Books

One has a lot of down time when sailing (passages) and we have read a number of books that we recommend. If you have a eReader like a kindle, all the better as this collection of books can add some good additional weight. 

If you are avid readers, we recommend getting "his and hers" Kindles. Way better than trying to share one or having tons of heavy reading matter.

Relevant to the Pacific:

Collapse - Jared Diamond

Summary - Ever wonder why large ancient cites like Ankor Wat, Mayan Temples, Easter Island etc are abandoned? Jared investigates the events that lead to their demise and there are many lessons that can be learnt for modern society. 

Relevant to the Pacific as he considers Mangareva island, Pitcairn, Henderson, Easter Island and Papua New Guinea. 

Sex lives of Cannibals - J Troust

Nothing to do with sex or cannibals (sorry if that disappoints some readers). Good book about the realities of a young American couple who move to Kiribati (to work) and find out that living on an atoll is not all swinging in hammocks and drinking from coconuts with little umbrellas in them.

Faraway - Lucy Irvine

The author uproots her Scottish life and together with her 3 young kids, trades it for an island life in the Solomons. She describes day to day living, the interaction with locals and the impact Westerners have on this remote place.

Tales of a female nomad - Rita Golden Gelman

A recent divorcee in her 50s leaves the comforts of US to travel the world. Inspiring stories from Indonesia and other far flung places all visited as a single traveller.

Relevant to the Caribbean:

An Embarrassment of Mangoes - Anne Van der Hoff

Summary - A fellow foodie discusses their trip around the Caribbean from a woman's perspective and includes a number of recipes for local Caribbean cooking using local ingredients. Sally liked the book as it was one of the few cruising books written by a woman. We got to meet the Van der Hoff's and they were lovely. 

Factual

Adrift - 76 days at sea - Steven Callaghan
76 days adrift back in the 80's is quite a feat. Amazing story of one mans struggle against an unforgiving mother nature. Worth a read if you are crossing an ocean.

Typee - Herman Melville
Melville's account of Nuku Hiva  of the Polynesian people and their customs in the late 1800's.

General decent reads:

The Jack Reacher series - Lee Childs

Summary - 16 books about a no nonsense 6.5 ft ex military police hero who goes around saving the day. Sally attests this claim, thinks the plots predictable and says she would rather read the labels on our tinned goods one by one.

Fried eggs and chopsticks - Polly Evans

Young woman's trip to China and the adventures encountered.