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All posts for the month October, 2014

THE WHISPERS – Lisa Unger

Posted by Daniel on October 31, 2014

Posted in: SHORT FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, Short Fiction. Leave a comment

Publishers will resort to a lot of ‘gimmicks’ in order to sell books. I’ve worked in bookstores and libraries and with publishers, and I understand the marketing desire to one-up the competition. And so, when I received notice of advanced short stories as a prelude to a novel, I was just a little skeptical.

But sometimes gimmicks work.

The first thing I did upon finishing this was look for the next story and the novel which follows. This is good. And of course gimmick or no gimmick, what you need is good writing to capture a reader’s attention and this does just that.

In The Whispers, a woman, Eloise Montgomery, is convalescing from a car accident which killed her husband and older daughter. This first story focuses on Eloise’s attempts to move on with her life for both her own and her younger daughter’s sake, as we all must move on after a tragedy, difficult as it sometimes is. But Eloise begins to hear and see things, little whispers of voices and visions that clue her in to other things that are happening in the world. Things she shouldn’t be able to know about. Eloise then has to make some choices. First, whether to believe in herself enough to accept that what she hears and sees as true; and then, if accepting, whether or not to act on it.

Author Lisa Unger does a fantastic job of writing characters that appeal to the reader and are 100% believable. You can’t help but feel for what Eloise is going through, both with the loss of loved ones, and the struggle to move on. But Unger also writes a convincing mystery…a paranormal mystery. And I have to admit that if I had read the words “paranormal mystery” in the blurb, I probably wouldn’t have been interested in reading this (for no other reason than it doesn’t sound appealing to me).

Despite the appearance of a publishing ‘gimmick’ and a genre that I wouldn’t necessarily gravitate toward (paranormal mystery), this was a wonderful read and highly recommended. I look forward to the next installment!

Looking for a good book? Not a book, but a prequel short, The Whispers, by Lisa Unger, is a wonderful read.

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The Whispers (short story)

author: Lisa Unger

series: The Whispers #1

publisher: Pocket Star

ISBN-13: 9781476797786

digital, 66 pages

A CHRISTMAS TREASURY – collection

Posted by Daniel on October 30, 2014

Posted in: CHILDREN'S, OTHER, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: Art, Book Reviews, Books, Children's Books, Holiday, Reviews. Leave a comment

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A REISSUE

Ah, sweet nostalgia! This book is a throwback to a simpler and often more elegant time.

Dover Publications has put together a collection (or ‘treasury’) of stories, poems, and illustrations from the turn of the century. Clement Moore’s “The Night Before Christmas” is a perennial classic and would be obvious if it were missing, but the inclusion of lesser-known works makes this a gem. Our bookstores and bookshelves are over-flowing with modern holiday reads, most of which don’t satisfy but exist because someone (many someones) is hoping to cash in on the festivities. But these older tales stand the test of time because they tell us interesting or important stories. My favorite is “How Santa Filled the Christmas Stockings” in which a greedy young boy learns a hard lesson.

This Victorian-era art is elegant and charming. Who can’t look at the picture of a warmly-wrapped child riding the back of a Polar bear with a sky filled with both a bright sun and a colorful aurora and not be charmed?

This isn’t necessarily the sort of holiday book that my children would choose to read, but it IS the sort of book that my children would enjoy having me read to them at bedtime around the holidays!

Looking for a good book? This is a simple and elegant, turn-of-the-century sampler of holiday stories that is likely to be a treasured book for families that enjoy celebrating Christmas.

* * * * * *

A Christmas Treasury

author(s): Clement Moore, Clifton Bingham, Carolyn S. Hodgman, Margaret Evans Price, Helen C. Dods

artist(s): Margaret Evans Price, W. F. Stecher

publisher: Dover Publications

ISBN: 0486781844

paperback, 96 pages

THE FLASH, VOL. 4: REVERSE – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on October 29, 2014

Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Graphic Novels, Reviews. Leave a comment

I am not a regular reader of any comic book or graphic novel title, though there was a time when I was. I say this because maybe it’s important to know that I am not up to speed (pun intended) on the three previous volumes of the “New 52” Flash books. And…that might be important.

Because I did not care for this at all.

First, I thought the art was dreadful. It wasn’t stylized, it wasn’t realistic, it wasn’t … good. And here I am talking specifically about the execution of the artwork itself.

