Recreation Books

I was introduced to Mark's works several years ago by a friend who said our lives were very similiar. I have read all of Mark's books and highly recommend them. As I found out, Mark's writing is simple in it's common sense approach for achievement, will more than likely stimulate your memory for pleasurable moments, and put quite a few smiles on your face as you read. You will learn a lot about horses, a lot about life and a major key ingredient for success in both: Patience. Patience breeds success and I doubt there are many, if any, horseman with more patience than Mark. I recommend Kathleen Lindley's book "In the Company of Horses" as well.

Having been a student of Natural Horsemanship, and and avid reader, few trainers have made more sense to me...and my horse...than Mark Rashid. His work is highly approachable, very no-nonsense, and very empowering.

Horsemanship Through Life provided a unique opportunity to see inside a strong transition in Mark's career which occurred when he became a student of another art. Learning how to learn is a respectible, and difficult, process. Giving yourself permission to be a 'beginner' again is not easy in our culture of instant gratification, but this book illustrates how valuable it can truly be.

Awesome book. Goes straight to the heart of Rashid's teachings. I loved it and will pass it on to someone else to share as good books don't sit on shelves!

Mark walks us through the steps he took to improve the quality/integrity of his work. This exploration in theory and through practical examples reveals how horses learn; values that guide Mark's problem solving; why the "passive leadership" approach can have such a profound impact on horse & rider; the need to study horse behavior/communication rather than only training techniques if we are to be flexibly creative in work with horses. It's also a lesson for humans in remaining teachable!

I always enjoy Rashid's work, but this was one I could really relate to, since I have gone through a similar experience. What a shocker to realize I, too, had lost my "center" and didn't even realize that's what was wrong with my riding until I read the book and recognized the course of events straight from my own experience. Also gave me wonderful visualization ideas for regaining my "center." Can't wait to give them a try.

After reading several excellent reviews of this book, I purchased it for
my nepbew's birthday. I have not read the book myself since I lived through that period.

It was a year of Fire and also the year of Grace for Jackie Robinson!! It is an amazing book to read about a great person who changed history and loves baseball!! It is more than just baseball and it has so many things to show that shaped Jackie's life so much. It is also spiritual and emotional book that leaves you to become a stronger person to make a great difference in the world.

I really liked this book and normally I dont like reading. Ijust wanted to keep reading to see what was going to happen next. I think Jackie Robinson is a vary good romodel because no matter what, you should never give up. Because Jackie never gave up he ended up being one of the best baseball players to ever play the game. But most of all he broke the color code for all professional sports.

This biography does an outstanding job of giving an overview of Robinson's life and times, from his early, awnry but talented years in Pasadena, through UCLA, then the military, and then the Brooklyn Dodgers and beyond. It paints a picture of a strong willed gentleman with enormous pride, dedicated to his family, and dedicated to the idea of racial integration and equality. The influences of his mother on his early, somewhat (understandably) confrontational character, that allowed him to ultimately be the individual who paired with Branch Rickey to integrate "America's Pastime" are clearly laid out.

Some reviewers have faulted the author for not being more interpretive of Robinson's politics - specifically, that he was a Nixon supporter in 1960 and a Rockefeller supporter in 1968 (while also being a strong supporter of Civil Rights, active in almost every civil rights organization) and Humphrey supporter as well. I think the book lays out all the facts for the reader to see for themselves. Robinson's coming of age - in an era when a Dixiecrat from a Jim Crow state (LBJ) led the passage of the Civil Rights Act - was a time of a shifting political landscape that didn't settle out until near his death (he also broke badly with Nixon later in Nixon's career). The Republican party's mantra of self-reliance, and Robinson's determination to succeed in business in the same way he did in sports, made his attraction to the party not a big leap; the alienation of this country's African American establishment from big business was not a pre-ordained fact in the time Robinson lived.

Finally, Robinson's own family struggles were also a reflection of the confusing and troubling times in which he lived.

