Reader's Shelf

From Library Journal

Anchors Aweigh!  A Flotilla of Good Reading

Beat to Quarters By Forester, C. S. 1985-09 - Back Bay Books 9780316289320 Check Our Catalog June 1808, somewhere west of Nicaragua-a site suitable for spectacular sea battles. The Admiralty has ordered Captain Horatio Hornblower, now in command of the thirty-six-gun HMS Lydia, to form an alliance against the Spanish colonial government with an insane Spanish landowner; to find a water route across the Central American isthmus; and "to take, sink, burn or destroy" the fifty-gun Spanish ship of the line Natividad or face court-martial. A daunting enough set of orders-even if the happily married captain were not woefully distracted by the passenger he is obliged to take on in Panama: Lady Barbara Wellesley. …More

The Sea-Hawk By Sabatini, Rafael 2002-07 - W. W. Norton & Company 9780393323313 Check Our Catalog Oliver Tressilian, a Cornish gentleman who helped defeat the Spanish Armada, is betrayed by his half-brother, throwing him into circumstances where he becomes a Barbary pirate and a follower of Islam. …More

Sea of Glory: America's Voyage of Discovery, the U.S. Exploring Expedition, 1838-1842 By Philbrick, Nathaniel 2004-10 - Penguin Books 9780142004838 Check Our Catalog In this "New York Times" Notable Book and bestseller, the National Book Award-winning author of "In the Heart of the Sea" writes about one of the world's most ambitious voyages of discovery--the U.S. Exploring Expedition of 1838-1842 that included six sailing vessels and a crew of hundreds who set out to map the Pacific Ocean. …More

A Night to Remember By Lord, Walter Introduction by Philbrick, Nathaniel 2005-01 - Holt McDougal 9780805077643 Check Our Catalog The classic minute-by-minute account of the sinking of the "Titanic" is now offered in a 50th anniversary edition with a new Introduction by Nathaniel Philbrick, author of "In the Heart of the Sea and Sea of Glory." …More

Rendezvous with Rama By Clarke, Arthur Charles 1990-11 - Spectra Books 9780553287899 Check Our Catalog At first, only a few things are known about the celestial object that astronomers dub Rama. It is huge, weighing more than ten trillion tons. And it is hurtling through the solar system at inconceivable speed. Then a space probe confirms the unthinkable: Rama is no natural object. It is, incredible, an interstellar spacecraft. Space explorers and planet-bound scientists alike prepare for mankind's first encounter with alien intelligence. It will kindle their wildest dreams... and fan their darkest fears. For no one knows who the Ramans are or why they have come. And now the moment of rendezvous awaits -- just behind a Raman airlock door. …More

Polaris By McDevitt, Jack 2005-11 - Ace Books 9780441012534 Check Our Catalog Alex Benedict ("A Talent for War") returns in this far-future tale of mystery and suspense that will lead the prominent antiquities dealer to the truth about an abandoned space yacht called the "Polaris." …More

Apollo 13 By Lovell, Jim Author Kluger, Jeffrey 2006-02 - Mariner Books 9780618619580 Check Our Catalog The best-selling book that inspired the blockbuster movie "A story of courage -- in space, at NASA, and at the homes of those involved." -- Houston Chronicle A timeless tribute to the enduring American spirit, Apollo 13 tells the story of America's fifth mission to the moon, a mission that nearly ended in catastrophe in April 1970. Only fifty-five hours into the flight, disaster struck for Jim Lovell and two other astronauts after an explosion left them with a rapidly declining supply of oxygen and power. Lovell and Kluger vividly chronicle how the men were forced to abandon the main ship for the lunar module, a tiny craft designed to keep two men alive for only two days. At home, a nation watched the desperate efforts of Mission Control to bring the crew back in what many consider NASA's finest hour. "A thrilling story of a thrilling episode in the history of space exploration." -- James A. Michener, author of Space "Puts the reader in one of those [Apollo] slingshots, pulls, and lets go. What a moon shot. What a time. What a ride." -- Baltimore Sun "A tale of adventure to chill a reader's spine." -- Atlantic Monthly Jim Lovell joined NASA in 1962 and flew a total of four missions before retiring in 1973. He continues to lecture across the country, speaking about space exploration. Jeffrey Kluger is a senior writer at Time and the author of several other books, including Splendid Solution: Jonas Salk and the Polio Vaccine. …More