The Hawaii movies, books and songs to inspire your holiday

Here are some movies, soundtracks and books to get you in a Hawaiian state of mind.

Hawaii Movies/Series

• Jurassic Park: Steven Spielberg filmed key scenes in the 1993 movie at Kualoa Ranch on Oahu and on the steep ravines in Kauai.
• The Descendants: George Clooney won a Golden Globe Best Actor award for the 2011 Oscar-nominated The Descendants, set and filmed in Oahu and Kauai.
• Anthony Bourdain’s No Reservations episode on Hawaii.
• The Somebody Feed Phil episode on Hawaii.

Steven Spielberg filmed key scenes in the 1993 movie at Kualoa Ranch on Oahu.

Hawaii Music

• Israel Kamakawiwoole instantly transports you to Hawaii with his mellifluous voice and delicate ukulele tunes. Listen to Over the Rainbow and White Sandy Beach of Hawaii.
• Gabby Pahinui was a master of the Hawaiian slack key guitar and Hiilawe is one of his all-time classic songs that was reprised in the movie The Descendants.
• Kealii Reichel is a Hawaiian musician and teacher of traditional Hawaiian music and hula.

Hawaii by James Mitchener tells the history of the Hawaiian Islands.

Hawaii Books

• Hawaii by James Mitchener tells the history of Hawaiian Islands from their creation to the time they became a state of the USA, through the viewpoints of selected characters who represent their ethnic and cultural groups in the story.
• Wind, Wings and Waves by Rick Soehren offers an excellent introduction to Hawaii’s natural history including the coral reefs, volcanoes, night sky and flora and fauna.
• Shark Dialogues by Kiana Davenport is a multi-generational family novel interweaving the history of Hawaii with the story of a powerful Hawaiian matriarch and her four mixed-race granddaughters.
• Cook Real Hawaii by Sheldon Simeon offers Hawaiian fusion recipes spiced with a new spirit. One of the New York Times’ best cookbooks of 2021.