Paddle Your Own Canoe
and over one million other books are available for Amazon Kindle. Learn more
Flip to back
Flip to front
Paddle Your Own Canoe: One Man's Fundamentals for Delicious Living Paperback – September 2, 2014
See all 6 formats and editions
Hide other formats and editions
| Amazon Price | New from | Used from |
|
Audio CD
"Please retry"
|
—
|
— | — |
 |
$11.66
FREE Shipping on orders over $35.
In Stock.
Ships from and sold by Amazon.com.
Gift-wrap available.
Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought
-
Parks and Rec Ron Swanson Stars & Stripes T-Shirt
$17.95 - $23.95
NO_CONTENT_IN_FEATURE
Start reading Paddle Your Own Canoe on your Kindle in under a minute.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Step right into Neil Patrick Harris's shoes in an exciting, interactive autobiography that places the reader squarely in the driver's seat. Learn more
Product Details
Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?.
|
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
In his first book, Offerman—best known for his popular character Ron Swanson on NBC&'s Parks and Recreation—opens up about his life and the values that he says have brought him prosperity and success. Each chapter of the memoir is accompanied with an essay outlining a relevant principle Offerman claims may lead the reader to a better life. The veracity of some of his statements may be called into question—vegans will bristle at his position on meat (eating red meat gives one character) and Millennials will not appreciate his dismissive attitude towards GPS devices and smartphones—but Offerman openly admits on the first page that what works for him may not be everyone&'s glass of scotch. Whether or not the reader considers his advice worth following, it is thought-provoking, profane, and frequently hilarious, although the book sometimes detours into recommendations of well-known movies and plays; Parks and Rec fans may be disappointed at the small amount of material about the show, but getting to know Offerman through his stumbling courtship with Megan Mullally and Kabuki theater training is well worth the price of admission. (Oct.)
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
From Booklist
Ron Swanson is a mustachioed, breakfast-food-loving, woodworking red-meat connoisseur. Nick Offerman is a mustachioed, breakfast-food-loving, woodworking red-meat connoisseur but, more important, also a real person—a grateful, gracious, bemused actor in love with his wife, Megan Mullaly (best known as Karen in Will & Grace), and the earnest simplicity of his not-so-Hollywood Hollywood existence. From his humble beginnings in Minooka, Illinois, to his meteoric rise portraying Ron Swanson on the much-loved TV show, Parks and Recreation, Offerman has lived a lot of life. He looks back as fondly on his upbringing in a small farming community with his hardworking parents and three siblings as on the time he spent at the University of Illinois and, later, in Chicago, where he received theater training. Not only does he recall his life, but he also offers chuckle-worthy anecdotes, diagrams, even a haiku (about—what else?—bratwurst) to help his readers find their own ways toward delicious living. Ron Swanson would be proud. --Courtney Jones
--This text refers to the
Hardcover
edition.
More About the Author
Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.
Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
229 of 286 people found the following review helpful
By
AC1647
on October 11, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition
Verified Purchase
10 Comments
Sending feedback...
As soon as I saw this book was available I purchased it for my Kindle and read it that same evening. As a long time fan of Parks and Rec as well as Offerman's other work, I was really excited. I know that Ron Swanson is a fictional character, but one of the things that sets the charachter apart is how little Offerman has to "act" to be believed. As a trip to the Offerman Woodshop website will show you, he truly is passionate about some of the same things that Ron Swanson espouses. He also has a killer 'stache. That's sadly where the similarities end.
(SPOILER ALERT: I reflect on things I didn't like in the text, with minor specifics. Proceed with caution if you want to be suprised by the tale of his life)
I didn't expect a book "by Ron Swanson" but the only amusing parts of this work are written in the spirit of the character. I laughed out loud several times only to realize it was Mr. Offerman "taking his character's voice" briefly. He then promplty rebukes the sentiment that was amusing in the first place. Offerman takes great pains to point out that he is not the source for Ron Swanson, and is even somewhat self referential about why anyone would find his real story compelling. He's right there, as I struggled through several chapters that only served the purpose of recounting his experiences with high school girls. These stories are neither unique nor meaningful, in fact they're mostly boring. Awkward teenage romance has been mined pretty well, Offerman strikes nothing new here.
