The Miami Book Fair is a chance for the whole community — readers and non-readers — to celebrate literature. For 41 years, the Book Fair has featured booksellers and publishers, a writer’s row and an artisanal marketplace.
This year's line up includes evening conversations with authors Amy Tan, Connie Cheung, Don Lemon and more.
Here, at WLRN, we're big on books, too. Below, we've compiled a log of what people in the newsroom — and even some MBF authors — are reading at the moment.
READ MORE: There’s so much to do at Miami Book Fair’s Street Fair. Here are highlights
At The Edge of Honor by Robert N. Macomber
"The civil war in Florida and the sea campaign was one of those times in history where things could have turned down the wrong path. Florida in general has gems like Fort Jefferson in the Dry Tortugas as a prime example. I am fascinated by this era and sliver of time and Robert is an excellent storyteller that weaves history into non fiction and vice versa." — Cesar Becerra, author of The Kaimiloa Project
North and South by Elizabeth Gaskell
"In 1850s England, pretty (but fiesty) Margaret Hale is forced to move from the pastoral warmth of South England to a cold manufacturing town in the North. There she finds socio-economic unrest, poor air quality, and a red hot romance that makes it all (in this reader’s opinion) worth it. Billed as "Pride and Prejudice - But With Socialism” by fans, North and South is a dishy, immensely satisfying escape (as is the excellent BBC miniseries of the same name, starring Richard Armitage, which can currently be viewed on Prime). Happy reading!" — Meg Cabot, author of The Princess Diaries
One Piece by Eiichiro Oda
"With how serious our work can be, I like to relax with a simple and fun read like the popular Japanese manga, One Piece. You've probably heard of the show, and the source material follows the same beats: A young man made of rubber wants to become King of the Pirates, so he gathers a crew of friends and travels around the world defeating tyrants and liberating the oppressed." — Joshua Ceballos, Local Govt. Accountability Reporter
Maxwell Street: Writing and Thinking Place by Tim Cresswell
"I recently finished reading a spectacular (2019) book by a geography professor named Tim Cresswell: Maxwell Street: Writing and Thinking Place. Cresswell illustrates how to think and write about places by telling the story of a historic, immigrant-dominated, working-class market that once lined both sides of Chicago's Maxwell Street. I did not begin reading with a strong interest in this particular place, but Cresswell adroitly weaves together the sights, sounds, smells and spirit of this once famous Chicago street market with details about how the area was eventually gentrified and forever changed by an expanding University of Illinois at Chicago. Along the way, he carefully interrogates his source material, and several philosophical issues related to the market, the people who made a living there, and the market's eventual demise due to gentrification. Good stuff!" — Christopher Meindl, author of Florida Springs: From Geography to Politics and Restoration
The Ghost Forest by Kimiko Hahn
"This is Hahn's New and Selected, gathering material from her 10 previous collections of poems. I'm fascinated by the poetic journeys of the American masters, and I'm intrigued to learn how the poet's writing has changed over the years, including her zuihitsu — a Japanese form Hahn single-handedly popularized in the U.S." — Rigoberto Gonzalez, author of Latino Poetry
The Economic Consequences of the Peace (1919) by John Maynard Keynes
"John Maynard Keynes, the famous economist, was a member of the British delegation to the Conference of Versailles as Europe and the United States tried to formulate a plan in the aftermath of World War I. Keynes resigned his post with the British treasury department in frustration and published this book. It's incredible how Keynes predicts the exact problems Europe would face that would eventually lead to World War II. He also gives biting insight on working with historical figures like Georges Clemenceau and Woodrow Wilson." — Carlton Gillespie, Broward County Bureau Reporter
Haiti's Bad Press by Robert Lawless
"My mom lived in Haiti as a kid, so I've been meaning to read more Haitian history for a long time now. But, after the remarks from JD Vance and Donald Trump about Haitians in Ohio, I decided I wanted to do that along with looking at some more contemporary issues for Haitians. I was just browsing the library to see what they had, and stumbled upon this! I like how the author breaks it down by different misconceptions, but also weaves it in so the reader gets some history and a framework for understanding misconceptions versus reality about Haiti." — Elise Gregg, WLRN Intern
Democracy and Time in Cuban Thought: The Elusive Present by María de los Angeles (Nena) Torres
" Although my preferences for recreational reading are biography and historical fiction, most of my reading time is taken up with books I should read to keep up in my field. I am currently immersed in a very important recent work of political philosophy, Democracy and Time in Cuban Thought: The Elusive Present by a colleague and friend, María de los Angeles (Nena) Torres. It is a provocative read, and elegantly written," — Lisandro Perez, Professor in the department of Latin American and Latinx studies at John Jay College, New York and author of The House on G Street: A Cuban Family Saga
One Hundred Years of Solitude by Gabriel García Márquez
"I'll be frank, this book feels like it's taking me 100 years to finish, but I'm SO so close to the end! You've probably heard of this book (it's going to become a Netflix series soon). The book is by a famous Colombian author who tells the story of the fictitious town of Macondo through generations of the Buendiá family. But if you don't want to wait and love crazy family dynamics. It's definitely worth the read." — Alyssa Ramos - Digital Producer
