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Although I did my schooling in Oregon, I aint one of those illegitimate folks, I can read. I thought as we enter the winter internet bickering season a thread with some good book titles would help ease the winter doldrums. Here's a few that get a thumbs up from me.

These are all true tales of adventure and survival that I had a hard time putting down.

"Skeletons on the Zahara" Dean King. This is a true story of some sailors that wrecked on the african coast in the 1800's and where captured & enslaved by Arabs. It tells of their misadventure and eventual escape

"The Long Walk" King, Bachman. This is the tale of a Polish calvary officer that was captured and sent to Siberia in the 40's, the people he meets and their escape by foot. The blighters walked all the way to India

"My Old Man & The Sea" This is the tale of an ageing father and his son and their trip around the Horn in a 25' sail boat. It's a great story of not only their adventure but also the dynamics between father and son.

"Ship of Gold" Kindler. Helluva a tale about the wreck, search & salvage of a sidewheeler that went down of the east coast. The ship carried about 600 folks, all returning from the CA gold fields and tons of gold. The book covers the historical aspects of the ship and passengers, and the crazy engineering school graduate that had the moxy to thing outside the box to do the impossible.

When you tire of true tales and what to laugh untill your sides hurt, try anything by Karl Hiasson

enjoy
 
Also Striper Wars, by Dick Russell. A reality check on the health of the species. Shadow Divers by Robert Kurson. A deep dive search of a German U-boat. And no one should even leave the dock without a Hiasson on board!
 
I am reading "The future of Freedom" by fareed zakaria. Its really interesting. How we and other countries won our freedom and how many countries in the world will win thiers in the future.

Also reading at the same time. " How the world got flat" by freidman. Forgot his first name. Its about how computers + cheap bandwith is and has been changing the way we buy and sell things. Also how the third world is becoming the first world with out leaving home. Really good read for anyone that does anything really. Did you know that your tax accountant is having your taxes done in India while both of you are sleeping and that the voice at the drive thru may not be in the same state as you when you order your fries??
 
Here are my recommendations:

Where the Sea Breaks Its Back. (ISBN:0-88240-394-X) The story of Georg Stellar's passage (and shipwreck) during the Vitus Bering expedition in 1741. REALLY a good historic/adventure read.

Recently finished: Paddle to the Amazon by Don Starkell (ISBN: 0-7088-4266-6). Starkell and his son set forth from Winnipeg (...as in Canada!) in a 21 foot canoe, paddling down the Mississippi. Two years and 12,000 miles later they arrived in Belem (Brazil) after quite an Adventure!

Just started reading: The Fourth Turning by William Strauss and Neil Howe. ISBN: 0-7679-0046-4. Published in 1997, they suggest that we are in a cyclic history that generally lasts 70-80 years, or, about the time it takes for generations to loose/forget the lessons of their grandparents. Some of the items they predict(ed) are pretty amazing considering the book was published in 1997!

...so many books, so little Time.

Casey
C-Dory Naknek
 
Good topic. Here are a couple of my favorites. Both about the British Columbia coast and both by and about the life of Jim Spilsbury.

"Spilsbury's Coast" is a story about Jim Spilsbury's life running a boat up and down the B.C. coast before WWII, selling and servicing radios. It's a funny and fascinating look at the people who populated the areas like Desolation Sound where many of us now cruise.

The second book is "The Accidental Airline" about Jim's starting an airline in B.C. during WWII. Those guys were tough. Talk about brutal competition.

Great books about interesting characters in B.C.'s history. I'm not sure who published "Spilsbury's Coast", but "The Accidental Airline" was published by Harbour Publishing Co. Ltd
Lyle
 
I just finished reading “Cruising the Maine Coast” by Morten Lund, copyright 1967. I’ve read this book many times since it was first published, and have concluded that this is my favorite coastal cruising book. This book should be a model for cruising books for every part of the US. In particular, for us C-Dory cruisers, this book is the story of a two-week cruise of the ME coast in a 21’ outboard powered Grady White, Atlantic weekender.
To paraphrase the Preface: This book has a photographic approach to the splendors of the Maine coast. Those familiar with it will recognize, nostalgically the captured sensations. Those who have yet to cruise here will be enchanted. The book is also practical. It has a Model cruise plan, embodied in a series of charts and courses. And, there is a log of a two week cruise spiced with some hints on the art of happy cruising and a touch of historical background.
I think Mr. Lund has written 2 other books on cruising, which I haven’t yet seen: “The Inside Passage to Alaska” from 1965, and “Eastward on five sounds: Cruising from New York to Nantucket". If these are nearly as good as the ME coast book, they should be of interest to C-Dory cruisers.

