For our next selection, I have chosen Carl Hiaasen's Tourist Season. It will be the first time I am rereading a book for the Guys Who Read, and I am looking forward to it. When I finish a great book, I often wish I had somebody to talk it over with, and one of the key reasons we started this was to revisit personal favorites and this time around be able to talk about it. I am a Hiaasen fan of the first order, and I would imagine that in the coming years Guys Who Read will select all of his titles at some point, and that being the case, I thought we would start at the beginning with Hiaasen's first solo effort.
Many years ago I received Tourist Season as a Christmas gift from my Uncle Bob, and though I do not recall how old I was at the time, I do recall that I was not old enough to be excited about receiving a book for Christmas. It languished on the shelf for a number of months or years, and I finally removed it when I needed a book to travel with, I believe to Florida. Within a few pages, I was hooked. After finishing Tourist Season, I read all of his published works in succession and immediately bought his new books when they came out, usually refusing to wait for the paperback and buying the hardcover. The book is still my most retroactively excellent gift.
On the spectrum of literature versus popular fiction, this is selection is our furthest toward the popular fiction side. This is not entirely coincidental, as I thought we needed something lighter after the "City of God Awful" incident. However, I intended from day one to make Hiaasen’s works a staple of Guys Who Read. I would also argue that Hiaasen's work contains a message and social commentary that is both relevant and important.
That original from Uncle Bob is no longer on my bookshelves and I have ordered a used hardcover to add to my collection. As soon as it arrives I am going to dive in, and I will post shortly after. Hiaasen’s books are real page-turners, and I do not anticipate this book lasting long for anybody.
I look forward to rereading one of my favorites with everybody, and I look forward to hearing from you.
Until Next Time,
Matt
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