#bookreview #herpbooks #reptilebooks #tiesbookreview #adventuresingreenpythoncountry #herpetology #greatread #nature4youbookshop #onefortheshelves #fortheherproom #greenpythonlovers
We love to read.
We own a lot of books.
We also own an online bookshop. Handy right?!
But we realise that not everyone has spare money right now, and when you do, there are so many books to choose from and you don't want to waste your money. So Scott and I thought we would do a monthly book review so our customers could find out a bit more information on a particular title and decide if it was for their shelves or not. Well, this was my idea, Scott said it was a great idea and I suggested we take turns and he heartedly agreed. This is my third in a row (this will be the third one) and now I’m wondering if he was doing to me what I normally do to him and just agree to things without listening!
For our third book review we thought we would share our views on the Adventures in Green Python Country by Karl–Heinz Switak.
In my opinion, this is one of the must haves for the bookshelf if you collect reptile books. Not only is it now out of print and harder to obtain copies – if you collect it adds value to your shelves, it is also a damn good read.
Adventures in Green Python Country was printed in 2006. The book is a softcover with 362 pages containing text in English and colour photographs. The pictures document not just Green pythons, but his whole herping trip to get to his target species. There are plenty of reptile pics of his encounters along the way. Each photo is of good quality and size with most of them taken by Karl. He's a good photographer especially considering he is slide based! The pictures are a very good accompaniment to the text. Well I think so, but I’m a visual person. For me the photos give the story a more real feel. Enough about the photos, let’s move on to the text.
Adventures in Green Python Country I found to be a compelling read. It is Karl’s detailed story on his quest for finding Green pythons. It covers the how, when, where and why and his style of writing makes it very easy for the reader to lose hours. His flair with the pen (yes I’m that old!) alongside the images makes it very easy to get engrossed in the story he is telling. If you were to play an app with sounds of the PNG bush and burn a candle that smells like a rainforest - the descriptions given, the adjectives used, the ease of reading – you could at times almost believe you were there with him as a silent observer.
There is something to keep everyone turning pages. Reptiles, roads less travelled, natives most of us will never meet but still like to learn about, humour, adventure, a fantastic memoir, a herping trip, animals both in captivity and in the wild, culture of another country (I feel a really good book is like a cheap ass way to travel – you can learn and see another country’s culture from your armchair. O.K the net is more visual, but for those of us who love to read and keep our brains active a well-done book is almost as good as a YouTube traveller guide. But for us herpers, it books like these that cover what we want to know!)
I like the honesty in the book – there’s times when he couldn’t catch a herp, “souvenirs” (if you’ve read it you’ll know!), times when he was grossed out, fear over situations they had to endure to get them where they wanted to go, questions we’ve all asked ourselves over various species, encounters we’ve both enjoyed immensely and also those we wished we hadn’t had the “pleasure. It’s a herp trip we can all relate to in one way or another – whether it be the elation of success or a memory we wish we didn’t have!
In all, I found this book quite easy to sink my teeth into, and I know quite a few people who have read it and also thoroughly enjoyed it. If we didn’t already own it, I would have no hesitation in adding it our shelves.
If you are looking at getting yourself a copy of this enjoyable memoir the link is: https://www.wildlifedemonstrations.com/product-page/adventures-in-green-python-country
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