10 books like The Riddle of the Sands

In the backwoods of a beautiful and wild North Carolina coastal town, comes the tragic but triumphant world of the “Marsh Girl,” Kaya Clark. Left to fend for herself after being deserted by her parents, Kaya’s will to survive, as well as the overwhelming odds to rid herself of long-held stigmas, give voice to the fact that those who are marginalized are victimized as a result of it. As an author who writes the underdog-always-wins stories, this attracted me immediately, as did Owen’s writing, which puts the reader front and center into the ostracized heroine’s life. The storyline, the richly described setting, and her flawed but likable characters, has made this a must-read—and a re-read—for me.  

Some books stick with you long after you close the cover. The House in the Cerulean Sea is one of those for me. It’s a deceptively simple story about a man whose job is to inspect orphanages. But when the orphans are a gnome, a sprite, a wyvern, an unidentifiable green blob, a were-Pomeranian, and the Antichrist, things don’t go smoothly. The creatures come to life on the page in an exploration of the simple pleasures in life and the extraordinary measures we must take to safeguard the liberties of everyone, even those who resemble us the least. I know I will come back to this book time and again when I need something to lift my spirits. 

Personalities collide during a Block Island summer. While I enjoyed all three point-of-view characters, I laughed out loud at Anthony the author’s “head-writing;” he described a scene in front of him as if he were writing a novel. Tongue just slightly in cheek, I felt like Moore was poking fun at the novelist’s eye—while simultaneously using it as shorthand to show us Anthony’s view.

The Islanders came out only a few months before my book. Though both novels can be considered “beach reads,” they are each much more than just a fluffy happily-ever-after throwaway. An island makes a very convenient metaphor; for our lucky characters, it is actually their whole world—even if it’s not forever, or as long as it lasts, but “just for the summer.”

I liked the premise of this one: Kit’s sister Josie was supposedly killed in a terrorist attack, but one night she sees her on a TV news report in faraway New Zealand.

We might all wonder what we would do if the chance to find and reunite with a lost loved one arose. Questions must be asked and answered: Why did she leave? How could she let us grieve all this time? What happens if I find her?

Richard Bode’s pocket-sized memoir was given to me by a college friend, shortly after our graduation (as I write this, that was about three decades ago, and I still have this little book on my shelf within reach). It’s got water and sailing (both of which I love), but more importantly, it’s also chock-full of life lessons—without being preachy or overbearing. In the end, you realize that you can plot your own course, adapt to the shifts of wind and waves (Bode’s metaphor for life), and become your own hero.

Bill Tilman was a war hero and an accomplished Himalayan climber – reaching 27,000 feet on Everest without oxygen in 1938 – who turned in later life to sailing as a means of accessing obscure mountain ranges. In 1956 he sailed his Bristol Channel pilot cutter (Mischief) from England to the Chilean channels and made the first successful crossing of the Patagonian ice cap. Tilman was likely not easy to get on with – he tolerates no women on board, and on this particular cruise we never learn the first name of his deputy – but his writing is erudite and amusingly self-deprecating. This narrative concludes with the dry comment: “Ships are all right – it's the men in them.” Tilman sailed to the very end. He disappeared at sea in 1977, in his eightieth year, en route to climb a remote island peak in Antarctica. Would that… show more.

I recommend the sequel to Pirsig’s more famous bestseller because I’ve never owned a motorcycle (and I find bicycle maintenance hard enough), but now I own a sailboat—where his second story is set—so when he describes hearing people walking on the cabin roof, or checking the knots on the mooring ropes, I know exactly what he means because I’ve experienced this. Some of his fans felt this sequel was a betrayal of the magical mysticism of undefined Quality he described in the first book. For me, although problematic, it was a necessary clarification and one I not only used for my academic work on a range of controversies from abortion to transgender but also in my life-coaching practice: to inspire holistic transformation on all levels of wellbeing. 

Ever dream of going on an epic sailing voyage? Even though I’ve only been sailing a few times, the lure of the open sea is hard to resist. In Float Plan, Anna embarks on a solo sailing trip through the Caribbean to honor her late fiancé, who always dreamed of taking this trip. But when she runs into trouble early on, she hires Keane—a cute Irish sailor—to help her out. As Anna and Keane travel though the Bahamas, visiting one gorgeous island after another, they slowly become friends, and then something more. Though this book does deal with grief and loss, it’s ultimately very uplifting, and the romance feels truly earned. I’ve never vacationed in this part of the world, but this book made me long to visit these islands and kick back with a tropical drink. 

Le Guin is a star in fiction’s firmament but in this book she’s also a wonderfully modest practitioner of the art of writing. She discusses the sound of your prose, naming characters, repetition, and point of view. I found her chapter on crowding and leaping especially helpful. Crowding is when you follow Keats’ advice to load every rift with ore; leaping is when you skillfully leave things out—two invaluable skills in fiction, and in life.  

All the Stars and Teeth, set in the Kingdom of Visida, a collection of islands, is a story with legends and history and dark truths that are uncovered along the way. It has mermaids, blood magic, sea monsters, and high-octane adventure that kept me turning the pages. It’s everything you would expect from an adventure set on the seas. The banter is actually funny, and the romance is a nice touch to the story. Amora, the protagonist, is sheltered and naive in the beginning but comes into her own and becomes a worthy leader. One of the most interesting aspects of All the Stars and Teeth was a mermaid straight out of scary legends, her fury a delight to read, and she certainly steals the scenes she is in.