2012 April Reading Challenge

[Ann]

The sinking of the Titanic has fascinated people the world over ever since the tragedy first occurred. With this April being the 100 year anniversary of the Titanic’s fateful maiden voyage, take a chance to read a book about or involving a shipwreck or nautical disaster of some sort, true or fictional, this month.

[Captain]

Thinking maybe or A Narrative Of The Mutiny, On Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty; And The Subsequent Voyage Of Part Of The Crew, In The Ship's Boat by William Bligh. Not exactly a shipwreck, but certainly a nautical disaster of some sort, followed by an awesome piece of navigation.

Both books available for free from Gutenberg.

[Marti]

Though not exactly the type of nautical disaster you intended with this challenge, I'm going to try (again) to read Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

[Captain]

I think MD has got to qualify. Do you know about Power Moby-Dick? On-line annotations and more.

[Jana]

I'm going to read Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I've always been a bit interested in it, and now have a good excuse to read it.

[Marnie]

The Heart of the Sea by Nathaniel Philbrick is unbelievable. The true story that inspired Moby Dick.

[JoAnn]

I just read Black Wave: A Family's Adventure at Sea and the Disaster That Saved Themwhich includes the accounts of two shipwrecks at the same location separated by about 150 years. It was a page turner and a nail biter. I read it in one sitting. It's available as an epub book through the library and I am returning it in the next few minutes... Loved the pictures, too!

[Ann]

Jana wrote: "I'm going to read Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I've always been a bit interested in it, and now have a good excuse to read it."

That one’s been on my too read list for quite a while too. I know I loved Stevenson’s Treasure Island, especially when the text was accompanied by N. C. Wyeth’s illustrations.

[Jana]

Ann wrote: "Jana wrote: "I'm going to read Kidnapped by Robert Louis Stevenson. I've always been a bit interested in it, and now have a good excuse to read it."

That one’s been on my too read list for quit..."

My husband told me I should read Treasure Island instead. I ordered Kidnapped from the library, so I'll read that one, but Treasure Island is definitely on my to read list!

[Becky]

I just finished, Voyage on the Great Titanic, a good book for young readers. I am hoping my daughter will read it since we just saw the movie, Titanic, last weekend. Now, I would like to read, A Night to Remember, which this book cited as the best book about the disaster.

[Jan]

I am going to read Fateful by Claudia Gray. It is set on the Titanic. It is a Young Adult paranormal. I loved Gray's Evernight series.

[Ann]

Becky wrote: "I just finished, Voyage on the Great Titanic, a good book for young readers. I am hoping my daughter will read it since we just saw the movie, Titanic, last weekend. Now, I would like to read, A Ni..."

I just stumbled across a new young adult book that recounts the experiences of various Titanic survivors while going through the new arrival books earlier this week. It’s called Titanic: Voices From the Disaster by Deborah Hopkinson. I just meant to read the inside flap, but quickly found myself skimming the pages wanting to find out more about different individuals and their stories of survival. A quick, interesting read.

[JoAnn]

I also read Adrift: Seventy-Six Days Lost at Sea. All I can say is WOW, what an experience. I also was struck by the obvious divine intervention which didn't immediately save him from the experience, but did most certainly assisted repeatedly with that which he could not do for himself.

[Jana]

I set aside Kidnapped to read Voyage on the Great Titanic, since I felt that better fit the theme and from what Becky said, it sounded good. I am also finished with it, and have really been enjoying it.

[Jan]

I am about 1/2 way through Fateful. It is so good and has a good bit if interesting info about the Titanic itself.

[Ann]

With the weekend ahead of us you still have a couple more days to finish reading something for this month’s reading challenge. Just make sure to let me know what you read by Monday, April 30, to get entered into this month’s drawing.

[Jana]

I did finish Voyage on the Great Titanic and loved it! Very well story of a Titanic survivor.

[Debbie]

I read Shipwreck by Richard Platt. My review: An incredible book, Shipwreck covers in a mere 72 pages lots of information about the history of all manner of things connected to shipwrecks. Included are a huge number of pictures of shipwrecks and some of their artifacts, lighthouses, rescuing and some of the tools, and wreck archaeology. There is a short description of the topic on a page or set of pages and then many captions around the several pictures, many photographic cut-outs, of artifacts or tools. It is an excellent introduction to various aspects of an overall topic that can whet an appetite in any of several different directions of which the reader may wish to learn more.

Even if a child cannot read, if they are interested in boats, they will enjoy this book for the many pictures. As an adult, I liked seeing pictures of the wreck remains and tools and artifacts. The use of a transparent background technique allowed for more pictures per page while keeping a good amount of white space for captions and comfort for the eyes.

[Captain]

Finished A Narrative of the Mutiny, On Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty ... written by William Bligh during the 3,600 mile, 47-day voyage from the scene of the mutiny to the island of Timor. Someone somewhere has called this "the greatest feat of open-boat navigation in history."

He did it without maps or astronomical tables, using a quadrant, a compass, and considerable dead (ded) reckoning. He made five day's rations last 47 days and had enough left for plan B, going on to Java. He lost one man to an attack of natives on Tofua, but brought the other 18 through without further fatalities.

The Narrative is a bit rough to read, containing much navigational information for the future use of the Royal Navy and bleak accounts of each day. A typical day would be a breakfast of half a slice of bread (that was around two years old, having come all the way from England) and a cup of water. Dinner was the same. Two other meals were just the water.

Landings were perilous. Typically, there would be a bit of close piloting to avoid wrecking the boat, a futile attempt to find food, and a rapid retreat when contacts with the natives (Bligh calls all of them -- Pacific Islanders, Fijians, Australian Aborigines, and Indonesians -- "Indians") seemed imminent.

Being at sea was no better. The open boat took on much water, so most of the time at least two men were bailing and some of the time, everyone. There was no shelter from the elements or the sun. To get some relief, everyone would dip his clothes in sea-water, wring them out, and put them back on. They felt dry for about a minute but by the end of the voyage, the clothes were nothing but rags.

Amusing to contrast that experience with that of cruise passengers today. You want to see mutiny on RMS Titanic? Try getting everyone to get by on one slice of bread and four cups of water per day.

[Jan]

Finished Fateful by Claudia Gray last night. I just love her writing. It is a sweet romantic story with werewolves.

[Jenny]

I read Distant Waves? It is a YA title that follows a family of five girls whose mother is psychic..or at least that is how she earns her living...the main narrator is never 100 percent sure if it is real or an act. The girls all end up on the Titanic. Lots of famous people from the era appear in the book, and I particularly found the scientist/inventor Tesla interesting. Has a great author's note at the end about what is fact and what is fiction.

[Ann]

Captain won this month's reading challenge. He read A Narrative of the Mutiny on Board His Majesty's Ship Bounty by William Bligh.

Check out May's reading challenge to commemorate 20 years of Reader's Choice at the Salt Lake County Library.

[Becky]

I'm almost finished with the Bounty :) the complete (and very long) history of the ship that he lost.