Book Review: Snakes, Squirrels & Bears, Oh My! Finding Humor Amid Life's Frustrations

Snakes, Squirrels & Bears, Oh My! Finding Humor Amid Life's Frustrations,

Greg Peck,

April 2023, CK Books, Paperback, 178 pages.

Reviewed by Lisa Lickel.

We all have moments when we feel caught in a giant spiral spinning daily events out of our control. How we react is what character is all about, and Greg Peck is quite a character! From keeping a frozen snake in his mom’s refrigerator for show-and-tell, to the squirrel in the living room, to encounters with bears on various hiking and fishing trips, Peck’s humorous essays are peeks into the foibles of contemporary life.

Told in upbeat, pithy style, Peck shares stories that hit home. From confronting neighborhood kids mistreating his Little Free Library, to standing in line at the grocery store, to a colonoscopy, no topic is off limits. Sometimes curmudgeonly, sometimes poignant, the observations evoke an “oh, yeah, I remember when” feeling from readers.

You never know who your real friends are until they think you’re dead, as Peck shares when an eerily close call obituary comes across the wire. There are many stories listing series of unfortunate events, stories with lessons for the unwary, and stories about the pitfalls of aging. Between the lines is Peck’s obvious talent for picking out and describing shining moments.

Peck pokes fun at long-time friends and gets as good as he gives, when his grandson’s car seat buckle nearly defeats him, and his kids try to help him swap sim cards in phones. A dream of owning a fishing boat has unintended consequences. Through all the remodeling, vacations, pet tales, grocery shopping hell, and wisdom of babes, Peck’s 46 tales will resonate with each reader. Recommended for readers of short story personal humor.

Greg Peck was a career journalist before retiring. He’s a former Jade Ring winner from Wisconsin Writers Association. Snakes, Squirrels & Bears, Oh My! is his third book.