The Right Distance

A sequel to A Continuing Education, Pickering's second collection of essays will again earn him laurels. The 15 pieces are quietly humorous, tender, nostalgic observations of a family man. Following publication of his first book, his neighbors dubbed him ""our writer'': ``Before then, I was their layabout,'' in the yard of his home in rural Connecticut. There are vignettes about adventures with his wife Vicki and their small children; in other pieces, he recalls his parents and rowdy youthful companions, now tamed by the years into solid citizens. Pickering's enjoyable essays are marked by informal but flawlessly crafted prose. (September)