In my family vacation always meant the Jersey shore. We never went anywhere else. Even when we lived only 30 minutes away from the shore, we went there for vacation. Usually we stayed at the Coast Guard beach house in Barnegat. I love the Jersey shore.
Both these volumes feature the poetry and prose of Frank Finale. The essays in the first volume were originally printed in Coast magazine from 1984-1992. The book is divided into chapters for each season; Christmas has it's own chapter and all the poetry is together in the final chapter. The essays in the second volume were written for the book and take you on a "journey" from Sandy Hook down to Cape May. All the essays feature Finale's family, friends or students and recall incidences that happened at the Jersey shore. I enjoyed most of the essays and about half the poetry. The second book contained essays about Barnegat, Point Pleasant and Cape May - the shore areas I'm most familiar with- so that book was my favorite. Both vols contain works of art by multiple artists in multiple styles that feature the Jersey shore. I actually bought the books because of the beautiful art work. I'd give both these books 4/5 stars. ( )