{"title":"Fiction Books","description":"","products":[{"product_id":"forever-cedar-key-paperback","title":"Forever, Cedar Key - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMichael Presley Bobbitt\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eA year has passed since the old world ended in a terrible flash. Just as the tiny island of Cedar Key is settling into a new way of living, a figure from its past arrives on the horizon commanding a fleet of sailing ships. A dark chapter from Cedar Key's history is reopened in the devastated world of the present, and now war is coming, inexorable as the tides.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e In 1998, Isaac Skipjack's father was killed. Left to fend for himself, 17-year old Isaac is taken in by a prominent waterman on Cedar Key, who becomes a surrogate father to the boy. When Isaac learns this surrogate was involved in his real father's death, he leaves the island, hurt and vengeful. Two decades later, after the great experiment of humanity failed when nuclear blasts irradiated horizons around the world, Isaac, now a Senior Chief Petty Officer in the United States Coast Guard, leads a crew of survivors in a search for a home away from the nuclear devastation. When he learns that his former island home has largely survived the blasts, Isaac leads the young Coasties in his care toward Cedar Key, toward the unresolved hurt and betrayals he left behind there, toward a life and death collision with the islanders and the ghosts of his past. \u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 268\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.61 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e June 07, 2025\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42319409774647,"sku":"9798998638510","price":17.23,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0561\/5969\/8999\/files\/i0FeexLIow9798998638510.webp?v=1783962183"},{"product_id":"godspeed-cedar-key-paperback","title":"Godspeed, Cedar Key - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eMichael Presley Bobbitt\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cem\u003eGodspeed Cedar Key\u003c\/em\u003e isn't another end of the world book; it is a despite the end of the world book.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eCedar Key is an island dangling off the western coast of Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. On a chilly February morning, the horizon across the bay is enveloped in a microsecond of piercing light, and in an instant the old world is gone forever. Fires burn on horizons around the planet but the heat eventually gives way to the creeping monotone of the skies. The gray sets in overhead and all around, determined to keep the sun away from the land and waters. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eIn the new world, 300 islanders must learn to survive in the footprints of their forebears, battling invaders from the mainland, disease and natural disasters, and the compounding dread of hearing almost nothing from the wider world. This anti-dystopian novel is a quiet ode to the essential need for humans to live in true community with one another. Despite the loss of most technologies and modern comforts, the islanders persevere in the face of hardship and death-- burying their loved ones in the morning and planting spring vegetables in the afternoon. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe deep friendship between the island's mayor and an eccentric clam farmer underpin a story spanning three centuries of Cedar Key history. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003eThe triumphs and failures of past generations echo into the new world, as the islanders learn to lean on each other and their shared history. The Gulf's rich bounty and destructive power are a thrilling setting for a life-affirming story where love and friendship push back against the darkness.\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 334\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.75 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e February 03, 2024\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42319409807415,"sku":"9798218360849","price":19.42,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0561\/5969\/8999\/files\/O9EW4yXeon9798218360849.webp?v=1783962193"},{"product_id":"paradise-is-deadly-gripping-tales-from-floridas-gulf-coast-paperback","title":"Paradise is Deadly Gripping Tales from Florida's Gulf Coast - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003eWendy Dingwall\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eMartha Reed\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor), \u003cb\u003eBarbara Ryan\u003c\/b\u003e (Editor)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"Florida Man,\" one look at a headline beginning with those words sets up the expectation for a story that is ... well, a story that could only happen in Florida. From Florida crackers to Ybor City mobsters, touristy amusement parks to prehistoric native sites, the 20 talented authors of the Florida Gulf Coast Chapter of Sisters in Crime present a collection of crime fiction stories worthy of Floridians.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eParadise is Deadly\u003c\/strong\u003e takes readers on a romp along Florida's Gulf Coast past and present.\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\"The stories range from creepy to terrifying to old-school whodunit to just plain fun. Their plots revolve around archaeological digs, murder for hire, and the accurate pricing of second-hand designer purses. All use the details that make this state stand out from the other forty-nine: the weather, alligators, Florida Man, and of course, a skunk ape.