By Alegria Barclay, MS Librarian
I hope you’re all happily gearing up for a relaxing break next week! In honor of Songkran, I thought I’d select books where water plays an integral part in the story or is key to the theme in some way. I’ve tried to include a wide range of genres and styles to pique everyone’s interest…enjoy!
The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman: For those of you who are Gaiman fans, this novel fits pleasingly within his larger canon and will appeal to readers of both his comics and adult novels. If you’ve never read Gaiman before, than dive into a world woven out of half-forgotten dreams, ancient mythologies, a hint of darkness, and a healthy dose of magical realism. The Ocean at the End of the Lane is, on the surface, a story of a middle-aged man returning home for a funeral where he finds himself drifting into memories of his childhood. On a deeper level, it is very much about childhood and innocence lost and the ways in which we bury the past. A quietly thrilling read…
To the Lighthouse by Virginia Woolf: Considered by many to be one of the top 100 books ever written, this modernist masterpiece is one of Woolf’s most famous books. Set on the Isle of Skye, the novel unfolds over a decade and follows the interconnected lives of the Ramsey family and their group of friends. It falls somewhere in between prose and poetry and is told through numerous points of view that blend beautifully together. In some ways, the narration mirrors the ebb and flow of the ocean and is reminiscent of the the more intimate rise and fall of our thoughts.
The Captain’s Verses by Pablo Neruda: Is there any book of poetry that better captures the ferocity of first love? Perhaps not. Written while Neruda was exiled on the island of Capri, this slender book of poetry describes in passionate detail his intense love for his future wife, Matilde. At turns agonized, erotic, and breath-taking, The Captain’s Verses returns continually to the sea as metaphor for Matilde and the hold she has over him.
The Wild Places by Robert McFarlane: This is quite simply one of the most inspiring and unusual books I’ve read in a great while. Haunting and evocative, this philosophical travelogue explores the last wild places left in England and Ireland. McFarlane took it upon himself to journey to the far reaches of the islands in search of wildness–traveling through salt marshes, cliffs, moors, and lonely beaches. I can’t describe how stunning his prose is or how much this book will make you long for a moment to simply be in nature in all its glorious wilderness.
The Encyclopedia of Early Earth by Isabel Greenberg: A strikingly illustrated fable turned graphic novel of the long-forgotten early history of Earth. It follows the story of one young man who paddles from the North Pole to the South Pole where he encounters his soulmate. Unfortunately, their respective birthplaces means that they cannot touch each other due to polar magnetization. Sounds bizarre? It is and delightfully so! Don’t believe me? It’s one of TIME’s best fiction books of 2013 and one of NPR’s Great Reads of 2013.
Endurance: Shackleton’s Incredible Voyage by Alfred Lansing: And now for some non-fiction! Many are perhaps already aware of Shackleton’s incredible story of survival and sheer force of will. But, if you’re not or have never read a narrative account of it than this is the book for you! In 1914, Shackeleton attempted to cross the Antartic overland but his ship, the Endurance, was destroyed. Shackleton and his crew miraculously and heroically survived in arguably one of the most inhospitable places on Earth for over five months. The story is stranger than fiction and well worth a read!
If you’d like to read more stories that deal with the theme of water, check out the Guardian’s collection of Water Short Stories written by some of today’s best writers