Leni Zumas's writing crackles. Her books are sharp, bleak, funny, and possibly dangerous. When her collection of short stories, Farewell Navigator,...
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This is more of a series of short biographies of the men who, in one fashion or another, had a pioneering hand in deep sea diving. So, you're not really going to get a historical overview of diving apart from a brief summary, but you will get some fascinating information about each individual (19th-20th century). As each chapter ends, the author then provides a connection to the next diver.
This book caught me by surprise, as I was expecting the selected individuals to have been all divers, but some are notable for other areas, such as science and filming. As a reader who has zero experience in diving or scuba or barely putting my head beneath the water, I found the book easy to take and quite informational. However, it's not until Norton gets to the last subject, Peter Throckmorton, that I could taste the sea salt on my lips. All in all, a very linear approach to the subject.
Book Season = Summer (while yachting in the Aegean)
Some years ago - none of your business how long precisely - having little or no money in my purse, except for good cappuccinos, I thought I would walkabout a little and see the bookstores of the world. It is a way I have of letting off the steam (from my cappuccinos), and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth (from my cappuccinos); whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul (which means more cappuccinos); whenever I find myself asking what the hell is Alec Baldwin tweeting about now, and finding myself bringing up the rear of Facebook usage; and especially whenever my hypos (say what?) get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately reaching over, and knocking that iPhone down the loud iPerson's throat - then, I account it high time to get thee to a bookstore as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball (and cappuccinos).
Call me Ishmael. Damn!
I love Melville, if only for the fact that he knows how to use semi-colons.Check out his aching poetry to "cathedral-topping" Lima, "the strangest, saddest city thou can'st see". Like, where did that come from? Taken the white veil.
Yeah, that whale is there, too.
Call me a Masterpiece.
Book Season = Year Round (seriously, a classic for your bucket list)
I'll immediately state my comic book knowledge as being basically zilch, so I have no idea why this ended up in my collection. Must have been walking down the aisles at the old Stacey's bookstore in San Francisco when the cover caught my eye. I think. Anyway, I am grateful to this book for having the decency to nab me when it did, as I thoroughly enjoyed it and have actually read it a few more times, just for the illustrations.
Captain Marvel looks like a weightlifter I used to see at Gold's Gym in Venice while Wonder Woman comes across as a female George Bush. Rad.
I'll immediately state my comic book knowledge as being basically zilch, so I have no idea why this ended up in my collection. Must have been walking down the aisles at the old Stacey's bookstore in San Francisco when the cover caught my eye. I think. Anyway, I am grateful to this book for having the decency to nab me when it did, as I thoroughly enjoyed it and have actually read it a few more times, just for the illustrations.
Captain Marvel looks like a weightlifter I used to see at Gold's Gym in Venice while Wonder Woman comes across as a female George Bush. Rad.
This is the one book which is shared the most by my friends, both in the real world and in the social media spectrum. Perhaps it is because of its being the first in the trilogy or perhaps because it's the best of twentieth century fairytales. Certainly it brings back memories of high school and being given a tattered much shared copy, one that had been passed down from a father to a son to a sister to a friend...really, how many books have that kind of lifespan?
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Customer Comments
Gold Gato has commented on (114) products.
Stars Beneath the Sea: the Incredible Story of the Pioneers of the Deep Sea by Trevor Norton
Gold Gato, May 20, 2012
This is more of a series of short biographies of the men who, in one fashion or another, had a pioneering hand in deep sea diving. So, you're not really going to get a historical overview of diving apart from a brief summary, but you will get some fascinating information about each individual (19th-20th century). As each chapter ends, the author then provides a connection to the next diver.This book caught me by surprise, as I was expecting the selected individuals to have been all divers, but some are notable for other areas, such as science and filming. As a reader who has zero experience in diving or scuba or barely putting my head beneath the water, I found the book easy to take and quite informational. However, it's not until Norton gets to the last subject, Peter Throckmorton, that I could taste the sea salt on my lips. All in all, a very linear approach to the subject.
Book Season = Summer (while yachting in the Aegean)
Moby Dick by Herman Melville
Gold Gato, May 4, 2012
Call me Hooked-On-Melville.Some years ago - none of your business how long precisely - having little or no money in my purse, except for good cappuccinos, I thought I would walkabout a little and see the bookstores of the world. It is a way I have of letting off the steam (from my cappuccinos), and regulating the circulation. Whenever I find myself growing grim about the mouth (from my cappuccinos); whenever it is a damp, drizzly November in my soul (which means more cappuccinos); whenever I find myself asking what the hell is Alec Baldwin tweeting about now, and finding myself bringing up the rear of Facebook usage; and especially whenever my hypos (say what?) get such an upper hand of me, that it requires a strong moral principle to prevent me from deliberately reaching over, and knocking that iPhone down the loud iPerson's throat - then, I account it high time to get thee to a bookstore as soon as I can. This is my substitute for pistol and ball (and cappuccinos).
Call me Ishmael. Damn!
I love Melville, if only for the fact that he knows how to use semi-colons.Check out his aching poetry to "cathedral-topping" Lima, "the strangest, saddest city thou can'st see". Like, where did that come from? Taken the white veil.
Yeah, that whale is there, too.
Call me a Masterpiece.
Book Season = Year Round (seriously, a classic for your bucket list)
Kingdom Come by Mark Waid
Gold Gato, April 21, 2012
I'll immediately state my comic book knowledge as being basically zilch, so I have no idea why this ended up in my collection. Must have been walking down the aisles at the old Stacey's bookstore in San Francisco when the cover caught my eye. I think. Anyway, I am grateful to this book for having the decency to nab me when it did, as I thoroughly enjoyed it and have actually read it a few more times, just for the illustrations.Captain Marvel looks like a weightlifter I used to see at Gold's Gym in Venice while Wonder Woman comes across as a female George Bush. Rad.
Book Season = Autumn (dark tale)
Kingdom Come by Mark Waid
Gold Gato, April 21, 2012
I'll immediately state my comic book knowledge as being basically zilch, so I have no idea why this ended up in my collection. Must have been walking down the aisles at the old Stacey's bookstore in San Francisco when the cover caught my eye. I think. Anyway, I am grateful to this book for having the decency to nab me when it did, as I thoroughly enjoyed it and have actually read it a few more times, just for the illustrations.Captain Marvel looks like a weightlifter I used to see at Gold's Gym in Venice while Wonder Woman comes across as a female George Bush. Rad.
Book Season = Autumn (dark tale)
Lord of the Rings #01: The Fellowship of the Ring: Being the First Part of the Lord of the Rings by J R R Tolkien
Gold Gato, April 21, 2012
This is the one book which is shared the most by my friends, both in the real world and in the social media spectrum. Perhaps it is because of its being the first in the trilogy or perhaps because it's the best of twentieth century fairytales. Certainly it brings back memories of high school and being given a tattered much shared copy, one that had been passed down from a father to a son to a sister to a friend...really, how many books have that kind of lifespan?Book Season = Year Round
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