3 comments about The Invented Life of Kitty Duncan.

1. I could not put this book down. The characters completely grabbed hold of me and wouldn't let me go. The way the story is told is also very compelling. The narrative and first person, raw and literary style is most engaging. I highly recommend this great work of fiction to all who love a well told story. It is book you won't want to put down all the way to the end-- one of those books, I didn't want to end, because I didn't want to leave the characters or the story. GREAT BOOK!



2. LOVED it! -- bold and witty specificity of characters; Technicolor wordsmithing of Kitty's wild world through spot-on details and can't-stop-now unfolding, and best of all, the rip-snorting PACE of the language...terrific! Can't wait to buy a copy for a friend...Kitty DBRD will make anyone's holiday reading-time brilliantly un-holy!



3. What is it about heroines that infuriate yet draw me in? Every nite after tuckin in my son ... I would eagerly take up the life of Kitty D. to see what trouble was brewing in her world. In turns I'd laugh at her antics and then be relieved that my world is more aligned with Kitty's June Cleavor inspired mother. Witty language and great fun to read!

1 comments about Dave Rust: A Life in the Canyons.

1. I picked up this book to read while on a 2 week camping trip in Utah in the Henry Mountains. By the end of my trip, and the end of the book, I wished I had read it years ago when I first became acquainted with this little known part of the world. The book chronicles one man's life as a guide to an assortment of strangers all of whom sought a unique experience at a time when off road car travel was virtually unknown. These travelers were on foot, on horse, and on mule. They covered vast areas over periods of up to a month, seeking the solitude of the red rock country of southern Utah. Their insights into the landscape and the environment that I know well gave me greater understanding of how tough living was at an earlier time and increased my respect for these early settlers. I cannot recommend a book more highly than this as it is researched and written in a way that captures the quiet and inherent meditation that visiting the Colorado Plateay brings, especially if you take the time to experience it. It is NOT a travelogue nor is it a soliquey on the desert - it is a telling of one man's life in a harsh but inspiring environment and how he succeeded in living there.

1 comments about Charles Lindbergh and the Spirit of St. Louis.

1. A short but encompassing summary of Lindbergh's life. Unlike Berg's biography, it omits all but the most important details but gives an accurate overview. Well written and interesting.

1 comments about Paddling South: Winnipeg to New Orleans by Canoe.

1. Prospective readers should be warned that this book is in many ways not what it seems. First of all, it is not a continuous narrative of traveling through the heart of America by canoe but a disjointed sequence of introspective musings by one of the two ill-prepared twenty-year-olds from Winnipeg who undertook this trip in 1969. One wonders if the discontinuity is due to the fact that their travels were expedited by car, motorboat and sailboat, or the fact that the events are being recollected some 40 years later. Some philosophical comments about how both Winnipeg and New Orleans have both had their characters shaped by flooding suggest that Hurricane Katrina may have been the catalyst for this long-delayed trip down memory lane. Or perhaps it is the author's attempt at catharsis/apology for the progressive deterioration of his relationship with his erstwhile friend and travel partner, which serves as the excruciating theme of the narrative.
   If nothing else, this tale will help dispel any romantic notions about paddling the Mississippi system even 40 years ago; industrial traffic and damming seem to have rendered it dangerously impractical as a canoe route, especially for the unprepared.

No comments about The Stettner Way: The Life and Climbs of Joe and Paul Stettner.

No comments about From Coal Fields to Oil Fields: A Life in Pursuit of All I Could Be.

1 comments about Mountain Born, Mountain Molded.

1. Mountain Born, Mountain Molded by Larry G. Morgan is a wryly written personal memoir of growing up in the Nantahala region of western North Carolina from 1945-1955 as the fifth in a family of ten children. Childhood memories, simple games kids played long before popular culture became overloaded with atrociously [spendy] collectible toys, and the refreshing wonder of the great outdoors are all recalled in this memorable, nostalgic, and highly recommended narrative.

5 comments about Horn of the Hunter: The Story of an African Safari.

1. "Horn Of The Hunter" is one of the best stories about African hunting and wildlife that has ever been penned. (My Opinion) Robert Ruark may have written between the two era's of Hemingway and Capstick, but when it comes to writing about Africa he took a backseat to neither of them and if you have read my other reviews you know that I have nothing but praise for them both.
   
   Ruark takes us on safari with him and his wife Virginia. The copyright is 1952 and though I couldn't find a definite time for the safari it was during the post WW II era. It is reasonable to assume that it would have been a short time prior to the copyright. He describes in great detail the African wilderness and wildlife along with the discomforts of insect bites and muddy river bottoms. Traveling through the Tanganyika wilderness in a Land Rover called Jessica with a professional hunter named Harry Selby, Ruark takes us with him on a grand adventure.
   
