The University Press of Florida is offering free “quarantine reads” in which 10 of their titles, in eBook format, are free for download through April 30! The books look solid and I’ve already downloaded all the FL related ones.
I’m also very excited that I have something else besides binge-watching Netflix that I can do instead of filing my taxes.
In Season: Stories of Discovery, Loss, Home, and Places In Between edited by Jim Ross
From the blurb: “First-time travelers to Florida often imagine the state as just a vacationland or a swamp–a place to visit and to leave behind. But the writers in this collection discover the truth that everyone who’s lived in the state knows. When you venture into Florida you won’t find what you expect, and what you do find will stay with you forever.”
The Peace of Blue: Water Journeys by Bill Belleville
From the blurb: Experience the thrill of traveling to the remote islands of Cuba and to sacred cenotes in the Dominican Republic. Contemplate the shores of Florida’s rivers and lakes and marvel at swamps and seepage slopes. Immerse yourself in the underwater world of clear, fresh springs, and dive into the deep karst caves that are worlds unto themselves.
Ringling: The Florida Years, 1911-1936 by David C. Weeks
From The Blurb: John Nicholas Ringling’s years in Sarasota spanned the final quarter-century of his life. On Florida’s west coast, as the Ringling’s Circus became “the greatest show on earth,” he collected Baroque paintings, European decorative art, and Italian statuary, built the ostentatious mansion Ca’d’Zan, developed and marketed most of the barrier islands around Sarasota Bay, and became the focus of a confusing pastiche of acclaim, misconception, and suspicion.
The Allure of Immortality: An American Cult, a Florida Swamp, and a Renegade Prophet by Lyn Millner
From The Blurb: The Koreshans settled in a mosquito-infested scrubland and set to building a communal utopia inside what they believed was a hollow earth–with humans living on the inside crust and the entire universe contained within. According to Teed’s socialist and millennialist teachings, if his people practiced celibacy and focused their love on him, he would return after death and they would all become immortal.
The Rise and Fall of Dodgertown: 60 Years of Baseball in Vero Beach by Rody Johnson
From The Blurb: Granted special access to the team’s archives and personal interviews with players, management, and staff, Rody Johnson offers a fascinating and remarkable history of the sometimes rocky relationship between the city and the team. Beginning with the signing of Jackie Robinson in 1946 and ending with the close of spring training in 2007, The Rise and Fall of Dodgertown traces the changes in baseball and society for more than a half century. It is a story of community, passion, and the beauty of an American sport.
Waiting at Joe’s by Deeny Kaplan Lorber
From The Blurb: They’ve served the rich, the famous, and the infamous, ranging from Madonna and Al Capone to Amelia Earhart and Bill Clinton. They’ve escorted patrons to their cars during the cocaine wars and sent trays of food from the kitchen to high profile patrons via Secret Service agents. They work at the second-highest grossing restaurant in the United States–one of the most coveted jobs in the business. They are the waiters of Joe’s Stone Crab, a one-of-a-kind South Florida landmark.
Backroads of Paradise: A Journey to Rediscover Old Florida by Cathy Salustri
From The Blurb: In the 1930s, the Federal Writers’ Project sent mostly anonymous writers, but also Zora Neale Hurston and Stetson Kennedy, into the depths of Florida to reveal its splendor to the world. The FWP and the State of Florida jointly published the results as Florida: A Guide to the Southernmost State, which included twenty-two driving tours of the state’s main roads. Eventually, after Eisenhower built the interstates, drivers bypassed the small towns that thrived along these roads in favor of making better time. Those main roads are now the state’s backroads—forgotten by all but local residents, a few commuters, and dedicated road-trippers. Retracing the original routes in the Guide, Cathy Salustri rekindles our notions of paradise by bringing a modern eye to the historic travelogues.
Made in Florida: Artists, Celebrities, Activists, Educators, and Other Icons in the Sunshine State by Art Levy
From The Blurb: Hear from Carl Hiaasen and Dave Barry about their weirdest writing inspirations. Discover why Shaquille O’Neal never complains. Find out what happens when Burt Reynolds goes to Costco. Listen to Theresa Manuel’s experiences as one of the first black women to compete in the Olympics. Learn about the lives of Seminole Tribe elder Louise Gopher, pop art painter Romero Britto, NASA senior executive JoAnn Morgan, circus daredevil Bello Nock, football coach Steve Spurrier, state CFO Alex Sink, and Muhammad Ali’s “fight doctor” Ferdie Pacheco. In addition to the widely celebrated, Art Levy introduces many unsung individuals. Meet innovative industrialists like “Chainsaw Al” and dedicated naturalists like “The Shark Lady.” Mingle with a legendary rancher, a civil rights historian, and a commercial fisherman. Marvel at an anticrime crusader, a space skydiver, and a snake-venom enthusiast.
Trailblazing Mars: NASA’s Next Giant Leap by Pat Duggins
From The Blurb: Award-winning journalist Pat Duggins examines the extreme new challenges that will be faced by astronauts on the journey there and back. They’ll have to grow their own food, find their own water, and solve their own problems and emergencies without hope of rescue or re-supply. Mars travel will be more challenging and hazardous than settling the Old West–but we were not witness to the fate of the Donner Party on CNN.
Fruits of Eden: David Fairchild and America’s Plant Hunters by Amanda Harris
From The Blurb: In Fruits of Eden, Amanda Harris vividly recounts the exploits of Fairchild and his small band of adventurers and botanists as they traversed distant lands—Algeria, Baghdad, Cape Town, Hong Kong, Java, and Zanzibar—to return with new and exciting flavors. Their expeditions led to a renaissance not only at the dinner table but also in horticulture, providing diversity of crops for farmers across the country.
I’ve used my amazon affiliate links, but I don’t get commission on free downloads–HOWEVER, I will get commission on anything else you purchase on your shopping trip…so if you add $100,000+ worth of merchandise to your order after clicking my link that would be FANTASTIC!!! If not, that’s cool too. I’m just happy you’re here! Until Next Time, Fellow FL Explorer!!!
