Hurricane Season and Hurricane Fiction

A stormy day at Pensacola Beach.

June 1st is the start of Hurricane Season. Here on the Gulf Coast we take this time of year seriously. Hurricanes are no laughing matter when they reach our coast. Nature's might is horrifying and awesome at the same time.

I have a love/hate relationship with hurricanes. I'm overwhelmed by their beauty, yet hate their destructive power. As a writer and artist I'm transfixed in the face of a storm, any storm, even a hurricane. I find myself searching for words and colors that describe the magnificent demon that dares to destroy all in its violent path.

As a school age child I first learned about hurricanes when I read A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes. From that moment on I had this great yearning to be in a hurricane, to experience that mighty destructive force first-hand. Now remember, I was just a kid and kids only think about the excitement, the thrill, and not the fact that hurricanes maim, kill, destroy. All I thought about was the power of the wind.

My interest in hurricanes is what first made me want to move to Florida, years before I actually moved here. Hurricanes and Florida have a long history and I thought that if I moved here I'd most likely experience a hurricane somewhere down the line. That was in my young, invincible days. As an adult I'd like to think that I'm older and wiser now. Well, I'm definitely "older," but still not sure about the "wiser" part. Now, though I still have a fascination with hurricanes, I'd just as soon they stay far away from Florida and the Gulf Coast.

My husband and I first moved to Florida back in 1982. Gee, was it that long ago? Both of our parents had retired to Florida, so it was a logical choice. Plus, my husband was born and raised in southern Alabama, so the Florida Panhandle was close to home for him. Anyway, this area had been ravaged back in 1979 by Hurricane Frederick. Though its landfall was Dauphin Island, Mobile, AL, the Florida Panhandle had a significant amount of damage. (Hurricane Frederick, Sept. 13, 1979)

On our first vacation to New Orleans, my husband drove us through beautiful Biloxi and Pass Christian, Mississippi where Hurricane Camille in 1969 devastated the area. (Hurricane Camille, Cat.5, Aug. 17-19, 1969)

A few years later, in 1985, Hurricanes Elena, Juan and Kate wrecked havoc on the Gulf Coast. (Hurricane Elena, Sept. 2, 1985, landfall near Biloxi, MS) (Hurricane Juan, Cat.1, Oct. 31, 1985, landfall near Pensacola, FL) (Hurricane Kate, late Nov. 1985, landfall near Port St. Joe, FL)

In 1995 Hurricane Opal hit the Florida Panhandle in the area of Pensacola Beach and Navarre Beach. In 2004 Hurricane Ivan, which made landfall in Gulf Shores, AL, pretty much destroyed Pensacola Beach. In 2005 Hurricane Dennis made landfall in Pensacola. It was followed by Hurricane Katrina which devastated all of the Mississippi Gulf Coast and flooded New Orleans. (Hurricane Opal, Cat.3, Oct. 4, 1995) (Hurricane Ivan, Cat.3, Sept. 16, 2004) (Hurricane Dennis, Cat.4, July 10, 2005) (Hurricane Katrina, Cat.5, Aug. 29, 2005)

Now once again we're facing another Hurricane Season. Those of us who live in hurricane prone areas diligently watch the weather forecasts. We eye the spaghetti pattern predictions of possible landfalls. We worry about highs and lows and weather patterns. We keep an eye on those tropical depressions birthed from the coast of Africa and watch them cross the Atlantic, heading west. The Caribbean? The Gulf of Mexico? The East Coast? Florida? The Florida Panhandle? No matter where a hurricane makes landfall, it leaves a path of destruction. We pretty much hope and pray the tropical storms and hurricanes do loop-de-loops through the Atlantic and leave the rest of us alone.

Now as I said in the title of this post, this has to do with Hurricane Season and Hurricane Fiction. Where does the fiction part come into play? Like I said, I have a fascination with hurricanes, so over the years I've found myself drawn to hurricane fiction. I'll pretty much read any work of fiction that has a hurricane as a major character.