But I also take issue with the layout of the art (and is that the artist or the author who decides the layout?). If you’ve read many comics (or graphic novels), do you remember when you came across a two-page spread of art and it added to the ‘wow’ factor? How the two-page spread helped that moment of incredible action as if everything that was happening couldn’t be contained in just one page? Well, there are approximately 30 two-page spreads (not always one picture in two pages, but two pages designed in such a way that you must read all the way across the top of both pages as you work your way down) in this 176 page book. That’s a lot. It’s sort of the artistic equivalent of ‘crying wolf.’ After, oh, say, the fifth one you stop being impressed or awed by the forced energy and excitement that author Francis Manapul and artist Brian Buccellato are trying to create.

And on a technical level… I suspect that there are more than a few people, like me, who are reading their books digitally and these two page spreads actually slow down the action because we need to move the page back and forth in order to read the script sequentially. (I know, it’s possible to have some readers open to double-page spreads, but then there’s issue with the size of the font….)

And so to the story… Flash faces off against Reverse-Flash! Chase! Battle! Innocents will die unless Flash saves them! Repeat!

What, exactly, is a ‘reverse’ Flash? As “Reverse Flash” himself says…

“I’m not just some ‘backwards’ version of the Flash. I can do MORE than just run fast. I can turn back time. I can put everything in reverse.”

I’m not entirely sure how this is helpful. Really. And is Flash not fast enough to counter it? Apparently not.

But then there’s something else going on called the “Speed Force” which is an energy form that Flash seems to tap in to in order to run fast. It’s the same thing that Kid Flash and Reverse Flash also use and when one ‘taps’ into it, Reverse Flash can feel the use. This reminds me a little of the Green Power that the Green Lantern Corps taps into, which is apparently finite. Will Flash also find he can’t run fast once he and his speedy peers use up all the Speed Force?

This is where perhaps having read the other three volumes might have helped. I would be hopeful that the story builds rather than constantly leaving some inexplicable happenings hanging out there for the new reader. But in any case, I can’t recommend coming in to this book cold.

Looking for a good book? The Flash, Vol. 4: Reverse doesn’t have much going for it.

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The Flash, Volume 4: Reverse

author: Francis Manapul

artist: Brian Buccellatto

publisher: DC Comics

ISBN: 140124713X

hardcover, 176 pages

4 TO 16 CHARACTERS – Kelly Hourihan

Posted by Daniel on October 28, 2014

Posted in: Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, Young Adult. Leave a comment

**WARNING — POTENTIAL SPOILERS AHEAD!**

Well…this makes me feel old.

I liked the idea of writing a YA book in a way that YA readers could relate to it. This book is written as though its main characters were communicating through various social media sources (though oddly enough NOT through a Twitter-type account which would be most in line with the 4-16 characters of the title). But, what makes me feel old, is that it wasn’t enough to use the social media venue for communicating in the book, author Hourihan also wrote the communication complete with teenage misspellings and abbreviations, making it a very difficult, slow-going read for some such as myself.

As someone who is a bit of a speed-reader, anything that makes the reading difficult, or slows me down, mostly becomes annoying. I will slow down automatically when something becomes fiercely fascinating or engaging. But to be slowed down and not be captivated doesn’t bode well.

Going in to this, I expected some ‘high drama’ and family issues. That’s par for the course in YA. And while both were present, neither was particularly well-developed.

Early on I was drawn to the main character because of her passion for writing fanfic. I can relate to this, and I suspect that there are many youngsters out there who would feel the same. (I wasn’t understanding the made-up world that the girl was writing her fiction about, however.) The passion and the dreams that a young fanfic writer has, was very plausible.

I also liked the girl’s ‘voice’ when she was dealing with the unwanted psychologists/therapists (remember…high drama and family issues). The wall she put up, full of sarcasm and bite was well done and sometimes worthy of applause.

But…

…nothing happens.

There are SO many emails and fan-room postings and plenty of ‘screw my school’ attitude moments, but the story doesn’t build. Our subject starts at a particular plateau and stays there until (WARNING — POTENTIAL SPOILER) her father makes the effort to be there for her and they support a friend at an unusual sporting event.

It’s HER story, and yet its her father that makes the change. It is HE that grows through the course of the book.

I feel that I was really receptive to this, and even early on, attracted to the central character’s personality. But because nothing really happens, it felt much too long and dull.

Looking for a good book? 4 to 16 Characters tries to be topical and edgy but can’t rise above average social media-style story-telling.

