HOOK, LINE, AND SINKER

A legendary journalist on fishing, golf, and beyond.

Pulitzer winner John Mcphee has spent his career covering subjects that don’t inherently seem like fodder for good, much less gripping, journalism: geology, oranges, shad. But he’s adept at making the esoteric seem essential, and personal. His latest book, The Patch, largely about angling and sports, is no exception. The titular story morphs from fishing tale to a physiological study of pickerel to a moving account of his father’s death. Elsewhere, he writes about Ping-pong champs but also about the first time he drank whiskey and his boyhood days at summer camp. Ultimately, he proves there’s transcendence in the trivial and, like a good drinking pal, comes off as generous, smart, and curious about life’s splendor, however small. —J.R. Sullivan