Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover's Soul: Amazing Sea Stories and Wyland Artwork to Open the Heart and Rekindle the Spirit (Chicken Soup for the Soul)

Coming across this book is much like finding a bit of treasure from the sea. Plenty of "pearls", "gold", and "jewels" are to be found here. There are lovely stories, poems, cartoons, drawings and paintings to be cherished. Each one comes from the heart. Anyone who knows the "Chicken Soup" series of books will know what to expect, each contribution is amazing. Those who have not yet been introduced, this volume will be a wonderful place to start. The ocean theme will bring close to home the importance of the ocean and our responsibility towards it. The Sea's power and mystery reaches out to each of us in all parts of the world. What sets this one a bit apart from others is the inclusion of Wyland's art and his personal stories. This is a soulful, spiritual, and beautiful man who deeply loves the sea and is doing what he can to bring that out in all of us in order to protect it for the following generations. His moving stories will bring you closer to that part of us that that love the ocean and all that live in it. Don't miss out. It is unforgettable.

Wow! I received this book as a gift from a co-worker who knew I was a fan of the work of the artist Wyland. I had seen the Chicken Soup series for years, but found most of the stories to be a little too similar. This book was a VAST improvement and really deserves a look from anyone who thought the Chicken Soup series has burned itself out. I was particularly drawn to the story, "The Sea and the Wind that Blows," by E.B. White, the author of "Charlotte's Web." White, a long-time sailing aficionado, realizes for the first time that he is getting older and is becoming a risk to himself by sailing alone ... and must make a painful decision to give up his beloved pasttime. He ultimately decides that the point of life is to do what you love, and in so doing, decides to continue his sailing adventures, regardless of the consequences. It's a message for everyone who has ever considered giving up on something precious. The other stories are great too -- they come from around the entire world -- but are too numerous to explain in this review. This was simply a great gift that I will treasure as long as my paperback copy holds out.

This is a warm and wonderful book filled with stories, poems and art that will fill your heart with gladness. I can relate to many of these stories as I am a diver and a snorkeler, but anyone with a love for the ocean or even just a love for nature and life will find this book a treasure. I am going to order 3 more copies to give to my daughters and a friend because I don't wish to part with my own copy.

I'm not what you would call an "ocean lover" as the title of this book indicates, but my family and I used to visit the ocean on summer vacations in the gulf of Texas. I guess I had forgotten how wonderful those times were. But after reading Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover's Soul, it was like being there again, building sandcastles on the beach with my father and brother, sharing my dreams for the future with my mother and contemplating the vast sea in front of us. There are some terrific stories here, including some by well-known authors, and the Wyland paintings are beautiful, but it's the stories by people like me, everyday people, with such touching memories of the sea that make this book a dear gift, indeed.

Most people know that anything can happen at sea. And in the newest book in the Chicken Soup for the Soul series, Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lovers Soul, just about anything that can happen in, around, above, and below the sea ... does happen. Co-authored by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, journalist Steve Creech and renowned marine life artist Wyland - who you might know from his gigantic sea life murals around the world - Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover's Soul takes readers on an astonishing journey across our blue planet, with over 70 unforgettable, true-life stories, and breathtaking color inserts of Wyland art.The book culls its stories from as far away as the South Pacific to the Fjords of Norway, and includes pieces by Clive Cussler, Jack Hanna, Robert Ballard, the discoverer of the Titanic, and more. In Geriatric Suicide, for example, sixty-five-year-old filmmaker Warren Miller tests the limits of what it means to be a "senior citizen" as he fights heavy seas and wind in a break-neck windsurfing expedition from Maui to Molokai. Author John Cacciutti accomplishes the unthinkable in his story, Sailsmanship, when he loses his fishing rod to a nine-foot sailfish, then leaps into the waters off Acapulco - at risk of being speared himself - lands the fish ... then releases it.The stories go on: the MIT student who creates a one-of-a-kind bicycle ... then pedals it across the Atlantic Ocean; a strange discovery aboard the Jacques Cousteau exploration ship Calpyso; and a midnight encounter with giant Humboldt squid that will make any diver think twice about testing these curious animals. But there's a deeper meaning to all of this, too - and that's what this book does best. Chicken Soup for the Ocean Lover's Soul captures relationships, family stories, tales of the high sea, and insights into the wonderful aquatic life that shares our planet for a truly fascinating, highly entertaining reading experience.