3 Gorgeous Spots to Read in Florida

Pop Quiz!

What pairs well with beaches?

What pairs well with sitting outside during mild winter days?

What’s the best activity during a thunderstorm?

What’s the best way to wind down after a long, magical day at Disney?

If you guessed “reading” for all four questions, you are correct! And that, ladies and gentlemen, makes Florida one of the best regions in the world for reading.

Here are 3 of the best spots in Florida for bookworms to settle in with a good book, year-round:

1. The Don Cesar
   

   The Don Cesar is this grand eye-catching pink hotel on St. Pete Beach. 

Credit: PorkFork6

The builder had a dream of creating a pink castle and, well, he accomplished it, don’t you think? The Don Cesar is on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places. Sometimes I like to spend a weekend evening at the Don Cesar to unwind after a long week of writing thrillers. (Here’s a bonus for mystery fans like me: the hotel is said to be haunted!)

The book I was reading that day didn’t make it into the picture, but trust me — it wasn’t far away. Never is.

2. Under a banyan tree

Between the west coast of Florida and Disney World, there are wide expanses of open space. It’s cattle country, and my Jess Kimball thriller Fatal Distraction takes place there. Tucked into a corner of the space is a city called Winter Haven, with this row of banyan trees.

Photo Credit: Flickr/Matthew Paulson

I think banyan trees were designed to be read under — don’t you?

3. On a hammock in Thonotosassa

In my Judge Willa Carson thriller Twisted Justice, the sleepy town of Thonotosassa becomes home to a crime scene following a murder. Rest assured though, it’s only fiction — chances are, if you set up a hammock by the water for a day of reading in Thonotosassa, you won’t be disappointed.

Coming up in my next blog next week, I have the rest of the list for you — 4 more of the best places in Florida to settle in with a good book. Stay tuned! Until then, peruse all of my books for ideas about what to read!