New Reads

DON’T SLEEP, THERE ARE SNAKES: LIFE AND LANGUAGE IN THE AMAZONIAN JUNGLE

By Daniel L. Everett,  Random House, 1745 Broadway, New York, NY 10019, www.randomhouse.com, softcover, 320 pp., $16.
Part memoir, part scientific exploration, the book is based upon the seven years Everett lived with the indigenous Amazonian Pirahã people. What Everett found about their language and its cultural and linguistic implications has become a hotly contested topic in the linguistics community.  Everett found that the Pirahã language has a number of unique features, particularly that it lacks many concepts considered to be common. The Pirahã have no counting system, no concept of war or personal property, no creation myth and no fixed term for color. Everett now believes that language is not universally constructed, but rather culturally conceived and inextricably linked to how and where we live our lives – a theory in direct opposition to Noam Chomsky’s theory of Universal Grammar and Stephen Pinker’s “language instinct.”

FLY FISHING IN THE GREAT SMOKY MOUNTAINS NATIONAL PARK: AN INSIDER’S GUIDE TO A PURSUIT OF PASSION

By Jim Casada, High Country Press, 1250 Yorkdale Dr., Rock Hill, S.C. 29730-7638, www.jimcasadaoutdoors.com, 448 pp., $24.95 (softcover) and $37.50 (hardcover) plus $5 for shipping and handling.
Famed fly fisherman, historian and author Jim Casada has edited or written more than 40 books, but he considers this one to be his masterpiece. He wrote it to help celebrate the Great Smoky Mountains National Park’s 75th Anniversary.  Casada grew up within walking distance of the Park and has used his decades of experience in the Park to provide a comprehensive portrayal of fly fishing in the Smokies. Along the way, he explores the region’s rich history and offers personal anecdotes.  Casada’s book serves as a practical manual as well. It includes information about every major Park stream, maps, weather graphs, recipes for trout, and fishing tips and tactics.

OSCAR AND OLIVE OSPREY:  A FAMILY TAKES FLIGHT

By Janis Suss, Synergy Books, P.O. Box 80107, Austin, TX 78758, www.synergybooks.net, hardcover, 112 pp., $15.95.
Suss, who is known as the “bird woman” in her Chesapeake Bay neighborhood, thinks that birds have plenty to teach us about natural structures of family and how life works in stages and cycles.  She offers what she’s learned in her book about Oscar and Olive, two ospreys that inhabit Suss’ world both literally and figuratively.  Oscar and Olive Osprey features photographs and stories from these real-life birds that teach kids and family about growing up, while also encouraging them to explore the outdoors.

RYBOVICH

By Pat Rybovich, Pat Rybovich Publishing, 2490 Chestnut St.  No. 203, San Francisco, CA 94213, www.rybovichbook.com/book.html, oversize hardcover, 350+ pp., see Web site for cost.
Rybovich details the rise of the Rybovich boatyard, starting in 1947 when the author’s father and uncle launched their first attempt at boatbuilding. Since that time, Rybovich has become the go-to name for luxury sportfishing boats. Pat Rybovich tells the story of the family industry in a massive limited-edition book containing hundreds of photographs, original blueprints, memorabilia and unpublished photos collected from the boatyard’s archives and the family of vintage Rybovich owners.  Old-timers who worked on the boats in the Rybovich heyday bring the story alive with their unique recollections. The book showcases the original 79 boats built by the pair of founding brothers and culminates with the latest creations of the author’s cousin, Michael Rybovich, who continues the legacy today.

POACHERS, CROOKS AND OTHER TURKEYS

Edited by Craig Nyhus, Lone Star Outdoor News, 9304 Forest Lane, Ste. 114 South, Dallas, TX 75243, www.LSONews.com, paperback, 272 pp, $15.95 + shipping and handling.
Readers of the Lone Star Outdoors News commented so regularly on how much they liked the Game Warden Blotter that the editor decided to compile excerpts from the section and publish them in Poachers, Crooks and Other Turkeys. What results is a truth-is-stranger-than-fiction collection about miscreants who get caught breaking wildlife laws. A portion of the proceeds from the sale of the book go to the families of three game wardens who have died in the line of duty since Lone Star Outdoor News began in 2004. ◊

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