Book Review Roundup

[TeeBee89]

Without really meaning too, but likely because I'm mostly landlocked right now I've polished off a few surf books recently. Some are sort of new, others were on the backlog.

Iain Gately, The Secret Surfer.
Likely of interest to those who've stepped away from surfing, especially due to an injury. It was humbling reading how the author slowly re-acquired long honed skills, made adjustments, while learning a ton of interesting things about UK/Ireland/Euro surf history I never knew and now want to visit. I think you'll learn more about spots like Thurso in Kew's Crossings, but there's a LOT of rich history here.

Amy Waeschle, Chasing Waves: A Surfer's Tale of Obsessive Wandering.
Made me realize I don't read a lot of female surf authors. The perspective was extremely helpful in appreciating the BS they put up with in and out of the line up, not counting the Svetlanas who think thongs are an unlimited pass for drop-ins. Not sure I quite got the author's enthusiasm for Tamarindo, but other travel stories and balancing surf with a new born were very interesting. The praise Tofino Surf Sisters get is well earned.

Jaimal Yogis, All Our Waves Are Water: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment and the Perfect Ride.
I think there were more surf chapters in this one than in Saltwater Buddha. The non-surf travel was also interesting, but depending on your persuasion you might find it a bit hippy dippy.

S. Jacques Stratton, Islands on the Fringe: A Year of Micronesian Waves and Wanderers.
Wasn't initially sure about this one, but I freaking consumed it. Not quite as much surfing as I was led to believe, but the characters he meets while working in FSM are highly entertaining. They'll instantly be recognizable for anyone who has lived/worked with these expat sorts. That all said, the surfing content is bloody top notch. Having long been interested and done very limited travel in these islands, I'm glad someone finally wrote this.

I might have recommended these in another post, but Chas Smith's Cocaine/Surfing is also entertaining, even if Chas can come across as a pretentious prick at times. Better yet, Paul Wilson's Bad Karma is a bloody good surf trip yearn that I think even stands above Captain Zero in many respects.
Enjoy

[oldmansurfer]

Interesting books. I will try them as well except the first one which appears to not be available on kindle. I am trying to stay away from paper books although I just bought Carissa Moore's new book Hawaii Gold in paper because it wasn't available in kindle although it's not a book for kindle because it's pretty much a picture book with some written stuff from the people she was influenced by in her career. I did read the kindle book written by her father called First Priority: A Father's Journey Raising World Champion Carissa Moore which I enjoyed. I also read Transcendental Memories of a Surf Rebel by Mike Hanson ...can't recall if I liked it or not. Also Women Making Waves: Trailblazing Surfers In and Out of the Water by Lara Einzig which was enjoyable. and Surfers Who Don't Surf: A Collection of Stories of a Lifestyle Ever Altered by Nachum Shifren, Benjamin Marcus which was interesting as the author is a surfing rabi and it's about his world veiw this was 2 years ago but still recall it was interesting to me.. I read a little every day on a kindle. I agree with your assessment of Chas Smith and have no desire to read anything else by him especially not about surfing.

[TeeBee89]

Thanks! Maybe a shame OMS, Chas Smith is pretty harsh on Hawaii in "Welcome to Paradise" and I'm very curious what Hawaii folk think of that (aside from those who want to give him a false crack ). Don't blame you though. I like the Buddhist stuff Yogis is on about, but I realize it isn't for everyone and for those who really like it I think Stephen Asma writes better on it.

I recognize a few of those titles, but not all of them. Thanks OMS, I'll check these out!

[oldmansurfer]

Chas Smith misrepresented the Hawaii surf scene because he was a jerk. If I wanted to read fiction I would. In Hawaii if you are a jerk you get treated like you are a jerk. In that aspect it is probably similar to other areas not related to being a haole. I have read a large amount of books about surfing/surfers but not much lately because I haven't been able to find them on the internet.

