40 books by San Diego Authors

What’s better than a good book? A good book written by your neighbor (or former neighbor). Brew up a batch of your favorite tea or coffee and get ready to meet your next read, because we’re talking about locally written books in San Diego.

Fiction

• “The Vanishing Half” by Brit Bennett | Release date: June 2, 2020 | The Oceanside-born author tells the story of identical twins who separate as teens + deal with their racial identity very differently.
• “Endless Blue Sky” by Josh Turner | Release date: Oct. 1, 2018 | A look at self-medication + the limits of sunshine, told through the narrative of Jeff Ashby.
• “One Tiger One Teen” by Pete Peterson | Release date: April 1, 2020 | A 17-year-old wants to catch a tiger and release it as his senior prank, but things don’t go as planned.
• “How to Set Yourself on Fire” by Julia Dixon Evans | Release date: May 8, 2018 | When Sheila’s grandmother dies, she inherits a box of love letters from a man who’s not her grandfather.
• “The Dawn Patrol” by Don Winslow | Release date: June 16, 2009 | The Julian-based author tells the story of an avid surfer + private investigator who gets the ride of his life while exploring a case.
• “Inside Threat” by Matthew Quirk | Release date: June 13, 2023 | In this thriller, the White House is breached and the president is sent to a doomsday bunker, only to discover the threat is locked inside, too.
• “Kiss Me, Mi Amor” by Alana Quintana Albertson | Release date: July 4, 2023 | The second book in the “Love & Tacos” series, this story follows Enrique, the heir to a fast food empire who tries to win over agricultural hotshot Carolina.
• “Chameleon: A Black Box Thriller” by Remi Adeleke | Release date: July 25, 2023 | The Chula Vista author — and former US Navy SEAL — tells the story of an elite CIA special operation branch addressing an international hostage situation.
• “Mister Magic: A Novel” by Kiersten White | Release date: Aug. 8, 2023 | Two former child stars reunite to discover secrets about their show’s host in this thriller with a dose of 1990s nostalgia.

For the family

• “Flash Facts” by Mayim Bialik | Release date: Feb. 2, 2021 | The San Diego-born “Blossom” actress + neuroscientist curates stories to answer some of your burning questions — with some help from the Scarlet Speedster.
• “When Mom Feels Great Then We Do Too” written by Phyllis Schwartz + illustrated by Siski Kalla| Release date: Sept. 2, 2022 | The Encinitas-based author teaches families how small gestures can help a parent battling cancer.
• “Once Upon a Forest” written + illustrated by Pam Fong | Release date: Feb. 8, 2022 | A marmot helps show kindness to animals + the environment by helping a forest recover from a wildfire.
• “The Spirit of Chicano Park/El Espíritu del Parque Chicano” written by Beatrice Zamora + illustrated by Meza Maira | Release date: April 20, 2020 | A bilingual story of two children learning about the 1970 founding of the historic park in Logan Heights.
• “Freddie vs. the Family Curse” by Tracy Badua | Release date: May 3, 2022 | The San Diego resident + author shares the story of a Filipino-American boy who teams up with his ancestors to break a generational curse.
• “Icky Micky” written by Victoria Bennett + illustrated by Mike Motz | Release date: July 8, 2022 | This rhyming book by the Carmel Valley author follows a boy trying to discover why gets called a gross nickname.
• “The Lorax” by Dr. Seuss | Release date: Aug. 12, 1971 | The classic story about preserving nature is believed to have been inspired by the trees at Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla, which Dr. Seuss could see from his home.
• “Big Tree” written and illustrated by Brian Selznick | Release date: April 4, 2023 | This acclaimed children’s book tells the story of two sycamore seeds who get separated from their mother and must navigate a dangerous world to grow big.
• “The Takeout” by Tracy Badua | Release date: May 9, 2023 | Follow the story of Mila and her family’s Filipino-Indian food truck — and how a celebrity chef’s new restaurant threatens to run her family’s business out of town.
• “Barrio Rising: The Protest That Built Chicano Park” written by María Dolores Águila + illustrated by Magdalena Mora | Release date: June 18, 2024 | This colorful book — available in both English and Spanish — explores the community activism that shaped Chicano Park in Barrio Logan.

