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View Full Version : A couple fun reads.....



k.hanley
05-05-2015, 01:35 PM
I just wanted to share some good reading opportunities...

Recently on the Forum a book about Shad was recommended. It's a terrific window into a fascinating fish and US History.

I'd also like to recommend the book "Cod: A Biography of the Fish That Changed The World." (Author is Mark Kurlansky)

I thought both of these books were very cool to experience.

Cheers, Ken

John Sv
05-05-2015, 03:59 PM
+1 for the Cod book. I haven't read the shad one although I am from shad country originally!
Re: the cod book. It is wild to see how much fish have shaped geopolitics and the economy...

johnsquires
05-05-2015, 05:17 PM
The shad book I posted about is called The Founding Fish by John McPhee. One of those books that both entertains and educates. If I remember right, there is a bit about guys who count the numbers of fish they catch (you know who you are).

I have another book recommendation for those who like history and beautiful places: The Big Burn by Timothy Egan (great outdoor writer). If our present trend persists, I suspect we'll see some pretty big burns again this year, sadly.

Larry S
05-05-2015, 05:20 PM
Would you call the book by Kurlansky a "cod piece?" Sorry! I've read and recommend both. The shad book,
"The Founding Fish," is by John McPhee. He's easily my favorite non-fiction writer and occasionally has an article
in The New Yorker.
Snow flurries predicted for the Mammoth Lakes area on Thursday. Mother Nature is sure a tease, isn't she?
I do remember a heavy snowfall on July 4 while at the Upper Owens' Arcularius Ranch.
Best to all,
Larry S

johnsquires
05-05-2015, 06:25 PM
Would you call the book by Kurlansky a "cod piece?"
Larry S

Oh, I get it. I get jokes.

Rich Morrison
05-06-2015, 12:35 AM
Another fantastic McPhee book is Encounters with the Archdruid. Fantastic look at conservation and environmental issues. Its in four sections and McPhee goes to an environmentally controversial area with David Brower, head of the Sierra Club, and a key figure on the other side of the issue at hand. The best of the four is by far a float he does down the Colorado River with Brower and Floyd Dominy, then the commissioner of the United States Bureau of Reclamation and an ardent dam proponent. The book was published in 1971 so the hindsight aspect is also fascinating. It's also remarkable how little of the dialogue has changed. I highly recommend it.
Rich

johnsquires
05-06-2015, 07:32 AM
I'm going to check that one out, Rich. Thank you.