OUR BEARINGS AT SEA: A NOVEL IN POEMS, by Ottó Orbán, translated from the Hungarian by Jascha Kessler (with Maria Körösy) is in purpose and effect an autobiography, written in prose poems, divided into thematic groups. Altogether, and upon reflection, it seems a montage and mosaic of the life of the poet from childhood on, remembered from the Siege of Budapest by the Soviet armies towards the last year of World War II, up through the various regimes until 1988 or so. It is both surreally grotesque and warm, sardonic on the madness of erotic life and politics during the horrible decades that this Central European country suffered. Family, friends, lovers, politics, history, and social commentary, all at once.

What a journey! The 366 mariner metaphors were pulled from the first 60 volumes of the 63-volume New Park Street Pulpit & The Metropolitan Tabernacle Pulpit, a set of 3,561 sermons delivered between 1855-1872. We edited freely. More, it seems, than any other metaphor, Charles H. Spurgeon used the mariner to illustrate the voyage of the Christian in service to God. As the trade winds bellow our sails and push us towards our Fair Haven, many spiritual challenges wash our decks. One masterpiece after another. See www.PreciousHeart.net/Spurgeon-10.pdf for the 1st ten days.

Dockers’ Stories from the Second World War is a collection of several true stories, drawn from Henry Bradford’s thirty-two years as a Registered Docker in the Port of London, revealing the daring deeds of docklands men in the Second World War. Men were often killed and injured during their every-day work on the docks; nonetheless, never was the bravery of these men so tested as during times of war. Henry heard many stories from dockers in his time working the docks but it was their wartime adventures that seemed most vivid: tales of bravery and escapades of men who, once the wars they had fought in were over, returned to work in the docklands of the Port of London, on the river Thames in sailing barges, or on coastal or continental short sea trading vessels.Henry Bradford’s lively stories and colourful characters reveal the bravery of ordinary men in the Second World War, from Captain Jim Fryer’s ship towage work on Calais roads and Dunkirk beaches, and saving lives of survivors from the bombed hospital ship Paris, for which he was awarded the DSC, to Petty Officer Jack Hicks’ quieter but equally memorable posting steering a clinker-built boat on a hush-hush job from the Thames to the north-east, his crew consisting only of an inexperienced co-man and an incredibly efficient WREN. Heroes of London’s Docklands is sure to appeal to those whose relatives worked as dockers, and to anyone with an interest in London’s East End at war.

Summary of the book Joyce, a retired registered dietitian and pastor’s wife, found herself in a remarkable situation. She and her husband Jack, embarked upon an unusual “call” to the mission field. They had always thoroughly enjoyed cruise travel with opportunities to engage others; so, while she recovered from recent surgery, they took a cruise through the Panama Canal. When Sunday approached and unable to attend the on-board service she suggested that Jack go alone. Upon returning, he said, “I would like to become a cruise chaplain?” Always ready for an adventure and Jack, now a chaplain on board, they found themselves on an amazing journey with Holland America’s four months Grand World Cruise, circumventing the globe for five consecutive years. This is the first of five journals full of adventure, inspiration, and awe as she views the world, not as a travel guide, but through impressions of the physical beauty of the planet and the people who inhabit it. It also highlights her relationships as a passenger, friend and support to her busy husband on call 24/7 for every on-board spiritual need imaginable. She will lead you through adventures sometimes harrowing, often frustrating and truly fantastic. It promises to be both engaging and memorable.

A magazine of tales, travels, essays, and poems.