* * * * * *

4 to 16 Characters

author: Kelly Hourihan

publisher: Lemon Sherbet Press

ISBN: 0989741109

paperback, 314 pages

ETIQUETTE & ESPIONAGE – Gail Carriger

Posted by Daniel on October 27, 2014

Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy, Young Adult. Leave a comment

Who hasn’t imagined themselves as a spy? Spy books are great escapist fiction because most of us, at one time or another, have secretly fantasized about how much fun it would be to be a spy. Here in Etiquette & Espionage, the first book in the “Finishing School” series by Gail Carriger, Carriger combines spy training with Victorian manners and etiquette and a splash of steampunk thrown in for good measure.

And while this sounds like a really great recipe for a series, I mostly just found this dull.

Carriger works hard to write this in a ‘proper’ fashion (very turn-of-the-century in language and style) but that propriety doesn’t lend itself to exciting reading. Not that fiction must be ‘exciting’ but one would hope that spy fiction has some level of excitement and/or intrigue.

Perhaps it’s because I’m an older male and not a typical young YA reader (though I generally enjoy YA fiction), but I was overwhelmed with a sense of dull-ness with this book.

While I like books that take an idea and push them to the extreme, I guess I need to clarify that … to push the idea to heighten a sense of conflict and to make strong dramatic tension and suspense. Here the ideas that are pushed to the extreme are things like practicing eye-lash-batting “six rounds of one hundred each before bed.” Okay…I suspect that’s there to be slightly humorous, but it a book that sees and encourages young women to be strong, it’s also a set-back to ask them to be more Victorian-lady-like.

If there’s a plot here, I missed it. There are girls practicing to me more lady-like. Girls dressed as boys. Handsome boys that capture the attention of girls. Robotic animals. Werewolves as teachers. But not so much a plot to stand on. And because of the style of the writing, the sense of propriety and perfection, we aren’t really allowed to get close to the characters. We must remain proper observers. And so without a plot that keeps us turning pages to find out what happens next, and without being able to get close enough to care about the characters, what we have is mostly a book with some clever ideas.

I’m not at all familiar with Gail Carriger, though after reading this book and looking through her catalog of books, it appears that her adult fiction is thought to be better. I hope so. I like the ideas. Now if there can be some interesting characters and a plot….

Will I read book two? Maybe. But only because I already have the ARC in hand.

Looking for a good book? As much as I like the ideas behind Etiquette & Espionage, I can’t recommend it.

* * * * * *

Etiquette & Espionage

author: Gail Carriger

series: Finishing School #1

publisher: Little, Brown Books for Young Readers

ISBN: 031619008X

hardcover, 307 pages

BEST TO LAUGH – Lorna Landvik

Posted by Daniel on October 24, 2014

Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, OTHER, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, Literature, Reviews. 1 Comment

I recognize Lorna Landvik’s name as an author whom many people I know really enjoy reading. I had never read any of her work, so when this ARC was available to me, I was delighted to give it a read.

Best to Laugh is almost autobiographical and at the very least, an homage to Landvik’s early days in Hollywood.

Candy Pekkala has the gift of being able to make people laugh. Quick of wit and highly intelligent she’s able to make even some of the hardest personalities soften. She moves to Hollywood from Minnesota to try to find her way in the Hollywood/Comedy scene. She does all the typical Hollywood fare, from taking temp jobs (which gets her in to a mansion that is clearly the Playboy Mansion, though differently named for the book), to amateur mic night at comedy clubs, to van tours of out-lying comedy clubs, to getting better gigs with better clubs. She takes on a stage name (Candy Ohi) and with the help of some friends, creates a stage show of a mock tv late night talk show.

There is nothing earth-shattering or bust-a-gut laughingly funny here, but there IS a really, really nice story of hard-work, dedication, and success.

Having lived in the same Hollywood neighborhoods as ‘Candy’ (and having come from Minnesota myself), I recognized a lot of what Landvik writes about. The people, the places, the ideals … Landvik nails it all perfectly. This is the sort of Hollywood success story that you don’t normally hear about. Usually it’s about that ‘big star’ or undiscovered starlet, but there are so many more people like Candy (and presumably Landvik) who find a way to do what they enjoy, enjoy what they do, and are successful with their careers.

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more Lorna Landvik.

Looking for a good book? Best to Laugh is a delightful look at the hard work of a woman in comedy show-business in Hollywood of the 1970’s.

