The master Jazzman plays with words. Brilliantly !
A Compendium of short stories by Tom Pickering . “The Pick of Pickering” showcases Tom’s unique writing ability with forty-three of his best stories, most of them hitherto unpublished.
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This is the last in a series of Pickering books published since 2010 and, due to the limited edition, should become a collector’s item.
Journalist Mike Kerr writes in part:
These pieces are clearly autobiographic, imbued with Tom’s warmth, humour and intelligence as well as both self-doubt and self-esteem, with his introspection and considered rationalisations, often striated with an unexpected – but somehow welcome – vulgarity.
His outward observations, about the human condition and that of the wider world reflect the time – post war – a continuing sadness of that great loss and an unknowing of the future. But there’s an optimism, too, for himself and those around him.
His subject matter varies from the sadness and quiet desperation of ‘A Memory of Love’, to the absurdity of ‘The Elastic Room’, and from serious matters of childhood such as ‘Bill and the Football Hero’ to the clever and playful autobiographical piece “In One Ear”.
There is something for everyone in this book – love, war, reflection, horror, fear, fun and frivolity.

Recommended retail price will be approx. $46
For AJM members – $30.
Edited and compiled by Jan Kuplis.