I used to be happy. Until I came to this place, this Earth, all I knew was peace.
BECAUSE YOU DEMANDED IT, I'm back with more Sad Boat Books for Sad Boat People! But first, some words.
I never dreamed that a silly little graphic I made for some friends would generate this much response on twitter and here, but I'm overjoyed that it resonated with so many of you! I read every single comment and tag, and by far my favorites are all of the people who say some variation of "I thought I was the only one who loved these books." We are NOT alone, there are literally thousands of people who reblogged or retweeted this list-- people of all ages and backgrounds and gender identities. Sad Boat isn't just for old white men! I was also delighted to hear from other librarians who are using this in displays and for reader's advisory. PLEASE go forth and do so with my blessing, nothing would make me happier! I was recently laid off from my librarian job as part of a restructuring under new management (don't worry about me, it sucks right now but I'm gonna be fine), so I would love to think that I'm still contributing to the library ecosystem while I'm out of commission. I would also love to keep making these lists (including one that deals with Sad Boat fiction and one with recommendations for other types of media), and I've never had more time to do it, so if you have suggestions, please drop them in my inbox!
Anyway, enough of that-- here are more books! I've either read all of these, or the recommendation came from someone I trust, so read with confidence!
First Hand Accounts
The Quiet Land: The Antarctic Diaries of Frank Debenham edited by June Debenham Back
The Voyage of the Discovery by Robert Falcon Scott
Farthest North by Fridtjof Nansen
Endurance by F.A. Worsley
Boats boats boats!
Franklin's Lost Ship: The Historic Discovery of HMS Erebus by Alanna Mitchell and John Geiger
The Voyages of the Discovery: The Illustrated History of Scott's Ship by Ann Savours
HMS Terror: The Design, Fitting, and Voyages of a Polar Discovery Ship by Matthew Betts
The SS Terra Nova (1884-1943): Whaler, Sealer, and Polar Exploration Ship by Michael C. Tarver
You'll learn about the Ross Sea Party and you'll like it
Shackleton's Heroes by Wilson McOrist
Shackleton’s Forgotten Men: The Untold Tragedy of the Endurance Epic by Lennard Bickel
The Ross Sea Shore Party 1914-1917 by R.W. Richards
The Lost Men by Kelly Tyler-Lewis*
Polar Castaways by Richard McElrea and David Harrowfield*
*These were on my other list, but this is my graphic and I'll do what I want
Sad Airships and Planes
From Pole to Pole: Roald Amundsen's Journey in Flight by Garth James Cameron
N-4 Down: The Hunt for the Arctic Airship Italia by Mark Piesing
Antarctica's Lost Aviator by Jeff Maynard
Disaster at the Pole: The Tragedy of the Airship Italia and the 1928 Nobile Expedition to the North Pole by Wilbur Cross
More Shackleton Content
Shackleton: A Life in Poetry by Jim Mayer
Shackleton's Last Voyage by Frank Wild
The Quest Chronicle: The Story of the Shackleton-Rowett Expedition by Jan Chojecki
Shackleton's Forgotten Expedition: The Voyage of the Nimrod by Beau Riffenburgh
Polar Partners
Snow Widows by Katherine MacInnes
Polar Wives: The Remarkable Women Behind the World's Most Daring Explorers by Kari Herbert
Widows of the Ice by Anne Fletcher
Sad Boat Graphic Novels
Shackleton: Antarctic Odyssey by Nick Bertozzi
The Worst Journey in the World- The Graphic Novel Volume 1: Making Our Easting Down adapted by Sarah Airriess from the book by Apsley Cherry-Garrard*
How To Survive in the North by Luke Healy
*This was also on my other list, but this is my graphic and I'll do what I want
Biographies
Scott of the Antarctic by David Crane
Ice Captain: The Life of J.R. Stenhouse by Stephen Haddelsey
Cherry: A Life of Apsley Cherry-Garrard by Sara Wheeler
Birdie Bowers: Captain Scott's Marvel by Anne Strathie
Roald Amundsen by Tor Bomann-Larsen
Miscellaneous sad boat books that are well worth your time
I May Be Some Time: Ice and the English Imagination by Francis Spufford
Fatal North: Adventure and Survival Aboard USS Polaris, The First US Expedition to the North Pole by Bruce Henderson
Barrow's Boys: A Stirring Story of Daring, Fortitude, and Outright Lunacy by Fergus Fleming
Pilgrims on the Ice by T.H. Baughman
The Coldest Crucible: Arctic Exploration and American Culture by Michael F. Robinson
Ghosts of Cape Sabine by Leonard F. Guttridge
Icebound: Shipwrecked at the Edge of the World by Andrea Pitzer
If you read and enjoy any of these, please let me know!
EDITED TO ADD: OG Sad Boat Books post here!
we’re all going to die
#justiceformuslims
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901) standing beside his paintings.
If you like to play The Last of Us, then try Rot & Ruin by Jonathan Maberry
If you like to play Beyond: Two Souls, then try The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey
If you like to play Call of Duty: Black Ops (Zombies), then try World War Z by Max Brooks
If you like playing Grand Theft Auto, then try American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis
If you like playing Sid Meier’s Civilization, then try A Game Of Thrones by George R. R. Martin
If you like playing Final Fantasy, try playing Fullmetal Alchemist by Hiromu Arakawa
If you like playing Mass Effect, then try Illuminae by Amie Kaufman and Jay Kristoff
If you like playing Alice: Madness Returns, then try Madness So Discreet by Mindy McGinnis
If you like playing Halo, then try Starship Troopers by Robert A Heinlein
If you like playing Portal, then try House Of Stairs by William Sleator
If you like playing Mario Kart, then try The Lovely Reckless by Kami Garcia
If you like playing Dark Souls, then try Anna Dressed in Blood by Kendare Blake
If you like playing Life Is Strange, then try We Are Okay by Nina Lacour
If you like playing Stardew Valley, then try How I Live Now by Meg Rosoff
If you like playing Fable, then try Young Elites by Marie Lu
If you like playing Borderlands, then try Velocity by Chris Wooding
If you like playing Dishonored, then try Airman by Eoin Colfer
If you like playing The Oregon Trail, then try Under a Painted Sky by Stacey Lee
If you like playing the Elder Scrolls series, then try The Naming by Alison Croggon
If you like playing Red Dead Redemption, then try Vengeance Road by Erin Bowman
If you like playing Bioshock, then try Dark Life by Kat Falls
If you like playing Fallout, then try Razorland by Ann Aguirre
If you like playing Assasin’s Creed, then try The Way of Shadows Night by Brent Weeks
If you like playing Dragonage, then try Ember in the Ashes by Sabaa Tahir
If you like playing The Legend of Zelda, then try Graceling by Kristin Cashore
If you like playing Until Dawn, then try Ten by Gretchen McNeil
If you like playing Sonic, then try Maximum Ride by James Patterson
If you like playing Overwatch, then try Bluescreen by Dan Wells
If you like playing Uncharted, then try Passenger by Alexandra Bracken
If you like playing Pokemon, then try Fantastic Beasts & Where to Find Them by JK Rowling, and Newt Scamander
If you like playing Mario Party, then try Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins
In Aziraphale’s bookshop. There’s a little area of Books by one of his favourite authors, and a hat that one of the customers left behind and will be back for one day… #goodomens #terrypratchett
It’ll mean a lot to my friend, who’s having a tough time with bullies lately.
American Gods | Opening Title Sequence [x]
and the mortifying ordeal of being known Graham | transman | 30s | three crows in a trench coat
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