Individual taste in books varies as much as the favorite rod or fly.  With that in mind, we hope to review books and videos from the ever-growing fly fishing world, and share them with you.  Books will be the best of all worlds, new and old.  Many of the old books are now available in reprint, and the wisdom contained is timely today.  Others can be found in second-hand book stores, or by mail order dealers. As we find videos we feel are outstanding they will be included. Be assured, reviews are based on what we have actually read, and due to that fact, may not appear weekly.
June 15th, 1998

The River Home
 By Jerry Dennis
Published by St. Martin's Press, New York


I rarely get the opportunity to read for pleasure. Most of the books crossing my desk are reasonably technical, and probably have something to do with how to catch what, when, and with what. Had it not been for an email from the author, Jerry Dennis, offering excerpts from his latest book for use on this website (which he regularly visits) I probably would have missed it. That would have been awful.

There are a couple of excerpts from The River Home in this weeks Light Side which just give an inkling of what the book contains.

The River Home

When I finished the book, I sent the author an email. I'm not in the habit of writing to authors, but I am including what I wrote. I think it says it all.

Dear Jerry,
After the first two chapters or so, I began to ration reading your latest book.  Kind of like getting a cookie at the end of a paragraph (at least difficult ones).  If I had just read it through there would have been problems - or consequences.  The weekly changes for FlyAnglers OnLine would not have been done, and my readers would have sent semi-violent email wanting to know where the "new" week is.

I finished it last night, after Castwell had turned in.  I looked out the window at the full moon, treated myself to half a cream-cheese brownie and contemplated my navel.  And your writing.

You are a fine writer.  There is too much a tendency in today's writing to go for the big thrill, or the perception that all fly fishers are shallow and never had an original thought.  Leftovers I supect from "the movie" crowd who have moved on to gourmet coffee and cigars.  (Ask the fly fishing manufacturers who expanded believing that fluke would continue.)

As writers we never really know what hot button we might hit in our readers.  We hope they will pick up something that connects and makes our writing feel very personal to them.

You have done more than that.  My sincere congratulations.  You made me think.  I will continue to contemplate my navel, and look forward to reading more.

Best Regards, Deanna

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