[TeeBee89]

I try to live my life by a simple creed: no one likes a dick (or jerk).

Happy 4th!

[oldmansurfer]

I made a list but it's not entirely complete yet probably most of the books about surfing or surfers I have read

Occy by Mark Occhilupo

Kanga - The Trials and Triumphs of Ian Cairns: Stories of Professional Surfing

TC by Nick and Tom Carrol

Bob McTavish Stoked!

An old surfers story. 2nd edition: Learn to surf at 59 years old by Torben W Andersen

Women Who Surf: Charging Waves with the World's Best by Ben Marcus, Lucia Griggi

A Surfing Adventure in the Mentawai Islands: Where Indian Ocean power disturbs the sea of tranquility by Clive Woodward

Morning Glass: The Adventures of Legendary Waterman Mike Doyle by Mike Doyle, Steve Sorensen

No Bad Waves: Talking Story with Mickey Munoz

Nat's Nat and That's That by Nat Young

Bali: Heaven and Hell by Phil Jarratt (about Bali and not so much about surfing)

Scratching the Horizon: A Surfing Life by Izzy Paskowitz, Daniel Paisner

Surf For Your Life by Mick Fanning, Tim Baker

Surf Safari: Malibu to Panama, 1969-71 by W. W. Blanchard (pro surfer Alana Blanchards father who lives on kauai)

Big Juice: Epic Tales Of Big Wave Surfing a conglomeration of stories about big wave surfing

The Big Drop: Classic Big Wave Surfing Stories a similar book to above

North Shore Chronicles: Big-Wave Surfing in Hawaii by Bruce Jenkins

Barbarian Days by William Finnegan (my favorite, a surfer who became a writer)

Board by David C. Flanagan who has posted here on this forum before, just amazing what some people go through to learn to surf)

Bunker Spreckels: Surfing's Divine Prince of Decadence ( a surfer who lied on Kauai who I met)

Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku by David Davis

Da Bull: Life Over the Edge by Greg Noll

30 minutes till death: a true story about medical tourist industry and kidney failure by Steve Wolshin ( not o much about surfing but from a surfer from Kauai)

Kook: What Surfing Taught Me About Love, Life, and Catching the Perfect Wave by Peter Heller a writer who took up surfing to write about it

John Severson's SURF - a picture book

Once Upon Abundance by Dyke, Fred Van (2001) Not entirely about surfing but by a famous surfer

Big Surf, Deep Dives and the Islands by Ricky Grigg

Legends of Surfing: The Greatest Surfriders from Duke Kahanamoku to Kelly Slater by Duke Boyd

Surf Science: An Introduction To Waves For Surfing by Tony Butt everything you want to know about waves

Amazing Surfing Stories: Tales of Incredible Waves & Remarkable Riders by Alex Wade

Swell: A Year of Waves (Ocean Coffee Table Book, Book About Surfing) picture book

Men Who Ride Mountains: Incredible True Tales of Legendary Surfers by Peter Dixon

Duke: A Great Hawaiian by Sandra Kimberly Hall

Making Mavericks : The Memoir of a Surfing Legend by Ian Spiegelman and Frosty Hesson

Soul Surfer by Bethany Hamilton

Raising of a Soul Surfer: One Family's Epic Tale by Cheri Hamilton

Surf is Where You Find it by Gerry Lopez

Pipe Dreams by Kelly Slater

[oldmansurfer]

Also

Force of Nature by Laird Hamilton

Eddie Would Go by Stuart Holmes Coleman

Turning Point by Rusty Miller

[TeeBee89]

NICE! This is an awesome list!
I've read some of these, but will take time to digest it all. Really pumped to read "Waterman: The Life and Times of Duke Kahanamoku." Those were some of my fav bits of surf history in I think Warshaw's book.
Speaking of which, "The World in a Curl" and "Empire of Waves" are also interesting, but as the titles claim unconventional in their critical approaches. Kind of academic as well.
I loved Jarratt's Bali book, but as you say I was a bit disappointed by the lack of surfing. I think there's more of it in his biography, including a hilarious story about Bill Murray. Only recently found out he went to G-land.
https://tracksmag.com.au/in-g-land-with ... ray-559412

