The Briny Deep

Neither sailors nor readers want to find themselves "in the doldrums" - languishing in a torpid state, going nowhere - yet August is a time of year when readership can be affected by the weather.  We're halfway through a sweltering summer and exhausted by it.  We need a bit of sea spray and a cool, off-shore breeze to revive us.  We need to read some nautical tales!  


To find the right book for you, try Bookmarks Magazine's reading list, 101 Crackerjack Sea Books, which includes book jacket illustrations along with good annotations.  You'll find all the classic sea stories among its many recommendations, but as this list was complied in 2006, please keep in mind subsequent notable books such as Simon Winchester's Atlantic or Nathaniel Philbrick's In the Heart of the Sea.  Still, it's a good start. And starting is what it's all about when getting out of the doldrums.