What to Read Instead #2 -- Garbo

Continuing with my new series of much shorter blog posts on the subject of choosing books that offer you reading value for time spent. 

Interested in books about ships and the sea? This week I compare not single books but rather volumes of collected fiction. We begin, as always, with one or more books to skip. 

Book(s) To Skip: The first three volumes in the Horatio Hornblower series by C. S. Forester (Beat to Quarters, Ship of the Line, Flying Colours).

Why to skip:  Forester's books are entertaining but not written by someone who actually spent time on the water.  After failing the physical exam for the armed forces in Britain, Forester did his part in the war effort by writing propaganda materials encouraging the U.S. to join the Allied efforts during the Second World War.

 Forester does include accurate details of life aboard ship during the Napoleonic Wars, but this writing feel the same as reading about someone's day-to-day experiences. There are details about shipboard life, but they feel researched rather than observed or experienced.

 

Read this collection instead:  The Secret Sharer and Other Stories, which includes the title story plus "Youth" and "Typhoon."

Why: First, Joseph Conrad had actual experience of sea life. Second, the time of writing his books was closer to the times he describes than Forester's life and the time period he wrote about. Third, Conrad's language use is a marvel. The author didn't speak English as a first language, and so his work never falls into cliche or repetitive habits we sometimes see in prolific authors. 

                                        READING TIMES COMPARED

Beat to Quarters  / Ship of the Line / Flying Colors, combined: 14.5 hours

"The Secret Sharer" / "Youth" / "Typhoon," combined:  3 hours

Note: In addition to the Hornblower series, Forester wrote a number of other books, including The African Queen. That one is well worth a read, especially if you'd like to watch the film having read the book it's based on. 

Disclaimer:  I suggest skipping books, but there's always a substitute offering in these posts. I never suggest skipping a book and playing more video games or spending more time doomscrolling. And I am not banning, condemning, harming, or trashing the books I recommend skipping. There's nothing wrong with the titles I suggest skipping; it's just a matter of making choices with limited time to read in a busy, busy world. 

                                                           Garbo