The title of these comments is from one of the tales in this third collection of short stories I have read by Mr. Patrick F. McManus. The author has been writing the yarns and his versions of his childhood "true" stories for decades, and has now produced 12 collections of these essays in book form. Many of the stories are about being outdoors and failing miserably as a hunter and fisherman, but one gets the impression that to the extent he fails, he does with seeming intent. It's the outdoors he loves, not harming it or its inhabitants. When he does speak of a successful outing with his friends he complains so much about the "success" that again you can tell coming home empty handed is his real goal. A collection of stories is what he is after.

The best stories here range from his childhood when speaking of why an 8 year old is perfectly competent to own his first knife, while even one day short of the 8th anniversary would be nothing less than a felony were a knife to be given to such an infant. He goes on at length as to how men delude themselves in to their thinking they have convinced their wives how their gun collections multiply without a single purchase. And in a story entitled, "A Hunker Is Not A Squat", he explains how with the correct posture, a stick and a dirt floor, The United Nations would be unnecessary, and world conflicts would end.

Mr. McManus writes for everyone who enjoys a good laugh, uncontrived humor, and just simple observations about human nature. He does not preach about the solutions to world problems, claim a cure for the common cold, or how to get rich. He just gives the reader the gift of laughter, an invaluable gift.

A book filled with humorous stories, this compilation of experiences was a treat to read! The Grasshopper Trap is only the second book I've read by Patrick McManus but now I want to track down all of his stories. McManus writes humor without the obscene, offensive language that seems so common everywhere these days. It's a refreshing, fun read with stories that entertain as well as remind us of a simpler, less frantic way of life.

This is just one of those books that's great when, well, anytime

This book is solely from the heart. The author certainly took a lot of time and care to research this book and wrote it with a lot of feeling. I cannot wait until Alvin Abram writes another book even a sequel would be thrilling to read once again. I have recommended this book to all of my friends here in Toronto and abroad. I am sure they too will derive as much pleasure as I did in reading this book. Thank you for making the holocaust a more pleasurable reading experience. Jane Skinner

Abram must have needed infinite patience to draw the details of each of these stories from their narrators. He certainly exerted all his talent in retelling them, using a flashback technique to set the scene for each one, but otherwise letting the stories of the individuals' Holocaust experiences and subsequent lives speak for themselves.

In each of the six stories, the subject took an active role to ensure his or her survival. During the Holocaust in which six million Jews perished, it is easy to lose sight of the individual and his or her actions. Jews weren't the sheep that history would like us to believe Abram states, there is no sense of pride in being portrayed as a victim. It is this statement that provides the running theme throughout the book that when read by a younger generation, would instil a sense of pride and lead them to the realization that a survivor in surviving was a hero.

This book is a treasure for the predictions alone. They lead off the book in chapter one "the other side of the looking glass: predictions of present-day psychics". It also has predictions by psychics of the past and modern day scientists. Notables include the Berkeley Psychic Institute, Nostradamus, Leo Tolstoi, Daniel Bell-Sociology prof at harvard, Arthur C. Clarke, Paul Ehrlich of Stanford who wrote the population bomb, Orville Freeman- former secty of Agriculture, Herman Kahn- the 300 pound economist, Margaret Mead, McGeorge Bundy, and Roger Revelle: Dean of research at the Univ. of Calif. and Al Gore's original mentor on the environment. The rest of the book is chock full of interesting tidbits. The self-purported difference between this Almanac and others is that this one avers that it gives you facts with truth and honesty. That is to say it avoids special-interest propaganda and government double-talk. The authors present it as a reference book that tries to be entertaining while giving the reader in-depth material on selected topics rather than endless, dry, bare-bones dates and figures on all subjects. Buy it and be the judge. This is a collector's item for all aging hippies from the Age of Acquarius.

I bought my copy of this great book over twenty years ago as a teen. What I love most is that it is not a dry compilation of facts, but a wonderful collection of information presented in a fascinating and entertaining way. After all this time, I still get it down from my bookcase and read for the hundredth time about "Footnote People in U. S. History" or "Man-Made Disasters." If you can find a copy, buy it. You won't be disappointed.

