Ep 482: Diving into evocative ocean reads

Jun 17, 2025

Noelle Leong, a science and medicine-focused librarian with a passion for marine science, dives into the world of ocean-themed literature. She shares her love for books that capture the essence of the sea, exploring everything from pop science to narratives featuring complex relationships set against oceanic backdrops. The conversation also touches on the transformative power of reading, emotional connections to ocean motifs, and insightful recommendations that highlight both fiction and nonfiction related to the vast and mysterious ocean.

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ANECDOTE

Noelle's Love for Tide Pools

Noelle loves working outside the library with students, visiting tide pools and forest trails.
She even taught marine botany to join field trips and engage with seaweed pressing.

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ADVICE

Practice DNF to Manage TBR

Practice DNFing by reading about 60 pages; if the book doesn't engage, donate it.
This helps reduce an overwhelming TBR and keeps only books that truly resonate.

insights

INSIGHT

Ocean Books Transport Readers

The ocean in books transports readers mentally and physically to places they love or crave.
It can reflect emotional states like summer warmth or stormy turmoil, adding depth to the story experience.

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Exploring Themes of Friendship and Art in Dystopian Literature

24:12 • 2min

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Exploring Ocean-Themed Reads and Personal Connections

26:15 • 2min

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Exploring the Ocean's Complex Engine

28:03 • 4min

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Exploring the Intricacies of Nature Through 'The Perfect Storm'

31:41 • 3min

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Navigating Love and Loss at Sea

34:39 • 13min

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The Blue Machine, How the Ocean Works

Helen Czerski

Sea Wife

Amity Gaige

Immaculate Conception

Ling Ling Huang

Wild Blue Media

Melody Jue

The Anthropocene Reviewed

Essays on a Human-Centered Planet

John Green

In 'The Anthropocene Reviewed', John Green adapts and expands his critically acclaimed podcast into a symphony of essays. He reviews a wide range of subjects, from the QWERTY keyboard and sunsets to Canada geese and 'Penguins of Madagascar', using a five-star rating system. The book is a personal and introspective exploration of human existence, touching on themes of culture, science, and personal experiences. Green's essays are praised for their wit, empathy, and ability to make the universal personal, offering a reflection on the human condition during times of global change and uncertainty.

Our Wives under the Sea

In *Piranesi*, the protagonist lives in a world called the House, a labyrinthine structure filled with thousands of statues, tides that surge through staircases, and clouds in the upper halls. Through his meticulous journals, Piranesi reconstructs the story of his arrival and explores the House, only to discover messages indicating the presence of another person. As he delves deeper, he uncovers secrets and confronts the possibility of a world beyond his known reality.

In 'The Loves of My Life', Flora McFerren shares a raw and intimate account of her life, detailing her quest for love and acceptance. The memoir explores her personal journey, including the challenges she faced and the lessons she learned along the way.

Remainder

Tom McCarthy

Remainder tells the story of an unnamed narrator who, following a mysterious accident, becomes obsessed with reenacting half-remembered scenes from his past. Using his substantial compensation, he hires actors and constructs elaborate sets to recreate these moments, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. The novel explores themes of memory, trauma, and the quest for authenticity in a postmodern world.

For the Time Being

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Cecil Day-Lewis

While not explicitly mentioned as a book in the transcript, "For the Time Being" is a poem by W.H. Auden, referenced by Sean Johnson in relation to Cecil Day-Lewis's "The Christmas Tree. " Auden's poem shares similar themes and imagery with Day-Lewis's work, particularly regarding the concept of vision and its transience. The connection between the two poems highlights the influence and shared artistic sensibilities between Auden and Day-Lewis. The shared themes and imagery suggest a deeper exploration of the cyclical nature of time and the enduring power of faith and hope. The poems' shared vocabulary and imagery underscore their mutual influence and artistic kinship.

The perfect storm

Sebastian Junger

The book recounts the story of the Andrea Gail, a fishing boat from Gloucester, Massachusetts, that was lost at sea during the severe 1991 Perfect Storm. Junger details the lives of the crew members, their families, and the rescue efforts during the storm. The narrative combines technical information about fishing and storms with a compassionate and vivid portrayal of the men's experiences. It also includes accounts of other vessels caught in the storm and the rescue operations by the U.S. Coast Guard.

How Far the Light Reaches

Sabrina Imbler

In 'How Far the Light Reaches', Sabrina Imbler weaves together memoir and marine biology, drawing parallels between the lives of sea creatures and their own experiences as a queer, mixed-race writer. The book explores themes of adaptation, survival, and identity, offering a unique perspective on how marine life can inform human understanding of family, community, and care.

We always love reading on a theme, and today's guest would love to see her real-life love of the ocean mirrored in the pages of her books.

Noelle Leong is a science and medicine-focused librarian at a small liberal arts college. She especially loves her work for the opportunities it provides her to join the students on trails and visiting tidepools.

So it’s perhaps unsurprising she’d love Anne's help finding books about the ocean, whether that means pop science, books where the ocean is the setting, or even a character—she’s up for anything. While this isn’t an exclusively summery theme, so many readers associate the ocean with summer vacations and family trips, so it feels like just the right time to dive in and find titles that will appeal to Noelle’s reading wishes right now.

Find the list of titles mentioned today and share your ocean reading recommendations by leaving a comment on our show notes page at whatshouldireadnextpodcast.com/482

For more summer reading fun, join us in the Modern Mrs Darcy Book Club. We had a blast at our Summer Reading Guide Unboxing party, and next week, we’re hosting Summer Reading Guide author Kevin Wilson for our June live author talk. Book Club is a great place to gather with fellow readers and talk all about this summer’s most discussable books. Join the fun at modernmrsdarcy.com/club

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