Gerald Durrell's books have touched the hearts of naturalists for decades and I admit that I have only become a fan of his in the recent years. I was introduced to his books through my local used bookstore, where I was looking for copies of James Herriot's books that were not offered at my local bookstore, and decided to pick up a few and try them out.

His stories have a incorporated a vivid energy and hilarity into his passionate memoirs of unique nature experiences that will entertain any nature-lover. While some of his scientific practices may now be considered obsolete, we are given a rare glimpse into the love and respect for all things living that has been a core aspect of any naturalist throughout the ages.

I have since bought as many of Durrell's books that I have been able to find, and treasure each and every one of them.

Gerald Durrell spent most of his life collecting interesting animal specimens and Durrell is an interesting human specimen himself. His well chronicled life (mostly chronicled by Durrell) begins with the hilarious, and very succesfull, "My family and Other Animals". It is ably followed up with the equally hilarious "Birds, Beasts and Relatives". Both books are full of tales from the Durrell family's years on the Greek Island of Corfu, pre WWII. Little Gerry dives right into the flora and fauna of the island, including its human fauna. I own very few nonfiction books with such a plethora of memorable characters. Now, of course, we get to the volume in question. It is plenty good, and worth multiple readings over years, as is "The Overloaded Ark" and several other books detailing trips to collect animals. A word of warning, don't go nuts and buy all the zillion Durrell titles. Some of them are out of print for a reason and were most likely dashed off by Durrell to finance a collecting trip or two...

I would seriously recommend this book to anyone on the planet. Do you like nature? Read this. Do you like animals? Read this. Do you like humour? Read this. Are you someone who appreciates a good book? Read this. You will come away knowing lots of interesting facts about obscure animals,have sniggered your head off, and with vibrant images filling your head. This is an autobiography jam-packed with laughs and description.

The recipes are wonderful and the book itself full of gorgeous photos, drawings and, in general, just wonderfully produced. I'm buying several for Christmas gifts for out-of-state relatives and friends. I'm new to the state and this is a fabulous introduction to the food and customs.

Definitely goes "beyond bbq and chili" to wonderful fusion of the traditional and the most up-to-date. You will not be sorry you bought this.

This is a beautiful cookbook! Even if you have lived in Texas your whole life, you will see places you haven't glimpsed. Having been born in Texas and raised on the variety of foods available here, I love how these recipes take it to a higher level. The recipes are perfect...though not always easy, they are always worthy of the effort. I made the cover dish first thing and got raves from all who ate it. I love the way she pairs the Texas wines with each meal. And she tells so much about Texas...research well done!

This book has some really wonderful recipes...and so true to Texas. I took a cooking class from Terry Thompson-Anderson where she demonstrated some of these wonderful recipes. When I tried them myself, they were just as good....the measure of a truly good cookbook!

A charming little book about an animal collecting trip in South America. Durrell paints both an enchanting picture both of the Argentine people and of the flora and fauna of the country. He encounters vampire bats, a puma, and many birds. He rescues an ocelot from a cruel local owner who is starving the cat and convinces a baby Geoffrey's cat to eat by pairing it with a lovable tabby kitten who sets the example and provides it with company.

Durrell was one of the first naturalists to develop the notion of captive breeding to ensure the survival of endangered species. He obviously cares deeply about the animals that he collects and goes to extra ordinary lengths to make them happy and keep them healthy. His descriptions of caring for a sick taper, even sleeping beside her to comfort her, are delightful. His wrangle with custom's officials are amusing, and his description of a plain trip in Argentina is particularly hilarious.

Also, Durrell's tireless work and observations were sometimes the first and best studies into how to care for these animals in captivity. When possible, he takes his specimens from private owners, rather than taking them from the wild. People like Durrell were not responsible for the endangerment of these animals. He worked for the salvation of many species and was probably responsible for the continued survival of some today.

Even for a person with an insufferably short attention span, I was not once bored during this book. It's not a thriller, or anything of the sort, but it managed to truly involve the reader in the author's journey.
The story of an Englishman who is on a trip through Patagonia to collect animals for his own private zoo, this book manages to bring out the animal lover in any reader. The descriptions of the land, the people, and the animals are beautifully crafted in well done, straight forward prose. I highly recommend it.

Durrell is wonderful at describing both animals and people and one gets the feeling one's there, with him, sleeping under a car and trying to keep warm by smoking a cigarrette, or in flight to Jujuy, sitting by a fat and talkative lady, or in Buenos Aires, sorting cars at I don't know how many miles an hour. Absolutely terrific!

The case studies provide an excellent flavor of the mental side of sports for all you "armchair" athletes and sports psychologists to savor. As a psychologist and self-proclaimed athlete, I was entertained and enlightened by the multitude of case studies that Thompson and Vernacchia chose to explore. I found myself relating my own sports-related challenges to those offered in the book. The funnest part was formulating my own hypotheses about the various issues that were presented in each case. This is a must read for anyone who has been frustrated by the challenges of competitive athletics. You're not alone! However, you might find that you're #1 competitor resides in the barriers that you have built in your own mind. Learn how to knock down, or atleast, get around those self-imposed barriers.

