top of page

Recent Posts

Archive

Tags

Chapter 46 - Tales of Old Florida


What a great time we had in Tampa with a road trip to boot! I have always loved road trips as our family vacations when I was a child always consisted of traveling to different states and stopping to see important places along the way. Of course, our recent trip only included two other states, Georgia and Florida, but it was still a good road trip.

Dave and I started talking on the way down about the most popular book in each state. I remembered that someone did a recent study of this and decided to look it up when I got home. I also found an article on the best books which took place in each state. I'll post those links at the end of the blog. I started thinking it would be fun to read books from each group from the states I've been to this year (New Hampshire, Maryland, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Florida). So here are my recommendations based on that objective.

From the most popular list:

The Last Tudor by Philippa Gregory - This is New Hampshire's most popular book. Part of Gregory's Tudor and Plantagenet series, The Last Tudor is features Lady Jane Grey, the young woman who was placed on the throne by her father and his allies instead of Mary, Henry VIII's daughter. She was there for nine days and beheaded for treason.

The Subtle Art of Not Giving a F*ck: A Counterintuitive Approach to Living a Good Life by Mark Manson - This is the most popular book in both Maryland, Georgia, and Florida! Manson's premise is that people need to stop swallowing the concept of positivity and making lemonade from the lemons in their lives. Instead he feels one should get used to the taste of lemons. I think lots of people are getting this from me at Christmas.

Grit: The Power of Passion and Perseverance by Angela Duckworth - The most popular book in South Carolina is while not the antithesis of Manson's book, perhaps a different spin. Duckworth believes that anyone can accomplish anything by hard work and grit. She cites many examples in her book. This was a refreshing read.

From the best books which take place in each state list:

The Notebook by Nicholas Sparks - This is a tearjerker (it is a Nicholas Sparks book after all) and takes place in North Carolina. The book tells the story of Noah and Allie and a love that transcends time and illness. Bring plenty of tissues for this one.

The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants by Ann Brashares - Four young women who met "pre-birth" when their moms were in the same prenatal aerobics class are fast friends. One summer one of them buys a pair of pants in a thrift store. Even though their summer plans will keep them apart they vow to send the pants to each other over the summer to maintain their sisterhood. This is the first of the series and a very good read. (Oh, one of the girls stays home in Maryland to work all summer.)

To order these or other books go to www.bookendsonline.com

bottom of page