Ship Fever

I recently read Ship Fever by Andrea Barrett. This is a story collection that won the National Book Award back in the '90s. The title story is a novella about the ship fever affecting the Irish ships sailing for Canada and the US during the potato famine (which is how one side of my family ended up in Canada). The rest of the collection consists of short stories. Most are historical, all have an aspect of science in them, none are dull. These are beautifully crafted, memorable stories. I really enjoyed this book. Here's a taste:

"There was no breeze that night. The sea, lit by the full moon, shone smooth and silver; the Southern Cross turned above the ship and below it squid slipped invisibly through the depths. Between sky and sea lay Alec Carriere, sprawled like a starfish in his hammock and imagining how the treasures packed in the holds were about to change his life."

~from Birds With No Feet