This McManus book is one of his classic mixtures of stories about growing up poor in Blight, Idaho (really he grew up in the Idaho panhandle around Sandpoint, I believe) plus hunting and fishing stories. As always with McManus books, the book will leave you "splitting a gut" from all the laughter.
Highly recommended.

If you've read anything by Pat and laughed and would like a book or another book, trust me when I say that you'll like this. It's just more of the same kind of thing, Rancid and Crazy Eddie and Pat running around scaring his friend's Grandma. You can't read it or rememeber it without laughing or smiling, unless you're dead in which case you have no business having the nerve of reading or remembering anything. Trust me, there's nobody better than Pat out of all the humorist authors. Even Daniel Steele. You'll love it if you love anything he's done.

The book is a composite of stories of his childhood and adolescent years. He grew up in the boonies in an old run down shack. As a child he spent most of his time outside. He tells stories of tying his best friends brother up and locking him in the basement. He also gives pionters on taking fish hooks out of a buddys' ear. The book has a plot in every story; with 26 stories there are lots of plots to get burried in. The theme is pretty much the same throught out the book; Life is good if you have the right perception. I thought the book was hysterical. I actualy read the whole book. My parents almost got a divorce, because my dad would shake the room. He was laughing so hard. The book really reminded me of when I grew up; my friends and I were always outside raising cane. The way Patrick tells the story is like a joke, he lets your mind wonder before telling what happens. His choice of words really catch you, words like gunkholing or podner. I would definetly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys the outdoors. Patrick really knows how to make people laugh.

I am the guy Pat talks about at the beginning of "Outdoor Burnout" At the time I wrote to him I was sick of the outdoors and nature in general, Pat put it all into perspective for me. Now when I get fed up with bad weather, balky lanterns, leaky tents, and all the other hazards of the great outdoors, I stop and think, "Pat could make a great story out of this".

If by chance you haven't read any of Pat McManus' books yet, I might suggest you start with this one to insure you get hooked for life. If you didn't think that life in the panhandle of Idaho could be funny, your in for a real treat. Here's to you Miss Deets.

Did you know that wolves hoot? Did you know that the deadliest weapon a fisherman can have is a banana? Did you know that unfileted bluegills multiply as the night wears on? Did you know that the best way to avoid a whipping is with a bouquet of buttercups? Did you know that a car roof is the black hole of fishing? Did you know that you can get out of a reckless driving charge if you're stuffing pigs in a sack? It's all true, and if you don't believe it, read this book and see for yourself!

The premature death of Nicos Poulantzas was, indeed, a great disaster for Marxism, and for all social theorists concerned with the critical evaluation of the State. In this, perhaps his most readable work, Poulanztas rejects the simple instrumentalist interpretation of the State in favour of a complex structuralist approach which views the state not as an instrument, but a CONTESTED FIELD. Poulantzas portrays a state that is rent through with internal contradictions: which is itself a site of struggle. For Poulantzas, the class struggle IMPRINTS itself upon the state. As he argues, "the State bathes in struggles that continually submerge it." Hence Poulantzas's view of the State as a 'strategic field' is radically opposed to the 'fortress State' perspective, where the state is an intsrument firmly in the hands of a ruling class - and must be laid seige to or 'stormed' in order to be 'smashed' and then reconstructed. There are difficulties with Poulantzas's analysis. In a fashion akin to all Structuralists, his structural determinism seems to deny to possibility of agency. From my own perspective, I would argue that class struggle does not ONLY occur structurally, but reaches a higher level with the dawning of class consciousness and the establishment of the working class as a true collective-historical ACTOR. What is more, it is not only the class struggle that imprints itself upon the state, but political struggles of all varieties. Finally, I find the non-Marxist concept of a state contested by competing 'elites' quite convincing also - in the sense that this is at least ONE dimension of the nature of the State. Hence, it is true that I harbour serious differences with the perspective put forward by Poulantzas. Nevertheless, I must conclude by asserting that his account of the State in its true, contradictory form, was one of the greatest contributions to the political theory of the State. This is a must read of Marxists and political science students alike.

