What one book would you recommend to take on a long ocean voyage?

[CGTNORMANDIE]

I am an historian with a particular affinity for ocean liners, World War II and American History.  I have just completed “THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE” by Erik Larson.  This is one of the best biographies of Winston Churchill’s early war years.  The research is quite remarkable.  For those of you who want to find out what it was like to be the lone person leading the lone country standing against the *** onslaught this is the book to read…truly heroic.  It is full of remarkable historic detail.  

[islandwoman]

19 minutes ago, Siena219 said:

Since DW reads a book every few days and hags out at the library, she takes one a leaves it and trades it in for a new one , we only go on ships that do have library. I play trivia and games most of the time.

What ships still have libraries?

[LHT28]

1 hour ago, islandwoman said:

What ships still have libraries?

Oceania  still does 

[neeuqdrazil]

19 hours ago, islandwoman said:

What ships still have libraries?

All of the Cunard ships have extensive libraries.

[okpaddy]

I would recommend "The Killer Angels"  by Michael Shaara a detailed examination of the Gettysburg battle.

I also really enjoy most of Jeff Shaara's  books especially "Rise to Rebellion" and "The Glorious Cause" two books about the American revolution. 

My favorite read list includes "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" 

Apparently I have a penchant for battle stories... 

[rkacruiser]

16 hours ago, okpaddy said:

My favorite read list includes "The Iliad" and "The Odyssey" 

 

Classics!  I have read both, but, it was when I was in high school and college.  The Iliad was read in my 4th year Latin class in high school.  I enjoyed them both along with Dante's Inferno.  I have mean intending to read the other two books of Dante's and have not gotten around to it.  

[islandwoman]

I'm not going on a "long ocean voyage" just now, but I'm getting ready for a month's trip to Europe, including two cruises.  So as it's time to load up my Nook, I turned to this list for ideas.   Thank you all for posting (keep them coming 😊  Did I miss anyone's?

 

Here's an updated list:

 

Mark Twain:  Innocents Abroad

The Source  by James Mitchener 

A book with blank pages, i.e. a journal

Anything by James Mitchener

"The Winds Of War” by Herman Wouk

 “The Only Way To Cross” by John Maxtone Graham

Jack Reacher book by Lee Childs titled 'Worth Dieing For'

one or more novels set in a place where I'll be

a book about a place, such as the one about the history of the Tower of Pisa I read before that visit

When I am going to be sailing in areas of the ocean where significant maritime events have taken   place, I will try to find some books to read when I am in that area.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Books by Brian David Bruns, a former Carnival Cruise Lines crew member.  An example of a title:  Ship for Brains:  This ain't no galley tour.

Books by Mark Greaney whose "hero" is a character called "The Gray Man".  An example of a title:  Agent in Place

The Path Between the Seas, the definitive story of the building of the Panama canal.

By David McCullough

Stephen King's "The Stand"

all the books by Daniel Silva

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

historical fiction or mysteries (paperbacks)

Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl

Heinlein - Future Histories (A compilation of many shorter stories - In sort of a time line sequence)

Heinlein -Time Enough for Love

Herbert - Dune

Tolkien - The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Weber - Off Armageddon Reef

War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

Dune and the Dune Encyclopedia

Farmer in the Sky and Have Space Suit Will Travel (kid books)

Dragonriders of Pern books by Anne McCaffrey

Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel

Sisters-In-Law" by Hirshman (about Sandra D. O'Connor & Ruth B. Ginsberg)

Historical Book for any ports or regions you visit to better appreciate them

"Hawaii" by James Mitchner

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Morris

Any legal thriller by James Grisham (favorite: The Pelican Brief)

Wandering the World with George by Dorothy Grant Hennings

Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote

New York Times crossword collections

John Grisham

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon --- BTW it is a super audio book too (great narrator)

anything at all by Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve.

For a TA going east, anything by Edward Rutherford if you enjoy historical fiction.

For Pacific/Asian cruises, then I'd like the historical novels by Janes Clavell

travel diaries

Ann Rice’s The Witching hour

Stephen King’s 11/22/63

Mel Starr - who done it series

Marianna Zapata - All Rhodes Lead Here

any Travel book by Paul Theroux)

Outlander books. Davina Porter (the reader)

the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey

'Innocent Traitor' by Alison Weir

Tai Pan" and "Noble House" (in that order) by James Clavell

"Sisters-In-Law" by Hirshman (about Sandra D. O'Connor & Ruth B. Ginsberg)

“THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE” by Erik Larson

The Killer Angels"  by Michael Shaara

"Rise to Rebellion" and "The Glorious Cause" by Jeff Shaara'

The Iliad" and "The Odyssey

Dante's Inferno

Edited September 12, 2022 by islandwoman

[doctoranna]

Anything by Ken Follett.  I recently finished his Century Trilogy which is set in Europe and the US, spanning the  time period from early 20th century through the 1960's.

