great author, use when talking about the ocean
358349
fabulous book, great author, use when talking about the ocean. as a resource.
3343174
This is a very readable book for inlanders like me, from north Texas, and fascinated by the sea.  The descriptions of the waxing and waning of the ice in the far north is especially well-done.  My only complaint is that it  became a bit much after about page 250.  There was a fair amount of  repetition which a good editor could have pared off.  And once or twice,  the author becomes a little too self-righteous in his judgments of others.  One who so willingly disregards the preference (and even safety) of his  wife should judge others cautiously!  Still, very readable, very  interesting, and I would recommend it to anyone for a good summer read.
1960537
Loved it! Only wish there had been more on beach and tropical and cottage living. I think that he could do a book on each topic that he covered rather than putting them all together.
4182502
Anything by Fisher, Frey, Flood, or Lapp is worth a read. They are professors/researchers as well classroom teachers. They write clearly and to the point. There are enough examples and research references to hold up credibility but they are carefully selected to clearly illustrate each point. There is much ado about close reading these days. This takes text complexity and the associated comprehension piece a step deeper. I am a long time literacy educator and these are some of my first "go to" authors.
2913085
This book, Long Quiet Highway, was one I thought a friend would like to take to the ocean with her.  I read it a while back and didn't want to give up my copy so I purchased this to send her way.
2120631
My friend & I traded water books. I am finishing The Holy Order of Water now and she is finishing Fresh Water: Women Writing on the Great Lakes by Alison Swan (Editor). The Holy Order of Water is a great, great book although it's a bit science heavy in parts for me. At one point I thought, "Hmmm, I haven't read so much Latin since high school!" Anyway Marks is a delightful person. I researched him a little on line. There are more books in him. I hope he does not keep it all inside too long. I look forward to hearing more from him. He has so much respect for nature.
3710774
I love this book! I read it at my favorite body-surfing beach over a two-day period. Many other reviewers have described the content in detail, so I'll just say the author's humble honesty was what made it so compelling to me. His story of personal exploration and awareness seemed to be simultaneously intensely individual and reassuringly universal. Such a wise, open mind for someone so young. I heard him on San Diego NPR which was what prompted me to order the book; his author voice is very simliar to his interview voice: funny, truthful, generous, and down-to-earth. And very, very connected to the water. I loved his description of waves as being partially "the memory of wind". The book is educational without ever being academic or preachy. A perfect read for anyone who loves the ocean! Mary Lee Moser, author,&nbsp;<a data-hook="product-link-linked" class="a-link-normal" href="/There-and-Back-A-Journal-Companion-for-Special-Needs-Parents/dp/193227913X/ref=cm_cr_arp_d_rvw_txt?ie=UTF8">There and Back: A Journal Companion for Special Needs Parents</a>
2064356
I enjoyed reading the book when I went to sea. I would not burned in the sun, I found a nice shade and read it during breaks between swimming. Writer Cody McClain Brown described the people of Croatian just as we are. Although in some small things I would not agree with them, because I love to walk barefoot and in the evening dissolve all the windows in the house to catch a little draft after hellish hot day. I have to admit that in the book just brushed some things that Croatian people are doing. But definitely a writer we described what we are. Coffee is in our ritual worship, the draft is a big problem, and of the mother in law we do not want to talk to. Honestly I have not read the author's blog, but the book I really liked and well me laugh. It is good sometimes to see what others think about us Croats when they come to live with us. If you want to relax, laugh and enjoy reading, this is definitely the book for you.
2692298
I had read the Hungry Ocean, and wanted to read more from the author, so when this sequel came out I purchased it without hesitation.  The story line here is less gripping than her earlier book, but her writing has gotten better, so on balance, I'd recommend this to anyone who enjoyed the Hungry Ocean.
4866689
Delp is the best contemporary poet dealing with water. His sensitivity and emotional embrace of water is unique. I have used this book (and his equally good The Coast of Nowhere) in teaching my water management and ethics courses at Harvard University, as well as quoting Delp fully 9 times (only Thoreau is more represented!) in my own book Deep Immersion: The Experience of Water (nominated for top environmental book of the year). Delp's writing makes us want to stop reading and start plunging into water. For as Thoreau wrote "That part of you that is wettest is full of life" (quoted in Profitably Soaked: Thoreau's Engagement With Water, Green Frigate Books, 2003).
2705830
In "Heal the Ocean", Rod Fujita details the catastrophic state of our oceans as a result of global warming, overfishing, pollution, deep sea mining, military interests, and poor land use. More importantly, he describes the many ways that we can work together to protect and restore ocean ecosystems. As somebody who loves the ocean but has never before taken a marine biology course, I appreciate Fujita's accessible writing style. Thank you, Rod Fujita, for this educational and inspiring book.
1400328
This is an agreeable read, very informative, based largely on the author's experience on Sapelo Island (site of a famed marine institute). The problem is her (and her family's) experience was decades ago; some of the photos are from then. The weaknesses of the book are dated photos, not many photos of the many creatures described, and a bit of rambling in the text. The author is a scientist so the information reflects recent research, and the book still offers discussion of a quite wide array of creatures, great and small (some very, very small), as well as some of the dynamics of the systems, She describes three ecosystems on the coast: intertidal salt marsh, subtidal salt marsh and open beach/dunes.