On the off-chance that some of you out there have this same fascination with hurricanes, I've decided to list some of that great hurricane fiction. I've divided my lists up between Favorite Hurricane Fiction, Hurricane Fiction TBR on my Kindle, Hurricane Fiction on my Amazon Wish List, YA Hurricane Fiction and More Hurricane Fiction. There are some great reads in all these lists, so I hope you'll give some of them a try.

Favorite Hurricane Fiction:

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
Eyewall by H.W. "Buzz" Bernard
Hurricane by Karen Harper
Wading Home: A Novel of New Orleans by Rosalyn Story
Never Say Never by Lisa Wingate
Dungda de Islan' by C.L.R. Dougherty (non-fiction)
Hurricane, A Novel of the 1900 Galveston Hurricane by Janice Thompson
Hurricane, A Short Story by R. Narvaez 

Hurricane Fiction TBR on my Kindle:

Eye of the Storm by Denise Moncrief
Dancing in a Hurricane by Laura Breck
Hurricanes in Paradise by Denise Hildreth Jones
Anti-requiem: New Orleans Stories by Louis Maistros
Rooftop Diva, A Novel of Triumph After Katrina by D.T. Pollard
The Storm Killer by Mike Jastrzebski

Hurricane Fiction on my Amazon Wish List:

Summer Storms by Rebecca Lyn
The Hurricane by Hugh Howey
The Hurricane Lover by Joni Rodgers
Outcome, A Novel (There's more than a hurricane coming) by Barbara Ebel
Hurricane by Jenna Lynne Duncan
Hurricanes & Hangovers by Dear Miss Mermaid
Eye to Eye with a Hurricane by Audrey Phillips
Stormy Weather by Carl Hiaasen
Against the Wind by Virginia Kelly
Onslaught by Teri Thackston
When Seagulls Fly Inland by Ann Davis
The Storm is Coming: An Anthology by Various, Ed. by Sarah Holroyd
The Tin Roof Blowdown (Dave Robicheaux Mystery) by James Lee Burke

YA Hurricane Fiction:

A High Wind in Jamaica by Richard Hughes
Hurricane Song by Paul Volponi
Stolen by the Sea by Anna Myers
Back Creek by Leslie Goetsch
A Death on the Wolf  by G.M. Frazier
Oliver's Surprise (A Boy, a Schooner and the Great Hurricane of 1938) by Carol Newman Cronin
Cape Cod Surprise (Oliver Matches Wits with Hurricane Carol) by Carol Newman Cronin

More Hurricane Fiction:

In Hazard by Richard Hughes
Stormy Murder by Marthanne Shubert
Sugar Doll's Hurricane Blues by Kalua Lauber
Carolina Hurricane by Shannon Dauphin
Of Winds and Rage by F. Mark Granato
Down in the Flood by Kenneth Abel
Hurricane Warning by Ginger Simpson

I'm sure I've missed a lot of great hurricane fiction, so please feel free to comment below and mention other hurricane books (fiction and non-fiction) that you'd like to recommend. Also, at the bottom right column of my blog is a list of Hurricane Links for those who want more information about hurricanes.

Updated on 6/5/12 (see below)

Hurricane Non-Fiction (books that look interesting)

Hurricane Watch: Forecasting the Deadliest Storms on Earth by Dr. Bob Sheets & Jack Williams
Isaac's Storm (A Man, A Time & the Deadliest Hurricane in History) by Erik Larson
Infinite Monster (Hurricane Ike 2008, Galveston) by Rhiannon Meyers & Leigh Jones
Hurricane Audrey (The Deadly Storm of 1957) by Cathy C. Post
Island in a Storm (Aug. 10, 1856) by Abby Sallenger
Sudden Sea: The Great Hurricane of 1938 by R.A. Scotti
Hurricanes of the Gulf of Mexico by Barry D. Keim & Robert A. Muller
The Great Hurricane 1938 by Cherie Burns
Hurricane Camille: Monster Storm of the Gulf Coast by Philip D. Hearn
A Weekend in September by John Edward Weems
Last Train to Paradise by Les Standiford
Black Cloud (The Deadly Hurricane of 1928) by Eliot Kleinberg
The Great Deluge (Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans and...) Douglas G. Brinkley
Katrina, A Journey of Hope by Anthony Veltri
Hemingway's Hurricane by Phil Scott