The perfectly sized Man vs Nature story
594146
It's a short book basically about an old man spending days trying to catch a really big fish, while talking to himself about Joe DiMaggio and whatever else pops in his head. If that already sounds like too much of a snore-fest, this probably isn't the book for you.

But if you give it a chance, what a story! It puts other Man vs Nature stories to shame. Hemingway puts you in the boat with this old man, and watch his fortunes rise and fall, and how he copes with physical and mental pain, alone and far from shore.

For such a short book, by the satisfying end, you leave feeling like the the old man's constant friend, the boy: sympathetic for the old man's struggles, but in complete admiration of his spirit.
1696617
And a fine narrative, too.  As a nature program, Planet Earth cannot be beat.  This is my second time watching it, and it just gets better and better.  A good way to spend your time seeing natural events that are truly unique, and cannot be found on an average nature show.
3004115
I just finished reading Ted Manzer's debut novel. It was a wonderful story about a boy's "coming of age."  I especially like the information on foraging.  I almost feel I would have a better chance of surviving the wilds after this read. It made me think of "Ole Yellar" in regards to decisions Carl had to make.  A must read for anyone who enjoys fishing,baseball, and camping.
1140438
"Which is better-to have rules and  agree, or to hunt and kill?"  This thematic question is the basis of conflict in William Golding's Lord of the Flies.  Golding's tale, set on a remote island, is a story of a group of  British boys' survival from a shipwreck.  The boys, aged from a mere six to  twelve, must struggle to go on with their everyday lives, apart from all  adults or authority.  This separation from society creates this overall  thematic conflict:  the struggle between the civil and primal natures of  man.  This conflict is enacted beautifully in this fictional setting.  There are an endless amount of symbolic insights that can be applied to  this struggle in the heart of man, ranging from as simple as the conflict  between good and evil, or order and disorder, to complex Biblical  allusions.  This symbolism proves to be essential to the effectiveness of  the book, because it allows the reader to apply these symbolic ideas to  himself.  The struggle of the nature of man's heart is a simple yet  interesting theme that contributes to the greatness of this novel. One of  the most remarkable aspects of the book is the way in which Golding can  bestow the characteristics of the differing natures of man's heart through  young boys.  The boys in his novel perfectly symbolize the complex  instincts and emotions of adults without violating the simplicity of  children.  They speak with a child's vocabulary, think with a child's mind,  and still can represent the complexity of mankind.  This is certainly a  commendable feat on part of the author. The pure adventure aspect of Lord  of the Flies is remarkable as well.  Golding conveys a thrilling adventure  story to create his symbolism through.  He expertly uses the tools of  literature, especially foreshadowing and description, to achieve a  beautifully scripted story of adventure and suspense.  This element of  having an eventful story line full of action is often absent in pieces with  such quality of symbolism.  It is difficult to achieve both of these  purposes and still end up with a good novel.  Lord of the Flies is an  extremely easy book to understand, even with its endless depths of interior  symbolism.  It's length is quite concise, making it able to read in just a  few sittings.  It is short, simple, and still a classic:  yet another  commendable mention to Golding.  Golding's ability to convey such a story  in such a simple manner is quite amazing to me.  The only possible foreseen  problem in reading the book is the long time it takes to set up the story  line.  But this problem is soon overcome, for the set-up proves to be  valuable to the suspense and foreshadowing aspects of the plot.  Lord  of the Flies is a beautifully written classic.  Its spell-binding story and  magnificent structure create a pleasing and worthwhile experience.  