TALE OF SWORDFISH BOAT IS A FULL-COURSE MEAL.Byline: Rich Martin Special to the Daily News Here's one book that has no problem hooking readers. Linda Greenlaw's ``The Hungry Ocean: A Swordboat Captain's Journey'' (Hyperion; $22.95) has portrayed the details of life on a swordfish swordfish, large food and game fish, Xiphias gladius, of the warmer Atlantic and Pacific waters, related to the sailfish. It is named for its sharp, broad, elongated upper jaw, which it uses to flail and pierce its prey of smaller fish, rising beneath a school boat down to the last leader. While most books would drown in the quantity of information she has packed in, Greenlaw keeps a lively pace. Her description in the 266 pages is so vivid and her writing so crisp the narrative doesn't slow down anywhere. Consider her description of her quarry: ``A streamlined and muscular missile with a bayonet bayonet Short, sharp-edged, sometimes pointed weapon, designed for attachment to the muzzle of a firearm. According to tradition, it was developed in Bayonne, France, early in the 17th century and soon spread throughout Europe. , the swordfish is strong, swift and agile.'' And of dusk on the ocean: ``When the sun sets at sea, the drop in temperature is immediate, like turning a corner in the grocery store to enter the aisle of frozen pizza - it's that sudden.'' The Maine resident chronicles the events of one 30-day swordfish trip, including not only the workaday details necessary to catch the game but crew personalities and conflicts, her demanding boss and communication with other boats. She has interspersed this with profane anecdotes from earlier trips, such as trying to keep a dead man frozen before reaching shore. Veteran anglers will fully realize one crucial matter for oceangoing o·cean·go·ing adj. Made or used for ocean voyages. Adj. 1. oceangoing - used on the high seas; "seafaring vessels" seafaring, seagoing marine - relating to or characteristic of or occurring on or in the sea fishermen - finding and protecting a spot, called berthing. She was so anxious to continue her success at one berth that she even fibbed to other nearby captains who asked how well she was doing. Greenlaw has a love-hate relationship love-hate relationship Ambivalence Psychiatry A clinical complex characterized by Freudian impulses; love-hate is normal for children passing through the 'anal-sadistic' phase of development, in which there is often simultaneous love and 'murderous' hatred toward with the sea. Fishing is a job without a salary, with no weekends, no holidays, no personal or sick days. Captains and crew members are rarely able to have more than three or four hours of sleep a night. Storms, equipment hazards, rogue waves and the very real risk of falling overboard make fishing one of the most dangerous professions. And yet Greenlaw is in love with the sea. She fishes to make money, she writes, but urges anyone who dislikes the work to get out. Too many factors are outside the control of captains and crew - not only the ocean itself but the quality of the fishing and, most importantly Adv. 1. most importantly - above and beyond all other consideration; "above all, you must be independent" above all, most especially , the price per pound of swordfish. She started her affair with the sea at an early age and never allowed her gender to get in the way. She hates being called a ``fisherwoman'' and is as good at taking and dishing out self-effacing humor as any of the men on board. Greenlaw has more than her share of salty tales. She noticed one fishing boat adrift, going first one way and then another, and received no response when she called the captain. The crew had fallen asleep. The captain had awakened only because he needed to relieve himself after drinking a six-pack of beer. Greenlaw's crew dubbed the captain Rip Van Tinkle tin·kle v. tin·kled, tin·kling, tin·kles v.intr. 1. To make light metallic sounds, as those of a small bell. 2. Informal To urinate. v.tr. 1. . Unlike other fishermen who wax poetic about the one that got away, Greenlaw has only bitter feelings. A huge swordfish, larger than she had ever caught (so she says) even did a ``victory lap'' after escaping from the deck of a vessel in an earlier trip. But despite the hard work and unsavory aspects of shipboard ship·board n. 1. The condition of being aboard a ship: on shipboard. 2. Archaic The side of a ship. adj. life, she has a mysterious bond with the sea. Our rating: Three and One-Half Stars You're in Las Vegas Las Vegas (läs vā`gəs), city (1990 pop. 258,295), seat of Clark co., S Nev.; inc. 1911. It is the largest city in Nevada and the center of one of the fastest-growing urban areas in the United States. . Why not peruse pe·ruse tr.v. pe·rused, pe·rus·ing, pe·rus·es To read or examine, typically with great care. [Middle English perusen, to use up : Latin per-, per- the configurations of a topographic map (Data West Research Agency definition: see GIS glossary.) A map depicting terrain relief showing ground elevation, usually through either contour lines or spot elevations. The map represents the horizontal and vertical positions of the features represented. as carefully as you're studying those playing cards playing cards, parts of a set or deck, used in playing various games of chance or skill. The origin of playing cards is unknown, and almost as many theories exist as there are historians of the subject. at the blackjack blackjack, one of the world's most widely played gambling card games; also known as twenty-one or vingt-et-un. Despite contesting claims between the French and Italians, its origins are unknown. table? Matt Purdue's ``Adventure Guide to Nevada'' (Hunter Publishing; $15.95) can provide an ideal point of departure for those visiting the Silver State. The best part of the 208-page title is its acknowledgment of reality: Most people will be driving through the state, not backpacking, and will spend at least some time in Las Vegas. Purdue includes a generous selection of hikes from every part of the state, but he does more. He provides information for car tours to such locales as the Extraterrestrial Highway, ghost towns like Rhyolite rhyolite, fine-grained light-colored acidic volcanic rock. Rhyolite is chemically the equivalent of granite, and is thus composed primarily of quartz and orthoclase feldspar with subordinate amounts of plagioclase feldspar, biotite mica, amphiboles, and pyroxenes. and some lesser-known places, including Mesquite, which is trying to establish its own running of the bulls a la Pamplona, Spain. ``Nevada'' passes the ultimate guidebook test: It makes you want to visit there. The photos, though only black and white, are more than adequate, and the author - a Santa Monica magazine editor and occasional contributor to the Daily News - has included a generous sampling of restaurants and motels in addition to places for hiking, touring and camping that are surprisingly scenic. He also had the foresight to provide a large chapter on the Las Vegas area. He has the area pegged. Our rating: Two and One-Half Stars Another book with a desert backdrop takes a distinctly different approach. ``Desert Awakenings: A Unique Journey Through America's Splendid Southwest'' (NorthWord Press; $29.95) is a 160-page coffee-table offering with fine photos of the Painted, Sonoran, Colorado, Chihuahuan, Great Basin deserts and other arid regions. The images by Jeff Gnass are awesome; that's required of a book with such broad proportions. Included are shots of well-known areas, such as the Grand Canyon, Anza-Borrego and Death Valley, and of underappreciated sites such as the Mojave Desert, the Great Basin Desert of California and Nevada and Texas' Big Bend National Park Big Bend National Park, 801,163 acres (324,471 hectares), W Tex.; authorized 1935, est. 1944. It is a triangle formed where the Rio Grande runs southeast then northeast in a big bend along the U.S.-Mexico border, notably through deep canyons such as the Santa Elena. . They are married with text penned by John A. Murray that is both naturalistic and mystical. While the journey he takes us on is enjoyable, there are a few lapses into overly romantic nature worship: ``Only the wind knows, and it is not telling.'' No, it's not, so don't mention the subject. Most readers won't mind this since they are attracted to the visual content, and the writing is decent as long as Murray strives for prose, not poetry. Our rating: Two and One-Half Stars. CAPTION(S): Photo PHOTO (Color) no caption (Book jackets featuring ``The Hungry Ocean,'' ``Adventure Guide to Nevada'' and ``Desert Awakenings'') Evan Yee/Staff Photographer |
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