 

I also like Michener stuff and find that reading a Michener book about an area I am traveling to really gives me a greater understanding ow what I am seeing.  I read "Alaska" before going to Alaska, and "Hawaii" before going to Hawaii.

For entertaining mysteries, I like Harlan Coben

[4774Papa]

On 10/15/2021 at 7:40 AM, gerryuk said:

War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy. 

Anna Karenina is my favorite by Tolstoy.

[MagnoliaBlossom]

The Path Between the Seas - a must for those cruising the Panama Canal.

Pillars of the Earth 

Oil and Marble, the stories of Leonardo and Michelangelo 

[Incognito1]

Ayn Rand: Atlas Shruggeded.  1100+ pages.  Timeless and incredibly timely.

[SPacificbound]

Mark Twain:  Innocents Abroad

The Source  by James Mitchener 

A book with blank pages, i.e. a journal

Anything by James Mitchener

"The Winds Of War” by Herman Wouk

 “The Only Way To Cross” by John Maxtone Graham

Jack Reacher book by Lee Childs titled 'Worth Dieing For'

one or more novels set in a place where I'll be

a book about a place, such as the one about the history of the Tower of Pisa I read before that visit

When I am going to be sailing in areas of the ocean where significant maritime events have taken   place, I will try to find some books to read when I am in that area.

Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett

Books by Brian David Bruns, a former Carnival Cruise Lines crew member.  An example of a title:  Ship for Brains:  This ain't no galley tour.

Books by Mark Greaney whose "hero" is a character called "The Gray Man".  An example of a title:  Agent in Place

The Path Between the Seas, the definitive story of the building of the Panama canal.

By David McCullough

Stephen King's "The Stand"

all the books by Daniel Silva

The Count of Monte Cristo by Alexandre Dumas

historical fiction or mysteries (paperbacks)

Kon-Tiki by Thor Heyerdahl

Heinlein - Future Histories (A compilation of many shorter stories - In sort of a time line sequence)

Heinlein -Time Enough for Love

Herbert - Dune

Tolkien - The Hobbit/Lord of the Rings Trilogy

Weber - Off Armageddon Reef

War And Peace by Leo Tolstoy.

Dune and the Dune Encyclopedia

Farmer in the Sky and Have Space Suit Will Travel (kid books)

Dragonriders of Pern books by Anne McCaffrey

Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jean Auel

Sisters-In-Law" by Hirshman (about Sandra D. O'Connor & Ruth B. Ginsberg)

Historical Book for any ports or regions you visit to better appreciate them

"Hawaii" by James Mitchner

The Rise of Theodore Roosevelt" by Morris

Any legal thriller by James Grisham (favorite: The Pelican Brief)

Wandering the World with George by Dorothy Grant Hennings

Miguel de Cervantes' Don Quixote

New York Times crossword collections

John Grisham

Outlander by Diana Gabaldon --- BTW it is a super audio book too (great narrator)

anything at all by Jodi Picoult and Anita Shreve.

For a TA going east, anything by Edward Rutherford if you enjoy historical fiction.

For Pacific/Asian cruises, then I'd like the historical novels by Janes Clavell

travel diaries

Ann Rice’s The Witching hour

Stephen King’s 11/22/63

Mel Starr - who done it series

Marianna Zapata - All Rhodes Lead Here

any Travel book by Paul Theroux)

Outlander books. Davina Porter (the reader)

the Kushiel series by Jacqueline Carey

'Innocent Traitor' by Alison Weir

Tai Pan" and "Noble House" (in that order) by James Clavell

"Sisters-In-Law" by Hirshman (about Sandra D. O'Connor & Ruth B. Ginsberg)

“THE SPLENDID AND THE VILE” by Erik Larson

The Killer Angels"  by Michael Shaara

"Rise to Rebellion" and "The Glorious Cause" by Jeff Shaara'

The Iliad" and "The Odyssey

Dante's Inferno

Anything by Lee Child

Anything by John Sanford

Anything by Michael Connolly

Anything by Jonathon Kellerman

Anything by John Grisham

[chatdad]

the Bible.  

[islandwoman]

12 minutes ago, chatdad said:

the Bible.  

Some cruise lines place Bibles in passenger cabins.  You can probably save that room in your luggage.