Deep within the mind of the creative artist often lies the tendency to become destructive. Nowhere is this more apparent than in this brilliantly written work. Thompson's "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" describes the effects of alcohal and drugs in calculated journo-prose. Initially assigned to cover a motorcyle race in the desert, the emphasis soon shifts from responsibility to reckless partying. The book meanders between odes to opium, mescaline and other mind-altering substances to ethical issues and social commentary. The book is a true story, which recounts the adventures of Thompson, alias Duke, and his obese lawyer, alias Gonzo in Las Vegas in the early 70s. Generally regarded as a collection of infamous drug exploits, the book also captured critical acclaim for it's abrupt and edgy style, and has remained a favorite in journalistic circles. The drug concotions enable Thompson to comment carelessly on everything from social issues to personal exploration, providing an objective critique of modern American life. The language is edgy and vulgar, lacking refinement and dignity. As well he knows, Thompson himself resembles these remarks and at least in this instance, life does imitate art. Overall, it is an odyssey into the mind of a true gonzo-journalist, chock full of emotion and definately worth a few hours of your time. The brains cells are up to you.

Other books of interest: "Post Office," by Charles Bukowski, and "THe Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test," by Tom Wolfe.

Thompson possesses a magical way with words, and his writing style is a pure pleasure to read. Incredibly funny and surprisingly poetic and insightful; Hunter waxes on elegantly, with a perspective and intelligence that is astonishing. The first half of the book, and in particular the opening scene, is excellent, witty, and about the funniest thing in print. The latter half, while still intoxicating and good, is a bit chaotic, as the quest for the Dream winds down and the aftermath of the search is examined. The movie with Johnny Depp is also great; it is best to read the book and then immediatly watch the movie because so much is said in Hunter's unique way of talking, that without reading the book first, much of what he says is missed; also, everything takes on a greater significance, yeilding a better understanding of the rapid series of events. Thompson, with this book alone, proves his genius for all of time.

We must remember that people did actually emerge from the idealism of the 1960's. This book is about them; it is written with all of the necessary disillusionment, sarcasm, and bombasticness. Hunter Thompson writes about (his?) experiences as a journalist covering a motorcycle race ('An ominous assignment. With overtones of extreme danger') with his famous Samoan lawyer, Gonzo pulling the strings ('do you know who I am?').

It's worth a re-read if all that came through was the tripping and the halucinations. It is important to think of the characters as dedicated and well-educated activists who saw a political assasination, a terrible war, and Nixon (recall, the man who lost the election to their assasinated hero). Circuses, gambling, dusty tracks, and moronic Americans are part of a search for the American Dream - that's what's left when the decade of superficial cynicism and drugs overtook the decade of idealism and drugs.

The drugs remain and, more often than not, expose the frighful characters who purport to distribute the dream of quick wealth, individualism, and fame. They were already as west as it comes; going east is always a bad idea.

Wow .... what an interesting read. From the beginning paragraph to the end it is one of the most convoluted books I have ever read. This book really is "A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream." Thompson and his "attourney" do so many drugs in this book, you would think that they were madmen. However, on this strange trip it's is Thompson's madness that carries him through his dangerous adventures, it's almost like a catch 22. I would recommend this book to anyone that is mature enough for the contents. Thompson may be no "Hemingway," but he has a knack of giving us a different perspective, as valid as it is skewed. Perhaps this is key, to understand and survive in a mixed up world one must be mixed up. Thompson's brilliant imagination (or perhaps reality) will propel you right through the book which is easy 1 or 2 day read. Have fun with it.

Hunter S Thompson's journey to find the American dream and consume as many ilicit substances as possible on the way is a fantastic, exciting and classic read through the drug hazed mind of Thompson.

He is heading to Las Vegas to cover the "Mint 400", a motorbike race where there is more desert dust than media story. Armed with a boot-full of drugs and his aggressive, slightly crazed Samoan lawyer Dr Gonzo, they rocket across the highway in their "great red shark" convertible in search of the fabled American Dream.

Thompson's graphically acurate descriptions of their drug binge across the buzzing lights and sounds of Vegas are truly remarkable and funny. He pokes fun at what is deemed the dream as they fraud their way through two 5* hotels and encounter many other fun and perilous adventures on the way. My favourite parts (the whole book is full of them) are when they pick up the hitchhiker, the bath scene with "White Rabbit" (a Jefferson Airplane song), the police anti-drug rally and the scene before entering and inside the Circus Circus casino.

A truly wacked out and crazy adventure story through the eyes of an original hippie tripper, whose analysis and derision of things around him is delivered in a fun and insightful manner. A thoroughly enjoyable read; laugh along at this audacious adventure. If you have seen the movie, you will enjoy the book; if you have read the book you will enjoy the movie. A mirror of each other...a total classic!