Robinson died too young for us all. This is a great book and I would highly recommend it..

i'm not particularly interested in baseball, but i am particularly interested in American history from the human perspective. i could have read a much more dry account of the turmoils that dominated American race relations throughout the middle of the 20th century, but instead i've read this fascinating account of those terrible, backward days from the perspective of a true pioneer, Mr. Jackie Robinson.

of course he is looked back on now as a symbol, a mythological figure. i always knew peripherally of Jackie as the same thing most people do: the first black man to play major league baseball, a step forward & up in the painful struggle of the times. but this book presents him as a human being, a fallible man who lived most of his life not on the baseball field, but in a relentless pursuit of his ideals and desire for a better life for himself and everyone around him.

the reviewer before me questions the biographer's lack of judgement of Robinson. i am curious as to why he feels Rampersad should insert his own analysis; the biography presents analyses of Robinson by many of Robinson's contemporaries, and then presents the recorded facts available to clarify incidents & statements. yes, this is an intensely personal biography, perhaps too personal in places. it is very much centered on Jackie's private correspondences. it is absolutely told from Robinson's persepctive, as best can be reconstructed from his widow Rachel & the papers he left behind, but it feels very honest, not at all like an airbrushed bit of hero-polishing. it is in places very blunt about Jackie's shortcomings as observed by his peers & contemporaries.

before i stretch this out any longer, i'll just say that this is the most engrossing biography i can ever recall having read. it's an account of a fascinating life in an amazingly recent time, in an America that seems so long ago but is still discouragingly recent. readers will learn not just about Jackie Robinson, but about two American eras as well.

I received this book in excellent condition at a good deal. This a great book that shows a sensible and easy way to improve your swing. This is one book I always recommend for those asking for help.

I have read many books and taken many lessons, but this is the first book on the golf swing that finally has made sense. Although taking a personal lesson would be best, this book explains in plain English what the golf swing is about. Study it and it should help your golf game.

I started playing golf 2 years ago and have spent a lot of money trying to learn from local pros and on other books. I bought John Redman's book and a couple of months later I spent a rainy Saturday reading this book and practicing in my den. You wouldn't believe how it change my swing. It is SIMPLE and PURE! Went to the range on the following Sunday and practiced John's techniques. I hit the ball straighter and longer than I ever have. Buy it and read it.

Great book! Very simple and easy to understand. Redman teaches a relatively strong grip which will help you SQUARE the club face effortlessly and stop slicing. He will also teach you to become tension-free and SWING the club instead of hitting at the ball. This will help you avoid coming over the top so your previous slilce does not turn into a pull. I play way to little to be really consistent but on good days - and using 'the Redman swing' - I hit the ball squarely, cleanly and with a fairly low, penetrating trajectory.

I happened to catch about 10 minutes of Mr. Redman on the Golf Channel. Every word he spoke rang true. After reading his book I rediscovered many of the swing feels I had accidentally discovered during my first three months playing but could never consistantly replicate. Three years and many lessons involving "modern" swing theory later, I have come home. This is the simplest and least physically demanding swing out there and Mr. Redman explains it in a way that any duffer can understand and quickly implement. I also appreciate the fact that he steered me towards Percy Boomer's book. The only drawback is that I can't find a golf pro locally who teaches this method. Right now I don't feel like I need a pro. This book is like having a teaching pro on my bookshelf. BUY THIS BOOK. It will take a few weeks to "unlearn" all the modern crap you've learned, but you'll end up with a more consistant, powerful, and easily repeatable swing. I'd give it six stars if they'd let me.

Although I have never been to Charlotte Motor Speedway, after reading this book I felt as if I had.

and now I feel like I could drive it. This is the book that lays it all out in a logical order, explains the terms, the rules and the strategies while taking you on an emotional rollercoaster ride. Will the car qualify for the race? You can feel the tension because for that week Huler lived it. This isn't a book full of old stories that drivers told a writer - this is an observation, full of detail - it's good old particaptory journalism like Plimpton wrote, talking to (and about) everyone from the owners and spnsors to the fans and the scalpers. What a great book!

I'd never heard of NASCAR, never wanted to know anything about it. But when I heard a short reading by Huler (the writer) from this book, I had to buy/read it. His writing could be on any topic: ice, dirt, race cars... it's just facinating in an accessable, fun, fast read. I'll read anything he writes now, and gain an appreciation of worlds I never knew. Great read. I just may join the 200,000 on site NASCAR fans next year because of it!

