This is the last of my "2003 Beach Reads" series - the books that I enjoyed on my vacation. The first review was on Domain. The second was on content_110884916868.

If you're like me, you've been listening to Jimmy Buffett for years, enjoying old standards like Margaritaville and Cheeseburger in Paradise, as well as personal favorites like A Pirate Looks At Forty. Several years ago, Jimmy started in another branch of entertainment, namely writing, and although I wanted to find out more, I never did.

So, as my beach vacation in NC was approaching, I set out to find some quality beach reads, perfect tomes for absorbing while sitting in the sun, watching the birds and the listening to the waves. Beach Reads - not too heavy, usually with humorous sections, definitely paperbacks. As I was searching, I came across Tales from Margaritaville - and I knew my times to READ Jimmy Buffett had finally arrived.

The book describes itself as "Fictional Facts and Factional Fictions" - an apt description. It's split into 2 parts - a set of fictional stories centering around the town of Heat Wave, LA which smack of some autobiographical elements, and a set of factual remembrances which make you wonder how many margaritas ol' Jimmy had before he put them to paper.

First, the Fiction:

Take Another Road
In "Take Another Road", we meet Tully Mars, a ranch-hand on a beaten-down ranch in Wyoming. He dreams of one day seeing the world, escaping from the cold and monotony of his current life. After the ranch is sold to a nouveau rich Californian woman with ridiculous dreams, he decides it's time for he and Mr. Twain - his horse - to finally see what there is to see.

Along the way, Tully meets a wide assortment of characters: Joe McCormick, a park ranger in Custer's Battlefield that introduces the solitary rancher to the outside world; Donna Kay, a nice waitress he meets and whom is his first short-term girlfriend; Captain Kirk Patterson, shrimp boat Captain from Heat Wave, LA who shows him the sea and starts him on his adventure; Slade Patterson, a piano player and Kirk's Brother, as well as Spud and Willy, who are mates on Kirk's Boat.

It is here that the adventure begins, as Tully discovers America and eventually finds that elusive place where hearts and fun entangle in a flurry of alcohol, memories, wild parties and sand - Margaritaville.

In "Off to See the Lizard", we meet Aurora & Bora Alice Porter (get it?) - restauranteurs in Heat Wave, LA (located on Snake Bite Key) who are doing whatever they can to save the ramshackle high school football team. They recruit Romeo Fleming - former pro player and owner of Hector (Romeo's lizard and the Heat Wave's incredibly intelligent and mean mascot) to help change the fortunes of this town's only entertainment.

Never has a sorrier team been assembled. From Billy Purdy, the quarterback to Eugene "Balls" Rawls (WR) and Willett Rainer Snow ("Willy") (TB), the offense is struggling to find the end zone. The defense, anchored by Leroy "Dr. Boom" Lessons at LB (you'll see most of these names again) has the heart if not the size or speed.

But in a bit of magic that is the same throughout the stories, the Heat Wave 'Godzillas' come to life during a wonderful thunderstorm, and find their own version of 'Margaritaville'...

"Boomerang Love" introduces us to Angel Beech - long lost resident of Heat Wave, who comes back during a hurricane after the death of her father, the former mayor of Heat Wave. During the hurricane she runs into her only love, Hannah Hearndon, and they discover what life means during the throes of the storm. This is Jimmy as the Romance Novel writer, I guess.

"The Swamp Creature Let One In" gives us the Jimmy Buffett mythology tale, starring our former wide receiver Eugene "Balls" Rawls as a golf player and millionaire who just can't seem to win the big one against his nemesis. Old friend Willy has retired from shrimping with Kirk Patterson (see, I TOLD you that you'd see those names again) to become head caddie at this golf club in Heat Wave. Together they try to figure out how to win the impossible 6th hole - and end up taking a helping hand from beyond in the form of THE SWAMP CREATURE...

"The Pascagoula Run" is just what I would expect from Jimmy - the tale of a young man and his wild uncle tearing across the south. Billy Delaney, the bad influence uncle is out to teach young Jim Delaney that there is LIFE out there if you know how to find and enjoy it.

