How to Read Water

May 23, 2016
In this enthusiastic, if esoteric, volume, Gooley (The Lost Art of Reading Nature’s Signs), a fellow of the Royal Geographical Society and Royal Institute of Navigation, diagnoses humans with a lack of fascination with water and sets out to rectify this situation. He examines water in its various liquid forms, pointing readers toward the “physical clues, signs, and patterns to look for in water, whether you are standing by a puddle or gazing out across miles of ocean.” For example, Gooley identifies various types of puddles—including low-point, tracker, and navigator puddles—and reveals the reasons behind the ways they form, such as the ground beneath them, or the local flora and fauna. Similarly, he explains the differences among ripples, waves, and swells in larger bodies of water. Readers should be prepared for the occasional technical discussion, as when Gooley gives a rundown of the individual layers of water in a lake—epilimnion, thermocline, hypolimnion—and outlines an experiment readers can do at home to further explore them. The minutiae may turn off some readers, but avid and budding outdoorspeople will appreciate Gooley’s breadth of knowledge and accessible approach to his subject. Agent: Sophie Hicks, Sophie Hicks Agency.

June 1, 2016

In this engaging field guide, Gooley (The Natural Navigator), who has more than two decades of outdoor expertise, describes how readers can train themselves to look at water in a different way in order to learn about their surroundings. Using experience gained from his remarkable travel expeditions around the world, the author demonstrates how simple signs in the landscape can reveal if water is nearby, in both the city and the country; how to read ripples to find calm spots; and what it means when water changes color. From the shallowest puddle to the deepest ocean, water is in constant communication with its environment. Gooley has tapped into that language and shares his findings here. With the help of this book, and with careful attention and observation, anyone can learn how to interpret the messages water offers to aid in everything from navigation to weather forecasting. VERDICT A riveting and highly accessible book that will appeal to water enthusiasts and nature lovers of all kinds.--Venessa Hughes, Buffalo, NY

Copyright 2016 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.