If you want to read one book about NASCAR, I recommend this one. Not because it's a hand-holding introduction, but because it's the best. It just does such a great job describing so many aspects of NASCAR. The organizing principle of the book is to examine a week in the life of Kenny Wallace's Square D Racing Team, but along the way, the author looks at NASCAR's personalities, history, technology, tracks, and fans. Huler has a real flair for description, and a genuine but not fawning affection for the sport.

I've also read Shaun Assael's "Wide Open" and Paul Hemphill's "Wheels," which are similar in many ways but to my mind are both inferior. Assael's book seemed flat compared to Huler's, though fans of Dave Marcis and Bobby Hamilton may enjoy the coverage that those drivers receive in "Wide Open." Hemphill's book spent a lot of time on a thesis that I soon found repetitively handled: NASCAR was once the province of the Southern working man but is now corporate entertainment. Both Assael and Hemphill follow NASCAR for a whole season and seem to get bored with it. Huler stays focused on a shorter timespan to much better effect.

I've read some more technical approaches to NASCAR as well, and found that Huler almost always snuck the information in those books into "A Little Bit Sideways."

Although I find this the best introduction to NASCAR because it's so engaging to read and so comprehensive in the bargain, those who are interested in learning more about NASCAR might also try "NASCAR for Dummies" by Mark "Awesome!" Martin and Juliet Macur. That book lacks Huler's style and story-line, but it does have a lot of interesting information about NASCAR, including some tidbits on strategy and technology that I haven't seen elsewhere.

I lived in the South all my life, always aware of NASCAR, watching races every now and then. Even so, I haven't tuned into to a NASCAR race in probably 25 years. Because of this book, I will when the next season starts.

One can truly begin to understand the mystique of NASCAR after reading A Little Bit Sideways. Scott Huler's obvious love for the material really shines through. His writing transforms what, in lesser hands, could have been a dry and boring recitation of minute details into an interesting and compelling human interest story.

Read it. You won't be disappointed.

Nice illustrations, good story with rhyme. Better for ages 6 and up probably.

Once again, you have sent a book that will also become my grandson's favorite reading. It is a pleasure ordering books through this website.
Jan

Recommended to us by the PR staff at the Carolina Hurricanes and we love it!

This book is fun to read, cute artwork, with a lesson for all. My son enjoyed it very much and read it to his class for this birthday. Easy to read, fun to dream, easy for kids to connect.

Enough said! We read this one every day now!

After reading reviews on Amazon, I bought this book with a couple of others for my sister-in-law who moved to Maine. Within a week of moving to Maine, they got lost and used this atlas to find their way! They really like it.

This is the bible of maps of Maine. And most, if not all, other states have a version available. The first time you use it will probably make the purchase worthwhile.

If you like maps and spend any time in Maine hiking, paddling, or traveling backroads, you must have this. It is fun to study and indispensable for exploring Maine.

The detailed maps are great but guys...no use looking for a road map of Maine, I mean the whole state as it doesn't exist: incredible! so do order a map in addition!!

This is a good map if your going to Maine. The only thing I think they should add is more street maps of the towns down the coast. We had to buy them when we got there.

Sifu Starr's book is an experience suitable for any martial art practioner. His vivid descriptions of training, when a youth with W.C.Chen are very special. I await the release of his next writing.

I had the good fortune to train under Sifu Starr for a couple of years in the early 90's before time and circumstance took my life in other directions. From personal experience, I can attest both to his great skill as a martial artist and healer, and to his teaching presence in the dojo. I will always remember him with great fondness and respect, which is odd when you consider that he spent most of my time in his school kicking my butt with old school traditional kung fu training protocols. I think that is what the Zen tradition calls "grandfatherly kindness" - where a lot of martial arts diploma mills just put you through the motions and handed you your black belt, Sifu Starr assumed that you were worth the investing the time and effort to really TRAIN.

This book brings back a lot of memories from that time; it is very much written in Mr. Starr's "voice", and it showcases his wry humor, zest for life and training, and his larger than life personality. I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to anyone interested in what really goes into the training of a real martial artist. I also hope that the book brings Sifu Starr some of the recognition and acclaim he deserves after a long, distinguished career.

