<< 1 >>
Rating: 
Summary: truth is stranger than fiction
Review: Batfishing in the Rainforest is a collection of Randy Wayne White's essays - some of them poignant ("the Legend", White's tale of his dog is fabulous), many of them gut-bustingly funny (his experiences at a health spa and advice on "How to be a Competent Southern Waterperson are priceless), a few had me shaking my head (how can a person be suprised they got mugged in Lima? and how come I never meet fun travel companions in third world countries?) All of them are a pleasure to read.White never takes himself (or others) too seriously, and typically has a light and humorous take on things. The stories are brief - many originally written for Outdoor Magazine. I found the book thoroughly enjoyable and I strongly recommend it. For those of you who are familiar with White's "Doc Ford" novels, you can see where many of his characters, plots and the "research" for his tales come from. For those readers who have not yet discovered this marvelous writer, I encourage you to begin here and then sample his hand at fiction.
Rating:
Summary: Real simple, and real good, White's voice is authentic.
Review: Randy Wayne White has more hits than misses in this book of essays. He has an authentic American take on the world, with a Floridian's amusement and acceptance of foul weather, tough dogs, tougher kids, and bugs of all kinds. This book is a keeper, and we are lucky it has been reprinted. His mysteries are real good, too, but somehow I wish that he would take his gift more seriously. By that, I think he could be a major American literary force, if he didn't have to pay for braces, college tuition, and fishing gear. However, being sun dried, and wind weathered, he should last long enough to get back into that true and raw, and heart felt need to be a voice from the salt flats that reaches people in a Pulitzer kind of way.
Rating: 
Summary: Funny travel writing
Review: This is usually not my sort of book, but after reading the first story, I was hooked. This story, "The Legend," about the author's hilarious Chesapeake Bay retriever, is worth the price of the book by itself, especially if you're a dog lover or animal lover, because it's the best story about a dog, or any animal, that I've ever read. But there is plenty more where that came from in this entertaining collection of essays. Although not what I was looking for initially, this book was a delightful surprise, and after reading this, Mr. White has another fan. I now intend to buy and read all of his other books, and I'm recommending him to my other friends as well.
Rating:
Summary: Funny travel writing
Review: This is usually not my sort of book, but after reading the first story, I was hooked. This story, "The Legend," about the author's hilarious Chesapeake Bay retriever, is worth the price of the book by itself, especially if you're a dog lover or animal lover, because it's the best story about a dog, or any animal, that I've ever read. But there is plenty more where that came from in this entertaining collection of essays. Although not what I was looking for initially, this book was a delightful surprise, and after reading this, Mr. White has another fan. I now intend to buy and read all of his other books, and I'm recommending him to my other friends as well.
<< 1 >>
| 