In State, Power, Socialism, Nicos Poulantzas (a member of the Greek Communist Party of the Interior from 1968 until his death in 1979 at the age of 43) advances a rigorous critique of contemporary Marxist theories of the state. Poulantzas argues against a general theory of the state, and identifying forms of class power crucial to socialist strategy that goes beyond the apparatus of the state. Long out of print, this new and highly recommended Verso Books edition of State, Power, Socialismis enhanced for students of political science with an informative introduction by Stuart Hall, critically appraising Poulantzas' achievement.

"This book has everything: action, adventure, superb characterization, vivid dialogue, a strong sense of place, and a plot that will seize your heart and not let it go until the last page. Patrick Dearen has written an instant classic that deserves a place on anyone's list of Best Western Novels." -- D. R. Meredith, Roundup Magazine of Western Writers of America.

"Admirable . . . a powerful novel reminiscent of Edward Abbey's `The Brave Cowboy' . . . Excellent." -- Dallas Morning News.

"The tale of . . . a cowboy born a century too late . . . . Bright and poignant . . . . A sharply drawn and memorable novel." -- Dale Walker, Rocky Mountain News.

"Departs intriguingly from classic western form . . . . A tale of a cowboy born 100 years too late and of his desperate run from the law." -- Publishers Weekly, July 18, 1994.

"A spellbinding tale of the modern world against the last cowboy." -- San Angelo Standard-Times.

"Pits one man's nineteenth century dreams against another man's twentieth century reality." -- Books of the Southwest.

"The last cowboy in our modern world decides to risk his life by stealing a horse and escaping to the Colorado Divide where he can live as cowboys did a hundred years ago. . . . Inspired by an actual horseback-helicopter manhunt in Texas. . . . Presumably a `Western,' this novel surprisingly grows into mainstream fiction." -- Review of Texas Books.

"Takes a keen look at the mythology . . . of the Western cowboy, a free, independent loner who savors his life on the range." West Texas Historical Association Yearbook.

"Justifies the resurgence of interest in fiction about the American West . . . . [Dearen's] skills . . . argue for the survival of America's most fascinating and probably only authentic myth." -- Texas Books in Review.

"The story of a modern-day cowboy who is determined to live or die by the cowboy code . . . . The reader can almost hear the serenades of the crickets, cicadas, and coyotes. You will want to read this book even if you don't normally read westerns." -- Austin American-Statesman.

"Patrick Dearen . . . is of the [Elmer] Kelton School. . . . The story gains color and character from [Dearen's] incredible 74 interviews with men who took up cowboying between 1899 and 1931." -- Kent Biffle, Dallas Morning News.

"If you're a western fan and have only [$] to spend in the bookstore this year, spend it on `When Cowboys Die.' And when you close the book, step outside and look toward the west and whisper, `Keep on riding, Charlie--for all of us.'" -- Amarillo Sunday Globe-News.

This book has everything: action, adventure, superb characterization, vivid dialogue, a strong sense of place, and a plot that will seize your heart and not let it go until the last page. Patrick Dearen has written an instant classic that deserves a place on anyone's lists of Best Western Novels. -- D. R. Meredith, Roundup Magazine of Western Writers of America.

Admirable . . . a powerful novel reminiscent of Edward Abbey's "The Brave Cowboy" . . . Excellent. -- Dallas Morning News.

Departs intriguingly from classic western form . . . . A tale of a cowboy born 100 years too late and of his desperate run from the law. -- Publishers Weekly, July 18, 1994.

The tale of . . . a cowboy born a century too late . . . . Bright and poignant . . . . A sharply drawn and memorable novel. -- Dale Walker, Rocky Mountain News.

A spellbinding tale of the modern world against the last cowboy. -- San Angelo (Texas) Standard-Times.

Pits one man's nineteenth century dreams against another man's twentieth century reality. -- Books of the Southwest.

The last cowboy in our modern world decides to risk his life by stealing a horse and escaping to the Colorado Divide where he can live as cowboys did a hundred years ago. . . . Inspired by an actual horseback-helicopter manhunt in Texas. -- Review of Texas Books.

Takes a keen look at the mythology . . . of the Western cowboy, a free, independent loner who savors his life on the range. -- West Texas Historical Association Yearbook.

The story gains color and character from [Dearen's] incredible 74 interviews with men who took up cowboying between 1899 and 1931. -- Kent Biffle, Dallas Morning News.

