Book Review: "Nine Inches: Stories" by Tom Perrotta

I've been a big fan of Tom Perrotta's for some time now. While I love his use of language and his ear for dialogue, I particularly like the way he is able to make his books so compelling when they're not necessarily about a major catastrophe or turning point. Instead, they so accurately capture the everyday moments of everyday lives, and the moment when a character's decision takes them off the rails a bit.

All of the stories in Perrotta's new collection, Nine Inches, do a terrific job of capturing those moments. The narrators of these stories are all dealing with something—divorce, the dissolution of relationships, injury, dissatisfaction with their life at the current time. These stories feature familiar characters in situations you can understand or perhaps even identify with, which is what makes them compelling and enjoyable.

In The Smile on Happy Chang's Face, a man battling unhappiness and petty inferiority brings his issues along with him when umpiring a Little League championship game. Senior Season tells the story of an injured high school football player unable to cope with his life now that he is no longer playing, and his elderly neighbor provides the cause of some frustration. The narrator of Backrub is stuck in a dead-end job while all of his friends went off to college, and has some interesting encounters with a local policeman. In Kiddie Pool, an elderly man makes some interesting late-night discoveries about his estranged best friend and next-door neighbor. And in the title story (named for the distance that slow-dancing middle school students needed to keep between them), a teacher wonders how his life might have been different if he pursued his true feelings.

I really enjoyed nearly all of the 10 stories in this collection (of course, some more than others), and felt like probably all of them could be expanded into full-length novels. With many of the stories, I wanted to know what happened next with the characters after the stories ended. That, to me, is always the mark of truly well-written and interesting stories.

If you're a fan of Tom Perrotta's, definitely pick up this collection, as you'll enjoy the familiarity and complexity of his storytelling. And if you've never read any of Perrotta's novels, but are simply a fan of short stories or good writing, pick up this collection, too, because you'll definitely find a lot of the latter.

Give this kid a pony!!

It's been said so many times before that the beauty and purity of children's hearts and thoughts can take your breath away. That absolutely happened when I heard this story about eight-year-old Ryan.

Ryan has a twin sister named Amber. Amber loves to have fun and be silly, just like other eight-year-old girls. But Amber is also picked on at her school because of her weight. She does not do anything to antagonize it. She just goes to class. She hears the names being called and takes it. Just like most children who are bullied she holds a lot of it in.

But one day, Amber told her mother, Karen, she wished she was not around anymore. Then there would be no more name calling.

Ryan did the only thing he thought could help. When asked by his mother to write a letter to Santa with his Christmas wish list, he wrote the following:

Dear Santa,

My mom said to send you a Christmas list. I wanted a remote control car and helicopter but I do not want that anymore. Kids at school are still picking on Amber and it is not fair because she does not do anything to them and it makes me mad. I prayed they would stop, but God is busy and I need your help. Is it against the rules to give up gifts early? Can you ask Big Time Rush to come to Amber’s birthday party? It will make her so happy. If you do not get them to come that is fine, just get her everything she asked for.

Thanks Santa,

Love Ryan

PS- My mom throws the best birthday parties. You can come if you want.

Karen was so touched, she put the letter up on her Facebook page, and it has since gone viral all over the world.

I hope Amber realizes how lucky she is to have a twin brother like Ryan, and Karen knows what special children she has. But more than that, I hope that as he gets older, Ryan's heart and spirit don't change.

The world needs more people who think the way Ryan does.

Book Review: "At the Bottom of Everything" by Ben Dolnick

Adam and Thomas were best friends when they were growing up in Washington, DC. Thomas was one of the brightest kids in their prep school—quirky, unique, aloof—and Adam welcomed the opportunity to try and crack his shell. Plus, Adam envied Thomas' stable home life, a mother committed to social justice and a father who values his intelligence.

Their friendship was fairly intense until high school, when Adam began focusing on sports, girls, and parties, and Thomas continued down his own path. Yet partly out of obligation and partly out of nostalgia, the boys still got together briefly, and their encounters became focused more on mischief and pranks. One night, one of their schemes goes dangerously out of control, and the aftereffects cause their friendship to end. And while Adam can move beyond the incident, it affects Thomas far more intensely.

Fast forward 10 years, and Adam's life isn't quite going in the direction he had hoped. Lonely and depressed after his breakup with his girlfriend, bored in his job as an academic tutor, he begins a brief affair with one of his students' mothers which, as you might imagine, doesn't end well. He is unsure what to do with his life or what to make of himself. A chance encounter with Thomas' mother brings his former friendship back into his mind, especially as she asks for Adam's help to try and find Thomas, who has apparently disappeared to India.

"'What I really want to make sure you know is just that your old friend, skinny Thomas Pell, is drowning. We all are, and we're reaching out to you for help.'"