David Wallechinsky & Irving Wallace have compiled a veritable tome of useful information, widely held and little known facts, and astonishing revelations about the world around us. But it's not merely a fact book or a reference book, it has personality, humor and a kind of charm. It feels like an old friend whenever you consult it. This book is indispensable for your home book collection. Read through this book and you'll find you can't put it down. I've owned this book since it was first published in 1972(?) And find myself consulting it frequently ever since. It's quite tattered and taped now, having been loaned out and re-read so often, but it's still my favorite book.

I read this book twice and make me change my way of think about life, and makes me feel free. The author keeps your attention at every moment.

The very best book I ever read.

I want to read this book in italian... can anybody help me?

He leído este libro en el verano del 2000 y me ha parecido apasionante desde el primer momento. Entre otras cosas me ha gustado mucho la forma que tiene el autor de describir a los distintos personajes. Un libro sin duda recomendable y de gran calidad desde el principio hasta el final.

This is a book with a reasonably in-depth and comprehensive coverage of error control codes. Of course, Reed-Solomon codes are extensively discussed. Many examples of applications in real-world systems.

This is a book with many useful examples. I like it a lot. Recently, I read some coding books and found that they are too theoritical. Applicable technologies should be easy to understand, But I have hard time to understand some of the coding books. This one is a good reference for coding applications because it covers real applications such as
GSM, DTV, DVD, etc..

This is a good on error-control coding applications for university students. I found that many examples provided in the book are very interesting. Some of them are hard to found in other textbooks. I wish the school professor can teach those real examples. I recommend this book.

Irving is an extremely impresive historian, who has searched relentlessly through the archives, who has interviewed thousands of eye wittnesses, who has dug and dug. He is the hisotiran's historian. Real history for Dvid Irving means hsitory based on provenenace and wources, not opinions.

In my trials of reading books on the third reich,all of wich turned out to be pretty much the same biased subjective stories,I have found this to be the only one of it's kind based onrecently discovered archived documented material and direct quotes from diaries.I have scince thrown every thing else out.Make no mistake,this is the genuine article.

Most people only know Adolf Hitler as a caricature from Hollywood, but if you really want to get in the head of the German dictator then you should read Hitler's War. The Author has spent years reading diaries of those closest to Hitler and he has consolidated hundreds of original sources into this well researched masterpiece.

I had the distinct pleasure of meeting Karen Irving when she came into my store for a signing. Appropriately in awe of standing near an author, I managed to mumble something likely incoherent, and yet she signed my book for me anyway.

I went home, turned on the kettle, and started to read "Pluto Rising."

First off, the notion of an Astrologer as the main character in a mystery novel intruigues. Done as well as Irving did, the astrologer leaps out of the page with sarcastic aplomb, and leaves you laughing. The wit in this book is wonderful, and quite surprising for a first novel.

Second, the plot itself was a keeper. Katy, our intrepid ex-psychologiest and now struggling astrologer, has a brief meeting with a man who wants his chart done, a man who seems quite scared and fragile. The same man then shows up dead.

Unable to stop herself, Katy Klein begins to Nancy Drew her way around the case, and let me tell you, her motivations are quite clear and her emotional responses are very human. Irving has a real flair for this character.

I've since read "Jupiter's Daughter," the second novel in the Katy Klein series, and this is a series I will definately follow. Both books are a strong read with a good mysery and - most importantly - a strong character base. Pick them up today, you won't be let down.

Ms. Irving's books are a sweet treat. I can't recall how I happened upon them, but I am glad I did. Her stories are expertly cast and have intelligent writing and sophisticated stories. Her writing is like smooth butter or fine silk. They are set in Canada, but don't let that bother you if you don't like settings outside the US. The protagonist is a psychologist/astrologer but if metaphysical things bother you, don't worry. It doesn't overtake the story, but for those of us who love it, it's a nice sprinkle of information. This writer certainly knows her astrology. The sleuth is also Jewish, which adds a nice dimension. Everything is PERFECTLY balanced and extremely interesting. Her writing is up there with Stephen White and Jonathan Kellerman, maybe even better. Her writing is fresh and smart, deserving of the attention they get. Start from the beginning just to enjoy the three that are out so far---or just dive in. I tell you, if you love mysteries, there is nothing missing from this series. Nothing. It's sophisticated, it's engaging, it's witty, it's profound, it's complex, it's simple, it's serious ... you get my point. It has all the elements of life, life with all of its wonderful mysteries.