Justifies the resurgence of interest in fiction about the American West . . . . [Dearen's] skills . . . argue for the survival of America's most fascinating and probably only authentic myth. -- Texas Books in Review.

The story of a modern-day cowboy who is determined to live or die by the cowboy code . . . . The reader can almost hear the serenades of the crickets, cicadas, and coyotes. You will want to read this book even if you don't normally read westerns. -- Austin American-Statesman.

If you're a western fan and have only [a little money] to spend in the bookstore this year, spend it on `When Cowboys Die.' And when you close the book, step outside and look toward the west and whisper, "Keep on riding, Charlie--for all of us." -- Amarillo Sunday Globe-News.

Media Reviews:
"This book has everything: action, adventure, superb characterization, vivid dialogue, a strong sense of place, and a plot that will seize your heart and not let it go until the last page. Patrick Dearen has written an instant classic that deserves a place on anyone's list of Best Western Novels." -- Doris R. Meredith, Roundup Magazine of Western Writers of America.

"Departs intriguingly from classic western form. . . . Tells a tale of a cowboy born 100 years too late and of his desperate run from the law." -- Publishers Weekly, July 18, 1994.

"Admirable . . . a powerful novel reminiscent of Edward Abbey's `The Brave Cowboy' . . . Excellent." -- Dallas Morning News.

"The tale of . . . a cowboy born a century too late . . . . Bright and poignant . . . . A sharply drawn and memorable novel." -- Dale Walker, Rocky Mountain News.

"A spellbinding tale of the modern world against the last cowboy." -- San Angelo (Texas) Standard-Times.

"Pits one man's nineteenth century dreams against another man's twentieth century reality." -- Books of the Southwest.

"The last cowboy in our modern world decides to risk his life by stealing a horse and escaping to the Colorado Divide where he can live as cowboys did a hundred years ago. . . . Inspired by an actual horseback-helicopter manhunt in Texas." -- Review of Texas Books.

"Takes a keen look at the mythology . . . of the western cowboy, a free, independent loner who savors his life on the range." -- West Texas Historical Association Year Book.

"Justifies the resurgence of interest in fiction about the American West . . . . [Dearen's] skills . . . argue for the survival of America's most fascinating and probably only authentic myth." -- Texas Books in Review.

"The story gains color and character from [Dearen's] incredible 74 interviews with men who took up cowboying between 1899 and 1931." -- Kent Biffle, Dallas Morning News.

"The story of a modern-day cowboy who is determined to live or die by the cowboy code . . . . The reader can almost hear the serenades of the crickets, cicadas, and coyotes. You will want to read this book even if you don't normally read westerns." -- Jennifer Soldano, Austin American-Statesman.

"If you're a western fan and have [money] to spend in the bookstore this year, spend it on `When Cowboys Die.' And when you close the book, step outside and look toward the west and whisper, `Keep on riding, Charlie--for all of us.'" -- Amarillo (Texas) Sunday Globe-News.

Having visited the Homebush site for the 2000 Olympic games, I was keen to buy a book that would explain all the reasons for the architectural features I had seen first hand. Patrick Bingham-Hall's book does this. Each venue is investigated and the architectural features of each are discussed. The photographs are superb and the wealth of knowledge inspiring. For any visitor to the Olympic games site, this book provides a lasting memorial to a truly vibrant and exciting Olympic park.

What a joyous read! If you haven't read "Auntie Mame" (or have not seen the play, musical, or films) start with that. This will introduce you to the "madcap" Mame and her zanny cohorts. "Around the World" is not so much a sequel, but a series of short stories -- each a chapter in length. Travel with Mame from one exotic place to the next as she gets herself into "trouble" every country she visits. Too bad Jerry Herman and Lawrence & Lee never made this into a musical for the older, but still-so-lovely, Angela Lansbury.

Further adventures of Mame Dennis and her nephew Patrick, this time in Europe. The chapter on getting Mame ready to be presented at the Court of St. James alone is worth the price of the book, as is the visit of Beau's look-alike relative. This is a must for Mame fans, as well as a diverting antecdote to these suddenly troubled times.

