Books from Arizona authors to add to your winter reading list

With winter settling in, what better way to enjoy your free time than by snuggling up indoors with a good book?

If you’re searching for your next winter read, “Arizona Horizon” has featured several local authors and chatted about their books. We’ve put together a list so you can easily dive into these reads and make your winter days a bit cozier. Grab a blanket, a hot drink and get ready to lose yourself in the pages of these captivating stories!

For those inclined to explore beyond the winter collection, a gentle reminder to peruse the featured summer reads as well.

“Arizona National Parks and Monuments” by Roger Naylor

Travel and exploration enthusiasts will love this guide to Arizona’s parks by Roger Naylor. The book is filled with facts, history, anecdotes, humor and gorgeous photos of all 34 of our national park units.

Featuring 90 color photographs and maps, “Arizona National Parks and Monuments” details all 34 destinations with an overview of what makes each park unique, a thorough description and history and information about hiking trails, camping, boating, fishing, tours and more. It makes a perfect companion volume to Naylor’s bestselling book, “Arizona State Parks.”

You can learn more about the book and Naylor from his interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“Relentless” by Luis A. Miranda Jr.

“Relentless” is a fascinating narrative of the life and career of Luis Miranda, Lin-Manuel Miranda’s father, from his early days as a radically-minded Puerto Rican activist to his decades of political advising and problem-solving. The novel explores Miranda’s understanding of Latino culture and his connection to Puerto Rico, both through his own activism and that of his parents.

Learn more about Miranda and his book from his interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“Buffalo Dreamer” by Violet Duncan

From 1819 through the 1970s, nearly 1,000 Native American children died while attending residential boarding schools set up by the U.S. government. These residential schools forcibly removed Native children from their families and aimed to erase their identities.

Tempe-based author Violet Duncan, who is currently the Indigenous Cultural Advisor at the Tempe Center for the Arts, highlights the history of these residential schools through a new middle-grade novel that converges the past and the present.

You can learn more about the book and Duncan from her interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“The Murderess” by Laurie Notaro

Author Laurie Notaro leads us down a dark, winding and sensational rabbit hole with a historical fiction account of a famous criminal case that rocked the headlines.

It’s October 1931 when Winnie Ruth Judd arrives at the L.A. train station from Phoenix. Her shipping trunks catch the attention of a suspicious porter. By the time they’re pried open, revealing the dismembered bodies of two women inside, Judd has disappeared into the crowd.

You can learn more about the book and Notaro from her interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“A Race to the Bottom of Crazy” by Richard Grant

Arizona saw record-breaking heat and drought records and was running out of long-term water supplies. Yet these concerns weren’t keeping people away. Arizona was simultaneously experiencing some of the nation’s highest population growth. In “A Race to the Bottom of Crazy,” Grant mixes memoir, research and reporting to understand what makes Arizona such a confounding and irresistible place.

Learn more about Grant and his book from his interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“On The Verde River” by Phoebe Fox and Jim Fox

“On The Verde River” takes you through a journey of different parts of the river including the wildlife and the beauty of being outdoors. This book is designed for kids aged 8 and under. However, the back of the book has some interesting facts that adults will enjoy learning about. 

The book was funded by a grant from the Gerald Rosenbluth Foundation, and it celebrates one of Arizona’s longest free-flowing rivers.

You can learn more about the book and the authors from their interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“Hurricanes of Color” by Mike Frankel

In 1964, 15-year-old Mike Frankel found himself amongst photojournalists covering a Beatles concert during the band’s first tour in the U.S. Years later, he continued to photograph important events in American music history. He was able to photograph nearly every major rock figure from the 1960s and ’70s, including Led Zeppelin, Pink Floyd, the Rolling Stones, Janis Joplin and the Grateful Dead.

In his book, Frankel shared never-before-seen photos he took of the Beatles and has been sitting on for the past 60 years.

Learn more about Frankel and his book from his interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“The Days Before Tomorrow” by Mark Hass

Discover the compelling world of Mark Hass’s debut historical novel, “The Days Before Tomorrow,” which offers a poignant exploration of a Jewish family’s life in Western Ukraine between the World Wars. Set against the backdrop of rising anti-Semitism, this narrative follows the lives of a young man and his sister as they navigate the turbulent times that shaped their destiny.

Learn more about Hass and his book from his interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“Twisted But True” by Darren Burch

Sgt. Darren Burch is a former detective for the Phoenix Police Department. After working with Phoenix P.D. for nearly 30 years, Burch became an author and a podcaster. After retirement, Burch wrote an award-winning, true-crime book trilogy entitled, “Twisted But True.”

The trilogy is perfect for fans of crime novels, with dark and humorous stories based off of Burch’s own experiences on patrol, as a detective and as a detective sergeant.

Learn more about Burch and his books from his interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“Worst Case Scenario” by T.J. Newman

T.J. Newman’s thriller features a gripping tale of a pilot suffering a deadly widow-maker heart attack at 35,000 feet with a plane full of passengers. The plane crashes into a nuclear power plant in a small Minnesota town. Plant workers, plane personnel and the town come together to stop this catastrophic national crisis with global implications.

Newman, a former flight attendant of 10 years, draws on her own background to create her novels, with the first two being made into major motion pictures.

Learn more about Newman and the book from her interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“Emily & Aidan” by Miss Rose

Miss Rose is an accomplished illustrator, songwriter and author renowned for her “Emily & Aiden” children’s book series.

Her books are designed to impart essential life lessons to children aged 4 to 8 through engaging stories and adventures. Each book in the series combines imaginative storytelling with educational content, addressing themes such as personal growth, perseverance and empathy.

In addition to her written work, Miss Rose creates a complementing collection of songs, with over 100 tracks available across 23 streaming services in 249 countries. These songs enrich the reading experience, providing an interactive element helping children connect with the lessons in her books.

Learn more about Miss Rose and her books from her interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“All This & More” by Peng Shepherd

“All This & More” is about people’s choices including allure, power and the challenge of consequences. This book becomes interactive for readers as they get to choose the path of the main character, or they can completely read the whole book.

Marsh, the main character, is 45 years old, and her life is completely different than she expected it to be. Missing her chance at romance, a fulfilling career and adventure, she wants to restart her life all over again. Marsh is selected to be a star in the show “All This & More,” which uses technology to allow contestants to change their past life and present life. Marsh worries that this is too good to be true.

Learn more about Shepherd and her book from her interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy the book online.

“Jeremy Jackrabbit” by Sasha and Rodney Glassman

“Jeremy Jackrabbit” books help teach children about re-using Earth’s precious resources with illustrations done by students. The series of picture books is both educational and fun for kids of all ages, with important lessons in sustainability.

Authors Sasha and Rodney Glassman are the husband and wife team behind the series. The Glassman’s, both attorneys, are passionate about education, helping children and making their community a stronger and more sustainable place to live, work and raise a family.

Learn more about the Glassman’s and their books from their interview with “Arizona Horizon,” and buy a copy online or read online now.

For more literary content, learn about the rare book with notes by John Milton that was discovered in a Phoenix Library in a special segment on “Arizona Horizon.”

Enjoy more Arizona authors by reviewing our 2024 Summer Reading List!