Pete reminded me that it has been over 38 years we have know each other, and I stand corrected. On the third reading of the book I began to remember myself as one of Pete's students and how he taught us with the nearly same mannerisms of his teacher. I having no experience then in the arts, learned not only the physical rigors of the training but of the philosophical aspects as well. What age has taken from me, the knowledge still remains strong .

Now it has been almost 40 years later and I still can visualize the teachings, both mental, spirtual as well as physical. This book is valuable for the stylist as well as a parent wishing to know how to work with or understand their teenagers. The method and learning is the same nurturing Chen gave to Pete, and Pete sharing it with us.

I gave a copy of it to one of the people I work with and it is a copy in my classroom as well for my more difficult students to read as well.

This was an absolutely wonderful text. It really drives home what the martial arts teach. The stories are thought provoking, entertaining, humorous and motivational. Thanks Sifu Starr!

As a ShoDan-level assistant karate instructor, I'm always looking for good books to help me become a better teacher and practitioner. I've found martial arts-based memoirs to be particularly helpful and encouraging. I recently stumbled across "The Making of A Butterfly," and it was no exception.

Phillip Starr began his martial arts journey in the 1950s. His family moved a lot due to military service, so he studied at a couple of different clubs. In 1961, his parents finally settled into a more permanent living situation in McLean, Virginia. There, the author began looking for yet another dojo (they weren't easy to find back then). He finally found a karate school and resumed his training. However, Mr. Starr was fascinated by kung-fu, and so after more searching he discovered a Chinese Sifu (master) who taught out of his home.

Mr. Starr approached Sifu Chen and respectfully asked for instruction. After some initial rebuffs to test his resolve, he was taken on as Sifu Chen's only Caucasian student. Sifu Chen demanded much from his students, so the training sessions were often physically and mentally challenging. Despite some resentment from the other Asian students, Mr. Starr eventually earned their grudging respect. And more importantly, he became a surrogate son to Sifu Chen and his wife Mei. He often learned as much at their dinner table as he would during a typical class.

Mr. Starr writes well - the book is an easy and informative read. Each chapter encapsulates a principle learned from Sifu Chen, such as chi, discipline, and courtesy. Of course, these lessons were usually learned the hard way. Sifu Chen used many methods to impart both his knowledge and his character to the author. I found the inclusion of Mr. Starr's thought responses toward his teacher (denoted by italics) to be quite fascinating. It was easy to identify with his honest internal expressions of incredulity, or appreciate ah-ha! moments when a lesson hit home.

Unfortunately, Sifu Chen passed away in 1971 from a kidney ailment. But in 1982 Mr. Starr took what he learned from Sifu Chen and created another martial art called Yilichuan (One Principle Boxing), thereby continuing his teacher's legacy. "The Making of A Butterfly" lets us in on Sifu Chen's timeless martial arts principles, and provides insight into a good student's mentality. It's a recommended addition to every martial artist's library.

Bought this as a gift and never got to read it personally, however, was told it was a great book. Marv's a legend, and any Bills fan should take a read, capturing those "glory years" of the Bills.

Extremely hokey and a tad bit hurried through the end, but a pretty good book covering his life of football. *Mr. Levy really needs to lay off the use of superlatives as almost every player or team he has coached was the greatest at one particular thing or another. Also, I don't think Mr. Levy intended that the descriptions he has written regarding his locker room motivational speeches were to betray the fact that the players most likely considered the gravely serious war metaphors that he was constantly drawing on as a little too serious to be applied to a football game. No wonder why they consistently fell silent as he left them to contemplate his words. I can hear in my mind a player asking another "Like, we're playing a game here, right?" as Marv proudly leaves the locker room. Marv comes off as a classy guy hoping to coach again. I hope he gets his wish.

