Book cover of The Happy Isles of Oceania: Paddling the Pacific

Book description

The author of The Great Railway Bazaar explores the South Pacific by kayak: “This exhilarating epic ranks with [his] best travel books” (Publishers Weekly).

In one of his most exotic and adventuresome journeys, travel writer Paul Theroux embarks on an eighteen-month tour of the South Pacific, exploring fifty-one islands by…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked The Happy Isles of Oceania as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

When I first learnt that I would embark on a two-year expedition to Tonga, I knew nothing about that part of the world.

Theroux’s book brought it so much closer and opened up my eyes to many different aspects of the history and culture of South Pacific islands. I also admired Theroux for his endurance when he paddled his way from one island to the next. 

If you love The Happy Isles of Oceania...

Book cover of Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South

Pioneer Paddles of the Colonial South by William D. Auman,

Award-winning novelist William Auman, author of If Trees Could Testify..., takes the reader on a time-traveling odyssey featuring 345 bodies of water in six states within the historical context through which they unfold.

Journey into remaining Colonial-era wilderness with stories of pirate treasure, epic frontiersmen, Indigenous Peoples, and Revolutionary…

Want books like The Happy Isles of Oceania?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 100 books like The Happy Isles of Oceania.

Browse books like The Happy Isles of Oceania

Book cover of The Coconut Wireless
Book cover of Sea People: The Puzzle of Polynesia
Book cover of Life and Solitude In Easter Island

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,343

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like The Happy Isles of Oceania, you might also like...

Book cover of Honeymoon at Sea: How I Found Myself Living on a Small Boat

Honeymoon at Sea by Jennifer Silva Redmond,

When Jennifer Shea married Russel Redmond, they made a decision to spend their honeymoon at sea, sailing in Mexico. The voyage tested their new relationship, not just through rocky waters and unexpected weather, but in all the ways that living on a twenty-six-foot sailboat make one reconsider what's truly important.…

Book cover of Victor & Me in Paris

Victor & Me in Paris by Janice MacDonald,

The first book in the new Imogene Durant Mysteries finds the retired academic assisting her police detective neighbour with a grisly mystery in the City of Lights, with the help of the writings of Victor Hugo.

The next book in the series, Wexford Carole, will be out this fall,…

5 book lists we think you will like!