* * * * * *

Best to Laugh

author: Lorna Landvik

publisher: University of Minnesota Press

ISBN: 0816694532

hardcover, 296 pages

STORM FRONT – Jim Butcher

Posted by Daniel on October 23, 2014

Posted in: SF/FANTASY, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Reviews, SF/Fantasy. Leave a comment

THROWBACK THURSDAY: REVIEWING A BOOK FROM MY LIBRARY

I’m very familiar with The Dresden Files, having seen episodes of the series on the SciFi Network; read some of the graphic novels; and read short stories of the series in various anthologies, but I’d yet to read the actual book series. And while I’ve been fortunate to receive a LOT of Advance Reader’s Copy of new books from many publishers, this particular title has been around for a few years, so scoring a ‘free’ copy from the publisher wasn’t likely. Enter Benjamin Franklin and his FREE Public Library.

I have to admit that I was a little surprised to discover a science fiction/fantasy series that was well over a dozen books in to its series and yet I hadn’t read any of the books. I’m very pleased to find that this series (at least this first book) is well worth the attention it has been getting.

Harry Dresden is a wizard. Harry Dresden is also a private detective. occasionally the two work together.

A council of wizards is keeping a close eye on Harry, believing that Harry is performing black magic and killing people. When the local police call Harry in on a double homicide case, he discovers that there is someone with incredible magic powers and because the council believes Harry is the one responsible, Harry is on his own to find and take down whoever it is.

Author Jim Butcher captures a noir-ish detective ‘voice’ for the character while keeping him modern with the magical abilities.

This isn’t deep, intensely provacative literature, but it is great fun. Those Harry Potter fans who are now in their mid-twenties might really enjoy this step up in fantasy literature.

Looking for a good book? Storm Front, the first in the Harry Dresden series really satisfies.

Storm Front

series: Harry Dresden #1

author: Jim Butcher

publisher: Penguin ROC

ISBN: 0451457811

paperback, 322 pages

THE STRAIN – graphic novel

Posted by Daniel on October 22, 2014

Posted in: Dark Fantasy/Horror, GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Graphic Novels, Horror/Dark Fantasy, Reviews. Leave a comment

It’s not often that I get an uncomfortable feeling when reading a graphic novel, but The Strain, Volume 1 is appropriately eerie.

Based on a novel, and possibly a film or television series (I’m not entirely certain) created by Guillermo del Toro, The Strain twists the vampire legend back into something darker and more in keeping with the origins of the legend (that it is something vile and hideous and not romantic, as modern tales have made the vampire out to be). And for anyone familiar with del Toro, it should come as a shock that the creatures are hideous, loathsome, and exceedingly creepy.

The book starts out in a manner SO entirely possible. First, a brief ‘history’ lesson from 1927 Romania, and then to the present day when a plane lands at a New York airport but the entire passenger and crew are dead and the CDC don’t know what caused it. Given recent fears in the news about the virus Ebola and flights that may have carried Ebola victims into the United States, this story seems almost prescient.

Horror can be a tough genre to pull off, particularly in a graphic novel format. I’ve read a fair number of attempts and none of them have really satisfied. This one however, does exactly what it sets out to do, which is to tell a dark, disturbing story that gives the reader the willies. It does this, in part, by not being like a typical graphic novel.

This may sound strange, and I can’t quite put my finger on the reason, but this doesn’t read like a graphic novel. Perhaps this is because the focus is on the larger story and the creators don’t build little individual comic issue story arcs (which would drive me crazy if I were reading this in individual comic issues)? Perhaps it’s because it’s a much more faithful adaptation of novels or the television series? Whatever the reason (perhaps someone can help me identify this) this is almost more like reading a movie. The way the story builds and the way the art complements the story rather than being a more obvious aspect of the book, creates a rather unique read. I know…I know…this sounds strange, but I can’t seem to find a better way to explain the feeling I got while reading this book. It was a unique experience.

I’m not typically a huge fan of Guillermo del Toro. He always seems to be on the verge of something powerful that fails to deliver. But in the hands of author David Lapham, The Strain, Volume 1 builds quite nicely.

Mike Huddleston’s art is very appropriately dark. It is more ‘sketch-like’ than highly detailed finished work, and it is also highly stylized, all of which adds to the atmosphere of the book. it works well for telling this story. Dan Jackson’s colors really tweak the art to encourage the creepy, dark atmosphere.

Looking for a good book? This is not a book that everyone will enjoy, but if you like dark, strange stories with vampires that are absolutely hideous, then The Strain, Volume 1 is a great book to read.