If one were to look outside of one's immediate family for a role model, Marv Levy would be a wise choice. Marv Levy is not all about football, although he has spent most of his adult life in one capacity or another in the game. His body of work is as a human being, caring for his players and family. In this era when books usually have some axe to grind against those who "done someone wrong," Levy seldom has a bad word about anyone, and any are usually absolved before the end of the paragraph. His book details his life, the good times and bad, the celebrations and defeats, and the fights and absolutions. He is a unique man who has written and interesting and worthwhile book about his experiences, written in a positive light about incidents that helped him grow as a man and a leader. For those looking for a good football book, an inspirational book or inpiration of life, read Marv's book. It's well worth it.

[Four of Four stars] Marv Levy of Chicago
and Iowa is sort of the Red Auerbach of
Pro Football. A journeyman, who maintained
his class and sense of humour which is not
just soundbytes in NFL films clips.

Mr Burns does us an injustice below in his
review by criticising the very fine Montreal
Alouettes of the CFL, but CFL fans will love
the chapters on our favorite League, particu-
larly, "My Grey Cup Runneth Over". The only
knock that one can have on Levy, and it's a
slight one, is that he hung too long onto
Kelly at QB (Frank Reich should have started
one of those Super Bowls) and Thurman (fumbles)
Thomas, who was simply an overrated player.

One spot in Marv's fine book, he maintains one
of the hardest things he ever had to do was
keep lightning quick Steve Tasker (one-time
Kansas Jayhawk) on the bench! Tasker, like Levy
is a class act who deserves to be in the NFL
Hall-of-Fame and could have been one of the
greatest RBs or WRs of alltime. Marv, as bad
as the NFL is getting even having you back in
the League at 81, again with the Bills (this
time at G.M.) is a breath of fresh air. Thanks
for all the memories. Your dad and my granddad
chewed a lot of the same turf in World War I.

Recent history has been kind to Marv Levy as the magnificence of having won four consecutive AFC Conference championships is now replacing the earlier bitter pill of lost Superbowls. Marv Levy has become the ceremonial uncle of professional football today. He is to pro football what George Foreman is to pro boxing, the friendly enduring face of a brutal sport.

This is a campfire book, a grown-up bedtime story about a bright young lad from Chicago, one of those lucky folks who got paid to do what he liked. It is a tale remarkably devoid of rancor or regrets but rather a mixture of self-deprecating humor, a bit of self-serving forgetfulness, colorful characters, and the pleasures of the jocular world of organized football. In his preface Levy advises us that his writing style is the re-creation of the pleasures of his memory. Take away the Kansas City Chiefs and he would have had the perfect life.

But before arriving at Kansas City, there were the minor matters of World War II, college, and building a resume. Levy entered the Army Air Corps with the help of a friend who, shall we say, understated Levy's vision impairment. When this problem was later detected, Levy was scratched from pilot training and spent much of the war in Florida as a weather observer. After the war, already in possession of a bachelor's degree from Coe College, Levy began his much heralded graduate work at Harvard. In truth he opted out of the law school in three weeks, choosing instead to earn a masters in history and collecting inspiring anecdotes for use in the Buffalo Bills' locker room years later.

Levy had abandoned law school because of his desire to coach football. After a stint as assistant coach back at Coe for the mighty "Kohawks," Levy over the next fifteen years crafted a highly respectable resume of work as head coach of generally mid-range college football teams, primarily New Mexico, California, and William & Mary. It was a stunning upset of the nation's number one team, Navy, by an undermanned William and Mary crew in 1967 that brought Levy to the attention of NFL, and eventually to the staff of George Allen in Washington as special teams coach.

Levy could not help but be influenced by his Redskins boss. Allen referred to his defensive linemen as "rushers," benched the popular pass-happy Sonny Jurgensen for the workmanlike Billy Kilmer, and played for the least mistakes. A running offense, a veteran opportunistic defense, and juiced up special teams play were his trademarks. Allen seems to have taken to Levy because of the latter's own imaginative thinking about the critical nature of special teams' play, which comprises about 30% of an average NFL game. Moreover, Levy could not have missed how Allen cultivated an image and played the psychological card adroitly.

Levy, a man not without ambition, was anxious to run his own ship, and in 1973 became the head coach of the Montreal Alouettes. Once the flagship of the Canadian Football League, the Alouettes were an artistic, aesthetic, and organizational shipwreck, bedeviled by an atrocious stadium, poor attendance, and impossible weather. Levy guided Montreal to the Grey Cup final in his first year and a league championship the following season. His five successful campaigns in Canada brought an invitation to come back south of the border and take the reins of the young Kansas City Chiefs.

