We are having some unbelievable weather this week, which has us postponing thoughts of shorter, colder days here in the Northeast. Eventually they will be here and getting out on the water will become harder and our attention will turn inside to stocking up the boxes with flies for next year. It will also mean some more reading will take place on the cold, snowy nights, which will be plentiful if this winter is anything like last winter. Hence, we have a book review for you today.
Charles N. Cantella recently sent us a book entitled “Fins N Grins”, which is a collection of some of his shorter writings published in his local Trout Unlimited chapter’s newsletter. The subtitle Searching for “Balance Between the Family Life and the Fishing Life” is an accurate description of the stories contained within. Charles describes the book as a work of “faction”; some of it is fact, some of it is fiction. Names have been changed to prevent lawsuits. You can see where this book is heading already. It is nothing like the great works on the sport, filled with prose or a book describing some amazing fishing trips. It is however, a book filled with stories you might well imagine yourself and your fishing buddies being characters, maybe you already have lived one of the stories yourself. It is a quick read and very engaging. Charles has a way of writing where the reader immediately becomes not a full participant in the story, but so close it’s hard to tell if he has The nice feature of the book is the fact there are many short chapters, meaning you can read one today and another tomorrow or two weeks from now.
You will be laughing at many of the stories in the book, especially the "Ex Factor", which had us rolling in laughter and not sure our jaws are off the floor yet. Others will have you reflecting on the very reasons you love this sport and wouldn’t trade it for anything such as "Uncle Dave". It is a great book to read this winter and it will help you keep your mind off winter and on this fine sport we all love. The stories cover all aspects of his life, from his childhood right through his recent adventures or mishaps, depending on how you read them.
The book ends with this thought and we couldn’t say it any better: “I guess I finally realized that even when things don’t go according to plan, life can still be pretty damn good.”
The book is a literal bargain at $7.04. In fact it would make a great gift for anyone who likes to fish or has a buddy who likes to get in the craziest of situations. We are also planning to share a story from the book on one of the upcoming podcast episodes.
To purchase the book: https://www.createspace.com/4416066 or http://amzn.com/1492261203
