Ten Items Off the Nightstand

I hated writing book reports when I was a kid, and I'm not too fond of them now.

When I do write a book note or two now, they tend to be very short and to the point -- a "thumbs up" or "thumbs down" kind of thing.

My opinions are just that -- one man's opinion -- and nothing more. In my defense, I at least buy the books and read them carefully.

You would be surprised how many people do not do that. They buy nothing and read even less, gleaning everything they know from idle chatter on bulletin boards or idle talk at dog shows or feed stores.

I would not want to know that little, and so I read quite a lot, field test what I am told, and look hard for serious books about things I am actually interested in.

There are different ways to judge a book: as entertainement and as information. A book is truely defective if it fails at both elements, and yet a surprising number of books do fail on both scores.

People who know me know I'm cheap, and yet I consider time more precious than money. Occassionally I will re-read a book, but just as often I will thrown one out.

In any case, here are 9 books and one video that have come on to my nightstand and moved off of it and onto a shelf in the library.

1. "The Goshawk" by T.H. White. White is a great writer, but I found re-reading The Goshawk quite unsatisfying. The book is an uneven piece by White who did not have very much to say other than the fact that he, himself, is an idiot. Better writing and more knowledge can be had (for free!) at Rebecca O'Conner's blog.
   
   
2. "An Outside Chance: Classic and New Essays on Sport" by Thomas McGuane. An Outside Chance has a truely great piece in it about elk hunting which I first read in a collection of stories assembled by David Peterson. I ordered two of McGuane's books on the strength of that story, but the books I selected did not sustain the strength of that original piece. I will sample a little more Tom McGuane in the future -- I sense there is better stuff on his lengthy menu of written work.
   
   
3. "Querencia" by Stephen Bodio. I was told this book was literature, and by God it was. It is a book not just about a place, but about several places, and the voyage of the mind that goes on between. It is a love story about several things, not least of which is Bodio's late wife who was quite a character in her own right. Nothing loved is ever lost, and in this book Bodio has memorialized quite a lot -- hawks, dogs, neighbors, landscape and a special woman. I was a little "verklempt" at the end. Buy the book -- no caveats to this recommendation.
   
   
4. "On the Edge of the Wild: Passions and Pleasures of a Naturalist" by Stephen Bodio. This book is a collection of essays, and it reads well -- most essay collections do not. Bodio's description of how some easterners look at large landowners and working ranch hands is deadly accurate. Not quite as good as Querencia (see above), but then not too much is.
   
   
5. "The Longest Silence: A Life in Fishing" by Thomas McGuane. McGuane writes well, but I have to say that this book did not do it for me. I am interested in fish as biology and fishing as sport, but I am not all that interested in fishing stories that do not have a larger message or point. A book to lend and not want back.
   
   
6. "Aloft: A Meditation on Pigeons & Pigeon-Flying" by Stephen Bodio. I like all common birds with histories behind them. This book was a bit on the thin side (I wanted to read more), but it was well written and very interesting and has a very nice and simple narrative form. Now I want to read a longer book about pigeons (history, genetics, science, etc.) and another about chickens too. If this book was food, it would be a crisp springroll.
   
   
7. "Madame Bovary's Ovaries: A Darwinian Look at Literature" by Barash. This book has a great title, but the concept is bit tortured. I do not read literature this way, and the "Darwinian" stuff was not new to me. If you like Freudian interpretations of Iago, you might like this one, but otherwise this is a book to skim in the store and not buy.
   
   
8. "The Insightful Sportsman: Thoughts on Fish, Wildlife and What Ails the Earth" by Ted Williams. Williams is a pretty good writer and very smart when it comes to wildlife and politics, but his magazine articles (always excellent) do not quite hold together as a book. This is a common problem with collected essays and articles. That said, if I lent this book out, I would want it back.
   
   
9. "Sport with Terriers" by Patricia Adams Lent. This is a short book without too much practical advice. A re-read of this publication is a reminder of how thin the shelf is when it comes to American terrier work. An important book in terms of history, but otherwise forgettable.
   
   
10. Rabbit Snaring DVD by Woodga. American cottontail rabbits are entirely different from those found in the UK, but I am always interested in practical stuff by masters of their art, and Woodga certainly qualifies when it comes to snaring. The sound on this DVD can be a bit dodgey at times (due to wind), and Woodga has a pretty thick accent for American ears (Will someone please teach the British how to speak English?), but this DVD is the real deal and not a second of time is wasted on idle prattle. After watching this video you will know more than a few things about spinning brass wire, bending tealers and placing snares at the right height. As with all things, practice makes perfect, but Woodga's video is clearly the fast ramp to success. I think the hoop snare technique would work well with groundhogs -- something to remember if a farmer has a problem where terriers and digging are not an option.