http://www.goodreads.com/user/updates_rss/55410 en-US Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:55:05 -0700 60 http://www.goodreads.com/ 200 41 http://www.goodreads.com/images/layout/gr_logo.gif 32227954 Tue, 22 Jul 2008 09:55:05 -0700 Comment1286293 http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show_group/32412.The_Environmental_Crusaders_When_reading_s_important_but_not_easy Tom made a comment in the Nature Calls group:

Debra: Thanks for the "World Without Us" tip. I've added it to my reading list.

I'm writing a much longer review of "Something's Fishy" for my fly fishing Web site right now.

Bottlemania has been read, and frankly, the review won't be wholly positive.

I found the book interesting but scattered; an indecisiveness on the part of the author marred the experience for me, and while she has done her research, she waffles on drawing much in the way of conclusions, and definitely soft-pedals some of Nestle's more egregious behaviors.

Then again, I'm embroiled in the battle against Nestle out here in California, so I've seen some of those tactics firsthand.

More as it gets written. ]]> 25499043 Fri, 18 Jul 2008 22:27:07 -0700 Review22696162 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22696162 to: Something's Fishy: An Angler's Look at Our Distressed Gamefish and Their Waters - And How We Can Preserve Both (Hardcover) by Ted Williams
bookshelves: fly-fishing, outdoors
In Something's Fishy, Ted Williams writes passionately of the outdoors, his hard-hitting essays skewering those who would thoughtlessly strip of us our remaining recreational and commercial fisheries.

I've long admired Williams for his uncompromising approach; at a time when hook and bullet journalism is plunging to new lows, Williams bucks the trend towards lightweight outdoor reporting, laying bare corruption and greed with the skill of a surgeon.

His deeply researched pieces are powerfully written, and he takes special pleasure in letting despoilers hang themselves with their own words.

Williams is also no shrinking violet when it comes to environmental groups; he lays into several for opposing the recovery of native fish populations.

Something's Fishy is not lighthearted reading - if you don't get a little angry at what you're reading, then check your pulse; you might be dead.

While the bulk of the book is composed of journalistic essays, Williams sprinkles in a few essays showcasing his power as an outdoor writer.

In short, it's a book that's well worth reading, if only to keep writers like Williams at the keyboard. I once said that Ted Williams (writing in Fly Rod & Reel and Audubon) did more for fisheries than all the other fishing and hunting magazines combined.

Someting's Fishy is ample proof that my statement wasn't entirely rhetorical. ]]> 30161132 Sat, 05 Jul 2008 06:14:40 -0700 Comment1137151 http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show_group/39828.Group_Member_Writing Tom made a comment in the Nature Calls group:

Rebecca: I liked the short piece you published in Narrative. I've poked around the site quite a bit. It's an interesting online site, though requiring .pdf downloads for some of the stories seems a little antiquated.

I write several blogs, including the #1 fly fishing blog. It's a great deal of work, but I can't help but notice it provides a stunning platform for launching a self-published book.

Given the largely dismal sales numbers for new fly fishing essay books (a small market), traditional publishing simply won't pay off. Self-publishing to my readership could provide a decent return for my effort.

So while I didn't fire up my TroutUnderground.com blog with a book in mind, it has become a consideration.

Do you consider blogs online publishing? ]]> 26284848 Fri, 30 May 2008 09:54:39 -0700 Comment864928 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23281474 Tom's review of This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History - Fiftieth Anniversary Edition
by T.R. Fehrenbach

Sandra: It's on the list, though a ways down. So many books, so little time.

Halberstam's stuff rarely disappoints. ]]> 26250016 Thu, 29 May 2008 22:33:22 -0700 Review23281474 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23281474 to: This Kind of War: The Classic Korean War History - Fiftieth Anniversary Edition (Paperback) by T.R. Fehrenbach
bookshelves: history
An excellent (and detailed history) of the Korean War (my father fought there), yet the effort would have been more appreciated had the author not marbled the book so heavily with opinions blaming a permissive society for a sub-par US fighting force.

The ranting does nothing to further the book, and the author doesn't support his assertions.

The rest of the books is first-rate. ]]> 26249871 Thu, 29 May 2008 22:27:53 -0700 Review23281351 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/23281351 to: Duel of Eagles: The Struggle for the Skies from the First World War to the Battle of Britain (Hardcover) by Peter Townsend
Excellent overview of the Battle of Britain, though Townsend spent a bit too much time on WWI and the years prior to WWII. The history was appreciated, but belabored half to death. ]]> 25499008 Wed, 21 May 2008 12:25:04 -0700 Review22696128 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22696128 Bottlemania: How Water Went on Sale And Why We Bought It (Hardcover) by Elizabeth Royte
bookshelves: currently-reading
]]> 25077646 Fri, 16 May 2008 08:25:01 -0700 Review22365532 http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/22365532 to: Fool's Paradise (Hardcover) by John Gierach
bookshelves: fly-fishing
(review originally published on the TroutUnderground.com)

“I don’t have any illusions of permanence… It’s just that I can live with any number of things going straight to hell as long as these streams continue to hold up. If this amounts to living in a Fool’s Paradise, don’t waste your time trying to explain that to the fool.”