But Adam thinks, "'Your old friend is drowning.' Well, so was I."

With nothing to keep him in the U.S., Adam embarks on a journey to find and rescue his old friend, and follows his trail to India. But when he discovers why Thomas has made the journey, and how he has changed in 10 years, Adam realizes that bringing Thomas home is just the tip of the iceberg. And along the way, Adam confronts some of his own mental and emotional issues, and he realizes he is as much in need of rescue as Thomas may be.

How far would you go for an old friend? How much do the events of our childhood affect us later in life? Ben Dolnick's At the Bottom of Everything is a book about finding yourself in the midst of trying to help someone else, and how much our lives can turn on just one single incident.

I really enjoyed the beginning of this book as Adam reflected on both his current situation and reminisced about his friendship with Thomas, but I felt as if once he went to India, the book lost its focus. A great deal of time was spent on spiritual issues, as Thomas had sought the guidance of a guru in India, but it almost seemed like a wholly separate story than what the book initially was about. I thought Thomas in particular was a fascinating and heartbreaking character, and the way Dolnick illustrated Thomas' mental state, and how it affected both of his parents, was tremendously well done.

What I've liked about Dolnick's earlier books is his ability to capture everyday situations and "regular" people, and make you care about them. He does that in At the Bottom of Everything, although the book loses its way just as its narrator is trying to find his.

Cool cover song of the week...

While I don't listen to classic country music that often, I've always been a big fan of Dolly Parton. She sang one of my favorite songs of all time, Here You Come Again, and I remember listening to that song and its B-side, Me and Little Andy, so many times growing up, hanging out in my friend Lisa's basement listening to her jukebox. (Ah, childhood...)

Parton's hit song Jolene was released in October 1973, and hit #1 on the country music charts in February 1974. This song about jealousy, the fear that the stunningly beautiful Jolene might take her man (just because she can) is at times plaintive and powerful, and Rolling Stone ranked it as #219 on its list of the 500 Greatest Songs of All Time.

When thinking of bands that might cover this song, you might not expect The White Stripes to be included on this list, but the band released their cover version in 2004. Although sometimes I think Jack White goes way over the top with his music, I really like his version of this song, especially the fact that he left the song lyrics intact, unlike so many artists who record a song previously recorded by a singer of the opposite gender.

Here's The White Stripes' version:

Here's a surprisingly good version by America's favorite pariah, Miley Cyrus:

And here's the original from Miss Dolly Parton herself:

Check out my previous Cool Cover Songs of the Week:

Borderline by The Counting Crows

How Deep Is Your Love by The Bird and The Bee

Life in a Northern Town by Sugarland, Little Big Town, and Jake Owen

I Don't Want to Talk About It by The Indigo Girls

Only You by Joshua Radin

Pure Imagination by Maroon 5

I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) by Blake Stratton

What a Fool Believes by Neri Per Caso

Poker Face by Daughtry

Back to Black by Ronnie Spector

I Will Survive by Cake

The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face by The Stereophonics

Rolling in the Deep by John Legend

Go Your Own Way by Lissie

Winner Takes it All by McFly

What a Wonderful World by Joey Ramone

Careless Whisper by Seether

I Walk the Line by Live

Dear Prudence by Siouxsie and The Banshees

Smooth Criminal by Alien Ant Farm

Who Wants to Live Forever by Breaking Benjamin

Redemption Song by Chris Cornell and Audioslave

Love Me Tender by Chris Isaak and Brandi Carlile

All You Need is Love by The Flaming Lips

Lovesong by Adele

I Love It by Robin Thicke

Billie Jean by The Civil Wars

Across the Universe by The Scorpions

Can't Hold Us by Pentatonix

Wicked Game by James Vincent McMorrow

Against All Odds (Take a Look at Me Now) by The Postal Service

Book Review: "The Beginning of Everything" by Robyn Schneider

"I still think that everyone's life, no matter how unremarkable, has a singular tragic encounter after which everything that really matters will happen. That moment is the catalyst—the first step in the equation. But knowing the first step will get you nowhere—it's what comes after that determines the result."

So says Ezra Faulkner, the president of his high school's junior class and captain of the varsity tennis team. For Ezra, that tragic encounter is when his BMW is blindsided by a hit-and-run driver, leaving his leg shattered, his wrist injured, and ending any hopes of ever playing sports again. After spending the summer recovering from his injuries, he returns for his senior year of high school and everything is different—his girlfriend has found someone new, his friends have moved on without him, and he's not sure what life is like outside of the "in crowd."

But after reconnecting with his childhood best friend, and being suckered into joining the debate team, he meets Cassidy Thorpe, an intelligent, beautiful, mischievous, and mysterious transfer student who was a legendary debate competitor at a rival high school before she disappeared, only to return as a student at Ezra's high school. She forces Ezra to embrace his intelligence and realize he needs to work for his dreams instead of expecting everything to be handed to him as it always has been. And as the pair's friendship turns to romance, Ezra realizes that Cassidy is the type of girl he has been looking for all along. Until the relationship suddenly sours for reasons he can't understand.