In many ways the Chiefs Levy inherited in 1978 were very much like the present day Chiefs-a potent offense with a porous defense. He also inherited an overbearing club president, Jack Steadman, who did not understand Levy's priority of drafting for defense [Art Still, Mike Bell, Gary Spani, among others], nor his coach's penchant for a tough ground game a la his contemporary "Ground Chuck" Knox. Perhaps reflecting the thinking of his old mentor George Allen, Levy believed that an adequate quarterback could direct the Chiefs, as Billy Kilmer had in Washington. At Kansas City Levy inherited the aging QB Mike Livingston and drafted Clemson's Steve Fuller. Steadman--and Lamar Hunt himself-- created what was probably an unnecessary controversy in their criticisms of the quarterbacking position, a situation aggravated by the arrival of yet another QB, the gunslinger Bill Kenney.

The Chiefs improved, and the defense became stellar, but neither Hunt, Steadman, nor many of the fans were satisfied with a .500 team. Released from the Chiefs in 1982, Levy would always remember how a meddlesome front office and instability at the quarterback position could undermine an otherwise flawless rebuilding program. Thus, when Levy accepted the Buffalo Bills' call in midseason 1986, it is no coincidence that he had already over the years cultivated friendships with owner Ralph Wilson and his executive staff of Bill Polian and John Butler, and that the quarterback situation was quite stable under the maturing Jim Kelly. Clearly a unity of respect and purpose among all levels of Buffalo management marked Levy's years with the Bills and allowed the team to focus entirely on drafting, development, and execution.

Levy assumes that most readers know of the exploits of the Bills in their glory years, and as a rule he paints with a broad red, white, and blue brush. As a history major himself, he has forgotten or omitted some situations that still intrigue knowledgeable observers: his protest of Cincinnati's no huddle offense to the NFL Commissioner prior to the 1988 AFC Championship [a style of play which, ironically, would become the hallmark of the Bills, the K-Gun] or Thurman Thomas's missing helmet episode at the opening of the 1992 Superbowl. But there is self-revelation as well. Levy was over 60 when hired by the Bills; he admits that he had begun to doubt whether he would ever coach again. How could he know then that his best days were yet to come?

Golf books get alot of criticism and I was skeptical when I bought it but I approve of the authors writing ability and applying his concepts on how to diagnose and correct a major flaw in your swing realy helped me.

It's geared more toward the frustrated golfer but there is some practical knowledge advanced players may find useful as well.

I've bought countless golf books in the last few years in search of the perfect swing that will result in lowering my score. I believe I've bought my last golf book. Joe Laurentino's book, "The Negotiable Golf Swing: How to Improve Your Game Without Picture-Perfect Form", is a gem. What a relief to learn that I no longer need to model my swing to a pro's swing. My swing is good enough. With that pressure off, I can now focus on a mental pre-shot routine that will send my ball to where I want it to go. Mr. Laurentino takes you through the basic swing mechanics and mental processes that will make your game automatic resulting in lower scores and more fun!

What so impressive about this book is its ability to help me link the dots in my golf swing. More amazingly, it allows me to choose my own dots and connect them as I see fit; as long as I adhere to some governing rules that are non-negotiable.

Non-negotiable rules related to club face, club path, and swing path, cannot be bent. Hence, you MUST adhere to them in order to improve your ball flight. As I become more aware of them during my practice, I see my ball flight begins to take a gradual ascending shape - this is what I was looking for :). My short and mid iron play is getting sharper. I can't wait to work on my longer irons to make the ball flights more predictable as well.

What this book tells me to do is; as long as I adhere to these simple rules that govern the ball flight, I can keep my own unique swing, even if I don't swing like a pro, and still manage to hit great shots.

This book will pass the test of time and remains as one of the greatest books ever written. It humbly unravels the mysteries behind your unique golf swing and convinces you that; it's ok to swing the way you swing; as long as you adhere to some basic rules of a good golf swing to maximize your ball-striking ability.

