So what books would you bring if you were going away for a year?  It’s a classic “stranded on a deserted island” question.  I am a hopeless bibliophile and stood in agony before my floor-to-ceiling book collection while packing to go away for a year.  Here’s what we I just couldn’t live without, in absolutely no order whatsoever, when faced with major space and weight issues.  This does not include the kids’ reading and homeschooling books or our books on Kindle/iBooks!

Fodor’s Caribbean: our one non-sailing travel book.  good to cross check what the “regular” tourists do.

Marine Navigation, Richard Hobbs: Chris’ college textbook.  We thought we’d have all kinds of time to reteach ourselves celestial navigation and go all old school.  Nope.

A Cruising Guide to the Maine Coast, Taft: Best cruising guide ever.  I actually got upset the day we left Maine and I had to put that book away under our bed.  I was equally as distraught by leaving Maine as I was from not getting to read this book anymore.  It’s that good.

Chinese Acupuncture and Moxibustion: the be all and end all of acupuncture texts.

A Pebble in Your Pocket: Mindful Stories for Children and Grown-ups, Thich Nhat Hanh: a great book by the beloved Buddhist teacher Thich Nhat Hanh.  I read the stories aloud to the kids and we talk about the messages they have to offer.

In the Heart of the Sea: the tragedy of the whaleship Essex, Nathaniel Philbrick: Chris read this in two days, a miracle in the busy world of a captain.  It is the true story that inspired Moby Dick.  Appropriate, as his nickname in college was Ahab.

Heal Your Body A-Z, Louise Hay: try not to get sick or hurt if you don’t have this book on your nightstand.  Louise Hay offers possible emotional root causes behind most ailments.  She then suggests ways to meditate upon those causes in an effort to heal oneself.  Try it before reaching for the Tylenol, BenGay, or NyQuil.  You might surprise yourself.

Nautical Chart Symbols, Abbreviations, and Terms: just as a back-up.  We haven’t needed it.

PADI SCUBA Manual: Bryson and I took our open water certification dives on our trip, so we brought this to study.

The Atmosphere, Frederick Lutgens and Edward Tarbuck: another 1994 textbook of Chris’.

World Cruising Routes, Jimmy Cornell: my dad lent this to us.  It is an absolute must-have for sailors who dream big.

I Remember Nothing, Nora Ephron: I have decided to read everything Nora Ephron has written.  I just don’t know how I will avoid trying to copy her writing style, which is witty, meaningful, and so so true.

The Sailing Fanatic: Timeless Reflections on Water, Wind and Wave, Christopher Caswell: where I get all my obscure quotes at the top of my blogposts.  What?  You thought I had read all those books?

The Web That Has No Weaver: Understanding Chinese Medicine, Ted Kaptchuk: it should be called “not understanding chinese medicine”.  I got to chapter five and my head almost exploded.

Inward Revolution: Bringing About Radical Change in the World, J. Krishnamurti: mmm.. sounds like a good idea.

Leadership and Self-Deception: getting out of the box, The Arbinger Institute: Chris brought this one.

The Diamond Cutter: the Buddha on Managing Your Business and Your Life, Geshe Michael Roach and Lama Christie McNally: another Chris pick.

I Feel Bad About My Neck and other thoughts on being a woman, Nora Ephron: so funny!  I read it on the beach in 3 hours.  And now I’m dragging it all over the Caribbean because I can’t bear to part with it.

Sea Survival: the boatman’s emergency manual, Robb Huff and Michael Farley: hoping we will never need this one.

Adrift: 76 Days Lost at Sea, Steve Callahan: or this one.  Although this book is wonderful, even if you don’t sail.  Next time you are tempted to watch Survivor, read this instead.  He’s the real deal.

All in the Same Boat: living aboard and cruising, Tom Neale: Great resource for living aboard, especially all the technical and mechanical aspects of maintaining a boat.  You just have to get past a bit of arrogance and judgement.

Chesapeake, James Michener: at least three people insisted I get this book when we were headed for the Chesapeake.  It’s REALLY LONG so I haven’t read it yet.

The Pocket Encyclopedia of Healing Touch Therapies, Skye Alexander and Anne Schneider: beautifully photographed book showing acupressure, massage, and reflexology points to help with everything from headaches to tendonitis to hangovers.

The Parent’s Tao Te Ching: Ancient Advice for Modern Parents, William Martin: a gift from a very special friend and an amazing parent.  I long ago decided I was done with books that tell me how to be a parent.  But Martin briefly and poignantly uses the wisdom of the Tao Te Ching to remind us of the Way and how it relates to being a parent.  I try to read one a day and contemplate it as I hug and kiss and play with and (try not to) yell at my kids.

Gift From the Sea, Anne Morrow Lindbergh: this is my favorite book. Of all time.  I can’t live without it.  It was given to me by my Tante Betsy when I graduated from high school.  I was changed by Lindbergh’s wisdom then and continue to learn and grow from her timeless advice every time I reread it.

Field Guide to Shells, National Audobon Society: it has been fun to look up interesting shells we find on the beach.

Sailor’s Guide to the Windward Islands, Chris Doyle: just about every sailor in the Caribbean has Chris Doyle’s books.  They give detailed information about customs & immigration procedures, anchoring, sightseeing, and the availability of all kinds of services from garbage to laundry to where you can buy a spare water filter.

Sailor’s Guide to the Leeward Islands, Chris Doyle

A Pirate Looks at Forty, Jimmy Buffet: Buffet music is daily fare on a boat.  And his books are salty and funny.

The Hungry Ocean, Linda Greenlaw: written about offshore fishing by the female captain of one of the boats caught in The Perfect Storm.

America’s Victory, David Shaw: about the first America’s Cup challenge.

Just Cruising: a family travels the world, Liza Copeland: we enjoyed Copeland’s presentations on sailing with children at the Annapolis Boat Show.

The Greatest Sailing Stories Ever Told, edited by Christopher Caswell: excellent as an armchair sailor book or to properly scare you out of your wits if you are reading the stories on a boat.

United States Coast Guard and US Department of Homeland Security’s Navigation Rules: we are required to have a copy onboard.  Go ahead.  Test us.

Tales of the Caribbean, Fritz Seyfarth: interesting, light reading about various islands.

Island Hopping to the Caribbean, David and Annie LaVigne: a personal account of cruising.

Watching for Mermaids, David Roper: purchased at the Newport Boat Show last year from the author, who was very personable.  Chris loved it.

Atlantic Coast Beaches, Neal, Pilkey, and Kelley: all about the ecology of the beach.

Pirates of the Virgin Islands, Fritz Seyfarth: just what it says.  fun!

Eldridge Tide and Pilot Book, 2012: lists tides for the Atlantic.  All boats have one onboard.

The Old Farmer’s 2012 Almanac, Robert Thomas: I thought it would be fun for the kids to peruse.  Nope.  They’re too busy swimming!

A Star to Steer Her By; A Five-Year Odyssey of Coming of Age at Sea, Alex Ellison: about a boy who sails with his family for five years.

Passages South: the thornless path to windward, Bruce Van Sant: Chris likes the information given in this book even though Van Sant makes no apologies about suggesting which islands have the prettiest women.  Really?

The Joy of Cooking, Irma Rombauer: the only cookbook we brought with us.  ’cause I thought we’d have internet….

Anatomical Illustration of Acupuncture Points, Guo chang-qing, Ph.D., Hu Bo, Ph.D., and Liu Nai-gang, M.A.: the perfect guide for an amateur.

We have a few more, but I have buried them in a bag under our bed as we finished them or decided we didn’t need to have them instantly accessible anymore.  What would you bring?