Customer Reviews

Good Things Love Water: A Collection of Surf Stories

5 star:		(4)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Chris Ahrens has quite a surf history to share. In his travels to Hawaii and Australia, and along his home shore in California, he's been privy to some of the most exciting (and strange) rides and stories in surf history. I devoured this book in a day, then went on to JOYRIDES, Ahren's other collection. Some of the stories are just amazing and left me breathless with longing for the sea. Others are silly or weird or offensive--a really mixed bag. But the biggest problem? Both books are rife with distracting typos, grammar errors, and bad spelling. Come on, Mr. Ahrens, you're a pro writer. Get a copyeditor to look over your work.

In total this book was awsome, nice short storys, captivated me, had me all in total hook line and sinker. Chris Ahrens did a great job at just keeping it all together. It makes great reading cause you are not always having to deal with DOH I dont know what is going to happen next. I love this book cause I can take it anywhere. Makes good reading between classes and in the waiting room.... even bedtime reading.... take it anywhere it is small enough to slip into a purse! The way you will feel when reading this book is if you are there... it gives you a great mental picture of what is happening.

I actually bought this book for my husband as he is the surfer in the family, but I actually read it before he had a chance to. Although I've been around the surf culture most of my life, I never had any insight into the wonderful history of the sport. Good Things Love Water gives a bit of history, along with wit, and wisdom of many surfing legends. I can truly say I appreciate the sport a bit more now, because of this wonderful book. I can agree that even if you don't surf, you can also enjoy the stories, as well as learn a bit along the way.

Along with his follow-up companion book, "Joyrides", this collection of short stories chronicles some of surfing's most colorful characters and their exploits resulting from surfing's bygone era when one merely needed the desire, a plane ticket, a board and a beach to sleep on. Entertaining, informative and at times humorous, I highly recommend this book for both the surfing novice and seasoned veteran alike. (Don't let your mom read this book though, it may just reinforce her less-than-admirable opinion of surfers in general).

This thoughtful, direct book wends its way around the coasts of all the prime surf spots. It harks back to the early days when surfing was a way of living. Its anecdotal style answers some of the who what and where's of surfing greats. The style is pure "by the campfire" , like one surfer telling another about the greatest wave ever or how some scrawny kid turned into a "Meta" surfer, defying all known physical laws in the tube of a wave. You don't need to be an insider to dig this book, it is a happy flow of the renaissance of surfing.

This is a very entertaining read both for the surfer and non-surfer. I sat down with it in the morning and couldn't put it down till I was finished- although with the short story format, it would be a great bathroom book (no slur intended). A great little gift for all your friends.