Hi - I'm new to the Book Club. My usual diversion is logic puzzles that end up as pictures, and other "coloring book" type things - coloring mandalas, kalaidiscope (sp?) images, etc. I love math, drawing and color. Calms my brain.
But I've decided to return to reading. And I have a great book to recommend. I was told about the book because I'm good friends with the brother of the author -- don't go "UGH" yet!!! It's a quick read, can't-put-it-down type and very inspiring.
Black Wave by John and Jean Silverwood. I guess I don't have too much "say", being new the the Club, but I'd really recommend it get chosen as the next book. It really is a page-turner.
Here's Publisher's Weekly description: From Publishers Weekly
In 2003, after two years at sea, the 55-foot catamaran sailed by the Silverwoods, a suburban California family that chucked it all to sail around the world, hit a reef off the South Pacific island of Scilly (now known as Manuae), putting the life of Jean and John and their four children (ages five to 16) in peril. The first part of the book is written from Jean's perspective as she opens with the wreck and then moves smoothly between the family's fight for survival and the story of their journey. By juxtaposing the two tales, Jean illustrates how the children's maturity and cohesiveness were not only a byproduct of the trip but also the keys to all the Silverwoods surviving their ordeal, especially John, who was critically injured by the falling mast. Jean wears her heart on her sleeve, and her writing about her marital problems or John's alcoholic relapses is honest. John's narrative is half as long as Jean's, underscoring his straight-to-the point personality and writing style. The saga from John's perspective lacks emotion, but his ability to interweave the story of the Julia Anne (a sailing ship that hit the same reef in 1855) gives an eye-opening account of how much and how little sea travel has changed in 150 years and accentuates the heroism of this family that overcame an extraordinary ordeal.
Here's the review I wrote on Amazon.com:
A magnificently written tale. I got it in the mail after work, and had finished reading it by bedtime. You know that all the family members survived, so it's not any mystery that keeps you turning the pages. It's lots of things. A very accurate description of each moment that engage all your senses. Insightful descriptions of each "character", mostly done by describing their actions. Adventuresome little "marine biologist" Jack is my favorite. All the different ways each of them enjoy living on Earth, as well as how they deal with life. Straightforward and honest. Exciting - besides the final crash, there's storms and pirates and lots of sea creatures. Along the way it was humorous: "If we were going to die, we were going to die with our flip-flops on." (Not meant as a humorous statement, given the coral and the will to DO something, but humorous in spite of all that.) And educational, learning about what it's actually like to 'sail around the world' and learning about another ship that crashed on the same coral reef in the 1800's. It not only got my adrenaline going, but restored my spirits and my faith in human nature.
Here are all 20 reviews written on Amazon:
http://www.amazon.com/review/product/1400066557/ref=cm_cr_pr_link_1?%5Fencoding=UTF8&sortBy=bySubmissionDateDescendingAs I said in my review, "It not only got my adrenaline going, but restored my spirits and my faith in human nature." Although our AN experiences have mostly not been "emergency" situations, I know you'd all find similarities to the way the different family members reacted to the situation, and find comfort.
PS I'm also a big Tony Hillerman "Navajo cop and mystery" story buff, so one of his is another option I'd recommend sometime.
Ciao,
Dana