I really liked "I Wish Lunch Could Last Forever", the tale of Isabella, Dreamer and Lost Soul who travels around the south meeting many of the cast of the book and discovering her own personal Margaritaville in the process. She runs into Captain Will - a sailor from Nantucket - who brings her to America and starts her on a whirlwind romance with Slade Patterson - the soon-to-be famous piano player (and brother of Captain Kirk Patterson). Together they discover New Orleans and have one of those short-term romances that never really leaves you.

In the Non-Fiction section, Jimmy weaves his fantastic tales of being ... well, Jimmy. In "You Can't Take It With You", he tells us of Lance Larrimore III - a man on the brink of suicide who discovered the secret to finding Margaritaville, perhaps giving Jimmy the final secret he passed onto us.

"Are You Ready for Freddy" is an incredible 'recollection' of the time Jimmy ran into Freddy Fishstick, lead singer of Freddy and the Fishsticks, and the two take the LONG way home to Margaritaville.

"Hooked in the Heart" is the most true of the stories. In it, Jimmy meets the original 'Old Man' from The Old Man and the Sea while traveling in Cuba. The lengths at which he goes, and the wisdom he gains, seem genuine and completely Jimmy.

"Life in the Food Chain" and "Sometimes I feel Like a Rudderless Child" are similar stories - I mean, where would a Jimmy Buffett book be without some sailing stories. In the former, Jimmy and a friend explore life on a sailboat without wind, trying to find a piece of margaritaville in the middle of the ocean. The latter explores the time when Jimmy & friends try to outrun a storm in the Caribbean - unsuccessfully, although in "Rime of the Ancient Mariner" style, learning their lesson is the sea's only request before it sets them free.

Between the two above is "A Gift For the Buccaneer", real-life adventure of Jimmy in Cancun, where he and his family find that sometimes you have to get out of Paradise to truly find PARADISE.

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As far as a beach read goes, this was near the top of the list. Jimmy Buffett spins a yarn as well as he sings a song, and the effect of his mixing fact and fiction is seamless. You lose track of what is supposed to be fiction with some real experiences thrown in and what Jimmy experience, albeit a souped-up recollection. Regardless, his penchant for tall tales is legendary to those who have listened to his music and seen him live, and every bit of his mastery in the subject is evident in this book.

I found myself chuckling at Tully's riding his horse onto the ship's deck, rooting for the Godzillas to win the big game and laughing as Jimmy and Freddy Fishstick went into every nook & cranny of craziness on their way to Margaritaville. In the end, Jimmy Buffett puts out a book meant to be enjoyed - not analyzed, not dissected - just enjoyed.

His philosophy of Margaritaville - that it's a state of being, not a place; that he can't tell you how to get there, but you'll know when you find it - is prevalent throughout all of the stories, peppered with little pieces of Buffett philosophy and humor.

I was disappointed I only had one after I put this down, wanting to run down to the local bookstore and get the next set of tales (unfortunately, where we were didn't have a book store. Or any stores at all, really).

So, I'll have to wait until next year to return to Margaritaville. But I know that getting there will be half the fun.

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I have another tale to tell, this one from the mouth of an old friend in Boulder. I know that it's not true - but like the tales of Jimmy Buffett, how much is fact and how much is fiction may never be known:

From the Mouth of Minnie
"When I was working down at that resort in the Caribbean, I discovered this new thing that I had never seen before. Some idiot had strapped a sail to a surfboard - and I HAD to try it. So I did, and I found that it was a lot of fun.

Soon enough, I was out doing my thing when a largish boat pulled up next to me. A man leaned over the railing and asked 'What the hell is that thing?'. I explained that it was a windsurfer and how it worked. He wanted to take a try, so I showed him the basics and let him go. He loved it!

After an afternoon of surfing and windsurfing, he invited me onto his boat with a LOT of beautiful women and booze. We partied through the evening and into the night, bodies and booze everywhere. It wasn't until later that the guy came up to me and asked:

'Do you know anywhere around here to get a hamburger. I would KILL for a good burger right now.'

I told him that there was only one place in these islands to get a good burger, and directed the boat to that sacred harbor where we grabbed some beer and feasted on cheeseburgers.

The man? Jimmy Buffett. Now, I don't want to take credit, but I think THAT'S how Cheeseburger in Paradise got started."

Is it true? Who knows - but it IS a good tale...

Recommended: Yes