The Perfect Storm by Sebastian Junger

The Perfect Storm is a book written with stories, dialogue from interviews and memories, plus lots of research. This book not only tells the story of the storm that took down the Andrea Gail of the coast of Nova Scotia but it also shows what the life of a fisherman typically is like. Sebastian Junger starts on shore, explaining everything the crew did, what they each were like, how they all felt and what they had to come back to. He also talks about swordfishing in general, and different facts about the ship; all sorts of technical stuff. You'll then move on to the perfect storm, the one that joined together and struck all at the 'perfect' time.

This book was wonderful but also a little heartbreaking. No one truly knows what happened on the Andrea Gail, neither it nor the crew were ever found. All this book can do is tell you what might have happened. What I liked most about this book was that it did have a lot of information about the storm itself as well as other storms throughout history that are like it. The reviews on this book are almost all praising. It's just all around a good book.

I recommend this book to anyone who enjoys stories of the sea or is curious about what it can be like. The ocean is a marvelous and mysterious thing, and this book truly shows that. 

I have never read another book like this but my pal Goodreads recommends:
The Hungry Ocean by Linda Greenlaw
Ten Hours Until Dawn by Michael Tougias
South by Ernest Shackelton

Check it out!

Spindle by Shannon Slayton

Briar Rose's life is far from a fantasy. She's raising her siblings by herself, she makes very little at the spinning mill and her wages keep getting cut. Her best friend, Henry Prince, has decided to go off on an adventure, leaving her by herself. While he's gone a mysterious peddler comes into town and sells her a new spindle, saying it has magical powers. Little does she know this spindle will bring her danger and possibly death.

I went into this book thinking it was a spin-off of Sleeping Beauty, without giving anything away from the book I can say that it's not. I'm not saying that that means I didn't like the book but it's not Sleeping Beauty. People had similar opinions about this, they expected Sleeping Beauty but that's not what they got. Other than that many people liked the book. I guess I finally read a book that other people liked just as much as me! :) 

I recommend this book to anyone who likes fairytales but also I need to warn you that this isn't your classic fairytale so don't get surprised when you start reading it. I think that you'll especially like this book if you like Sleeping Beauty. Although this is not another Sleeping Beauty story it does have aspects of it in it. 

Books like this!( with some help from our pal Goodreads)
Spinning Thorns by Anna Sheehan
Becoming Beauty by Sarah E. Boucher

Check it out!