Tagged: ship
Pirate Hunters
Pirate Hunters: Treasure, Obsession, and the Search for a Legendary Pirate Ship by Robert Kurson, 5/5
This is one of those rare real-life stories that is crazier than fiction. The author does a great job of weaving in historical and biographical information about all the main characters, without losing momentum. I read the whole book in one day and stayed up until 2am to find out how it ended. Ultimately, I thought the ending was a bit anti-climactic, due in part to the photo insert (which felt inadequate, while also providing spoilers), but also due to the interventions of human nature and bureaucracy in an otherwise fantastical tale. However, I had no hesitation recommending the audio book to my husband and have ordered Kurson’s Shadow Divers, which is referenced in this book, from the library.
Why I read it: I salvaged it from my mother-in-law’s thrift store donation pile.
The Boats of the “Glen Carrig” and Other Nautical Adventures
The Boats of the “Glen Carrig and Other Nautical Adventures by William Hope Hodgson, 3/5
Taken singly, these stories are fun in a kitschy way, but overall, the effect is repetitive and hackneyed. Maybe the editor’s introduction about Hodgson’s writing career tainted my perspective, but I got the feeling throughout that the author was writing more for a financial inlet than a creative outlet. There were a few brief moments when I thought “Oh, he is capable of higher quality writing and insightful observations when he cares to be,” but they were lost in the endless “weeds” that the ships in his stories all-too-inevitably encountered.
Why I read it: one of the few remaining entries on the list of 10 Forgotten Fantastical Novels You Should Read Immediately that I have left to read.
OmniRambles 