Mr. Dennis is a master of the social and bitchie conversational high camp of the well to do and it's want to be hanger on retinue. A laugh out loud romp with between the lines of social comentery and scathing wit. A must read.

Wow!!! This is the funniest book I have ever read. The way McManus writes is so unique, subtle humor along with out right hiariousness (if that's a word). Both men and women, country and city will enjoy this outdoor humor. I liked the fact that it was a bunch of short stories that you could read like a novel. It had the same main characters so you didn't have to always learn new people, but you could set the book down for days(if you could last that long)and not get confused. This is my first book of his and I cant wait to read more.

Real Ponies Dont Go Oink by Patrick F. Mcmanus is about a whole bunch of outdoor humor stories. He tells about different things that happend in his life but he uses other peoples names. The humor that Patrick Mckmanus puts into the stories makes the book hilarious. Patrick Mckmanus not only showed that he could write a funny book, but it was also easy to read. His style in the book would like you're seeing it from different angles. One minuite it feels like you are in the book , the next minuite it feels like you're watching other people. Patrick Mckmanus went from funnny to hilarious. Overall, this book was the funniest book I have ever read. I highly recomend that you take the time to read this book and enjoy it. It will make you lagh untill you cry.

I was laughing so hard it took me 20 minutes to read a 5 page chapter. You can't go wrong with this type of humor. I can't speak highly enough about this book. I am just starting to read it for the 3rd time and I very seldom read books twice.

The legendary "Man in Black" puts it all down in black and white. But that's no analogy for this book. "Cash: The Autobiography" has plenty of color, texture and rhythm. Cash speaks poetically about not only events in his life, but feelings, sensations and memories.

Cash can drop names like few others. He has known Carl Perkins, Roy Orbison, Jerry Lee Lewis, and Elvis. He recorded for Sun Records in the 1950's. Marty Stuart earned his chops as Cash's one-time lead guitarist. Even close friend Waylon Jennings played in Cash's band (for five nights, in Canada, when Cash's regular guitarist couldn't go).

Johnny Cash is a member of both the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and the Country Music Hall of Fame. But underneath it all is a complex man with a keen eye for detail and a marvelous sense of history. The opening pages of the autobiography reveal the beginnings of the Cash name in Scotland. And have you ever wondered what "fair to middling" really means? It's a grade of cotton, as Cash explains. And he should know, having grown up picking cotton with his family on a humble Arkansas farm. What is it like to be an American living legend? To hear Johnny Cash tell it, it's a lot like being a human being. But it's a wild, hard, unforgettable ride.

In his new autobiography, Cash touches us with his heart, strengthens us with his courage, challenges us with his honesty, and renews us with his faith. Now, as Cash faces another chapter of his life, we ask if he will be able to use the same non-relenting force of character he is so well known for to overcome Parkinson's Disease. But this question is unfounded, for as his novel proves, Johnny Cash is the man who bows to no one. So during this time of trial, as we eagerly await to hear him play again, we simply say "We love you Johnny Cash, country music legend extraordinaire."

As a big fan of Johnny Cash I could not resist reading his autobiography. In no way what so ever was I let down by this amazing book. It combines stories of his life, memories with friends, family, and music giants, and provides deep spiritual inspiration. His memories are truely enjoyable and entertaining, throughout the book he touches on experiences with such people as Elvis, Carl Perkins, Jerry Lee Lewis, Roy Orbison, Bob Dylan and many more. He also gives delves into his constant battles with drug addiction and how he was able to overcome the affliction. This book gives you a good idea what it was like to be Johnny Cash, and who better to tell the story than Johnny Cash himself.

I live in Dorchester/Boston where Dennis Lehane's novels take place. He has a great feel for the area, both in terms of geography and culture, which he conveys without forcing the sense of place. More importantly for a detective novel, Lehane weaves an incredibly strong mystery; he paces the revelations out perfectly right up to the very last page. And he does so in style. His prose is for the most part funny, chilling at times and at other moments painfully moving. Even more interesting for a detective series, Lehane hasn't lost focus of the main characters (Patrick, Angie and Bubba) nor has he let them grow stale. Just as he tosses a few curveballs into the investigation, he also throws major curveballs into Patrick, Angie and Bubba's personal lives. Lehane also introduces a number of new and extremely hatable villains. This is his best book since "Darkness Take My Hand."