* * * * * *

The Strain, Volume 1

story: Guillermo del Toro and Chuck Hogan

script: David Lapham

art: Mike Huddleston and Dan Jackson

publisher: Dark Horse Books

ISBN: 1616550325

paperback, 274 pages

STOLEN FROM THE GARDEN – William Swanson

Posted by Daniel on October 21, 2014

Posted in: NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, History, history book, non-fiction, Reviews. Leave a comment

In our era of (what we consider to be) highly advanced forensics and criminal investigations, it’s sometimes difficult to remember that even in a relatively short time past, much of our modern forensics was still very much in its infancy. In Stolen From the Garden, author William Swanson reopens some old wounds by revisiting a kidnapping from 1972, a case in which modern forensics might very well have solved.

In July of 1972, Virginia Piper, wife of a prominent Minnesota banker, was abducted from her suburban Minnesota home. Aside from the audacity of a broad-daylight kidnapping, this was also notable for a number of reasons including the fact that it was one of the first kidnappings to seek a ransom payday of $1 million. It was also a case that the FBI (with dubious authority over the case) claims to have solved, but which much evidence (albeit some of it circumstantial) supports otherwise.

Swanson tries very hard to not comment personally on the case until near the end, when he admits his own opinions, based on his research. That research includes a great deal of information provided by one of the sons of Virginia Piper who had intended to write his own book, but for various reasons, including familial, chose not to do so. That information, including interviews with family members and others who were very close to the case, is invaluable.

It is a little difficult to write a review of the book without giving away too much of the information presented. Although most of the information herein is public information, Swanson tells the story smoothly and almost as though it were a mystery novel.

Among the most interesting facts of the case is that despite the fact that all the money ($20 bills) were logged and marked by the FBI, very little has turned up or accounted for since the ransom was paid.

This is a most beguiling, bewildering case.

Looking for a good book? Whether you’re interested in True Crime, mystery stories, Minnesota history, or just a well-told story, Stolen From the Garden satisfies.

* * * * * *

Stolen From the Garden: The Kidnapping of Virginia Piper

author: William Swanson

publisher: Borealis Books

ISBN: 0873519477

hardcover, 288 pages

FAIREST VOL. 4: OF MICE AND MEN

Posted by Daniel on October 15, 2014

Posted in: GRAPHIC NOVEL, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Graphic Novels, Reviews. Leave a comment

I’m new to the “Fairest” titles, despite this being Volume 4. I have, however, read a number of issues of Fables, to which this series is connected. Based on this book…I am hooked!

Perhaps it was precisely because I haven’t read any of the previous issues, but I really enjoyed the mystery of what was happening…trying to keep up with an ongoing story-line was part of the fun.

This story features a sleuth-style Cinderella trying to solve a mystery that is centuries old. From an attack on Snow White, to an escaped Fairy Godmother, and friends and foes from times past, ‘Cind’ has her hands full as she globe-trots trying to put the mystery (and a few men) to bed.

A delightful side story is the effects of Fairy Godmother’s changing mice into men, and how one of the coachmen/mouse makes the choice to stay human and enjoy human sexual encounters.

There also seemed to be a good deal of cross-over to Fables, which I rather liked, and it didn’t seem dependent upon having read the other series to get the current story.

The artwork was generally a little more ‘cartoony’ than I prefer in my graphic novels, and certainly much more cartoony than what I’ve seen in Fables, but I felt it worked well here. Everything about this book declares it a light, fantastic-fun read, to keep the general reader interested in the Fairest/Fables universe.

Was I enlightened or moved by the mystery? No. But I had fun here in this Fairest world, and sometimes ‘fun’ is ignored or over-looked. Because I had fun, I’m looking forward to visiting this series again.

Looking for a good book? Fairest, Volume 4: Of Mice and Men is a delightful, adventurous venture in to the Fables-style world, with many cross-over characters, but on a not-quite-so-intense level.

* * * * * *

Fairest, Volume 4: Of Mice and Men

author: Marc Andreyko

artist: Shawn McManus

publisher: Vertigo

ISBN: 140125005X

paperback, 144 pages

BEATLENESS – Candy Leonard

Posted by Daniel on October 14, 2014

Posted in: ENTERTAINMENT, NON-FICTION, Uncategorized. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Entertainment, non-fiction, Reviews. Leave a comment

In keeping with my Beatles reading, we have here another new book with the Fab Four as the subject. This one, Beatleness, by Candy Leonard, might actually be one of the more important books on the subject.

There are plenty of books that look at the beatles themselves and their music (deservedly so) and it seems that there isn’t much new to be mined there. So much scrutiny has been made of every single word and note that these four men have produced that it seems unlikely that we can get much more from it. But what hasn’t been fully explored, until recently, is the social atmosphere created around and by the Beatles.

