Library

I have been informed of a couple reads already on this site alone, both of which top my list of latest (informative) finds.

I am anxious to know what else is out there awaiting my hungry brain!

AN ISLAND TO ONESELF which you can read on line at :

http://www.janesoceania.com/suvarov_tom_neale/index.htm

and ISLAND OF DESIRE.

To me, this is the best approach to getting off the dock. . .

Sensible Cruising: The Thoreau Approach by Don Casey and Lew Hackler. Available through Amazon and most book web sites.

For years of browsing and great nautical knowledge little beats The Oxford Companion to Ships and the Sea.

Don't pass up The Mirror of the Sea by Joseph Conrad.

The problem of books on board is that they take up valuable space. Even books on tape or CD, while taking up less space still need storage.

But I just found something great; Audible.com. Down load directly to your Ipod and chthink it's great...oose from literally thousands of titles. You can find Joseph Conrad, Slocum and tons of others that will get you through those dark mid watches when your bored out of your tree and can't have a light on to read a book.

And the prices are pretty good, too, compared with Itunes audiobooks. A couple of days ago I downloaded just over $90 worth of books for a little more than $30. All told 80 hours of good stuff.

Anyone else use Audible or another audio book source?

What a good idea

Happy New Year to all!

I have just discovered the author Michael Tougias. Has anyone read any of his books? Overboard, Fatal Forcast, Ten Hours Till Dawn?

Check out my new blog Write on the Water. Today's post is about favorite nautical books. http://writeonthewater.com/

I just read an account by Tom Neale of New Zealand of his self-imposed stay at the otherwise uninhabited island of Suvarov, part of the Cook island chain. His stay there was during the late 50's and early sixties. His book is called " An Island to One's Self" Here is a link to an condensed version.
http://www.janesoceania.com/suvarov_tom_neale/index.htm

Song Of The Sirens by Ernest K Gann. Pilot, sailor, author, screenwriter, and painter Gann's account of the purchase and conversion of the Dutch pilot schooner Albatross to a brigantine and his subsequent voyage to Tahiti with a crew of friends. The story of the Albatross is woven through Gann's recounting of all the vessels he has owned through the years, including adventures and mishaps that have befallen him through his sailing career.

White Jacket by Herman Melville. Based on Melville's experiences as a common seaman aboard the frigate USS United States, its graphic descriptions of flogging and the horrors caused by its arbitrary use. Because publisher Harper & Bros. made sure the book got into the hands of every member of congress, White Jacket was instrumental in abolishing flogging in the U.S. Navy forever. White-Jacket was published in the United States in March 1850. At the urging of New Hampshire senator John P. Hale, the United States Congress banned flogging on all U.S. ships in September, 1850.

I just put up a story about my single-handed trip from Key West to Isla Mujeres on https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/37782. You can read the first 20% for free and if you want to see how it turns out it will only set you back a buck. I put it up in preparation for posting my novel (with a nautical theme, of course) probably by the middle of next month.

You can download the story onto your Kindle, if you have on and a bunch of other formats.

If you're not interested in it, I wish you fair winds anyway.

My BOOK, DESPAIR!

a fictionalized account of the ill-fated fourth voyage of the Admiral of the Ocean Sea (Christopher Columbus) is now available to download to your Kindle at:

http://www.amazon.com/Despair-ebook/dp/B004LLIXT4/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF...

If you don't have a Kindle you can still get it by signing up for a free account at Smashwords.com

http://www.smashwords.com/books/view/39473

There it is available in various formats including Plain Text, PDF,

It's a bargain at only $2.99 and if you go to Smashwords you can read the first 50% for FREE.