36 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 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 creation of the historic park in Logan Heights, founded in 1970.
• “Freddie vs. the Family Curse” by Tracy Badua | Release date: May 3, 2022 | A historically + culturally-based story of a Filipino-American boy that 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 environmentally-friendly book is believed to have drawn inspiration from La Jolla, where the author once lived.
• “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.

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 the local celebration 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.

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 4-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.

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 northern San Diego County and their history with our land.
• “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 letters dating back to 1925.

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. 📚