Photo via Michael Beausoleil + SDtoday

Learn something new

• “See You at San Diego: An Oral History of Comic-Con, Fandom, and the Triumph of Geek Culture” by Mathew Klickstein | Release date: Sept. 6, 2022 | Travel through time and discover how Comic-Con became a home for many voices.
• “Slave Revolt on Screen: The Haitian Revolution in Film and Video Games” by Alyssa Goldstein Sepinwall | Release date: May 28, 2021 | The Cal State San Marcos professor analyzes how films + video games have depicted the slave revolt with focus on the Haitian Revolution.
• “Abandoned San Diego” by Jessica D. Johnson | Release date: Feb. 25, 2019 | Discover local history by visiting sites in various states of deterioration.
• “Sam the Cooking Guy: Between the Buns” by Sam “The Cooking Guy” Zien | Release date: May 17, 2022 | The local chef, restaurateur, and YouTube star teaches you to make burgers, sandwiches, tacos, burritos, hot dogs + more.
• “Modern Jewish Breads: Recipes from North Shore to South Bay” by Marissa Wojcik | Release date: June 13, 2023 | The baker and blogger shares recipes that focus on modern updates to traditional Jewish babka and challah that connect Wojcik to her family, identity, and heritage. Chicago-style Hot Dog Babka, anyone?
• “Fearless Women: Feminist Patriots from Abigail Adams to Beyoncé” by Elizabeth Cobbs | Release date: March 7, 2023 | The UC San Diego alumna, who later worked for her alma mater and San Diego State University, highlights the lives of women who made impacts on women’s rights.
• “Forgotten San Diego” by David Marshall and Eileen Magno | Release date: Aug. 28, 2023 | Take a look into San Diego’s past with 200 historic postcards.
• “Smarer

Part of a series

• “Then She Vanished” by T. Jefferson Parker | Release date: Aug. 11, 2020 | The most recent installment of the Roland Ford series follows the private investigator as he searches for a rising politician’s missing wife.
• “The Drama Club: Senior Year” by Denise J Smith | Release date: Jan. 15, 2021 | Six teens spend their final year of high school performing in the drama club and confronting issues like racism + homophobia.
• “Balboa Firefly” by Jack Trolley | Release date: 1994 | The first book in a four-part series following fast-paced police sergeant Tommy Donahoo.
• “The Sea Fairies” by L. Frank Baum | Release date: 1911 | This installment in “The Oz Series” draws inspiration from Coronado, where Baum spent many winters.
• “A Shadow Cast in Dust” by Ben Johnson | Release date: May 11, 2014 | The first of the “Webworld Trilogy,” Stewart Zanderson escapes his captors with a mysterious knife — set in Golden Hill.
• “The Invisible City” by John W. Wells III | Release date: Aug. 28, 2023 | This book is the San Diego native’s latest installment in “The Kalib Andrews Chronicles,” a fantasy series about a teen who is forced into a war to fulfill an ancient prophecy.
• “Odyssey’s End” by Matt Coyle | Release date: Nov. 14, 2023 | The tenth — and most recent — entry in the Rick Cahill series features the protagonist handling a missing person case gone awry in hopes of reuniting with his own family.

Photo by Michael Beausoleil + SDtoday

Personal stories

• “Blood of the Band: An Ipai Family Story” by David L. Toler Jr. | Release date: Nov. 1, 2015 | A story of the Ipai — aka Kumeyaay — the native people of San Diego County and their deep-rooted history.
• “They Poured Fire on Us From the Sky: The True Story of Three Lost Boys from Sudan” by Judy A. Bernstein, Alephonsion + Benson Deng, and Benjamin Ajak | Release date: 2005 | The story of two brothers + a cousin who escaped from Sudan’s civil war.
• “Angel Blue: A Song of Redemption” by Forrest Lang | Release date: June 27, 2022 | A former foster child learns to accept himself and finds success after his time serving in Iraq.
• “Float Me Away, Floodwaters” by Adam Gnade | Release date: Oct. 5, 2020 | The San Diego-born author takes a look at life outside of the city, in small towns that have been largely forgotten.
• “A California Love Story” by John W. Thill| Release date: May 19, 2023 | The Oceanside author tells the love story of his grandparents using personal letters dating back to 1925.
• “Honeymoon at Sea: How I Found Myself Living on a Small Boat” by Jennifer Silva Redmond | Sept. 19, 2023 | The SoCal author and local editor shares the story of living on a 26-ft sailboat — and how it shaped the early currents of her marriage.
• “The House of Hidden Meanings: A Memoir” by RuPaul | Release date: March 5, 2024 | The TV personality, drag superstar, and San Diego native shares a deeply personal story of discovery, found family, and self-acceptance.

Need more recommendations? Stop by Warwick’s, Mysterious Galaxy Bookstore, La Playa Books, or shop used at Verbatim Books, to get expert advice from San Diego’s local booksellers.