Golding's novel teaches the reader of the natures of his own heart, giving  this piece an educational standpoint.  This book, along with Conrad's Heart  of Darkness, has given me a deeper understanding of the desires and  tendencies of man.  This, I believe, is one of the main objectives of the  book:  to further question and achieve deeper understanding of ourselves  and those around us.  This message is an important one; trying to  understand some of the complexities of humans is a wonderful gift of  knowledge that proves itself useful in life.  This knowledge never stops  growing throughout our lives, and literary pieces such as this one help us  to remember this quest for self-knowledge, and the love we all have for it.
3754962
Indian Creek Chronicles is an authentic look at personal growth, transformation and adaptation. And, it occurs in one of the most beautiful isolated wilderness areas in North America: The Idaho-Montana Selway River region near Nez Perce Pass. It occurs in winter too, which, considering the extreme cold and heavy snow creates some unique challenges and "opportunities."
Author Pete Fromm is a willing adventurer, at least in the beginning. But uninitiated and psychologically unprepared his journey from city boy/college kid to mountain man is fraught with challenges and misgivings.
Without giving too much away, the circumstance of the book is this: Fromm is a college student who takes a winter-long job guarding salmon eggs in Indian Creek, a tributary to the Selway.
His job is to make sure that the outlet of a small channel in the stream doesn't freeze and prevent water from flowing over some 2.5 million salmon eggs incubating in the gravel. So once a day, every day, Fromm must check the outlet and chop away any ice that has formed. He lives in a canvas tent with only a Husky/Shepherd puppy for compansionship.
I do realize that one of Fromm's chapters won a Sierra Club writing award, and that would be enough to discourage anyone from holding it in very high regard. The Sierra Club, after all, is one of the most self-righteous, pedantic, arrogant, condescending, narrow-minded and elitist organizations ever conceived.
That fact notwithstanding, "Chronicles" is one of the best books I've ever read. If you are an outdoorsman (or outdoorswoman), if you like camping or hiking, or just love the wildnerness, I think you'd be hard-pressed to find a more fun or interesting book. Be forewarned though: this book deals with reality, with the forces of nature, the ancient and eternal relationship between prey and predator and man and his environment. Not that it's gruesome or sensationalistic. It isn't. In fact, in my opinion it's perfect "family" reading. But if you get squeamish thinking about where that leather belt around your waist or those shoes on your feet came from, or how pork chops or hamburgers are made, you might get a little squeamish once or twice reading this book.
On another level, "Chronicles" is a thoughtful and reflective treatise on expectation, disappointment, fulfillment and growth; and most importantly, the relativistic nature of human values. Quite an excellent book actually and easy to read. Strongly recommended.
3598830
"Grizzly man," a gripping documentary made by the eccentric though well-regarded German filmmaker Werner Herzog, is the tale of one Timothy Treadwell, a self-appointed naturist, narcissist, filmmaker, educator, fantascist and savior of Alaskan Grizzly bears. Consisting largely of footage that Treadwell himself made (some of which is breathtakingly beautiful), documenting the animals in their natural habitat and his "conservationist" efforts, "Grizzly Man" reasonably asks whether Treadwell was a true ecologist, a foolish dreamer or simply a flat-out nut-case. Whatever the case, this cautionary tale bears more than a passing resemblance to the megalomania that eventually consumed Dian Fossey, that great champion of gorillas in Rwanda, who in 1985 suffered an equally gruesome death (though at the hands of humans) in the name of her cause.  Unlike Treadwell, however, Fossey was a true scientist, whose work has contributed greatly to our present-day understanding of the animals she so painstakingly studied.