I was really wowed by this novel, the first I have read by Dennis Lehane. I really enjoyed the characters as well--Boston P.I. Patrick McKenzie, his trenchcoat wearing boyhood friend and gun runner Bubba Rogowski and his former partner Angie Gennaro, who grandfather is with the italian mob.

McKenzie is hired by Karen Nichols to stop a stalker. McKenzie and Bubba deliver a not so subtle threat/beating and all seems well. Mc Kenzie does not have time to return a second call from Nichols and the next time he hears about her is about her suicide on the news. Feeling guilty that he should have responded earlier, McKenzie starts investigating a bizzare case of psychological warfare, blackmail and murder that is fascinating and chilling all at once. There are lots of bad guys, including Nichols heartless parents and step brother. All is not what it seems in this broad conspiracy of evil. When the identity of the villain is revealed, the warfare becomes very personal, with the fight to the death.

Compelling,scary, and hard-to-put down, Prayers for Rain is not to be missed!!!!

In the last 30 day I've read all five of Lehane' Kinzie/Gennaro books, finishing Prayers for Rain last night. Lehane has created a terrific franchise in the mystery/thriller arena with his realistic and (more importantly) entertaining pair of detectives. You like these people he's created and believe their motives for what they choose to do as they trek through the plot. Clearly I've found a lot of compelling entertainment in these stories.

The first book in the series, A Drink Before the War, really sucked me in, being in the same vein as the Elvis Cole series by Robert Crais which I also recommend. Both series are consistently well-written, a clear step (or two) above pop/trash/beach fiction, funny, intelligent stories where the plot make sense, and the characters seem frighteningly real. It turned out that the first Kinzie/Gennaro yarn was the lightest. Each one after has ratcheted up the twists and turns, but kept the personality of the characters growing and building. The stories definitely got blacker and bleaker in the depraved actions of the bad guys. By Prayers for Rain, the villain is a hardcore-fulltime psychopath, and Patrick and Angie are a-little-further-than-borderline vigilantes.

After racing through five of the books in so short a period, I am struck with a sense of vulnerability. If some bad dude makes it their career to mess with you, and if they have no normal limits to their behavior, you're just screwed. How can a normal, follow the rules type of citizen even comprehend the introduction of aggression and violence into their regular lives? Unless you have friends to help you out like Kenzie and Gennaro you might as well move out of the country and hope you're never found. Read these, you'll like them.

Athena is an excellent book for undergraduates and for anyone looking for a thoughtful overview of diachronic changes in religious beliefs from the Bronze to the Heroic Age. The view is through the eyes of Athena with a focus on the Trojan war, 'Athena's war.' Through the goddess' relationship with Odysseus, the author reveals changes in Athena's personality (function) as portrayed in the Iliad and Odyssey. The author links Athena's transition from war goddess to goddess of justice, wisdom and civility to societal changes including a shift of emphasis from personal bravado to civic honor and from individual to community spirit and responsibility.

Through lively word choices and a deep sense of needs and concerns of humans of all eras, the author makes relevant to us the religion of the ancients. They, like we, struggle to control forces surrounding us. Through 'Athena' we better appreciate the ancient Greek need and concern for religion and, accordingly, we realize a! ll the more that we share today their same fears and life questions.

This book was a fascinating look at the history of the greek goddess Athena from her beginning as an African deity. Athena is my favorite of all the greek pantheon.

Lee hall has provided an excellent auxillary reading for students in the humanities and social sciences. ATHENA is a book that opens up an exciting multidisciplinary dialogue that combines a splendid story--supernatural beings, mythical heores, and heroic events--with a solid focus on parallel social struggles in modern times. First and foremost, ATHENA is an exciting story--well written and fun to read. Familiar and obscure myths combine to make this "biography" of the great warrior goddess a more useful reading for students, especially students in Classical Studies, than the usual mythology sources (Graves & Hamilton). Using a modern "voice," Lee Hall shows how Athena changes identities over the centuries, reflecting the development of ancient civilization as well as telling us much about our own contemporary identity stuggles. ATHENA was a pleasure to read, integrating a vast amount of mythological stories into a creative statement about the processes of civilization itself.