Never have I read a book anywhere near as intriguing as Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas.

Hunter S. Thompson takes us through his drug-crazed reporting trip to Las Vegas where he was sent to take account of the year's Mint 400, a world famous off-road race, with his slightly more demented attorney Dr. Gonzo. Whether or not you are an avid drug user in no way affects your ability to enjoy this novel.

Thompson wastes no time getting into his story, especially from the novel's famous first line, "We were somewhere over the desert near Barstow when the drugs began to take hold." He manages to keep the reader's attention with his very human and detailed writing style, and doesn't let go. Though the story itself is very demented and deranged, his unique style alone makes the book a good read. He is never confusing and gets his point across smoothly, no matter how far off the subject he may be. Not that he writes about matters as time-tested as Shakespear or Hemingway, but in some obscure way I compare Thompson to these greats just because his intriguing ability to channel his thoughts directly to the reader.

I definitely recommend this book to anyone. Either you will love it or you will hate it.

I wonder why "The Curse of Lono" has gone out-of-print. This book is laugh-out-loud funny and is good journalism. No, it is great journalism. So says the experts too: the author's work has been elevated to the classics with one of his books being printed in an Everyman's Library hard-cover edition. So Hunter S. Thompson joins Oscar Wilde and other great writers.

"The Curse of Lono" made me laugh so hard that tears filled my eyes. Hunter S. Thompson was paid to cover a marathon race by Rolling Stone or some other magazine. While the race is the usual bore, the antics of the journalist are not. Having drunk gallons of beer and liquor and consumed various illegal drugs, Thompson and his traveling companion sit at the edge of the race and jeer on the racers. "He fatso. What's wrong? That hill is too steep for you?"

Flying on a jumbo jet to the race in Hawaii Thompson gets his arm stuck in a chemical toilet. He put his hand down there because his marijuana, cocaïne, or whatever falls into the toilet bowl. When he comes out of the head his arm and his shirt and stained bright blue. The airliner's crew know at once what has happened.

The funniest part of the book to me is what happens when Thompson goes fishing. The captain of the boat drinks a quart of vodka and then takes some mescaline or some other hallucinogenic drug. A the boat bobs precariously close to the cliffs along the island the captain lets go of the anchor line and it falls overboard. The captain then dons scuba gear in his tripping, hallucinating state and dives overboard to retrieve it. As Hunter S. Thompson puts it, "No self-respecting captain would return to port without his anchor" for fear of being laughed at.

All of this talk of drugs and drink might be pathetic or sad if it was not handled properly. But Thompson is the founder-and maybe only participant in-the style of writing and journalism that he calls "gonzo journalism". His style is truly unique. I became convinced of his genius after reading "Fear and Lothing in Las Vegas", another drunken, stoned adventure tale and a memoir that he wrote in "The New Yorker" magazine. His New Yorker article deviating from his usual tone-perhaps owing to it's presence in that hallowed forum--was a well-written and very interesting look at his days living in Puerto Rico as a journalist. I think his books on presidential politics are less interesting than these two books. I haven't yet read "Hells Angels" but plan to do so.

Considering that I have spent a great part of my life in Kona, it is intresting to read a book about it. I know everywhere he is and what it looks like. This is a hilarious book and is for anyone of intrest to Thompson. I think I would like to purchase a war club as well...

Hunter is the creator and king of gonzo journalism. Here is a quote from Thompson about what Gonzo journalism is:"My idea was to buy a fat notebook and record the whole thing as it happened, then send in the notebook for publication-- without editing. That way, I felt the eye and mind of the journalist would be functioning as a camera. The writing would be selective and necessarily interpretive - but once the image was written, the words would be final; in the same way that a Cartier-Bresson photograph is always (he says) the full-frame negative. No alterations in the darkroom, no cutting or cropping, no spotting . . . no editing.

This is a good book, full of funny moments and hard to believe stories. There is no slow build up or filler in the middle. The book grabs you from the beginning with the author's stories and keeps you laughing until the end.

This might not be a good first book to start with. Hunter's style and actions may be hard for some to read without getting offended. Sometimes Hunter will wander into side tangents before getting back on track with what is currently going on; this may annoy some people. I recommend starting with "Hells Angels" or "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" before paying the extra bucks for this out of print book.

I found this book when looking for something above the many "basic" presentation skills books that are out there - and this book delivers.
Ralph covers the various voice qualities in detail, and the impact these qualities has on audience perception. He covers how to add more variety to your voice via rate, pitch and volume - each are covered in detail along with when to vary these for effect.
Ralph also covers how to support your voice, and then goes into the technical aspects of voice production and phonetics (via the International Phonetic Alphabet - or IPA).
The book finishes with tips on dress, movement, eye contact, external factors, health and practice. It also includes 27 exercises designed to improve your voice and overall presentation technique.
Overall this book provides much information that can help take your presentation style to the next level.