Over the course of 13 summers, Treadwell gave his "pet" bears ridiculous names like "Saturn," "Mr. Chocolate," "Sergeant Brown" and "Tabitha."  He got frighteningly close to the bears, wading into water to touch them, venturing too close to females and their cubs (he is even seen touching and cooing over a bear's excrement!).  "Grizzly Man" effectively shows Treadwill's transition--again much like Dian Fossey's--from naive enthusiast to paranoid and delusional misanthrope as he distanced himself from the world of humans and tried to descend into that of the animals.  The film never really answers the question of why or how Treadwell came to leave the safe cocoon of a middle-class upbringing, gravitate West, nearly self-destruct in the process and, finally, stumble onto the cause which gave him a certain notoriety.  Central to "Grizzly Man" are the interviews of close friends, associates, wildlife professionals, academics and reproachful, fatalistic voiceovers from Herzog himself--most of which bemoan Treadwell's willful ignorance, disrespect and violation of the laws of nature.  In essence, most observers felt that Treadwell's habituation to the bears did much more harm than good to the cause of preservation.

Nevertheless, the Treadwell saga came to an abrupt end in late 2003, when he and his girlfriend, Amie Huguenard, were killed and largely devoured by a marauding bear at their remote camp. In fact, the saddest story of all in "Grizzly Man" is that of Huguenard, who had planned to break with Treadwell, due to her (healthy) fear of bears and her (rightful) sense that her boyfriend had an all-consuming death wish.  Whatever one thinks of Treadwell's methods (and madness), "Grizzly Man"  makes a powerful case for respecting choices that individuals make to give meaning to their lives--even if some of those choices seem horribly misguided, deeply disturbing and needlessly tragic.
309199
Plot: Two young men, each wondering what they should do when they grow up, set out on separate journeys without knowing where they are going. Jay Byrd is following a cloud he saw in a vision during one of his father's tent  revival sermons. Steven keeps leaving home and coming back and leaving  again, haunted by the words of his quasi-grandmother that he must go out  into the field and be a farmer: till the soil, plant the seeds, water the  young plants, talk to them, and then harvest the crop. With enough creative  serendipity to make Deepak Chopra proud, the two wind up meeting in the  middle of a violent rainstorm. After they meet, they follow the rainbow to  the Big Apple Pie, New York City, and become a singing duo known as  Y'all.
What I liked best: My favorite story was the one about Ruther  Jean's closet. It was a turning point in Jay Byrd's life because he  realized he needed to wear the Lucky Green Dress every day.
What I liked  least: It read too fast. I couldn't stop reading, and then it was over, and  then I didn't have any more to read. It was good, though.
My opinion: I  would recommend this book to anyone who needs proof that miracles can  happen.
424722
THE CLOUD SPINNER has all the makings of a classic. It has the moral lesson of THE LORAX and the kingly story of THE EMPEROR'S NEW WARDROBE. Both the story and illustrations are perfelctly matched.

The story talks about a boy able to make clothing from the fabric of clouds. It's soft and pretty. The selfish king sees the boy's scarf and wants an entire wardrobe for himself and his family. The moral implications are both environmental and excess. How much do we need and at what cost to the environment?

The illustrations perfectly accompany the story. Notice the smiling hill on the cover? The beautiful golden clouds? It's pretty--telling of woe when the story seems bleak, returning to beauty and happiness by the excellent, heart-warming conclusion.

This is a story that is great to share with your children now, as well as a story they will be sharing with their children years to come.
1981020
Badluck Way held my attention all the way through.  It is both a simple story of a young man's year on a working cattle ranch and a series of windows giving glimpses of the struggles going on in the surrounding environment.  Most importantly to the book, the almost diary-like writing of the author's experience reveals him to be essentially likeable  he starts out as believably naive yet willing, physically tough, principled about land and wildlife ethics, and committed to doing a good job.  While living rough and getting into trouble, he is not bragging and neither is he being foolish.  If the writing style tends at times to include too frequent emphatic statements, these are readily forgiven by reflecting on how I might have responded in the same situation.  The central event of the story, the shooting of a wolf, could have been a non-event to a professional wildlife manager.  The shooting here carries weight because of the surrounding context of opposing forces at play  the forces which constitute the sub-plots of the book.

The development of the sub-plots is notably light, which, in the case of this book, is a virtue.  Not because the author is incapable of doing so (I believe he is) but because the struggles are essentially unsolvable.  The antagonists are at war.  The cattle versus wolves.  Locals versus out-of-staters.  Conservationists versus developers.  Environmentalists versus ranchers.  To dwell on these conflicts at length might accomplish nothing; taking sides serves no purpose.  What is helpful is an elucidation of at least some of the rationale behind the actions taken by different sides, showing that the opponents have a common basis in an ability to reason, even if they come to different conclusions.  The reader is left to his/her own to weigh the merit of the motives that underlie the actions.  One's sympathies may fall with the wolf, even as the cattle are being hunted by them.  But at least it is evident that the presence of the cattle allows the landowners to restrict developing the range.