Perhaps the greatest dissapointment was the sheer amount of time spent on opinions. I'm inclined to accept Mr. Offerman's opinion on things he likely knows a great deal about, like growing a mustache or using a hand plane.Read more ›
(SPOILER ALERT: I reflect on things I didn't like in the text, with minor specifics. Proceed with caution if you want to be suprised by the tale of his life)
I didn't expect a book "by Ron Swanson" but the only amusing parts of this work are written in the spirit of the character. I laughed out loud several times only to realize it was Mr. Offerman "taking his character's voice" briefly. He then promplty rebukes the sentiment that was amusing in the first place. Offerman takes great pains to point out that he is not the source for Ron Swanson, and is even somewhat self referential about why anyone would find his real story compelling. He's right there, as I struggled through several chapters that only served the purpose of recounting his experiences with high school girls. These stories are neither unique nor meaningful, in fact they're mostly boring. Awkward teenage romance has been mined pretty well, Offerman strikes nothing new here.
Perhaps the greatest dissapointment was the sheer amount of time spent on opinions. I'm inclined to accept Mr. Offerman's opinion on things he likely knows a great deal about, like growing a mustache or using a hand plane.Read more ›
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
13 of 18 people found the following review helpful
By
Danielscotth
on December 19, 2013
Format: Hardcover
Verified Purchase
4 Comments
Sending feedback...
Bought this book because I love Nick's character Ron Swanson in Parks and Recreation. Figured I'd get some good laughs in and some interesting information on his life.
Wrong.
Nick definitely has an anti-Christian agenda and it clearly shows throughout the book. His arguments against Christianity's validity are very generalized, poorly made, and come off as insulting more often than not. Seems a little hypocritical seeing as how one of his main arguments against Christianity is that it places unneeded judgement on many people - yet his anti-Christian agenda does just that - in other words, Nick, in promoting a "love everyone and respect their beliefs" type of thinking, goes entirely against this by bashing those who find their beliefs grounded in Christianity. This absolutely makes no sense to me.
However, if you couldn't care less about Christianity, by all means, don't let this review dissuade you. There were several chapters where Nick's charming humor did arise out of the otherwise bland text, and several chapters towards the end that were especially interesting concerning his rise to fame with Parks and Rec - I would actually recommend reading those sections. Additionally, if you are interested in reading about Nick Offerman's multiple sexual encounters and personal opinions on spiritual beliefs, look no further, just about every chapter contains bits and pieces involving these two subjects.
Overall, I just can't seem to find any reason to recommend spending the money or time on this book to anyone, save for the random die-hard Nick Offerman and Parks and Rec fan. As I'm sure most people regardless of personal beliefs could emphatically understand, I simply cannot enjoy reading or recommending a book that so directly and ignorantly insults my core beliefs and values. As previously mentioned however, if you don't mind these warnings, then you might actually enjoy this book and, if this is the case, I truly hope you do.
Wrong.
Nick definitely has an anti-Christian agenda and it clearly shows throughout the book. His arguments against Christianity's validity are very generalized, poorly made, and come off as insulting more often than not. Seems a little hypocritical seeing as how one of his main arguments against Christianity is that it places unneeded judgement on many people - yet his anti-Christian agenda does just that - in other words, Nick, in promoting a "love everyone and respect their beliefs" type of thinking, goes entirely against this by bashing those who find their beliefs grounded in Christianity. This absolutely makes no sense to me.
However, if you couldn't care less about Christianity, by all means, don't let this review dissuade you. There were several chapters where Nick's charming humor did arise out of the otherwise bland text, and several chapters towards the end that were especially interesting concerning his rise to fame with Parks and Rec - I would actually recommend reading those sections. Additionally, if you are interested in reading about Nick Offerman's multiple sexual encounters and personal opinions on spiritual beliefs, look no further, just about every chapter contains bits and pieces involving these two subjects.
