Every year, NPR Books compiles an expertly-curated interactive reading guide of the year's best books. A group of staffers and trusted critics are tasked with building a selection of their favorite books — everything from nail-biting thrillers to feel-good romances to enlightening works of nonfiction.
There's something for bookworms and casual readers alike. You can find the complete list of NPR's "Books We Love" here — but if you're looking for something that hits closer to home, WLRN has got you covered.
READ MORE: Sundial: Miami’s biggest book nerds share their favorite reads of 2022
We combed through the list to find books written by South Floridians or that tell stories that resonate with the people who live here.
From chilling tales of the supernatural at a reform schoolsin the Panhandle to the fascinating story of a Florida farmworker-turned-elite star chef, here are some NPR recommendations that could make it into your reading list.
The Reformatory by Tananarive Due
In Tananarive Due's horror novel, the people are much scarier than the ghosts. Her book, The Reformatory, is historical fiction based on the Dozier School for Boys in North Florida, an infamous reform school where, in the 1950s and 1960s, children were beaten, tortured and killed.
The story centers around Robbie, a young Black boy navigating racism and ghosts, said Leah Donnella, senior editor for NPR's Code Switch. "But though the world he inhabits is often cruel and terrifying, Robbie’s story is also propelled by community, persistence, creativity and love," she said.
Due tells a sinister tale by weaving in characters inspired by people in her family who lived through these events, like her great uncle who was sent to the reform school.
She spoke on WLRN's Sundial about her 25-year career writing Black horror stories. Due said adding supernatural elements actually made it easier for her to process the horrors of the school.
"But I really added the ghost because I was having such a hard time reading the true life accounts of people who had been through that facility that I couldn't see writing that reality is so much more harrowing, and horrifying than fiction," she said.
Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey by Edel Rodriguez
You may not know him by name, but you might know Edel Rodriguez by his iconic artwork splashed across the covers of Time magazine. The graphic designer has made a career of illustrating pulse points of American history as they happen.
Now, he's illustrating his life story in a new graphic memoir, Worm: A Cuban American Odyssey. He depicts his childhood in Cuba and his life as a "worm," or what Fidel Castro called one of the 125,000 people in the Mariel Boatlift who fled the island. Drawn in his signature style and colored with pops of red, green and black, we see his life under authoritarian society through his eyes.
NPR Weekend Edition senior editor, Melissa Gray, said that Rodriguez's stunning memoir draws connections between his childhood and the political rhetoric he hears in the U.S. "His illustrations underscore the desperation and uncertainty of those times, rife with propaganda, lies and fear," Gray said.
The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton
The fate of two women intertwine while on a luxury cruise ship leaving from New York for Havana. In Chanel Cleeton's thriller set in 1934, New York Heiress Catherine Dohan must face her past and join forces with a jewel thief to find the person who wants her dead. Also, aboard the ship is Elena Palacio — a woman thought to be dead. Elena hopes to reach Havana and seek revenge from a betrayal that left her destitute.
"Inspired by the true story of the SS Morro Castle, Cleeton’s book is an unforgettable read that should be at the top of every TBR (To Be Read) list," said book critic and author of The Other Princess: A Novel of Queen Victoria's Goddaughter, Denny S. Bryce.
The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo García by Laura Tillman
Before Eduardo “Lalo” García Guzmán became a star chef in Mexico City, he started out in the field as a migrant worker. Born in rural Mexico, Lalo and his family moved to the U.S. where he grew up picking fruits and vegetables in Florida and Michigan. In The Migrant Chef: The Life and Times of Lalo Garcia, journalist Laura Tillman spent five years reporting on Lalo's journey from child farmworker to deported criminal to elite chef.
South America international correspondent Carrie Kahn said the drama-filled nonfiction story needs no embellishment.
"García’s unconventional path to success not only crosses the U.S.-Mexico border several times but spans his own existential journey from poverty to privilege. With Mexico City now a must-stop on the global food stage, García’s story is all the more engaging, timely and tasty," Kahn said.
A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens, by Raul Palma
Locals will spot familiar signs of home in Raul Palma's debut novel, A Haunting in Hialeah Gardens, in which we follow newly widowed Santeria priest Hugo Contreras. Living in an efficiency apartment, wracked with grief and tormented by unpaid bills, Hugo finds himself signing a deal with the devil coming in the form of a debt collector.
"It’s a rare book that scares you and makes you think in equal measures. In this viscerally affecting debut, Raul Palma reimagines the manifestations and consequences of debt in terrifying and thought-provoking ways," said culture critic and media and politics researcher Carole V. Bell.