[oldmansurfer]

I have read about Bill Murray in G land somewhere before don't recall where. Waterman is a great read and the other one about Duke is good as well by Sandra Kimberly Hall as it provides a different perspective. As a kid I grew up reading Hardy boys and stuff like that but got into biographies as well as fantasy and the James Bond series. For a while I was really into Science Fiction but lately I find fiction boring and can't get past the idea it's all make believe. So I started reading nonfiction and biographies about people of significance to me. Reality is entertaining enough for me. But there weren't a bunch of surfers biographies however there are much more now. Still I am running out of nonfiction surfing stuff. So some of the other things I read are biographies of musicians (mostly rock and that list is much larger than the one above) and science books especially about medicine but other topics as well. The Tony Butt book and the Ricky Grigg book are both science stuff as well as relating to surfing. Another book like that is the Wave by Susan Casey. I am a reader of books but mostly ebooks to save the trees ands because I prefer that format now.

[oldmansurfer]

Another book you all might like which is only partly related to surfing is the book. Rabid by Bill Wasik and Monica Murphy. Besides being about everything about rabies it details how an American surfer brought rabies to Bali and why it persists there even though the resources exist to eliminate it in Bali

[oldmansurfer]

I just read Jaimal Yogis, All Our Waves Are Water: Stumbling Toward Enlightenment and the Perfect Ride.. I enjoyed it. Somehow I feel sorry for this guy even though he may be happy with his accomplishments. It just seemed to me that he was missing out. For instance tube riding is not some mystical thing. You need to understand the wave and what it is going to do and then adjust your surfing to get tubed and come back out, mostly speed control. And meditation it seems to me although I have not had the extensive training he has it seems like he just misses the mark. You can't think your way to meditation. It's about limiting your thoughts, clearing them from your mind.... well in my uninformed opinion. I never had problems with either of those goals. But still a good read, I like his writing style.

[billie_morini]

Extensive lists above. From these lists, these are my huge favorites:

- Barbarian Days by William Finnegan
- Stoked! by Bob McTavish

While not surf related, but filled with oceans / sailing / early American & California history, I love this book:

Two Years Before The Mast by Richard Henry Dana Jr.

There is even a permanent display in the Santa Barbara, California Maritime Museum commemorating Dana's factual story.

[oldmansurfer]

I just read Chasing Waves: A Surfer's Tale of Obsessive Wandering by Amy Waeschle. I enjoyed it. It's very interesting to learn about how others view surfing. From what I read the book that comes close to my view of waves and the ocean was Barbarian Days by William Finnegan. It's just the way he views the ocean and waves as my experiences are quite different. But reading the book I felt deep down I knew exactly what he was writing about. This forum has been a bg wake up for me also as I have been a solo surfer for most of my time surfing and while I did surf with others on purpose, it was much more often by accident of us going to the same break at the same time. Being a shy person, I didn't talk it up in the lineup not to mention that surfing was an overwhelming thing for me. If I was surfing I was completely immersed in it trying to do everything as well as I could. I couldn't even sit on the beach and watch waves as i would be overcome by the urge to go out and catch some more.

[Naeco78]

Its been awhile, but one of the surf books I really enjoyed was:

The Dogs of Winter by Kem Nunn
It's kind of a throwback to big wave surf exploration before the days of tow-in surfing or surf guides. 1990's era I think

Also just picked up a new one:

I Heard There Were No Waves in New Jersey by Danny Dimauro
A visual history of surfing in NJ. Has some interesting surf history about the "Sandwich Island Girl" a Hawaiian princess that was the first to surf the east coast in 1888 and other stuff about the local surf culture. There's a surprising amount of surf history along the Jersey shore.