Rick from Maine
 
Rick-

Sounds like very interesting reading!

Does the 1967 publication date make the information significantly out of date?

I know the geography and geology doesn't change, but accomodations, restraunts, and local businesses do.

Also, marine regulations, navigation information, security issues, and the technology involved in staying afloat and out of trouble have changed a bit in the 39 years since 1967.

Still it wouldn't make the information less interesting, just in need of updating. Joe.
 
Hi Joe,

Interestingly, although the model cruise happened 40 years ago, almost all of the info is still applicable. ( That could be an indicator of how little things change Down East!) I think that the reason that the info is still peritinent is because: 1 the info is at a high level, and 2. There isn't a lot of specific logistic type info ( which does get dated faster). For Example, the book indicates harbors where fuel was obtained, but not necessarily the specific Marina ( although I'll bet 90% of mentioned Marinas are still active).

Another aspect which is timeless is the location, and orientations of harbors, which is key in planning a cruise.

Rick from Maine
 
Just got back from the San Diego soiree, and few people had read the greatest book on the California coastline:

Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Dana.

In the 30 years of cruising the coast, I've enjoyed thinking about how Calif. looked >150 years ago. This includes San Diego, San Francisco/Yerba Buena, LA, Santa Barbara, even Dana Point. Great book, great story.

Boris
 
OK, I recently finished The Curve of Time, by M. Wylie Blanchet, and thought it was fantastic, couldn't put it down...will definitely re-read. Patty on the other hand couldn't get into it. Highly recommended by 50% of the Daydream crew.

I also am about half way through a re-reading of Pig War Islands, by David Richardson, and as my familiarity with the geography of the San Juans has increased, my appreciation of this book has increased proportionately. Anybody who loves the San Juans will love this book!
 
I agree with the Pig war Islands. In fact the book is part of the extended library on Anna Leigh. Five books in all. I am going to re-read it during the Ketchikan trip.
 
Just read a new book called Knowing the Enemy by Mary Habeck. Scholarly but very readable work on the Quranic interpretations that underpin the extreme Jihadist point of view. Not jingoistic or alarmist in style, but at the end of 179 pages one can't but come away with the realization that these guys -- Al Qaida, Hizb-Tahir, etc. -- truly believe they are on a mission from God to reestablish the Caliphate, and that any Muslims who follow a more traditional or moderate interpretation of the Quran and the hadith are apostate agents for the forces of evil (i.e., us). Drove home to me that war on terrorism is truly a war of ideas whose operational theater is the Muslim umma itself.

On a far lighter note, also read Testimonies, Patrick O'Brian's first novel. This book had nothing to do with ships or sea (O'Brian is author of the wonderful Aubrey-Maturin series that began with Master and Commander). Takes place in a small Welsh sheep farming community. Beautifully written, sad and uplifting at the same time.
 
Glad this thread got resurrected -

After finishing The Fourth Turning, I feel compelled to comment. The book presents some very interesting ideas, and certainly a wealth of historical information to support their theory; but ye god's they needed an editor.

The book takes about 350 pages to present ideas (and background material) that could probably have been done in 175 pages. Don't get me wrong, I think their concept(s) are Extremely interesting, but Howe/Strauss just hammer-and-hammer the same idea and proofs, and it put me off after I'd "gotten" the idea. Enough all ready!

If you're interested in where we may be going as a culture, read the book. In essence: we are on the cusp of what they call a "Critical Turning" that will be of the magnitude of the Great Depression (but not necessarily a parallel of the Depression...). And this "Fourth Turning" (aka the "Critical turning") will kick-off sometime in the mid-to-late first decade of this century. Hmmm...I guess we're there, eh? Pretty prescient, considering they published the book in 1997.

Interesting Times, for sure.

Casey
C-Dory Naknek
 
I recently re-read "The Last Hero" by Peter Forbath. It's a novelized account of Henry Morton Stanley’s (Dr. Livingston, I presume) expedition to rescue Emin Pasha, the governor of Sudan’s Equatoria state after General Gordon and the rest of the British in Sudan had been overrun by the Dervishes. Stanley was a fascinating guy. He was a Welshman who came to the US as a teenager and fought in the Civil war (for both sides - he started as a confederate, but after being captured, was recruited to the union army from a POW camp). His Emin Pasha expedition was all about Stanley’s fame and fortune, and nothing about rescuing Emin Pasha, but it's a heck of a story. A surprising amount of boating involved, too.

Jim
 
Jeff and I love to read John Sandford detective thriller type books. He was reading one today where the main character was checking out C-Dory boats! I thought that was pretty neat!

Julie
 
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