Today is World Rivers’ Day. World Rivers Day celebrates the world’s waterways in which about 60 countries participate each year. It emphasizes the many benefits of our rivers, works to raise public awareness, and promotes better stewardship of all rivers worldwide. Today, rivers in almost every country face a variety of threats, and this has been a reason of concern since centuries. It isn’t for nothing that learned scholars and poets have been writing about the importance of conservation of rivers. Truly, there’s no life, without rivers.
““If the earth is a mother then rivers are her veins.”
Coming to books, a great many rivers have been spectacular settings for some of the greatest books in literature. Whether it is ‘Death on the Nile’ or ‘Three Men in a Boat’ or ‘Life of Pi’, rivers continue to inspire creative minds. On the occasion of World Rivers Day, I wish to pay a tribute to these gorgeous water beauties by sharing with you a list of some amazing books with rivers as an element in them. I hope you will read them.
The Wind in the Willows
This was one of the first books I read to myself, and I’m still as enthralled and enchanted by Mole’s first sighting of the river and his encounter with the water rat as I was all those years ago. “So this is a river?” inquires the Mole. “The River” corrects the rat. “To me, it’s brother and sister, aunts, company, food and drink, and (naturally) washing.” It’s my world, and I wouldn’t have it any other way.” So, why would he?
“The river has great wisdom and whispers its secrets to the hearts of men.”
Three Men in a Boat
Jerome K Jerome’s only self-diagnosed illness was St. Vitus’ Dance (now known as Sydenham’s chorea). His doctor prescribed beer, sandwiches, and a vacation, so three men and an English fox terrier named Montmorency set out in a “camping boat” to sail from London to Oxford. Although laughter distracts the reader, the book remains a perfectly functional travel guide to this day. An excellent resource for any serious Thames visitor.
Waterlog: A Swimmer’s Journey Through Britain
When I first heard Roger Deakin on the radio talking about his plan to swim across Britain, I had to double-check my ears. As someone who had always swum in concrete pools, his “frog’s eye view” of Britain’s waterways inspired me to see swimming as more than just an exercise. It changed the perspective of a generation of swimmers, bringing us closer to ourselves and to the land and rivers that sustain us.
To the River: A Journey Below the Surface
Traveller’s Tales are the stories that captivate me the most. The ghosts of a failed relationship and Virginia Woolf, who drowned in the Ouse, inspired Laing to follow the river from its source to the sea—the opposite direction as many of the writers gathered here, including myself. Laing is an excellent companion: witty, knowledgeable, inquisitive, and caring.
“No man ever steps in the same river twice, for it’s not the same river and he’s not the same man.”
A Sleepwalk on the Severn
Alice Oswald’s poetry is sublime, and she transcends genre with this play in multiple voices that describes a walk along the banks of the River Severn at various stages of the moon’s cycle. The poem is told through the voices of the people the narrator meets along the way. I’ve read and reread it so many times that my copy is as soft as chamois.
Stories of the Sahara
Sanmao, a Chinese author and adventurer, lived in the Sahara for several years in the 1970s. Her stories of love, loss, freedom, and peril inspired millions. This essential collection, with an introduction by Sharlene Teo, showcases Sanmao’s life in the desert.
“A river seems a magic thing. A magic, moving, living part of the very earth itself.”
Virgin River
The Netflix Original Series returns to Virgin River, a remote mountain town with a population of 600. Melinda Monroe, a widowed midwife, decides to escape her heartache and reenergize her nursing career in the remote town. However, a tiny baby and former marine Jack Sheridan change her plans, bringing them back to life.
Once Upon A River
An extraordinary event occurs on a dark midwinter night in an ancient inn on the Thames. When the door bursts open on a badly injured stranger, the regulars are telling stories to pass the time. A small child’s lifeless body is in his arms. After several hours, the girl stirs, takes a breath, and comes back to life. Is it truly a miracle? Is it a spell? Or does science have an answer? There are numerous answers to these questions, some of which are quite dark.
Life is like the river, sometimes it sweeps you gently along and sometimes the rapids come out of nowhere.”
Like the Flowing River
A breathtaking collection of reflections from Paulo Coelho, one of the world’s most beloved storytellers. The author of ‘The Alchemist,’ Paulo Coelho, offers his personal reflections on a wide range of subjects in this riveting collection of thoughts and stories, from archery and music to elegance, travel, and the nature of good and evil.An elderly woman explains to her grandson how a simple pencil can lead him to happiness…. instructions for climbing a mountain reveal the secret to making your dreams come true…Ghengis Khan and the Falcon’s story teaches about the folly of anger – and the art of friendship…a pianist who sets a good example in terms of fulfilling your destiny.
Which is your favorite book with rivers in it?
