SOME INTERESTING READING
Mary VanFleet
Fishing season is always at hand but even so, many of you may keep a book at hand for evenings or windy days. If you have run out of things to read during this lengthy lockdown we have all experienced, here are some things you might find interesting:
Streams of Consciousness: Hip Deep Dispatches from the River of Life by Jeff Hull
Stories of fishing from all over, for everything from artic grayling to permit, bonehish and sharks. Filled with life lessons and told with a great sense of humor. Laugh out loud funny situations which any angler can relate to. Like the chapter on knots, “somme you tie, others that tie themselves”.
Pale Morning Done also by Jeff Hull
Novel about fishing guides and one man’s obsession with creating a spring creek ranch on his property, but so much more. Great read. If you like this author, try Broken Field, about high school athletics in a small Montana town.
The Last Buffalo Hunter by Jake Mosher
A teenager’s summer with Grandpa set in the Big Hole. Irreverent and hysterical. Not at all what I expected from the title. A great read. Hated to close the cover on this one.
The Royal Wolff Murders and other books by Keith McCafferty
Familiar territory, many set in Madison Valley. The tales of Sean Stranahan, fishing guide and part time detective. All in the series are good reads, as are the CJ Box series on game warden Joe Pickett.
Eager Beaver by Ben Goldfarb
The secret lives of beavers and why they matter. Beavers play an important role in healthy streams and riparian systems. Interesting read.
Encounters in Yellowstone-the Nez Perce Summer of 1877 by M. Mark Miller
The story of the Radersburg party of tourists in Yellowstone- some interesting mentions of their stop-over at Henrys Lake before entering the Park.
Indian Creek Chronicles by Peter Fromm
An old book. Story of a young man’s winter alone in the wilderness of Idaho tending trout. Amazing he lived to tell the story. A must read.
The Feather Thief by Kirk Johnson
Amazing true story of a grand theft from a museum in England of some of the worlds most precious salmon fly feathers and birds. Facinating story.
Geology Underfoot in Yellowstone Country by Marc Hendricks
A roadside guide to Yellowstone’s geology that belongs in your car. It will give you a new
appreciation for what you are seeing from the car window, or short hikes.
Pioneer Cattleman in Montana- Story of Circle C Ranch by Walt Coburn and Reminiscences of a Ranchman by Edgar Beecher Bronson
For you western history buffs, a great look at what an actual cattleman’s life was like in these two books. No glamorization here. Real life stories.
Nothing Like it in The World by Steven Ambrose
More history. The amazing true story of the building of the transcontinental railroad, a contest between the Central Pacific from Sacramento and the Union Pacific from Council Bluffs. The independent TV series, Hell on Wheels is loosely based on this history, and worth finding to watch. Multiseason drama series. Canadian production with excellent acting and character devlopment.
How It Looks Going Back by Doris Knowles Pulis
Fond remembrances of her family’s time in the Yaak wilderness. Mom and Dad packed up the kids and took off to make a life in the wilderness, and the book is told from the child’s adult memories of that time.
