Never Sniff a Gift Fish

Rating:
Summary: so good you can't describe it
Review: i first theses books when i was ten years old and i haven't stopped yet.. we only have four books but i intend to get more of the books.. they are funny.. i like the one where he goes hunting on his bicycle and gets the deer stuck on the pedals.

Rating:
Summary: 'Pass out laughing' funny
Review: I have always thought that Patrick McManus is the funniest writer on the planet. I read his stories when I need to laugh or relax. Sometimes I irritate my wife by reading it in bed. I try not to laugh out loud, but I only succeed in sounding like I am trying to muffle continuous sneezes.

However, not everyone gets it. I have been shocked by watching people read McManus without so much as a smile (though most start snorting like wild pigs on acid) . My only guess is that getting McManus requires a couple things. First, it requires some understanding of his experiences. He absolutely nails all of the stupid things 'outdoors men (outdoors people)' do and think, but don't want anybody to know about. Second, you have to see the self-deprecating aspect of his humor. Third, you can't look for great literature in integrated books. Patrick McManus is an excellent writer, if you see these as independent stories simply collected in a volume. They are meant for adults who want to laugh at themselves. So, If you are willing to or already meet the above three criteria, you will love this book.

By the way, I am a professor of clinical psychology and (other than worrying a little about McManus) I sometimes recommend this and other McManus books. I do this with people who have racing thoughts and anxiety at bedtime, and when I believe they have the necessary experiences to find it funny. It often works quite well. I think of his stories as little pieces of happiness. (Oh, that even makes me sick to hear. Sorry)

Rating:
Summary: Addicting!!!!
Review: Never Look a Gift Fish was my introduction to the wonderful world of Patrick F. McManus. Each story had me remembering similar incidents in my life, only mine were not near as entertaining.

While listening to these tapes during a cross-state drive to a football game, I caught myself driving slower as I approached my destination because I did not want to have to wait until the return trip to continue listening.

It is ironic that many of his stories are based on fishing because I, for one, am HOOKED!!

Rating:
Summary: The Great Outdoorsman's Guide To Success
Review: NEVER SNIFF A GIFT FISH
By: Patrick F. McManus

Have you ever heard of a great outdoorsman? You know, the one whose fly-casting technique can be compared to an old lady fighting off a bee with a broom handle. Or maybe the one whose attempts to pitch the family tent terrorized entire campgrounds. Well, for those of you who haven't heard of him, this book, will give you a little insight into the life of the great outdoorsman. Never Sniff A Gift Fish, is a great source for those useful camping phrases. Here are some of them.

Corn Flakes: A common camp food. Often eaten dry with salt and pepper since no one thought to bring milk.

Camping manuals: Books filled with ingenious camping tips which are forgotten the instant the camper sets foot in the field. "I read about a way to cook a chicken with a camera lens and a wire clothes hanger, but I can't remember how," he says. "Better just fry it."

Downwind: Whichever side of the campfire you happen to be on.
And who could forget "When hell freezes over": An expression used by wives and mothers to indicate the next time you'll get them to go on another camping trip.

This book is a hilarious combination of philosophy and fishing, all rolled into one. I loved the book, and I would definitely recommend this book to any outdoorsman, great or not, that has a sense of humor and a sense of what the author is going through.

Rating:
Summary: The Great Outdoorsman's Guide To Success
Review: NEVER SNIFF A GIFT FISH
By: Patrick F. McManus

Have you ever heard of a great outdoorsman? You know, the one whose fly-casting technique can be compared to an old lady fighting off a bee with a broom handle. Or maybe the one whose attempts to pitch the family tent terrorized entire campgrounds. Well, for those of you who haven't heard of him, this book, will give you a little insight into the life of the great outdoorsman. Never Sniff A Gift Fish, is a great source for those useful camping phrases. Here are some of them.

Corn Flakes: A common camp food. Often eaten dry with salt and pepper since no one thought to bring milk.

Camping manuals: Books filled with ingenious camping tips which are forgotten the instant the camper sets foot in the field. "I read about a way to cook a chicken with a camera lens and a wire clothes hanger, but I can't remember how," he says. "Better just fry it."

Downwind: Whichever side of the campfire you happen to be on.
And who could forget "When hell freezes over": An expression used by wives and mothers to indicate the next time you'll get them to go on another camping trip.

This book is a hilarious combination of philosophy and fishing, all rolled into one. I loved the book, and I would definitely recommend this book to any outdoorsman, great or not, that has a sense of humor and a sense of what the author is going through.

Rating:
Summary: You don't have to be an outdoorsman...
Review: Patrick McManus is one of the few authors I know who can make me laugh after reading only the first sentence of one of his stories. His writing teems with belly-aching ineptitude about the great outdoors and life in general. This book and others by him are sure to bring tears to the sensible (or maybe not so sensible) reader.

Rating:
Summary: a real tear-jerker
Review: Patrick McManus is one of the few authors I know who can make me laugh after reading only the first sentence of one of his stories. His writing teems with belly-aching ineptitude about the great outdoors and life in general. This book and others by him are sure to bring tears to the sensible (or maybe not so sensible) reader.

Rating:
Summary: No Comparisons This Time
Review: This is the second collection of stories by Patrick F. McManus that I have read, and while he is compared to many notable names on the jacket, and I compared him to other humorists I like the first time I read his work, he deserves to stand on his own. It is not an issue of his being as good, nearly as good, or better than another humorist. He is unique and very special, Mr. McManus is an original.

I think the title of this collection, "Never Sniff A Gift Fish", is unfortunate for no such activity takes place within the book. Not unlike the dozens of stories on hunting and fishing, all he generally brings back from an outing is new humor; he apparently catches and shoots virtually nothing. As I mentioned after reading his first book, his friends will stop by and ask that he not even think about whatever it is they are off to hunt or fish while they are off doing it. He has said he is so bad entire states have banned him, as he can single handedly destroy tourism for a state, and no one will lend him small motorized machines as he invariably causes them to cease to function.

This collection is much earlier than the first that I read, and the stories contain wonderful bits about his childhood, and also as a new husband and a father. These are great stories, many that include his young family and virtually everyone is G-rated, place them on film and they would probably be made by Disney. This is great reading, great fun and wonderful humor totally lacking in pretense or show. If this man records his stories on tape I might break a rule that has never been broken, that of listening to an author as opposed to reading his book. And I don't hunt or fish, neither activity is necessary to enjoy these tales as they are about human behavior, his humans are just generally outside.