After growing tired of quick fixes, tips from magazines, internet advice and often conflicting instruction, I wanted to find a book or teaching style that would not intend for me to have a major overhaul of my present swing. The search is now officially over. I have read his book and already applied some simple setup changes that have had a dramatic affect on my striking of the golf ball. Mr. Laurentino's book does a superb job of explaining the laws of ball flight and offers ways you can change it for yourself without overdoing the the changing of your own individual way of swinging a golf club. We all have inherent tendencies in our individual golf games that are OK to play with if we want. He calls these things "negotiable". It is a refreshing way of looking at what can be adjusted and what you should strive to accomplish when making any of the changes he recommends. There is a large portion of the book spent on short game play which I feel is a bonus. I highly recommend anyone who is tired of searching for answers and spending exorbitant amounts of time and money to hopefully improve their golf game to read this book.

I had never really thought about it before picking up this book, but nobody really has a perfect, text book swing. The best of the best in any sport seem to have their unique idiosyncracies, and yet they make it work...for them.

Really. I have been golfing off and on for 30 years. For 30 years I have worked to keep the left arm straight, head still, legs proper width apart, grip perfect, etc., etc. And yet, for 30 years I have a natural tendency to fall into old ways that feel more comfortable to me than the "perfect swing".

After reading this book, I have learned that I don't have to beat my head against a brick wall trying to perfect a text book swing. Laurentino showed me how to take what feels natural to me, and tweak it to make it work. It feels much better to work from my natural comfort zone, and modify those parts of the swing that are "negotiable" to achieve my goals, rather than trying to execute a completely unnatural swing in the name of "perfection".

The lessons I learned in this book have helped me get more distance and accuracy and have definitely improved my game. More importanly though, they have made the game more fun. I can play better with less frustration because I "negotiated" a swing that works with my natural habits. Thanks Joseph.

I have been a closet Pat McManus fan since the 80's. His short stories always make me laugh out loud, no matter what mood that I am in before I start reading them. These stories are for everyone. You don't even have to fish or hunt and you'll still get it. Anyone who has ever spent any time outdoors will be able to relate to his adventures.

The names of the stories in this book are:
Sequences
The Dumbest Antelope
Out of Sync
Kid Brothers and Their Practical Application
The Fried Flies, Please, and Easy on the Garlic
At Loose Ends
Getting It in the Ear
Garage-Sale Hype
How to get Started in Bass Fishing
As the Worm Squirms
Scoring
A Road Less Traveled By
Gunkholing
Blips
The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw
Water Spirits
Letter to the Boss
Scritch's Creek
The Tin Horn
Cupidity, Draw Thy Bow
Whitewater Fever
Never Cry "Arp!"
Visions of Fish and Game
A Brief History of Boats and Marriage
Boating Disorders
Try Not to Annoy Me

First let me say I found the Patrick McManus stories funny each month as I got that magazine. Maybe it was Outdoor Life,,,,,
Then I read there that I could get books full of his stories.
WOW, I bought all of them.
I must say though that I like this one best.

BTW, If you ever read a story by Pat about being lost in the woods by all means believe him. I am way up here in NW lower Michigan.
A man I know who is a regular fisherman was fishing a local river. He was away from any road when he happened to find a man that had been fishing, but was asking how to get out of there back to a road. After he had told the guy to just follow the river that way for about two more miles the guy introduced himself,,, Guess who? Patrick McManus of course. 8>))

Now, I'm actually from Idaho where this book is actually based off of. Despite all of the Sarcasm, you got Idaho. HAHA LOL. I know this is bad but I hate to read. I had to read this book for an english assignment. But I really like this book. It is non-stop laughter. I think I am going to read all of his books now. I hope that is enough for you to be convinced that this book really is good and should be read by anyone who loves humorous books. HAPPY READING! :)

This book is hilarious. We like to read it to the middle and high school kids. You can hear them laughing about the fur coat, etc. outside the building. It has sparked many a boy into getting Partick's other books and reading for themselves. As a library director I know how hard it is to get middle and high school kids to read for pleasure. Patrick McManus is sure a pleasure. When I read the Goombaw story, and I have numerous times I still can not get through it without tears running down my face.

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)