Got a few chuckles, but not near as good as the Grasshopper Trap ( )

I love Patrick McManus and his humor. The only problem with this collection is that it's more of the same mix of slapstick stories and self-effacing Benchley-style essays. If you haven't read McManus, this is a perfectly fine place to start. It doesn't matter if you have absolutely no interest in or knowledge about outdoor sports. ( )

This collection features several of my all time top favorite Patrick McManus stories, The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw, Sequences, The Dumbest Antelope, The Fried Flies, Please, and Easy on the Garlic, Out of Sync, Getting it in the Ear, Never Cry ‘Arp!’, Whitewater Fever, and more.

I was introduced to McManus’s work by my father, almost twenty years ago. Everyone in my family likes to read, and for a while my father put us to bed by reading to us from various books. I remember how we all groaned the first time he pulled out a Patrick McManus book. By the end of the first story we were hooked.

Don’t worry if you aren’t an outdoorsy type person. The humor in these books will appeal to anyone. In fact, several of the stories are written from the perspective of an old hand giving a newcomer to the outdoor life some sage advice – like Gunkholing, A Brief History of Boats and Marriage, How to Get Started in Bass Fishing, and At Loose Ends.

Quite a lot of the collection actually focuses on stories about young Patrick’s life on the farm, and his adventures with his dog Strange and his best friends Crazy Eddie and Retch Sweeney. This includes Kid Brothers and Their Practical Application, The Night the Bear Ate Goombaw, Scritch’s Creek, The Tin Horn, Cupidity, Draw Thy Bow, and Never Cry ‘Arp!’

The title story, featuring Crazy Eddie’s grandmother Goombaw, never fails to cheer me up. Even to this day, I laugh at loud at this story… actually, even re-reading this for the umpteenth time, I still laughed at loud several times.

In fact, one time I lent this book to a co-worker. She returned it, and admitted she hadn’t finished it — because it was too funny. Trying to read it during her bus commute had led to her getting kicked off the bus for laughing to loud. ( )

McManus doesn't seem to run out of funny stories. This is another collect of tales that will have tears running down your face. Just don't laugh so hard you pee your pants. that might be embarrassing ( )

Has McManus lost his mojo? ( )