There's a Porcupine in My Outhouse

by Michael J. Tougias

Winner of Nature Book of the Year from the Independent Publishers Association, this is a humorous, thought-provoking account of one man's struggle to acclimate to primitive life in Vermont. In the tradition of Bill Bryson, syndicated columnist and author Michael Tougias shares the hilarious tales of his transformation from a naïve flatlander into an accomplished outdoor writer coping with—and learning to love—a little piece of wilderness in New England.

Genres: Nonfiction, Nature, Humor, Animals, Memoir

172 pages, Paperback

First published April 1, 2002

About the author

Adventure is the theme that runs through most of my books, from outdoors titles (The Connecticut River from Source to Sea, Exploring the Hidden Charles) to fiction (Until I Have No Country) to nonfiction sea rescues (Overboard! A Storm Too Soon, Rescue of the Bounty).
One of my current adventures is waiting to see if Disney will begin filming a movie-length version of the Coast Guard rescue book The Finest Hours. Another adventure for me is publishing a funny family memoir with my daughter, called The Cringe Chronicles (Mortifying Misadventures with my Dad).
My friends have been asking if I'll write a sequel to There's a Porcupine in my Outhouse (2003 Outdoor Book of the Year) but I think they just want me to revise their characters so they don't look so dumb!

Reviews

[June Price · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have to admit, having had a porcupine visit my own spruce tree last year, the title is what drew me to "There's a Porcupine in My Outhouse" to begin with. I'm so glad it did. This book is a delight. Part whimsical, self=deprecating humor and part fascinatingly informative, it was just what I needed to read over this alternately snowy and rainy weekend here in Alaska. Author Michael J. Tougias has the soul of a teacher as well as the eye of a modern day Thoreau. He'll make you grin one moment, then ponder whether it's true spider's can walk on water, so to speak, or is that really the best fishing hint ever, then sneak in a teaching moment about the critters involved and the need to not conquer the land but protect it. I found a bit of Gary Paulsen in him, too, and was delighted to find a mention of Paulsen's book "Hatchet" as he flew over the land wondering about his pilot's health and if he could really fly a plane if necessary. Thank you, Michael J. Tougias for inviting me along to your cabin and sharing your friends, neighbors, and wildlife about you. If you have any interest in living wild, so to spea, nature and the outdoors, I think you'll love this book. Accept his invite into his rustic cabin and give this a read.

Thanks to #NetGalley and #RowmanAndLittlefield, #LyonsPress for the ARC.

[Jean · Rating 5 out of 5]

A twenty-something young man who works in a Boston office buys a cabin and six acres in the Vermont mountains, figuring to become "master" of all he surveys. His weekend and vacation forays to his hideaway eventually show him that Nature is the teacher and that he has much to learn. In good spirits, he willingly learns, researches, and becomes a partner in his landscape and environment. And in less than twenty years, he is no longer the young office worker but rather a popular New England nature writer. And a humorist, at that! He shows us Nature as an excellent storyteller.

From the start, "Toug's" story is compelling and humorous-- when he can't locate his own property at first visiting it on his own and then finding a porcupine under the outhouse when he's using it. The good stories are not only humorous, but sometimes chilling-- such as when he gets trapped at the top of a hemlock with no way down because he broke the ladder branches on the way up. There are close encounters with a bear, a raccoon, even a moose, spiders that walk on water. And his fishing buddies he brings along from Boston often find ways to get Toug in laughable trouble.

The book is un-put-downable.

[Christine · Rating 4 out of 5]

This entertaining book recounts Mr. Tougias' early adventures as a naturalist when he had the admirable nerve to purchase a cabin in the north woods at age 23, to live in it on weekends, and to roam the countryside, not always knowing quite what he was doing. I have been put in the position many a time of having to bumble my way through things I know little about while trying to seem as though I do, so I am a great believer in learning from one's mistakes. There are many (mis)adventures in the book to ponder. The book is nicely written, full of lessons to be learned and enjoyed about the great outdoors. I read Mr. Tougias' book Ten Hours Until Dawn years ago, about a horrendous tragedy which took place during the Blizzard of '78 in Salem Sound. He is a fine writer and, now, a seasoned naturalist, well worth reading.

[Randal White · Rating 5 out of 5]

Laugh out loud funny! My wife was giving me the side-eye, wondering if I had finally lost the rest of my marbles, because I was snorting and guffawing throughout the reading of this book. As an added bonus, I learned a lot from it. I cannot wait for his next book!

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tougias chronicles his early years of cabin ownership, and both his
growth in knowledge of the outdoors and his realization that he can earn money selling articles describing his adventures. This book does not have the depth of Aldo Leopold's A Sand County Almanac: With Other Essays on Conservation from Round River or the reflection of Sue Hubbell's A Country Year: Living the Questions but its everyman flavor makes it appealing. The sharing of both his evolving land ethic and the Bryson-like pitfalls he and his buddies experience make the book a very enjoyable read.

[Ariel · Rating 2 out of 5]

white-collar dude goes fishing with various other dudes

Sees nature along the way

It's fine.