Recently I reviewed The Beatles Are Here! which collected essays from a variety of sources (including, most interestingly, the girls pictured in a prominent photograph). This latest book, Beatleness, takes this one step further. Rather than essays by a select few, Candy Leonard interviews a cross-section of individuals and gets to the heart of the people who changed (or formed) a turbulent decade — the fans.

Arguments can be made over the music of the Beatles and whether or not they were/are incredibly talented or mostly lucky (my personal feeling is ‘talent’), but there are musicians and groups all over the world who have incredible talent and push the limits of conventional music, and so few of them get the attention that the Beatles received. Without the fans, the Beatles would never have achieved the status that they did, and the world wouldn’t have changed the way that it did.

Of course it’s not as simple as all that… the fans were affected by other issues (the assassination of JFK being just one issue) that led to the search for something new, and the Beatles’ fit the bill. Candy Leonard’s book takes a look at many of these things, ties so much of it together, always using the words of the fans themselves, to highlight the scene. One thing that struck be quite a bit was what I interpreted as a clear difference between the older fans, who grew up with the Beatles from the beginning, and the younger fans who gained their ‘Beatleness’ a little later (often through an older sibling). Their reactions and interpretations of the music and the era tended to be quite different.

I see this book as being incredibly valuable, particularly to anyone with an interest in sociology and human behavior and a study of the turbulent 60’s/70’s. The sociological aspects of the fans of the Beatles is a story much greater than a story about four pop musicians.

Looking for a good book? Beatleness, by Candy Leonard, is not a book about the Beatles, but an insightful, well-researched book about the fans of the Beatles and the cause/effect relationship with the Beatles and the troubling times of the 1960’s.

* * * * * *

Beatleness: The Beatles, the Fans, and the Sixties Revolution

author: Candy Leonard

publisher: Arcade Publishing

ISBN: 162872417X

hardcover, 272 pages

NEST – Esther Ehrlich

Posted by Daniel on October 13, 2014

Posted in: CHILDREN'S, Uncategorized, YA. Tagged: Book Reviews, Books, Children's Books, Reviews, Young Adult. Leave a comment

The debut novel by Esther Ehrlich, Nest, is a beautiful, poignant, slightly dark tale of the trials of childhood.

Set in the early 1970’s, eleven-year-old “Chirp” Orenstein is beginning to learn that life can be cruel to a child. Her mother struggles with a terrible disease and spends time in a ‘loony bin’ and goes through electro-shock therapy. As a Jew, Chirp struggles through the Christian holidays and the lack of understanding from her classmates. Her closest friend is Joey, a neighbor boy who is often beat up by his father and locked out of his own home. When she and Joey run off together for an adventure and to try to find something in their lives that they can take control of, they discover that the world might be too big and unforgiving for the pre-teens.

Author Esther Ehrlich’s writing is magnificent. It is beautiful and lyrical without being too flowery or ‘sappy.’ She has created characters, all of them, that are so real that you might think you are reading a journal. Chirp and Joey are the strongest, most vivid characters, but Chirp’s family (father, mother, sister), teachers, and even Joey’s family (rarely seen) strike a chord as being flesh-and-blood people rather than simply characters in a book.

The story is a bit depressing and it is on the strength of the characters that I kept reading. Chirp is growing up in an era that I am very familiar with (the 1970’s) and there doesn’t seem to be much that is going ‘right’ in her life. Of course, she perseveres and grows stronger, but there is so little happiness here that even upon finishing the book, I can’t say that I had any truly positive feelings for Chirp (or Joey) or that life would be any better for them in the days (and years) to come.

I’m not sure why this book is set in 1972 other than that it might be a time in which the author is well acquainted. There seems to be nothing specific to this era necessary for the story, though it certainly made it easy for someone, such as myself, to recall the time and events. But would it make it easier, or more difficult, for young readers today (or have no impact either way)? Could this story have been set today? Perhaps. Though the shock therapy would likely not have occurred.

That Chirp is a bird-watcher is a very nice touch (this was certainly not nearly as common in the 1970’s as it might be today), and of course a ‘nest’ is a home or safe haven for Chirp, but I actually thought that Chirp’s bird-watching interest could have been used just a little more.

A nice read, well written, but didn’t leave me with a strong sense of … anything … upon finishing.

Looking for a good book? Nest, by Esther Ehrlich, is a beautiful story of a preteen growing up in the 1970’s.