November’s start is now behind us. I got two books read from cover to cover, even though I was reading more slowly this week than I usually do. I went a bit heavy on the doom scrolling. This week I’m intend to redouble my efforts to avoid that, so the next list might be longer. We’ll see. During the time that I was reading this week, I was fully absorbed by these two titles. I recommend both of them highly.

@halliday.nelson

It has been a week. Remember you can always read books instead of comments. #inthebooks #reading #booktok #escapism #recap #reviews #books #ifthetideturns #rachelrueckert #samuelbellamy #pirates #thichnhathanh #theartofpower #activism

♬ original sound – Halliday Nelson

1. If The Tide Turns – Rachel Rueckert

I grew up sailing off of Cape Cod, Massachusetts with my family. I don’t remember when I learned the story of the pirate captain Samuel Bellamy; I was very young at the time. He was one of the characters who led me to uncover my special interest in the Golden Age of Piracy. I’ve a very fond memory of one of my parents pointing out at the water and informing me that’s where the remains of his ship were. I wanted to immediately dive down and search for the remaining treasure, but had to settle for visiting it in the Whydah Pirate Museum later. It would be about a decade before I got my scuba license.

That is all to say, when I read the synopsis of this book and realized it was Samuel Bellamy’s love story, I knew I needed it. It is not only Bellamy’s local ties nor fantastic success as a pirate that had me fascinated. Even more intriguing to me are the historical accounts of his character and the beautifully bittersweet tale of his love. The author was clearly just as enraptured as I was when she heard the story, and it’s obvious how deeply she dove into the research for this. She did a wonderful job of painting a picture of New England Colonial life as well as life aboard various types of sailing vessels of the time, even how the conditions varied.

Unfortunately, my level of familiarity with the historical accounts meant my expectations for this book were off the charts. Honestly, they were probably unfair. This is a work of historical fiction. I knew that going in, and for about the first half, I was thrilled by it. The fabricated conversations between characters felt very believable based on everything we know about the people in question and made for a richer narrative. After a while, I began to encounter pieces that didn’t fit with the records or even the local legends.

Then, I got to the ending. According to history, Bellamy went down with his ship, close enough to shore that (in theory) his love could have watched it happen. He never made it back to her. She was banished from her town and grew old, ostracized and known as the “Witch of Wellfleet” until passing in her 60s. It’s not a happy ending. In fact, it’s downright tragic, but it’s the ending I was expecting. It felt a bit like a favorite book getting turned into a movie with a changed final scene. This is still a great book and one I would recommend. If it was my first exposure to Bellamy or had changed character names, I would be head over heels in love with this book. The changes were just too jarring for me.

2. The Art of Power – Thich Nhat Hanh

I previously mentioned one of Thich Nhat Hanh’s books from his How To series in my September Recap. This one is a little more meaty, but uses the same easy-to-follow language. He truly had a gift for making extremely intellectual concepts feel simple to grasp. His use of anecdotes and metaphors make his work so accessible, uplifting, and motivational. I picked this book off my shelf because after the events of this week, I knew I needed his words.

The “power” referred to in the title is self-control. It’s personal agency. It is our individual free will. It’s what we choose to create and how. This book is full of magnificent reminders that even small positive actions have an effect, no matter the size of the struggle. Thich Nhat Hanh was a practiced activist and teacher, and a powerful force for peace – from within individuals to between nations. When the world looks bleak, his books never fail to inspire me. I always feel more optimistic by the end.

That’s the End of November’s Start!

There is definitely no theme to November’s reading, and I’m happy with that this month. I’ve been able to pick up whichever book on my shelf was calling to me without worrying about any correlation to the last one. At first, I’d planned to find a common thread after the fact, but that would be a very big stretch with this list. I’m not sure yet where my next week of reading will bring me, and I’m excited to find out. Although I have a large pile of unread titles already here waiting for me, I’d like to see more diversity in the authors there. Yet another trip to the bookstore may be in order.

As always, I want to hear from you! What have you been reading lately? Are you having fun with it? Have you read any of these titles, and if so, what did you think of them? Tell me everything, and follow along for more!