Q. What are you reading?

A. An old book first published in 1966 called "Rape in Paradise" by Theon Wright, about the Massie case. ... And then I'm reading another by Arturo Perez-Reverte called "The Sun Over Breda," a novel that takes place in the 17th century when the Spanish are fighting the Belgians, Flemish and Dutch. And, because a friend of mine's mother wrote the book, the third is "The Chinese Box" by Katherine Wigmore Eyre, and it's set in the 1800s in San Francisco and involves a family who owns a shipping company in the Orient trade — sailing boats, not steamboats.

Q. What do you like about them?

A. In Wright's book, I can tie into the local themes, and imagine what the Ala Wai looked like in those days. ... And I'm almost halfway through the Perez-Reverte book, and what I like about it is the storyteller is a minor figure in things, he's a soldier's assistant, not even a soldier, and tells what's going on. It's a pretty good indication of history. ... And I'm just about one quarter of the way into "The Chinese Box" and am waiting for something to develop ... but it's interesting because of the China clipper trade.

Q. Do historical books particularly grab because you also look to the past for direction when building canoes?

A. I don't know, maybe. As far as my canoe work, I am pretty strictly traditional as far as shapes and constructions go, and I do have some old canoe books I consult during the process, like "The Hawaiian Canoe" by Tommy Holmes, and "The New Oceania." But really, once in a while I get interested in something and read about it just because I'm interested in it.