Review by D. Donovan
Editor & Senior Reviewer
California Bookwatch

Lieu: Science Fiction Short Stories
Lafcadio Adams, Editor
Idle Winter Press
9780692385029
$16.99
www.idlewinter.com

Lieu gathers nine science fiction short stories and novelettes and narrows the topics to exchange, replacement, upgrade and masquerade - and if this sounds puzzling, initially, that's because the ideas are meant to be both broad enough to include a diverse selection of stories under one cover and unusual enough to rule out the ordinary.

There are big names here, from Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. and Robert Silverberg to Fritz Leiber and Frank Herbert. All were originally published in science fiction magazines in the 1950s, and all approach their topics in very different ways, from adding doses of humor and mystery to creating something that skirts the edge between science fiction and a literary work of another genre entirely.

'The Judas Valley', for example, places the Judas figure in quite a different role when aliens face annihilation and monsters and myths are questioned. 'The Tunnel Under the World' presents a nightmare like none other - and the reality of living in a town built on a tabletop - if, indeed, it is a nightmare and if the town is truly real and not a dream. And 'Old Rambling House' takes a tax accountant out of this world.

The result is a powerful collection of stories which are longer than most, packed with some of the biggest talents in science fiction, and include novelettes which typically don't make it into the more common short story category.

Review by D. Donovan
Editor & Senior Reviewer
California Bookwatch

A Bird-Lover in the West
Olive Thorne Miller
Idle Winter Press
9780692371916
$14.99
www.idlewinter.com

A Bird-Lover in the West reviews the natural history of birds in Ohio, Colorado and Utah; and while the foothills of the Rocky Mountains may not be what a reader might expect from the 'West' (i.e. no California, Oregon or Washington observations), it's a celebration of nature that is designed to capture a sense of place, not provide a definition of either 'the West' or even the bird.

Chapters combine the first person observational attitude of a memoir with the natural history insights of an amateur birder who shares her observations of bird habits and oddities: "After tea, as I was congratulating myself that they were all safely out in the world, without accident, suddenly there arose a terrible outcry, robin and blue jay voices in chorus. I looked over to the scene of the fray, and saw a young jay on the ground, and the parents frantic with anxiety."

Avid birders likely know many of these observations, but it's the reader relatively new to the fine art of birding who will appreciate Miller's celebration of their lives and habits, and who will relish the delicate winding of human and natural history, poetic observation, and natural wonders that comprises her celebration of life.

Goodreads is hosting a giveaway for Oliver Herford's An Alphabet of Celebrities! Enter to win a copy. Giveaway ends March 28th, 2015.

Goodreads is hosting a giveaway for Olive Thorne Miller's A Bird-Lover in the West! Enter to win a copy. Giveaway ends March 14th, 2015.

Goodreads is hosting a giveaway for Jane Patton's Remembrances of a Pioneer! Enter to win a copy. Giveaway ends March 7th, 2015.

This week's Outdoors and Nature category of Any New Books features A Bird-Lover in the West by Olive Thorne Miller.  Any New Books is an alert service. Their staff chooses 20 books from each category about which to notify subscribers.