Thursday, August 7, 2008

The Earth is Enough

I just finished reading "The Earth is Enough" by Harry Middleton. This non-fiction story is basically about a military kid that gets sent to live with his aging grandfather and uncle in Alabama. The subtitle of this book (Growing up in a World of Flyfishing, Trout and Old Men) really caught my eye; however, I didn't think the book lived up to it's title... Yes, time passed, so the author did 'grow up' and he did experience death and the aging process while living with his grandfather, but in general, the book kind of left me wanting to know more about what he learned from his grandfather & uncle.

I did like the last couple of chapters of the book, but the majority of the book sort of read like a really details diary. I think if I had more of an interest in the sport of Flyfishing, I would have enjoyed it more.

On a positive note, it was interesting to read about the uncle & grandfather; they lived a very simple life - no tv, no telephone - and truly respected earth and nature.

There were alot of typos in the book, though, so the editing must not have been as rigorous of a process as I imagine it is at other publishing houses. Do editing errors bother anyone else? Part of me enjoys finding them; I kind of do an internal 'a ha! Gotcha!' But then it also slightly annoys me that the errors weren't caught in the editing process. According to my friend Brooke, if you find an editing error, you can write the publishing house (maybe that's why they include the address?), point out the errors, and they will refund you. I didn't actually buy this book (was lent to me by my brother Kevin) but might see if this process actually works! I'll let you know!

Also, it's worth mentioning that I seem to be in the minority with not liking this book, judging from the reviews I've read.... so maybe I was just having an off week? Or maybe I'm not 'outdoorsy' enough to enjoy it... who knows....

Nezt up I am reading a book that I randomly stubbled across while looking for a different book at B&N. It's called, "The Mathetmatics of Love". I figured, as a math major & lover of all things mathematical, I HAD to get this. My last 2 books have been sort of 'plot-less' so I am hoping this one has a decent plot!

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