Overall, I just can't seem to find any reason to recommend spending the money or time on this book to anyone, save for the random die-hard Nick Offerman and Parks and Rec fan. As I'm sure most people regardless of personal beliefs could emphatically understand, I simply cannot enjoy reading or recommending a book that so directly and ignorantly insults my core beliefs and values. As previously mentioned however, if you don't mind these warnings, then you might actually enjoy this book and, if this is the case, I truly hope you do.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
35 of 50 people found the following review helpful
By
Neil M Berg
on November 22, 2013
Format: Kindle Edition
Verified Purchase
Comment
Sending feedback...
A hard book to pick up once you've put it down. It started out okay, even mildly humorous, then deteriorated into boring sexual conquests. NOBODY cares about someone else's sexual history. I quit about halfway through.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
14 of 20 people found the following review helpful
By
BiloxiKnifeGuy
on March 2, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Verified Purchase
Comment
Sending feedback...
I love Nick Offerman, the actor. Nick Offerman, the writer, not so much. Don't hate me! Please just hear me out, and keep an open mind.
Firstly, he has no voice. His style is more like rambling.
He seems to just want everyone to know how awesome his family is and how much he loves his life. Of course you think your family is the greatest family in the world, but they aren't interesting enough to write a book about. I felt like I was reading someone's diary: a book that only achieves pathos when read by someone who knows the writer of the diary, or read by the author hisself.
There are a couple funny nuggles of wisdom and drawings and hilarious lists. I would have greatly enjoyed an entire book written in THIS format, instead of a mediocre autobiography.
In conclusion, he never could have gotten this boring mess published if he wasn't Nick Offerman... I love you, Nick Offerman.
Firstly, he has no voice. His style is more like rambling.
He seems to just want everyone to know how awesome his family is and how much he loves his life. Of course you think your family is the greatest family in the world, but they aren't interesting enough to write a book about. I felt like I was reading someone's diary: a book that only achieves pathos when read by someone who knows the writer of the diary, or read by the author hisself.
There are a couple funny nuggles of wisdom and drawings and hilarious lists. I would have greatly enjoyed an entire book written in THIS format, instead of a mediocre autobiography.
In conclusion, he never could have gotten this boring mess published if he wasn't Nick Offerman... I love you, Nick Offerman.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
3 of 4 people found the following review helpful
By
Van Heezy
on May 23, 2014
Format: Hardcover
Comment
Sending feedback...
The way this book is peddled (at least the way it appeared to me), it seemed like it would be something along the lines of a Nick Offerman/Ron Swanson version of Colbert's "I Am America: And So Can You" so I jumped on the opportunity to try it on audiobook. It started off alright, but once it dawned on me that this was mostly a very self-aware autobiography of a person that was filled with stories about as interesting as my friends' at a night at the bar (only less so because I actually know and care about the people in my friends' stories), rather than a book full of over-the-top advice and commentary, it became very difficult to finish. There are certainly a few moments and laughs in it, but it is mostly condescending, superfluous, and ordinary. For someone that plays such a private, self-sufficient, and layered character so well on TV, I was frankly amazed at how "look at me!" this book was.
I have to commend Nick for bringing to life one of the most interesting and memorable characters on TV. I love, and will continue enjoy watching him on Parks and Rec. Unfortunately, I'm growing suspicious that that will be the extent of my enjoyment of him.
I have to commend Nick for bringing to life one of the most interesting and memorable characters on TV. I love, and will continue enjoy watching him on Parks and Rec. Unfortunately, I'm growing suspicious that that will be the extent of my enjoyment of him.
Thank you for your feedback.
If this review is inappropriate, please let us know.
Sorry, we failed to record your vote. Please try again
Most Recent Customer Reviews
What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?
