Kerplunk!: Stories

This was actually kind of a disappointment. I would unreservedly recommend Kerplunk to anyone who hadn't previous read McManus, but it's not as good as his other short story collections. He's recycled a lot of stories (just told them in a slightly different way) and many of the new stories don't seem to be as funny as previous ones. That said, I did get many laughs out of this book (especially the Lewis and Clark story).

McManus' early humor essays were priceless reminders that the outdoors -- and the people who inhabit them -- are random, interesting, potentially hilarious.

His latest -- Kerplunk -- isn't his best work, but McManus fans will no doubt find plenty in here to smile about.

Those who have never read his zany outdoor humor essays would be better served by reading his earlier books, though Kerplunk is a solid addition to his bibliography.

This review is strictly for the audiobook. The reader reads as though he learned to read yesterday. He. Reads. Each. Word. Halt. Ing. Ly. Rather than reading in smooth sentences. Very annoying. I hate to write something like that, but it really makes for an unpleasant listening experience. Truly too bad, b/c McManus is hilarious and usually his audiobooks are laugh-out-loud funny. Norman Dietz did a phenomenal job reading other titles and they are great for road trips (http://aplstaffpicks.blogspot.com/2011/09/patrick-f-mcmanus-outdoor-humor-books.html).

For sheer fun, there's nothing like a McManus story. We read these aloud at family gatherings, and we all end up laughing to tears!

Humorous stories from magazine articles. The best ones are at the beginning. Later on, they get more tedious, perhaps because the subject remains always hunting and fishing and nothing else.

Short stories covering youth to adult! The art of trailering is a classic.