Birds in Fall - Book #12

Brad Kessler's Birds in Fall (which I keep wanting to call Birds in Flight) was done a poor service by its publisher. The idea of including rows of bird-related postage stamps on the cover makes sense, but the result ends up looking like one of those Reader's Digest condensed books (you know how they have the original book covers across the front?) and subconsciously prevented me from starting this book for some time. However, the book was given to me some time ago by my Aunt Dorothy who will be visiting me shortly, so I felt some pressure to give it a try. My aunt works at an independent bookstore in San Francisco and tends to send me books that I love or hate. This one I loved. It's about a plane crash and the people who gather to learn their loved ones' fates. I realize this doesn't sound very chipper (and it isn't), but it isn't as grim as it sounds either. The voice and mood are both unusual and, although it struggles sometimes to manage the task set out for itself, is well worth the read.