Steve Berry, best-selling author, travels the world researching his next big book idea and plotting intricate storylines while at the same time fighting to save historic buildings and mentoring aspiring authors through his writers’ workshops. So perhaps the biggest shock for fans of this writer of thrillers (and St. Augustine resident) is that he still finds time to read for fun.
Below, is his annotated best-of list of iconic Florida books:

1. Finding Florida: The True History
   of the Sunshine State
   by T.D. Allman
   “An excellent overview of the state’s
   fascinating history.”
   (Grove Press, 2014)
2. Florida Roadkill
   by Tim Dorsey
   “Welcome to Tim Dorsey’s version
   of Florida. It ain’t pretty.”
   (Morrow, 1999)
3. Condominium:
   A Novel
   by John D. MacDonald
   “Tells the sordid story of
   how paradise disappears.”
   (Random House, 1977)
4. Naked in Garden Hills
   by Harry Crews
   “An irreverent look
   at the downside
   of progress, told by
   a man who loved
   the state.” (Morrow, 1969)
5.  The Yearling
   by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings
   “Written for young adults, but
   all ages can love it. A Pulitzer
   Prize winner.”
   (Charles Scribner’s Sons, 1938)
6. Stormy Weather 
   by Carl Hiaasen
   “What’s Florida without a
   hurricane? This hilarious novel
   takes it all on, front and center.”
   (Alfred A. Knopf, 1995)
7. Henry Flagler: The Astonishing
   Life and Times of the Visionary
   Robber Barron Who Founded
   Florida
   by David Leon Chandler
   “The title says it all.”
   (Macmillan, 1986)

Where does Berry curl up with a good book?

He says, “I actually read in bed, at night, right before I go to sleep. It’s an old habit that’s hard to break.”

Books photographed by Tracey Williams