Water changes how a book reads. The motion slows you down, the horizon rests your eyes, and a good page feels better with salt in the air. These six books suit a ferry, a harbour wall or a long walk on the shore.
Three stories at sea
The Old Man and the Sea by Ernest Hemingway (1952). A Cuban fisherman and one enormous fish, in a short novel you can finish in a single crossing.
Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (1883). Pirates, a map and a boy at sea. Still quick and still fun.
Life of Pi by Yann Martel (2001). A boy adrift in a lifeboat with a tiger, told with wonder and plenty of surprises.
Three places by the water
The Summer Book by Tove Jansson (1972). A grandmother and a small girl spend a summer on a tiny island in the Gulf of Finland. Short chapters and quiet humour.
The Shipping News by Annie Proulx (1993). A shy man moves to a rough fishing village in Newfoundland and takes a job at the local paper.
Gift from the Sea by Anne Morrow Lindbergh (1955). Short essays written during a beach holiday, using shells as a way to think about everyday life.
For the crossing
- Bring a paperback you do not mind getting a little damp, and a clip or an elastic band for windy decks.
- Match the book to the trip: a short novel for a short ferry, the essays for a long afternoon on the shore.
- Read a chapter before you leave the harbour, and another after you arrive.
Most libraries keep several of these, and a paperback is the right thing to carry on the water.