The cast of characters includes birds, snails, fish, turtles, many invertebrates, and wonderful names like snapping shrimp, sea roaches, squareback crabs. And osme are intriguing: a species of ant lives in hollow spartina stalks, and when the tide rises an ant with a specially shaped head plugs the entryway to keep out the water. And Eastern diamondback rattlesnakes can get to eight feet.

The best chapter is the last, "The Once and Future Coast." This considers the emergence of pathologies affecting oysters and crabs, and the likely prospect of rising sea levels, from the melting of icecaps in Greenland and Antarctica. While the marshes can in effect migrate, they face a wide belt of coastal development, so the ecosystems are caught between development and the deep blue sea.
1847154
I love this writer and his way of teaching. This is the second of his books I've read and I'm about to start his third. He is a traditionalist but makes it very relevant to the world we live in today. It gets a little dry in some places, but I found it very inspiring too
4207575
He is quite a writer. Apparently he did not edit his work, he just made sure he had the right word or phrase before he wrote another thing. He was regarded as one of the best sea / sailing writers of his time. He even wrote a book which had a Titanic sinking before the ship was built.
4550861
Laird love fest meets the Science Channel. The book really is mostly about big wave surfers and little about the science and history, which was a big pull for me to read the book. Should have been more about waves and a little less of a book about surfers and their love of waves and Ms. Casey's love of surfers. But hey its her book and she can write about what she wants and how she wants. "At fifty-one, his black hair was tinged with silver, but [Jeff] Clark had the powerful physique of a younger man His eyes, I noticed, were the same ice blue color of a Siberian husky's."

This is an immensely entertaining and gripping book. The stories the Author choose are very exciting and will pull you into to whats happening. There is also some science thrown in about the waves and patterns.

The author tries to portray the stereotype surfer DUDE speak with their interactions and speech, when this could not be further from reality. Laird appears to be an articulate, well spoken business professional whose respect for the ocean rests easily with his commercialism, something you'd never guess from the characterization portrayed in this book.

Other reviews state that this is even worse in the audio book format. Good glimps into the surfer world from the inside. Recommended.

As always if you have any questions just ask.
912785
I thoroughly enjoyed this book.  I read it on vacation near the sea and  could not stop reading it.  Junger is a great storyteller, equally able to  captivate the reader with characters and narrative as well as with factual  detail.  I liked the descriptions of fishing, weather, and the Coast  Guard's rescue people very much.  My main criticism of the book is that a  bit of graphic material (more detailed maps, weather photos, drawings of  sword fishing boats, perhaps something to help the reader visualize an  80-foot wave) would have really helped.  As it was, I kept having to flip  to the limited map to help me understand who was where, when.
2516687
Simon Winchester does a fabulous job of presenting the "power" of the Pacific Ocean, geographically, economically, politically, and weather-wise.  His easy reading style makes the subject more than just interesting - it reads far more like an novel than a reference book. The Pacific as presented here is the ocean of the future, making its mark most prominently in 1950, continuing to increase its influence today.  Winchester organizes his book in 10 chapters, each based on an event or series of somehow related events that define the Pacific between 1950 and 2015.  Most are well known, some forgotten, but their relevance is brought together in a great story. To this reader (a Gulf Coast resident) , the chapter on the weather influences from the Pacific is fascinating.  Winchester explains the El Nino effect in a simplistic and well-supported manner, most interesting in this El Nino winter of 2016.  Highly recommended - Balboa and Magellan would approve.