This is well written and has a good length, not too short, not too long for the stories. However, I was not a fan of some of the stories chosen and how it was phrased, mostly because some of the less favorable played on some of my "hot topic" annoyances. But that is more of a personal preference rather than the fault of the book itself. ( )

I received a free copy of this book through the LibraryThing “Member Giveaway” program.

As you can tell from the other reviews, this book is intended to be a “humorous memoir”, “short story” type book. I don’t normally read “funny” books, but I thought I would try this one in an effort to branch out my reading.

Unfortunately, I couldn’t “get into” this book. I tried but I couldn’t stay interested in all the stories…perhaps it’s because this type of book is just not my genre.

I will break down my review into sections. PLEASE keep in mind, this review is written by my “taste in books”/my opinion. You may have an opposite opinion…each section is rated 1 to 5 stars. (Check out my library ratings of other books to see if your tastes are the same as mine before judging this book by my review)

The Cover: I really liked the artwork on the cover. It was one of the reasons I decided to try this book (plus trying to branch out in my reading). 3/5 stars

The “Idea”: The idea of a book about funny memoirs is nothing new. There was no real twist to make it different than other books. 1/5 stars

The story: (In this case, “the stories”) I found some of the stories very interesting but with others, I was wondering why they were even included…??? Perhaps they are there to fill space or in an attempt to transition to another story, I am not really sure. One of these stories is titled “Coming Clean”. In this story the author describes his desire to run for president and then says he is “coming clean” and talks about his days as a member of a gang while in grade school. I found this strange since the author must have been in grade school back in the 60 or 70’s and I didn’t think gangs fighting in school were as common as he made it sound. Well, that “oddity” was soon answered when the story comes to a close and the authors states that none of it was actually true. To be honest, that solved one issue for me but brought up another…why even include something in a funny memoirs book if it isn’t true? 2/5 stars

The writing: The authors writing style fits this type of book and added to the humor of the stories. I didn’t notice many (if any) grammatical errors. 4/5 stars

The Author: The author, David Webb, seems like a GREAT guy. He was very polite in his email contact with me and has faithfully served his country in the US Air Force. APPLAUSE!!! PLUS, anyone who can dedicate the time and efforts it takes to write and publish a book deserves our respect! 5/5 stars

FINAL WORD: This book will be great for people looking for some lite reading/short stories. Perhaps beach/vacation reading or whenever you might want to smile and relax with a book.
Although I personally didn’t get into this book as much as I thought I would, I WILL be looking for future books by David Webb. I feel like I know him a bit and can relate with him now…
OVERALL: 3/5 stars ( )

Author: David Webb
Published by: D.W.
Age Recommend: Adult
Reviewed By: Arlena Dean
Raven Rating: 5
Blog Review For: GMTA
Review:

"Don't Look Before You Leap" by David Webb was a very funny and entertaining short and quick read. I have never laughed so much from a novel than this one. How this author was able to do his...reminiscing.... was absolutely showing inside of his own wonderful life.

David Webb was a pilot for American Airlines tells us stories that start from his childhood...through college...USAF and to his professional career. Often moving due to the fact that his father was a military person.

Some of the stories he tell us are so humorous that will keep you laughing such as eye problems (corrective contact lenses)...Dr. Mary...being a gang leader...fight with Fernando,... he hates bananas, but loves chocolate...candy and ice cream...camping with his brother, Andy & his daughters ...on to stories about his brother Brian and the basketball gym shorts, his cousin Todd and the jock strap... on to wrestling...then the treacherous trap in the tree...the canoe trip without water with Andy... Andy's Alaska trip with Joe... running barefoot in the snow and then my favorite Dumb, Dumber and Dumbest and I will stop with the veggie truck. You will simply have to pick up this read to find out the rest and there is plenty more stories!

This author did a wonderful job at describing Davis's(his) life's experiences. In "Don't Look Before You Leap" you were able to see a pattern of a learning concepts in many of David Webb's life's wisdom. With all that being said and done I really enjoyed the read and I would recommend it as a good and funny read. ( )

I really liked Mr. Webb's wit and charm. He is a very well written author. I read some of the book to my children. One of the early chapters that talked about your childhood.They loved it. They also said your parents sound a lot like their own. I really liked the book and can't wait to read more by this very talented author. ( )

"Don't Look Before You Leap" was entertaining and funny...David Webb, a pilot for American Airlines, shares with his readers stories beginning with his childhood, his growing-up and going away to school. He even throws in additional stories about his brothers and the trips that they made, his "veggie truck" and provides his readers with a pointer on how to get rich. These stories were entertaining, funny and full of life...I especially enjoyed "Bugs," "HeMen" and "Getting Rich." The opening actually starts out a little slow w/"Coming Clean," and, sometimes, it feels as if the author is leading his readers off on a tangent without a straight, narrow path in mind such as in "Eye, Eye Sir" and "The Dress."
However, the best seems to have been saved for last as "Bugs," "HeMen" and "Getting Rich" were the last three stories of the book...I would definitely have to say that the author seems to have been building his readers to an ultimate climax...which they are still high on, and hopefully can continue with his next book, "This is NOT a Serious Book" which he announces at the end.
I would definitely recommend this book to readers who favor more books that are more anecdotal and funny.
I give it 3 stars. ( )