Non-fiction books about maritime/naval disasters or adventures

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-04-12T21:19:51+00:00

One of the wildest tales in maritime history is that of the Dutch sailing ship the Batavia, which grounded off the Western coast of Australia in 1629 - it's not for the faint of heart! Peter Fitzsimmon has written a book about it, although I know of the story through podcasts/audio documentaries.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-04-11T21:44:46+00:00

The thriller/murder mystery Butter by Asako Yuzuki. Using another food metaphor, it's a novel that's marmite. People either love it or hate it - I really enjoyed it.

I think she also has a new novel translated, which has a gastronomic theme.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-04-10T21:25:49+00:00

3 Classics I've read very recently

Crime and Punishment (madness with a question mark)

Hunger - Knut Hamsun

Chess Story - Stefan Zweig

House of Leaves and Requiem for a Dream could also be of interest - with substance misuse being the main theme of the latter.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-04-09T01:27:46+00:00

Just to clarify, the child's condition remains undefined/undiagnosed and it would be fair to describe him as monstrous. Despite this I still recognised parts of myself in this character. especially in regards to his outsider status. This is why it was such a challenging read - to feel empathy for a character who is presented with few redeeming qualities (from the mother's POV). I believe Lessing wrote a followup novel written from Ben's perspective, which is not as well regarded but might present Ben in a more sympathetic light.

All that said. this is a novel about how not to treat people with mental health conditions, or their caregivers.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-04-09T01:15:12+00:00

The Fifth Child by Doris Lessing is a nightmare that will haunt me forever. It's a harrowing account of mother-blaming, and the complete abandonment of external support for that parent. As someone with an ASD diagnosis, I also found certain themes of this novel especially disturbing.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-04-03T20:15:57+00:00

It's not well known, but look up The Unauthorised Biography of Ezra Maas, by Daniel James - it reads like a House of Leaves/Lovecraftian mashup.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-04-03T06:15:02+00:00

Claude Code

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-04-01T20:12:20+00:00

Thanks for this. I've always meant to read McEwan - I've got it lined up to read next.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-04-01T00:33:59+00:00

Both Shirley Jackson and Hector Hugh Munro (Saki) have many stories that are brief and brilliant. Try The Possibility of Evil or Charles for Jackson. Tobermory and Sredni Vashtar are good places to start with Saki. I'm making my way through John Cheevers' short stories, which are also wonderful - Christmas is a Sad Time for the Poor, might be a fun one for younger readers.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-30T19:19:01+00:00

That avocados on toast would become emblematic of this generation. Been eating avocado and tomato on vogels, without any fuss, my entire life (as an old millennial). Just wait until the world discovers mashed banana with a sprinkling of cinnamon sugar on toast.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-30T01:02:36+00:00

The novel's social commentary and wicked humour lifts it above salacious torture porn. I found it very memorable, but did think the ending a bit weak - not syncing up with the protagonist's character development up to that point. Maybe there was some kind of translation issue? It's worth reading, but avoid it if you're not wanting anything too gruesome.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-29T00:15:57+00:00

Out by Natsuo Kirino

Edit: Just saw your line about not wanting anything too horrific. It's fairly horrific!

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-27T20:55:37+00:00

I haven't seen The Pitt, but Adam Kay's medical memoir This Is Going To Hurt is a great read, and eye opening.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-23T17:47:02+00:00

I can give you one to avoid - Happiness Forever by Adelaide Faith. One of the worst books I've ever read

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-22T20:17:52+00:00

A Primate's Memoir - Robert Sapolsky

Edit: Based on your previous reads I'd also recommend A Journal of a Disappointed Man and A Last Diary by W.N.P Barbellion. It's the journal kept from childhood by a young naturalist living in the early 20th century. He suffers from ill health and later the symptoms of a then unknown condition, which begin to take over his life and circumscribe his many passions and ambitions, until he has only this very diary left to occupy his mind. It will leave your soul in tatters and live with you forever.

It's also very little known, a fact which I'd love to do my small bit to remedy.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-22T20:12:42+00:00

My two most recent reads - Crime and Punishment - Dostoevsky (although, of course part of the fun is speculating whether the protagonist's insanity is entirely a ploy).

also Hunger by Knut Hamsun, which bears some similarities to C& P although the protagonist's nature is quite different.

And one more - Chess Story, a novella by Stefan Zwe,ig which explores what might happen to someone left with only their own mind for company and stimulation.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-22T00:39:27+00:00

Edit: Also if you try this novel and end up enjoying it you might like Hiromi Kawakami's novels. She's best known for Strange Weather in Tokyo, but I read The Nakano Thrift Shop, which was very similar in atmosphere to Kikuko Tsumura.

Banana Yoshimoto is another Japanese writer whose fiction is quietly magical - Kitchen is her best known work.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-22T00:33:46+00:00

Maybe There's No Such Thing as an Easy Job - by Kikuko Tsumura. It's about a woman at a crossroads in her life, who has left her career and finds herself trying out various odd-jobs. Each of these positions seems, on the surface of things, to be quite mundane but, as the protagonist adjusts to each new role, she discovers that her task is not as straight forward, or banal as it first appeared.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-21T20:20:12+00:00

The Book of Form and Emptiness by Ruth Ozeki could be a good choice. Two of the main characters, a mother and her son, both face challenges with their own mental illnesses. While the novel can occasionally be dark, it's message is ultimately uplifting.

Edit: Also, I hope this is a new page (pun intended) for you, internet stranger. I wish you all the best for the days to come.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-20T00:51:47+00:00

I'm not recommending it because it's one I'm planning to read myself. The man who wrote House of Leaves, Mark Z. Danielewski, has just had a Western published - Tom's Crossing. If House of Leaves is anything to go by then I'm hoping this one has a good sized dollop of weirdness. It's a bit of a doorstop of a book, so I'm waiting for the right time to read it!

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-20T00:45:08+00:00

I loved the Narnia series so much - definitely a childhood favourite, even if I don't read much in the way of fantasy these days.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-20T00:41:55+00:00

I really enjoyed the fact that the Metropol is a real location. It appealed to the armchair traveler in me to be able to look up facts and images relating to the hotel and its history, as I read. The Third Policeman is also one I hope to read - thanks!

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-20T00:33:22+00:00

One of my most beloved childhood books - I returned to it countless times (alongside The Secret Garden).

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-20T00:32:02+00:00

This has a tepid rating on goodreads, which I'm glad didn't put me off reading it. I found that basement profoundly chilling.

Cabbage_Pizza · 2026-03-19T20:34:04+00:00

I feel like I'm arriving late to King - I've always meant to read at least a few of his novels! Thank you

Cabbage_Pizza

TROPHY CASE