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e- Lisa Black, New York Times Best-Selling Author\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 278\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 0.63 x 9 x 6 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e July 24, 2023\u003c\/div\u003e\n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42319462793271,"sku":"9781949281248","price":18.34,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0561\/5969\/8999\/files\/YbGXmHXx8T9781949281248.webp?v=1783963629"},{"product_id":"a-land-remembered-paperback","title":"A Land Remembered - Paperback","description":"\u003cdiv\u003e\u003cp style=\"text-align: right;\"\u003e\u003ca href=\"https:\/\/reportcopyrightinfringement.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"nofollow\"\u003e\u003cb\u003eReport copyright infringement\u003c\/b\u003e\u003c\/a\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\u003cp\u003eby \u003cb\u003ePatrick D. Smith\u003c\/b\u003e (Author)\u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Land Remembered\u003c\/i\u003e has been ranked #1 Best Florida Book eight times in annual polls conducted by Florida Monthly Magazine. \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eIn this best-selling novel, Patrick Smith tells the story of three generations of the MacIveys, a Florida family who battle the hardships of the frontier to rise from a dirt-poor Cracker life to the wealth and standing of real estate tycoons. The story opens in 1858, when Tobias MacIvey arrives in the Florida wilderness to start a new life with his wife and infant son, and ends two generations later in 1968 with Solomon MacIvey, who realizes that the land has been exploited far beyond human need. The sweeping story that emerges is a rich, rugged Florida history featuring a memorable cast of crusty, indomitable Crackers battling wild animals, rustlers, Confederate deserters, mosquitoes, starvation, hurricanes, and freezes to carve a kingdom out of the swamp. But their most formidable adversary turns out to be greed, including finally their own. Love and tenderness are here too: the hopes and passions of each new generation, friendships with the persecuted blacks and Indians, and respect for the land and its wildlife. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003e\u003ci\u003eA Land Remembered\u003c\/i\u003e was winner of the Florida Historical Society's Tebeau Prize as the Most Outstanding Florida Historical Novel. Now in its 14th hardcover printing, it has been in print since 1984 and is also available in trade paperback.\u003ch3\u003eAuthor Biography\u003c\/h3\u003e\u003cp\u003eA native of Mendenhall, Mississippi, \u003cb\u003ePatrick D. Smith\u003c\/b\u003e earned both a B.A. and a master's degree in English from the University of Mississippi. He moved to Florida in 1966 and began writing the novels about Florida that would make bring him lifelong recognition: \u003ci\u003eThe River Is Home\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Beginning\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eForever Island\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAngel City\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eAllapattah\u003c\/i\u003e, and \u003ci\u003eA Land Remembered\u003c\/i\u003e. Smith was nominated three times for the Pulitzer Prize: in 1973 for \u003ci\u003eForever Island\u003c\/i\u003e; in 1978 for \u003ci\u003eAngel City\u003c\/i\u003e, which was produced as a movie of the week for CBS TV; and in 1984 for \u003ci\u003eA Land Remembered\u003c\/i\u003e, which was an Editors' Choice selection of the \u003ci\u003eNew York Times Book Review\u003c\/i\u003e. In the annual statewide Best of Florida poll conducted by \u003ci\u003eFlorida Monthly Magazine\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eA Land Remembered\u003c\/i\u003e has been ranked #1 Best Florida Book eight times. In 1985 Smith's lifetime work was nominated for the Nobel Prize for Literature. In 1999 he was inducted into the Florida Artists Hall of Fame, which is the highest cultural honor bestowed by the state of Florida. In May 2002 Smith was the recipient of the Florida Historical Society's Fay Schweim Award as the \"Greatest Living Floridian.\" The one-time-only award was established to honor the one individual who has contributed the most to Florida in recent history. Additionally, Smith earned the 2012 Florida Lifetime Achievement Award for Writing presented by the Florida Humanities Council. The judges felt that \"Patrick Smith's books have been hugely significant to the citizens of Florida . . . [and] that \u003ci\u003eA Land Remembered\u003c\/i\u003e is an iconic Florida book that has resonated with generations of Floridians in helping people understand the history of this remarkable state.\"\u003c\/p\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eNumber of Pages:\u003c\/strong\u003e 416\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eDimensions:\u003c\/strong\u003e 1.31 x 8.91 x 6.01 IN\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePublication Date:\u003c\/strong\u003e September 01, 1996\u003c\/div\u003e\n            \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\u003cstrong\u003eAccelerated Reader:\u003c\/strong\u003e\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eQuiz Name:\u003c\/strong\u003e Land Remembered: Volume 2\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eInterest Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e Middle Grades, 4-8\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003eReading Level:\u003c\/strong\u003e 5.7\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n                \u003cdiv\u003e\n\u003cstrong\u003ePoint Value:\u003c\/strong\u003e 9\u003c\/div\u003e\n                \n            ","brand":"Books by splitShops","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":42319668674615,"sku":"9781561641161","price":16.95,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0561\/5969\/8999\/files\/Kf56d89Xc9781561641161.webp?v=1783964635"}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0561\/5969\/8999\/collections\/Kf56d89Xc9781561641161_d8058728-99ab-4273-9395-f47b0d30ead6.webp?v=1784316393","url":"https:\/\/thewaterstate.com\/collections\/fiction-books.oembed","provider":"The Water State","version":"1.0","type":"link"}