I absolutely loved everything about The Beginning of Everything. Robyn Schneider did such a terrific job creating and giving depth to her characters and creating a plot that draws you in instantaneously and hooks you completely. Schneider's dialogue is tremendously intelligent and witty without being overly precious—honestly, if she thinks this way in "real life," I totally could see myself being friends with her. It truly is, as Kirkus said in its review of the book, "Here are teens who could easily trade barbs and double entendres with the characters that fill John Green's novels."

This is a book about trying to figure out where you belong, even though you've truly known it all along. It's about being pushed beyond your comfort zone, being forced to believe you're more than you've always thought you were, and how important it is to find friends you truly identify with rather than feel obligated to be with to uphold expectations. And more than that, this is a story about not letting your life be defined by the adversities you're dealing with.

I've said quite often how impressed I've been over the last few years with the outstanding quality of YA fiction, particularly stories that aren't dystopian in nature and/or don't include vampires, werewolves, angels, or others with superpowers. (Not that there's anything wrong with those books.) While The Beginning of Everything may be classified as a YA novel, it's equally as good as—if not better—than some "adult" novels I've read recently. Besides, it's not every novel that makes me wish I could relive my high school days with the kind of awareness and self-confidence that the characters in this book do!

You got big dreams...

Do you remember when you were younger, when it didn't matter what your goals were but you were absolutely committed to achieving them? They could be as exotic as identifying your superpower or becoming a professional baseball player, or as mundane as memorizing all of the Best Actor Oscar winners in history. (Okay, so maybe that one was just my goal. Achieved, BTW.)

Somewhere along the path of growing up, many of us stop believing that all of our goals and dreams can come true. The idealism of childhood is so terrific, and it's up to us to try and nurture that wide-eyed enthusiasm for as long as we can.

This letter was shared on the internet; it's a list written by a guy's son who was getting ready to start third grade. These goals are fantastic, outlandish, fun, and simple. I hope he's able to achieve at least a few of them. (My favorite—perhaps no surprise—is "become a nerd." Again, achieved.)

Doesn't this make you want to start dreaming again?

Book Review: "The Last Whisper in the Dark" by Tom Piccirilli

Every time I read one of Tom Piccirilli's books, I think two things. First, he is a fantastic writer. And second, why isn't this man a household name? So many of Piccirilli's books deftly mesh terrifically complex characters, whip-smart dialogue, movie-worthy action, and great suspense. If you've not read one of his books and you're a fan of crime novels (or just damned good writing), pick one of them up and you'll be hooked.

The Last Whisper in the Dark is a follow-up to the equally fantastic The Last Kind Words. Terrier "Terry" Rand (yes, his family are all named after dog breeds, which feels less idiosyncratic in this book) is a thief, descended from a long line of thieves among members of the Rand family. He desperately wants a "normal" life but the obligations of family and the urge that is in his blood. He knows the path down which his genetics will lead him, but he isn't sure whether fighting it is the right thing to do.

When he fled his Long Island home and his family years before, he broke a promise to Kimmy, the woman he loved. And even though she married his former best friend, Chub, and had a daughter, Terry can't stop thinking about how this should be his life. He can't stop him from watching over Chub, although he's not sure whether he wants Chub to run the straight and narrow, or screw up so he might have another chance with Kimmy. But when he discovers that Chub has gotten in over his head, he promises Kimmy he'll bring her husband home, no matter what it does to him.

Meanwhile, the pull of family becomes even stronger for Terry, as he tries to save his younger sister, Dale, an aspiring actress, from destroying her life through her involvement in a dangerous Web series; as he tries to figure out where his brooding father goes at night; and when he is recruited by estranged family members he never knew he had—once-famous film executives turned horror movie producers—to right some wrongs in their business. But while Terry laments his past and fears his future, he is compelled to focus on the here and now, no matter how dangerous it may prove to him.

I am just so taken with the characters in this book as well as its predecessor. Terry Rand is so complicated, so compelling, one of those people you shouldn't like because of what they do but you can't help but be drawn to them. He is unapologetic about the way he lives his life, even as it's tearing him up inside (and sometimes outside), even though this life has taken such a toll on his family through the years, and this book is as much about that gravitational pull toward wrong than anything else. But at the same time, this is a book about family loyalty, family secrets, and how family can both draw you in and send you running (and reeling).

Piccirilli's writing is simply electrifying at times. There's enough action to get your blood pumping, and enough soul-searching to challenge you. I can't wait to see what he comes up with next, although I wouldn't mind a return to the Rand family.