Katy Klein is a witty and opinionated psychologist turned professional astrologer who also struggles to make ends meet for herself and her teenage daughter. Then she meets Adam -- a client who feels Katy can help him unravel half remembered terrors from his childhood. What follows is a gripping mystery as Katy uncovers dark secrets that targets her as a killer's prey. Highly recommended for mystery buffs everywhere, Pluto Rising debuts what promises to be a terrific series of truly gripping mysteries featuring unique astrological twists.

The best of the stories in here are brilliant. The dialogue is great, as well as the reflective passages. That a mediocre short story writer like Raymond Carver is lauded, while Schwartz is relatively obscure, shows that the cream does NOT rise to the top. I've read passages of these stories a number of times. I can't praise them highly enough.

Five of the stories here are flat-out masterpieces ("In Dreams;" "The World is a Wedding;" "New Year's Eve;" "The Commencement Address;" and "The Track Meet"), while the other 3 are extremely well done, if not as wholly satisfying. This collection should be required reading in every contemporary lit. class. It's got everything: all the themes of struggle, frustration and defeat, responsibility, ambition, all the thoughts that men have thought in every age, and captures its era so perfectly and completely I am in awe. Even though the stories are, in some ways similar (especially "In Dreams," "The Commencement Address," and "The Track Meet"), they are utterly original, beautiful, hallucinatory, profound, funny and heartbreaking. Schwartz -- that great voice speaking out against the crowd -- deserves to be heard at last.

This is an absolutely fantastic collection of short storys, each one is so presice and refreshing. I recomend it to everyone. His writing is striking, and extremely well written yet underrated.

this is shakespeare's most accessible comedy. it's a farce about mistaken identities among identical twins. nothing complicated here. the play has it's funny moments. it's not the bard's best comedy; that's 'much ado about nothing', imho. but this is not a bad place to start.

"Methinks you are my glass, and not my brother."
So says Dromio of Ephesus, one of the members of two sets of estranged twins whose lives become comically intertwined in this delightful, ingenious, & aptly named Comedy of Errors. Being an avid Shakespeare fan and reader, I unequivocally consider The Comdey of Errors to be Shakespeare's finest and funniest comedy. Antipholus of Syracuse and his long lost twin Antipholus of Ephesus along with the two twin servants Dromio of Ephesus and Syracuse become unceasingly mistaken for each other making for a hilarious and entertaining farce of a play.

The Comedy of Errors has been copied many times since in literature, movies, & sitcoms, although it has never been duplicated.

There is no doubt that this comedy of Shakespeare's is delightful, crazy fun. You could call it the father (or mother) of all sit-coms. The play is suitable for middle school production and viewing, with some modifications. For my students and myself I prefer the Folger's edition of Shakespeare's plays for three reasons. First, the footnotes are easy to read and across from the text. 2. The choice of illustrations and 3. The introductory information. When purchasing for my students, though I have tried other publishers, I now always choose Folgers.

I didn't think this book was quite as funny as A Fine and Pleasant Misery, but I still enjoyed it. I get a kick out of reading humorous literature about the outdoors, however, I'm not really into hunting and fishing, two activities that McManus spends a lot of time on. I mostly enjoy the stories about camping, hiking, and general wilderness survival.

Patrick McManus is the greatest reading material I have come across in years. I found his books in my local library and have read every one three or four times. McManus tells storys that make outdoorsmen laugh because they know his hysterics are all true. I can relate to most of his humorous tales myself. A must read for all outdoor enthusiasts.

Ahh The legend of Pat McManus...lost person, helpless person, hopeless person. i have personally read and heard every book/audiocassette in the series, and not a single one of them has failed to split my sides with gales of laughter, without resorting to profanity or direct hostility, McManus regales us with stories about a time period that most people would have thought there was'nt anything funny about, He brings Hilarity from Horror. If your an outdoor enthusiast, or a sportsman of any type, or you just enjoy seeing the underdog win sometimes, then get this book, and hold on for the ride of your life.