It’s a sad truth. When the fly fishing’s good, the reading is bad. And right now, the fishing’s getting very good.
The books stack up in inverse proportion to number of big mayflies fluttering around the river, and I’m left a torn man.
After all, I like muscular prose almost as much as I like muscular fish, and when I’m in a whiny mood, I’ll even suggest it’s unfair I have to choose between the two.
Still, reality almost always wins out (this isn’t politics after all), and I’ve accumulated a suitcase-sized pile of books and DVDs to read and review.
It occurs to me I might not be the only one.
Maybe the Undergrounders share my literary-induced pain — or could be asked to share the names of the books they’re dying to read (or even those they just did).
Fire away, Undergrounders.
See you on the river (or in the stacks), Tom Chandler.
{ 9 comments… read them below or add one }
Day Tripper 06.05.08 at 4:26 pm
Just finished reading Thoreau’s “Walden” for the second time. Picked up a couple Jack London books at the library a couple hours ago, and…
The Idiots Guide to Fly Fishing
drops head in shame
it’s a prop…
Ethan 06.05.08 at 6:38 pm
I’m actually in the middle of Eric Clapton’s Autobiography, interesting to say the least. And yes there is some fly fishing in it!
I can’t imagine him and Jimi Hendrix riding around New York City on the subway with their guitars and sitting in house bands all night at different clubs! How cool would that have been to be playing in Murph and the Magitones at the Time Square Lounge and have Jimi and EC walk in…
I’m in the process of moving into a new house. The other day, during a major thunderstorm, I awoke to my entire library being deluged in the basement and soaked to the core. So now our entire literary collection, is spread out in the living room drying.
My wife is studying for her masters in English education so she is the one with the REAL problem… we feel your pain!
David Roberts 06.06.08 at 5:49 am
TC, no time to read man, the big bugs are out. It was great yesterday and will be heading out again about 10ish. Call me.
David
By the way biscuits worked on the dog I will keep them in the boat for you from now on.
Jeremy Kaiser 06.06.08 at 5:50 am
The last real good fishing book I read was “The River Why” by David James Duncan. This is quite the book. It chronicles the transformation of a fish-a-holic into a conservation minded man. I know, it sounds deep, but it is really quite comical. If you need a good fishing book to read, look for this one.
Kais
http://www.onetoomanyhobbies.com
Larry Swearingen 06.06.08 at 8:18 am
Just finished “Fool’s Paradise” last night.
I managed to stretch it out at the rate of one
chapter per night. I guess those are really not chapters but individual short essays.
Guess I’ll go back to reading “Backcast” by Lou Ureneck. It got put on the back burner when the Gierach book came in.
Larry Swearingen
New Hoosier
Andy Winterstein 06.06.08 at 9:07 am
Harry Middleton’s The Earth is Enough was the last great “fishing” book that I read. Like most great fishing books - it isn’t really about fishing at all. On The Spine of Time is also beautiful. A wonderful writer who we lost in 1993. He was working as a garbage man at the end. His books are a real treasure - the kind you want to pass along.
Andy
http://www.zentrout.com
Larry Nash 06.06.08 at 10:25 am
Just wanted to endorse Andy Winterstein’s recommendations of Harry Middleton’s “The Earth is Enough” and “On The Spine of Time” — both terrific books which I have re-read several times. I’ve never had the opportunity to fish in that corner of your country, but “Spine..” takes you there! I also read Hemmingway’s “The Nick Adams Stories” about Michigan’s UP every few years, a great book to give a kid who likes fishing and wonders about life - I think my uncle gave it to me when I was 14 or 15.
I’m a librarian when I’m not a fly fisherman, so finding good books has never been a problem. Finding time to read them all, alas, is another thing entirely. So many books (bugs?), so little time.
Larry Nash,
Alberta, Canada.
Kentucky Jim 06.06.08 at 1:48 pm
Just finished Seth Norman’s “A Fly Fisherman’s Guide to Crimes of Passion”. Pretty good read, made all the more enjoyable by the fact that he mentions several people I know…well, have crossed paths with, anyway. And, thankfully, I just received my copy of my daughter’s Christmas 2007 present to me - Yale Angler’s Journal. I like writing that makes me feel the way I feel when a sixteen inch rainbow grabs my streamer on the swing, and head for the middle of the stream. Some of the writing in YAJ makes me feel that way. Don’t know if you call that muscular prose or not; but I like it.
Taku 06.06.08 at 6:02 pm
Since winter is over and spring fishing is over, and it’s high water chore time on the ranch, reading is limited. But, working through The Animal Dialog’s (Craig Childs), no fishing, but good essay’s. For some slightly off the wall fishing, John Holt’s Arctic Aurora and Coyote Nowhere are hard to beat. TC: Looks like the rivers should be rounding into good shape by the time you hit Montana, that is, if it stops snowing….