– John Gierach, Fool’s Paradise

With sixteen fly fishing books to his credit - all of which have been continuously in print since their release - John Gierach might just be fly fishing’s most-read writer.

Twenty years has passed since the publication of Gierach’s eponymous Trout Bum — a book that remains the favorite of many Gierach fans — and while Gierach’s perspective has evolved, his style remains recognizably (and comfortably) his own.

In his newest book — Fool’s Paradise — Gierach’s facility for one-liners and wry observation from outside the mainstream remain undiminished, and he combines the two frequently:

“I’m still waiting for Americans to realize that being in constant communication is not an advantage, but a short leash. Cell phones have changed us from a nation of self-reliant pioneer types into a bunch of men standing alone in supermarkets saying ‘Okay, I’m in the the tampon aisle, but I don’t see it.’”

Later — at the start of one of my favorite chapters in the book (”Creeks”) — Gierach does it again with:

“While killing time in a Starbucks in Portland, Oregon, not long ago, I was idly eavesdropping on two businessmen when one — invoking the tired cliche — said that their problems might be solved if they could start thinking outside the box. The other, younger man replied, ‘Dude, there’s no box.’”

Some fans might be shocked to hear that Gierach spent time in a Starbucks, or that he’s softening his stance on bamboo rods to the point that he fished a graphite rod all week long on another road trip:

“So one afternoon I was happily casting a foam stonefly pattern on a graphite rod when our guide said, ‘You know, if this gets out, you could lose your charter membership in the Old Farts’ Club.’”

Of course, revealing snapshots of your life to strangers comes at a cost; our view of Gierach is partially one of a writer who existed 20 years ago, and in the meantime, Gierach has moved along in his life, and frankly, that’s part of the allure of reading his newer books.

I mean, exactly what is happening with AK, Mike Clark, Ed Engle and the rest of the gang?

I’m tempted to suggest the “theme” of Fool’s Paradise revolves around the concept of change, and I could back it up with a lot of carefully selected passages, but in truth, that’s the kind of thing a critic says out loud while an author scratches his head and wonders what book the guy was reading.

Still, Gierach’s recent books (Fool’s Paradise is his first in three years) recognize the fact he’s not 30 any more, and in places, he does what you’d expect anyone approaching 60 might do; he looks back on his life.

To Gierach’s credit, he does so with a sense of wonder:

“This is how time occasionally works. One minute you’re a thirteen-year-old drowning worms for bluegills because muskies are among the countless things that are out of your league; the next minute you’re a decently preserved fifty-eight and finally landing a muskie. Surely all kinds of things have happened in between, but at the moment, you can’t remember any of them.”

On a fishing trip to the Fryingpan River with Jim Babb, Gierach cops to the changes that have occurred since he became a trout bum, though he also recognizes the dangers of relying on his own memory:

“One afternoon between hatches, I even started in on how the fish used to be bigger here but lost steam after I saw Jim’s skeptical glance. It does seem true, but then over the years we’ve drifted away from the shoulder-to-shoulder hog holes up under the dam (the most famous one is known as the ‘the Toilet Bowl’) into lesser, but also less crowded, water downstream that we’ve since come to know and love. And when I go back over old photos and see that the Fryingpan fish don’t seem as big as I remember, it’s not entirely reasonable to assume that all the snapshots of the really big trout must have gotten lost.

“Jim listened to all this politely, understanding that the old-timer’s litany we all grew up hearing becomes irresistible once you realize that the list of things that just aren’t the same anymore will soon include you — if it doesn’t already.”

One thing that hasn’t changed is Gierach’s wholly readable style. I’ve often said he’s a deceptive writer; he folds keen observation and surprising insight into essays so readable that you arrive at the “a-ha!” moment without realizing he’s been herding you that way the last four pages.

Fool’s Paradise will no doubt be snapped up by Gierach’s faithful.

Those looking for fly fishing instruction will be disappointed, though anyone looking for insight into the fly fishing life — without the trappings of ego that cloud the writings of so many others — will find this is a typically enjoyable (and re-readable) collection of essays. ]]> 22293391 Tue, 15 Apr 2008 17:06:48 -0700 Comment631675 http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show_group/1400.The_best_nature_writing_where_you_started Tom made a comment in the Nature Calls group:

When I was young, I stumbled across some leftover "pulp" outdoor fiction. It was laughable stuff, but it interested me in the outdoors.

My first real "nature" literature found me in high school, where I read Thoreau and then immediately stumbled across Abbey's The Monkey Wrench Gang.

I probably couldn't ask for a more lethal combination as far as nature writing was concerned, and it started me down the road to where I am now (no, I don't know precisely where that is).



]]>