Swimming with Piranhas at Feeding Time: My Life Doing Dumb Stuff with Animals Paperback – June 28, 2010

I admit, I downloaded this book as a compulsive response to the sub-$3.00 price inducement offered at the time. While not a huge risk -- I had encountered Mr. Conniff's prose once or twice earlier in the pages of Outside Magazine and NatGeo -- I still wondered about the relatively fire-sale pricing. Bad eBook formatting? Poor editing? Turns out, the book is fine; I merely lucked into great pricing for a solid book.Nature enthusiasts will surely enjoy the breadth and variety, if not the depth, of Mr. Conniff's exploits and descriptions thereof. Which is not to suggest that the vignettes do not contain thought-provoking moments, because they do. This is because Mr. Conniff sticks largely to describing, very clearly and succinctly, what he saw and experienced during a very brief frozen moment in the life-cycle of a given creature and those who study it. In doing so, Mr. Conniff invites the reader to ponder those big-ticket philosophical and conservation issues -- the relevance of anthropomorphism in primate study, or the role of hunters in attaching economic value to a stressed species, for instance. Want more depth? Mr. Conniff provides plenty of names and organizations in each chapter, as well as a perfectly succinct list of citations by chapter at the end of the book.Kindle users will be happy to know that the table of contents is linked and that it is as easy as ever to highlight a name or book title provided by Mr. Conniff and, with a few button presses, instantly learn more via the Web.

I personally know Richard Conniff the author. So I want to put that up from first. His book is pretty good and I would suggest everyone to get a chance to read it.

I was't quite sure what this book would be like, and I put off reading it for a while (waiting until 'I felt like it'), but once I started, I couldn't stop! Even though it's a real page-turner, it's written in such a way that it's perfect as a 'palate cleanser' between other books. Each chapter is less than 10 pages long, is entirely self-contained and relates to a single subject. The author's style is very easygoing, amusing, and somewhat self-deprecatory. These are not stories about *animals*, but *stories* about animals and the people who study them. Every chapter is full of fascinating trivia and ancedotes. The scientists are all real 'characters', and their love/admiration for the animal they study shines through clearly. I bookmarked several chapters to share with different friends, depending on their interests.A definite 'must read' for just about anyone, of any age. No blood, no gore, no sad endings - just the tales of some quirky people who have dedicated their lives to studying other creatures, great and small, likeable and not, endangered or plentiful, wild or captive. As another reviewer said - buy this book!

I love how Richard Conniff teaches and weaves stories about the natural world.My grandfather introduced me to Richard Conniff through his book SPINELESS WONDERS. I had loaned that book out to a friend but was looking for something else to read by the same author and found this book.

Coniff is a good writer, very eloquent and it shows in the language - effective in conveying the mood, and humorous. However there were more misses than hits for me in this collection of essays about various animal groups from microbes to mammals. Also, I often found the insights into his day to day work experience, his notes from the field if you will, more interesting than the main articles themselves.

This book is a good read for those times when you just want to read a book, not learn quantum mechanics. It is well written, interesting, even funny, and holds your attention.

Had the pleasure of meeting the author who spoke to our class. He was funny, witty and the book was fantastic. Conniff's writing gives you a first hand look on animals you probably never thought about before. From spiders to pirahannas there are many stereotypes he proved wrong. This is a must read for everyone!

I bought this for a young man who is interested in animals. His Father use to work in a Wildlife Park in Africa. I am sure he will like it.