Check the shelves at your local bookstore and you'll see: Travel writers never cease to exalt Florida's beautiful - and sometimes quirky - attractions and history.

We've sifted through the countless pages and came up with a few key reading recommendations for Florida aficionados.

Exploring Florida’s Emerald Coast: A Rich History and a Rare Ecology
by Jean Lufkin Bouler

Each year, more than four million people visit the Emerald Coast, a scenic corridor stretching from Pensacola to Panama City Beach.

Author Jean Lufkin Bouler is one of the area’s repeat visitors, her trips to the Emerald Coast unfolding like steady waves over the past 25 years. She paints a true-to-life portrait of this enchanting region in her new book, Exploring Florida’s Emerald Coast: A Rich History and a Rare Ecology. In it, she takes us on a journey through the region’s colorful heritage, stunning landscape and ever-changing culture, pointing out the big highlights as well as the backcountry treasures.

Bouler introduces us to the area’s history-makers, from ancient tribes and pirates to Scottish pioneers and Civil War soldiers. We tour Destin, the “World’s Luckiest Fishing Village,” and Seaside, the architecturally striking New Urbanist community where The Truman Show was filmed. The author also highlights the area’s ecological importance as the home of graceful live oaks, pristine wetlands and a migratory stop for Monarch butterflies. By the end, we learn why the sand is so snow-white and the water so emerald-green. And why we should put the Emerald Coast at the top of our must-see list. – University Press of Florida, 2007, $24.95


All This Belongs to Me
by Ad Hudler
Set against the backdrop of Fort Myers’ Thomas Edison Estate, this whimsical novel tackles the issues of love, marriage, friendship, loss and triumph with a comedic edge. Hudler’s humor entertains, and the history we get about Edison along the way inspires and deepens our understanding of the inventor. – Ballantine Books, 2006, $13.95

 

Florida Keys Paddling Atlas
by Bill and Mary Burnham
If you’re planning to explore the serene, island-studded waters of the Florida Keys, this guide will prove indispensable. It also features appendices with information on launches, outfitters, rentals and paddle-friendly dining and lodging. – The Globe Pequot Press, 2007, $34.95


Florida Curiosities: Quirky Characters, Roadside Oddities & Other Offbeat Stuff
by David Grimes and Tom Becnel
This book draws its inspiration from some of Florida’s lesser-known claims to fame. Get an up-close view of the oldest living manatee in captivity in Bradenton, and stay at an underwater lodge in Key West. You’ll learn some quirky tidbits and fascinating histories. You’re also likely to find a fun, off-the-beaten-path diversion for your next Florida getaway. – The Globe Pequot Press, 2007, $13.95

 
Journal of Light: The Visual Diary of a Florida Nature Photographer
by John Moran
This 20-year collection of photos illuminates Florida’s living, breathing landscape with striking beauty and remarkable detail. There’s plenty of diversity in these 144 pages, but water and wildlife especially seem to captivate Moran. – University Press of Florida, 2004, $34.95.