Bitten: My Unexpected Love Affair with Florida

This love letter to the Sunshine State is a collection of witty observations and simple pleasures written by Furman, a professor of English at Florida Atlantic University (My Los Angeles in Black and (Almost) White), who left Pennsylvania for a new job in 1996. With almost childlike wonder and awe, he marvels at its sheer beauty and variety of nature, ignoring the overdevelopment, to focus on the sturdy live oak, coontie plants, local gardens abundant with vegetables and herbs, and the joy of fishing in the dark. The author, a bird watcher, exhibits his deep appreciation for the state’s feathered creatures such as orioles, cardinals, doves, woodpeckers, and his favorite, the burrowing owl. If Furman had totally bought the hype, he would not have mentioned the fierce rainy season, hurricanes, and the oppressive heat that bakes everything. He can tell an amusing tale when he hits his stride, especially as in the trip to Venus, Fla., or matching wits with squirrels, but sometimes he can be long-winded when, for example, writing on Thoreau in Florida. Still, this Furman book is not your usual travel guide; instead, it is a highly personal view of one man and his adopted paradise. (Apr.)