OUTLOOKS : SUMMER READING MADE FOR RELAXATION.Byline: Ray Sasser Dallas Morning News Aside from the heat, summer has a different feel from other seasons. The days are longer. School is out. Most people take vacations. It's too hot for anything but swimming, fishing or relaxing. Summer is a perfect time for catching up on reading, a pastime which meshes well with relaxing. Here are a few selections for your summer reading list: ``Purple Heaven and Other Stories'' (John Culler cull tr.v. culled, cull·ing, culls 1. To pick out from others; select. 2. To gather; collect. 3. To remove rejected members or parts from (a herd, for example). n. & Sons; $21.95) by John Madison Culler, a former editor of Outdoor Life magazine and founder of Sporting Classics magazine. This is a light-hearted collection of outdoors short stories from the southeastern United States United States, officially United States of America, republic (2005 est. pop. 295,734,000), 3,539,227 sq mi (9,166,598 sq km), North America. The United States is the world's third largest country in population and the fourth largest country in area. . The title piece has Culler dying and finding himself in purple heaven. Purple heaven is complete with a lake where every cast yields a world-record bass, every shot nails a mallard mallard: see duck. mallard Abundant “wild duck” (Anas platyrhynchos, family Anatidae) of the Northern Hemisphere, ancestor of most domestic ducks. The mallard is a typical dabbling duck in its general habits and courtship display. drake and every meal features pork chops, collard greens Noun 1. collard greens - kale that has smooth leaves collards cole, kail, kale - coarse curly-leafed cabbage and cornbread. You can probably figure out the rest. A perfect world gets pretty boring. Culler finds himself wishing for slow days in the duck blind duck blind n. A shelter, often camouflaged with reeds and grasses, for concealing duck hunters. , backlashes in his reel and a retriever retriever: see sporting dog. retriever Any of several dog breeds, bred to retrieve game, that have a thick, water-resistant coat, keen sense of smell, and “soft” mouth that does not damage game. Retrievers are 22–24 in. that shakes water on him. Luckily, it's all just a dream. The other stories are equally whimsical but entertaining, perfect for summer reading. ``Coyote'' (Texas Tech University Press; $37.50) by Wyman Meinzer. This is the one photo book on the summer reading list. You can enjoy it and never read a word. Like the songdogs of the southwest, Meinzer is a Texas original. He taught himself photography and has become one of the nation's leading wildlife photographers. Moreover, most of his photos are truly wild animals WILD ANIMALS. Animals in a state of nature; animals ferae naturae. Vide Animals; Ferae naturae. rather than the tame or captive subjects used by most photographers. ``Coyote'' includes some of the most dramatic coyote coyote (kī`ōt, kīō`tē) or prairie wolf, small, swift wolf, Canis latrans, native to W North America. It is found in deserts, prairies, open woodlands, and brush country; it is also called brush wolf. photos ever made. The text likely will teach you things you didn't know about these adaptable animals. While you're at it, check out Meinzer's companion book ``The Roadrunner roadrunner or chaparral cock Either of two species of terrestrial cuckoo, especially Geococcyx californianus (family Cuculidae), of Mexican and southwestern U.S. deserts. About 22 in. .'' ``Glory Days of Baja'' (John Culler & Sons; $21.95) by Larry Stanton Larry Stanton, June 21, 1947 – October 18, 1984) A Manhattan based portratist whose work was admired by David Hockney, Henry Geldzahler, Ellsworth Kelly, and others. He was a handsome and charismatic gay man who lived in Greenwich Village in a small, apartment which had been , a California dermatologist who has spent 25 rough and rowdy years hunting, fishing and exploring the backcountry back·coun·try n. A sparsely inhabited rural region. of Mexico's Baja. Stanton graduated from the University of Texas and attended medical school in Houston. One of his yarns is about a wild weekend in South Texas with a college chum. They did the typical cross-the-border routine, Stanton wrecked a Jeep on his friend's ranch and the friend accidentally shot his father's prize bull. Other stories are just as wild and woolly. Anyone who has traveled extensively in Mexico will appreciate the tales of Stanton's misadventures in border crossings and his good fortune in meeting a general who gave him a signed card that virtually was a get-out-of-jail-free pass. ``A Breed Apart: A Tribute to the Hunting Dogs That Own Our Souls'' (Safari Press & Countrysport; $18). There's something about a faithful dog that brings out the best in sporting writers. This book is an anthology of 26 stories from various writers. Stories range from practical advice about dog training to poetic remembrances of lovable gundogs. Michael McIntosh's contribution, entitled ``Tales From The Dark Side,'' is a funny account of the various embarrassing things that dogs eat, throw up, etc. Also, the embarrassing way they sometimes act. One of McIntosh's friends was standing on a farmer's porch, hat in hand, requesting permission to hunt on the farmer's land. The hunter's pointer came with a live chicken in its mouth. The exasperated hunter took the chicken from his dog and whacked the dog over the head with it. That impromptu move, of course, killed the chicken and also the hunter's chances of finding a spot to hunt. Summer books should be heavy on entertainment value; these selections fit the bill. |
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