Arrrrr - Tell Me A Sea Tale

[JohnTRN]

Audiobooks for when I'm driving or mowing (none of that for a few months).
Ebooks for my Kindle.
Beer for my horses. Oh, wait, I think I'm mixing metaphors, or something . . .

I recently listened to Mutiny of the Elsinore by Jack London and really enjoyed the story; Jack London writes a good adventure tale. Tom Crawford was the reader and took a little getting used to as a reader.

Currently listening to White Jacket, or The World in a Man-of-War by Herman Melville and read by James K. White. Very interesting story with a bit of 'tongue in cheek' thrown in. Mr. White is very easy to listen to.

One of many books going between my Kindle, Kindle on my Android Phone and Kindle or Aldiko on my Android Tablet, is Innocents Abroad by Mark Twain. A classic author with a style of his own and another good read.

I've also read Omoo and Typee Herman Melville. Good South Sea Tales.

So, while SciFi has pretty much been my mainstay since I was nine years old, I'm really enjoying some of these old sea tales. Plus, I'm learning some new words that I might be able to use in Words With Friends or Hanging With Friends. (Got my wife with, "TRICED").

Two Years Before the Mast, by Richard Henry Dana might be coming up on the list . . . any other good sea tale adventures to recommend?

Cheers!

John

[BookCat]

If you go to manybooks.net, look under Genres and check out the Nautical and also the Pirate Tales categories. Many of the books have librivox audiobook versions. Librivox books are read by volunteers so vary in voice quality. The great thing about Librivox audiobooks is that they're not abridged, which is a problem I've found with some commercial audiobooks.

[BenG]

Originally Posted by BookCat

If you go to manybooks.net, look under Genres and check out the Nautical and also the Pirate Tales categories. Many of the books have librivox audiobook versions. Librivox books are read by volunteers so vary in voice quality. The great thing about Librivox audiobooks is that they're not abridged, which is a problem I've found with some commercial audiobooks.

Moby Dick read by Frank Muller is excellent and is only $0.95 for Audible members.

[pstjmack]

Almost any of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series - but be warned: you may be sucked in and not reemerge until you've been through all 20 volumes!

Joseph Conrad also: try Youth, Typhoon or Lord Jim if you don't mind getting into the later 19th century.

[JohnTRN]

Originally Posted by BookCat

If you go to manybooks.net, look under Genres and check out the Nautical and also the Pirate Tales categories. Many of the books have librivox audiobook versions.

Thanks for the genre suggestions. I had thought of 'sea tales' and 'south sea' but not nautical or pirate. Those first two selections I posted were from Librivox; wholeheartedly agree with the variety in quality. Much prefer a single reader and my favorites are not performed. One book from Librivox I started listening to started out with a single reader, who I did not especially enjoy, then segued into him and a women doing a 'duet' reading. Deleted that one. Ever listened to NPR's Radio Reader with Dick Estelle. Just great!

I've actually done some reading on Librivox. I'm thinking about tackling a whole of something from Jack London or Rudyard Kipling . . . when I get a round TUIT.

Originally Posted by BenG

Moby Dick read by Frank Muller is excellent and is only $0.95 for Audible members.

Another Melville I listened to this last summer; think it was another from Librivox. Enjoyed most of it, put it had its pedantic moments.

Originally Posted by pstjmack

Almost any of Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series - but be warned: you may be sucked in and not reemerge until you've been through all 20 volumes!

Joseph Conrad also: try Youth, Typhoon or Lord Jim if you don't mind getting into the later 19th century.

Patrick O'Brian looks like it will do very nicely; thanks! Will have to check out the Conrad also.

I had given thought to starting my request out as:

Twas a dark and stormy night when the first mate said to the captain, "Captain, tell us a story!" So the captain bade the men gather round close, lowered the lights and started out. "Twas a dark and stormy night when the first mate said to the captain, "Captain, tell us a story!" . . .

But I lost that thought.

Thanks all!

John

[Jozawun]

The Hornblower series, of course, by C S Forester.
Contemporaneous with (and even based loosely on the same real-life RN Officer) Aubrey/Maturin, .

[Apache]

Also Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho Series.
Apache

[JohnTRN]

Originally Posted by Jozawun

The Hornblower series, of course, by C S Forester.
Contemporaneous with (and even based loosely on the same real-life RN Officer) Aubrey/Maturin, .

Originally Posted by Apache

Also Alexander Kent's Richard Bolitho Series.
Apache

Thanks once again, knowledgeable co-forumers. My cup indeed runneth over.

I'll include these in my growing list. I'm going to have a LOT of sea tales to fit in-between SciFi! Speaking of which, in conjunction with the topic at hand (now how the heck am I going to tie those two together???). Nathan Lowell, over on Podiobooks.com has a series of well written 'Trader Tales'. They feature Ishmael Horatio Wang as the protagonist and follow his adventures aboard various solar clippers. Well written, echo sea tales of old in a SciFi setting and talk about an author with a pleasant voice!

Cheers!

John