I was left with a handful of things to think about.  Can wildlife co-exist with industrial agriculture?  Can wildlife even exist in a fragment of a protected area (like a national park) if that wildlife ignores park boundaries?  Why must land become so expensive that only millionaires can buy it?  What is the nature of the damage caused by building spectacular homes in natural places just for the view?  Are conservation easements accomplishing anything if they carry a price tag so high that no one of normal means can ever own the land again?  These questions are the same being played out everywhere.  Somehow I was left with the feeling that there is some hope of solutions, but more importantly, I was left with the idea that I wish this young author well.
2001716
This was an amazing short story. It is timeless in its implications...a must read for any nature enthusiast or adventurer.  Simply incredibly story telling.
647531
I am a 250lb-ish man. This hammock itself worked well but I would urge purchasers to go for the double version as it has more room. For smaller guys or kids this one would go great.
3225716
So much has been written about J.R.R. Tolkien's works recently, in the wake of Peter Jackson's magnificent films, that it was refreshing to simply re-read Tolkien's original tale of Bilbo Baggins.  This marvelous new edition provided the perfect excuse.

"The Hobbit" is a classic tale of adventure.  Bilbo Baggins, Esquire, of the Shire, has never done anything outlandish, and is a most esteemable hobbit as a result.  But lo and behold, the wizard Gandalf arrives on his doorstep with thirteen dwarves on a quest for revenge.  Although never made quite clear why or how, Gandalf knows that Bilbo is going on this quest, too, like it or not.  And after a night of dwarvish tales to chill a hobbit's bones, Bilbo finds himself running out his front door on a quest without so much as a pocket-handerchief.

Just what is the quest?  The dwarves are refugees from the Lonely Mountain in the East, a mighty dwarf kingdom, that has been ransacked by the dragon, Smaug the Magnificent.  Bilbo is the troop's Burglar, although one imagines that the only thing Bilbo has ever stolen is a nap, or perhaps an extra piece of pie.

If you're going to do archetypal stuff, you must do it well.  In "The Hobbit," Tolkien sets the gold standard.  His Middle-Earth is a fully realized land full of terrors and wonders, from trolls, goblins, evil wolves, giant spiders (not to mention Smaug or the ultimate nemesis, Gollum) to the shapeshifter Beorn, the Arkenstone, Bard the Archer, Sting, and Gandalf's wizardry on the other (not to mention a certain magic ring).  Tolkien spends as much time on the landscape as he does the action or the dialogue, and his descriptions are so vivid one finds yourself walking alongside Bilbo through his amazing adventures.

In contrast to "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, which can generally be characterized as a heavy load, "The Hobbit" is much lighter.  Tolkien tells this tale using a narrator who cleverly jumps ahead and back in the story to offer hints, clues, and humor . . . just as if your favorite uncle were telling you a tall tale on the couch when you were a wee lad.

The story builds, and builds, and builds, but never loses steam.  A tale that must be read, "The Hobbit" will surely earn a place of honor on your bookshelf.

For devotees of "The Lord of the Rings" trilogy, you will find throughout "The Hobbit" somewhat veiled references to later events.  A few references are made to "the Necromancer," who never really figures in the story but plays, shall we say, a slightly larger role in the trilogy.  A certain magic ring, used by Bilbo to great effect, does not seem to carry all the negative baggage that Bilbo's nephew will associate with it.  And Gollum, well, you know all about Gollum.  (Apparently Tolkein revised "The Hobbit" after working extensively on "The Lord of the Rings" because Gollum unexpectedly became a major player in the trilogy.)

And this edition is wonderful, too.  Handsome green leatherette binding with heavy paper makes for a pleasant reading experience, and the artwork and maps (drawn by Tolkien himself!) just adds to the magic.

You cannot go wrong giving this book to any Tolkien fan, or keeping it for yourself.
576199
Standard fair, but I liked the story. All of the men are 6' or over and muscular and want to take charge of the little woman and the little woman refuses to allow them to play hero.  Very frustrating for the hero.  But a good story about learning to be yourself.
1214645
We enjoyed the story. It has a good moral. Never give up and do your best. The frog was way too big.
3847616
Length wise, the torso was long- usually don't have his issue
3073043
At many points in the story it talks about the main character getting a waist cincher. I would have liked it if measurements were taken during the story to chart the process for me, the reader. That point is just my personal taste. The whole story is very solid with a remarkable talent making the pictures to go with it.
3785966
One size fits all as long as your head has the circumference of a bushel basket.  If the Elephant Man were a hunter, this would be just the ticket.