   Unlike many prominent writers Ruark not only tells of his successes, but his failures as well. Throughout the text Selby compares Ruark's marksmanship with a lady client named Harriet Maytag and Ruark's responses to his comments add depth and humor to the text. There are some spectacular long range shots taken, but there are also some clean misses at both long and short range. He admits his fear of Cape Buffalo and tells us of his love for wing shooting. He talks of Selby who is as sqeamish with snakes as a teenage girl, but is the living portrait of abosolute courage when following up wounded and dangerous animals.
   
   Ruark's delightful humor is on nearly every page as he describes various bits of unorthodox lore. Such as painting a juvinile baboon with flourescent paint to frighten off the band or Selby's advice to him to survive a buffalo stampede by shooting one of them and climbing on top of it to avoid being trampled.
   
   When I finished reading this story I was as sad to see it end as Ruark was to leave Africa.
   
   All in all this is a readers delight and will be a treasured gem in any hunters library.



2. I loved his stories of Africa! The book took me back to a better time when being on safari meant you could be killed by very dangerous animals or reptiles but humans were not quite as high up the list in the danger catalogue.



3. Well I love old african stories. Here is another that I will read again and again. This is the type I like most. Just facts and no lets make it a story stuff. This is almost like reading a journal or diary. I loved it and bet you will too.



4. I love both Hemingway and Ruark but, despite the fact that Hemingway has won more literary accolades, I enjoy Ruark more. He describes himself as a 'second rate' Hemingway. I don't agree. I think Ruark was, in fact, the real deal. I have my questions about Hemingway.
   
   Ruark is never politically correct whether he is talking about war, politics or hunting. He tells it like he sees it and does it and, having been there myself, many times, it has the feel of reality. Even in Ruark's time he recognized that hunting, in many American circles, was becoming 'de classe' and regarded as passe by the elitist Left in America. As such, Ruark reckoned, perhaps correctly, that big game hunting was on its last legs.
   
   He couldn't have known of the great resurgence of hunting since his death. As it turns out, hunting is not only satisfying and profitable but--partially because it is profitable to nations that might otherwise be disinterested in their own wildlife--it has promoted the conservation of wild places and wild animals all over the earth. At the same time, Ruark could not have predicted the power of the the idiotic 'animal rights' movement, although he would have scarcely been surprised. Ruark recognized that the more urban societies became, the more isolated from nature--and reality--the same societies would necessarily be.
   
   I also enjoyed the part in Ruark's book in which he is nearly killed by a zebra. Predictably, Ruark sees the humor and irony in the event.
   
   Ron Braithwaite, author of novels--"Skull Rack" and "Hummingbird God"--on the Spanish Conquest of Mexico



5. Ruarks style and attention to details make this book leap off the page. Visions of the African landscape appear in your mind. Ruark describes the sights, smells, and the very face of Africa. Also the foreshadowing of his alcoholism is recounted time and again. I can't wait to read it again!

No comments about Half Interest in a Silver Dollar: The Saga of Charles E. Conrad.

5 comments about Nothing Routine.

1. Helminiak CAN put his recountables and anecdotes to pen! His method of immersing the reader into the story reminds me of Steinbeck. Also, only Solzenitzen rivals Helminiak for the super recollective completness of detail. Kudos to Jon Helminiak!



2. "It swept me away. Couldn't put it down. Engaging...funny, descriptive, informative. Each sentence was well constructed and each chapter well crafted, making for a captivating and all-absorbing book. . Every chapter is different, keeping you hooked from the beginning to the end - like a first train ride through scenic territory, you never know what's around the next bend so God forbid you doze off and miss a great view. Helminiak brings the reader into his personal world - a private place indeed. It is truly a personal and professional resume. His spirit is not of this land (filled with time/work/tv/image/money obsessed Americans), but of wild, unusual foreign places. You can live vicariously through his writing without ever leaving the comfort and safety of the U.S.A. I found his writing style addictive and on par with some of my favorite authors, Edward Abbey, Peter Mayle, and James Herriot."



3. Really refreshing! If you like world travel, but are tired of the same old tourist paths, Jon Helminiak can show you a new side of travel. Robert Frost would be proud of Helminiak taking the path less traveled. His writing is crisp, gifted, and humorous. His sensitivities provide interesting insights into the people he meets. His travel experiences in four continents are both thrilling and thought provoking. He tells you about ten places and activities you may have wanted to experience, but may have lacked the courage. It is a book one hates to see end. I hope Helminiak writes sequels.



4. A nice little book, especially good for college-age adventurers and budding outdoorsy types. Author's central idea is that travel is an important personal investment, which will appeal to Ed Abbey wannabes. The structure and writing style are very readable, and many of my students (university) loved it. Quick, fun read with a broad appeal. Occasionally frustrating, as the author is a bit too proud of himself, but overall a good fit for the genre. Definitely worth the 15 bucks. I liked it better than most books of its kind, and I'm a tough audience.



5. Nothing Routine by Jon Helminiak was definitely just that. Jon's captivating recap of adventures apart from the everyday touristy travels left me feeling as though I had been right there with him. His writing abilities are interesting, at times humorous, and always informative with historical background of the land and its people. I enjoyed the book so much that I found myself a bit sad when I finished it, wishing there was more.