!

Operation Pedro Pan Group, Inc, the official charitable organization formed by the now adult children of Pedro Pan is grateful to Dr. Victor Tryai for writting the first complete and comprehensive historical book about the exodus of the cuban children, "Operation Pedro Pan". His well documented research earned the respect of Monsignor Byan O.Walsh who personally invited Dr. Tryai to be a guest speaker at our 40th Anniversary Convocation at Barry University. Some of the comments made on the prior review regarding the findings from the Children's Bureau seem out of line. Admiration and respect is what Dr. Tryai has always shown for the participants of Operation Pedro Pan. He is indeed a great writter and a man of integrity.

This is an outstanding work by Dr. Triay, a prominent Cuba scholar from Miami, Florida and living in Middletown, Connecticut. Triay's work captures the emotions of the interviewees whose touching stories were the primary sources of Triay's research. The book incorporates Triay's unique style of weaving historical context with personal stories, which has emerged as his trademark style, with the newly released Bay of Pigs: An Oral History of Brigade 2506 (University Press of Florida March 2001).

This is one of those heavy-paged colorful books that are a joy just to hold and smell! Fifty-two charts illustrate the stunning water world from Key Largo down to Key West and out to the Dry Tortugas. Using colors and symbols, each chart (at a scale of about two inches per mile) details water depths, habitat, markers, fishing and snorkeling spots, put-in locations, hazards, camping areas -- everything you need to know. It's the perfect guide for not only paddlers, but fishermen and boaters too, and also the less adventuresome who want to explore the Florida Keys as they drive US 1 -- poking around hidden spots, wading in the shallows with their cameras. The book is heavily illustrated with relevant and beautiful photographs. Along with Bill Keogh's Paddling Guide, this book is a must for those who want to truly know and experience the Florida Keys.

Marsh Muirhead, author of "Key West Explained - a guide for the traveler."

I have worked in a few paddle shops, and I've seen many a paddle book. This one by far tops the list. Actual color charts, not hand-drawn diagrams with no reference points and no way to gauge distance on them, are on virtually every page of this book. Excellent information on locales, paddling routes, points of interest, Keys trivia, paddle-friendly lodging and restaurants, instant indexing, simple buoy/compass/gps navigation points, full color photos, and on, and on......This is the most definitive paddling atlas of the Florida Keys I have seen. Well worth the cash--especially if you are new to paddling in the keys--launch points are sometimes hard to find, and navigation gets tricky in some areas. Old Keys salts will also find something new in this book. I am impressed!

This guidebook has it all! Spot-on nautical charts that lead you through some of the best paddling the Keys have to offer, including mangrove-lined lagoons, sea grass beds teeming with wildlife, and shallow tidal flats that change form with the rise and fall of the ocean waters; brilliant pictures that draw you into this unique and magical natural habitat; and pointers on where to rent, where to launch, and, most important after a long day of paddling, where to eat!
Grab a kayak and share the adventures of Bill & Mary Burnham as they navigate this aquatic paradise.

I just received my copy of this high quality guide book. I live in the Keys and have paddled many of these sites but in just glancing through this book I realized how much I have missed. Very complete and a must for visitors and locals alike.

As a guide and avid paddler I found this book incredibly useful and informative. Anyone that will set out to explore the paradise of the Keys will find their way to many areas that would never be found without this book. Bill and Mary obviously did their homework with the ultimate guide book for all paddlers enjoying the beauty of the Keys. Nice job guys.