Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing

 

Into the Twilight, Endlessly Grousing by Patrick F. McManus 225 pp.

I've read a number of Patrick McManus books over the years and found them all entertaining. McManus is a long time writer for Outdoor Life Magazine and his stories have frequently been compared to Mark Twain in humor. This collection didn't seem quite as good as some of the others. However, it does have episodes that include some of the "usual suspects" like Retch Sweeney and Rancid Crabtree. There are frequent outdoor mishaps recalled from childhood and adulthood along with unsuccessful fishing trips. If you're looking for a light, amusing read, that doesn't require a lot of brain power, this is the book for you.

NOTE: The grousing in the title can and does mean complaining and/or hunting the elusive grouse. 

You're Not Lost if You Can Still See the Truck

You're Not Lost if You Can Still See the Truck by Bill Heavey 288 pp.

Bill Heavey is an editor and columnist for Field and Stream Magazine. He writes about hunting and fishing and the outdoors in general. This collection contains articles from that publication and others. Most of the book is comprised of tales of failures (some spectacularly so) that occurred during his hunting and fishing trips. Also included are reminiscences about his father and grandfather and the legacy they left to Heavey. A poignant, non-sporting story involving the death of his daughter to SIDS and the eventual adoption of another child is quite touching. This is a light read that is often humorous though not to the degree of similar books by Patrick F. McManus. 

The Only Good Indians

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones, 310 pages

Ten years after leaving his home on the Blackfeet reservation in northern Montana, Lewis has settled into his life as a postal worker in Great Falls. He has a wife, a dog, a motorcycle that he's constantly rebuilding, and a decent life. But it seems that his life on the reservation doesn't want to let him go, particularly an illegal elk hunt with his friends that still haunts Lewis. When odd things start happening, Lewis becomes convinced that the spirits he offended a decade earlier is coming back to mete out its revenge, and it's unlikely to stop at him.

This is a beautifully told story of harsh life on the reservation and in rural central Montana, interwoven with a truly disturbing horror story. Absolutely amazing.