[Heidi Quinn · Rating 2 out of 5]

The back cover uses the word "hilarious" in its description of this book. It's not hilarious. This book is an inventory of the rural, woodsy things Michael Tougias experienced as a young landowner and the destructive ignorance with which he handled them. Despite his obvious fear of wildlife, Tougias put his Daniel-Boone-on-the-frontier fantasy to work in rural Vermont at the age of 22. He imagined himself a struggling frontiersman. But he wasn't in a frontier, and he doesn't seem to have figured that out, even now. I pity his poor neighbors. In his excitement at being rural, Tougias was blind to the rich social web of friends and neighbors with norms and mores that he, even in hindsight while writing this book, could not see. And, furthermore, let's face it--the writing is flat and disappointing--"Walking down rivers can lead to adventure, other than encounters with bears." Tougias misses so much about the rich opportunity that was at his fingertips that, out of disappointment, I couldn't bring myself to continue reading.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

A entertaining and fun read about the author's attempts to become a "mountain man" after purchasing a cabin in northern Vermont when he was 22. The story is told with a lot of self-deprecation and humor (although not as "hilarious" as some reviewers, and the book jacket, would indicate). A bit of a Bill Bryson/Henry David Thoreau telling, outlining many (mis)adventures by the author as he learns about nature, and, presumably, life. I've read a number of Mr. Tougias's books about maritime disasters, enjoying them all; this is a totally different story, certainly. Well-done and enjoyable. A definite recommendation to anyone interested in the "call of the wild."

[Kelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing this book in exchange for an honest review.
What a fun book to read! I loved it! Reading of the author's (mis)adventures of being a "flatlander" to becoming a mountain man with a rustic cabin was laugh out loud funny. I could relate to some of his fears of the wild animals and the darkness that comes without light pollution. My parents live in the mountains and they call us city dwellers flatlanders too.
I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in the wild outdoors and needs a funny, light book to read.

[Anna Engel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Outdoor adventures are good fodder for stories to begin with, and the author is a good storyteller. One day, I'd like to have a cabin in the woods – hop on the tiny house craze, even – but, for now, I'll make do with renting. The stories still count!

[Thomas Kelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you have read Michael Tougias other books concerning various seafaring disasters and rescues, this one will be a little different. This is a rerelease or continuation of the book of the same title from first published in 2002. It is also a sequel or book 2 of his saga The water's between us where he first mentions the cabin he purchases in Vermont. This cabin is so primitive that it still has an outhouse (therefore its name) . There is a lot of humor in this book not only from the authors adventures of trying to be a mountain man. One being can you imagine being afraid to use the outhouse because you may get porcupine quills in your butt and have no one there to help get them out. He also talks about his adventures with only the truest of friends who he can convince to come up the cabin the type of friends who always have playful digs that are almost painful at times but the kind of friends you do not want to be without. This is a short read so give it look. Thank you to Netgalley and Rowan & Littlefield for an ARC for a fair and honest review.

[Pati Mari · Rating 5 out of 5]

In the same vein as A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson. If you like books that include outdoor adventure (and misadventure), nature musings, and quirky characters, give it a try. An oldie but a goodie!

[Patsy · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny

[Chris · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love stories and tales like these!

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funniest book I ever read

[Carolyn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this one, the vignettes were interesting and amusing. On more than one occasion I laughed out loud. It's light and relaxing

[Michael Kiripolsky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Yeah I mean it’s alright.

[TJ · Rating 3 out of 5]

The title caught my attention and made me crack up so I gave it a chance. It was a cute read. The book outlines the adventures of a young man who buys a "rustic" cabin up in VT and attempts becoming a mountain main. Some very funny and charming stories from the authors past. It was a quick read and I enjoyed it. I could see myself in some of the same challenges, all though I think I may still be stuck up in the tree? The epilogue gave a wrap of him and his friends 23 years later, but I wish that section was longer, I also wished there had been a picture of the author with his camping buddies from back then. The only other issue I had with the book is that the author quotes other writers several times and although those were interesting, not nearly as entertaining as his stories.

[Alison O'Leary · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love the outdoors and have had a few adventures in the wild (not Into the Wild, but a little more sedate) this book will have you doubled over with laughter. Similar to Bill Bryson's A Walk in the Woods, the author has great comedic timing and is completely candid about his mistakes (who hasn't gotten lost in the woods, been scared to death by an animal that makes noises at night or otherwise been in over your head?). My mother's book club read it and loved it as much as I did. Now that's an endorsement.

[Molly · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is very much in the same vein as A Walk In The Woods - outdoor adventure told with humor. The story of the author's purchase of a cabin up in the woods of New England that he originally views through rose colored glasses and soon learns all about roughing it. Very funny - you can just picture the misery he gets himself, and often his friends, into yet admire the way he stays optimistic about his dream.

[David Ward · Rating 3 out of 5]

There's a Porcupine in My Outhouse: The Vermont Misadventures of a Mountain Man Wannabe by Michael J. Tougias (On Cape Publications, Inc. 2007) (974.3). These are gentle observations about nature from one who apparently was not raised near the outdoors. The touching nature of the friendships is what made the book pop for me. My rating: 7/10, finished 4/29/15.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tougias gives a gently humorous reminiscence of his early years owning a very rustic cabin in very rural Vermont. He shares how his attitude changed from wanting to conquer his environment to wanting to learn from it and peacefully co-exist. It's a brief but sweetly unpretentious modern-day "Walden."

[George · Rating 3 out of 5]

A lighthearted account of a flatlander trying to survive in the north country. I could relate.

[Teresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

So many things were completely inline with our cabin!!! This is a must for up at our cabin!

[Julie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Wasn't as funny as I hoped based on the title, but I learned that baby porcupines are called porcupettes, so that's a plus :)

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hudson Ma one town one book. A surprisingly good book. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

[Diana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good read fast and funny

[Barb · Rating 3 out of 5]

funny, human, and great for those familar with New England flora and fauna