I love the Southern Sisters Mystery series by Anne George. Murder Carries a Torch is the seventh serving of this wonderful series. Sister and Mouse encounter a missing cousin, snake-handlers and two murders on this latest romp thru Birmingham and places nearby. Most authors get stale after writing about the same characters, but not Anne George. The seventh book is as fresh as the first. My only regret is that I'll have to wait another year before another Southern Sister Mystery comes out. I don't know if I can stand the suspense. If you are looking for a lighthearted good read with a heart, you need to read Murder Carries A Torch.

Have you ever had your two favourite aunts go away for a year on an adventure....then have them return to share with you the trouble they got themselves into. This is what reading an Anne George Southern Sisters mystery is like. These books make me laugh until I can't breath, bring tears to my eyes and keep me on the edge of my chair until the last tale has been told. Murder Carries a Torch is indeed a visit with those whacky relatives. You've got dead snake-charmers, purple boots, angel-sightings, pukey cousins, disappearing wives and the most loveable sisters in mystery today. The fact that one of the the ladies is now 'wired' is a bonus...the part describing Patricia Anne's experience with e-mail 'spam' is hilarious, and I was smart enough this time round not to have a mouthfull of anything when I read it. Like the rest of the books in this series, Torch is pure heaven. The only downside here is the wait for the next one!

Murder Carries A Torch proves what I've been claiming loudly for years: Anne Carroll George is one of the country's best writers, whether she bends her talents to literary novels like This One and Magic Life, or her Southern Sisters mysteries. Whatever world she decides to inhabit, you can bet she will bring that world alive for her readers.

In Murder Carries a Torch, Patricia Anne and Mary Alice are again drawn most plausibly into the most implausible circumstances, chasing a murderer through a snake-handling church in northern Alabama. The unusual religious characters are treated respectfully, the snakes are genuinely scary, Mary Alice gets a new boyfriend, and Patricia Anne is... well, the lovable and slightly acerbic Patricia Anne.

The best thing about reading all of Anne Carroll George's books is that you become part of a wonderful family universe. Visiting with Patricia Anne and Mary Alice is like joining a funny, interesting, eccentric family. George parcels out personal information much the same way you would get to know friends in real life. With each new novel, the joy of small discoveries draws you more and more easily into a warm, familiar environment.

For myself, I'm too impatient to wait for the paperback. If like me, you need your prescription of Anne Carroll George right now, add Murder Carries a Torch to your shopping cart. I guarantee you'll love this book.

In Harlow, Alabama, fifty-eight years old internationally renowned artist Artie Sullivan dies from cancer. Her family comes to the small Gulf of Mexico town to pay their last respects. However, everyone is upset because Artie wanted to be cremated. Though abiding by her wishes, her relatives host a funeral for appearance sake.

Though accompanied by his spouse, Artie's twin brother Donnie and their younger sister Hektor are esepcially shook. They begin to ponder about their fractured childhood caused by their mother's affair with the neighbor and the early deaths of both their parents. Other darker memories surface as the surviving Sullivans struggle with the loss of one from their generation.

THIS ONE AND MAGIC LIFE is a lyrical yet metaphorical look at a Southern family at a time of grief. The well-written story line demonstrates Anne Carroll George's ability to provide a poetic glimpse into a homespun tale. Some readers may find the changes from first to third narration and the switching between the characters relating the tale distracting. However, that technique adds to the overall feel of individuals struggling to cope with long buried, semi-forgotten, but clearly ugly secrets. Ms. George is a poet disguised as a novelist.

Harriet Klausner

This is an elegant story, masterfully told as only Anne Carroll George could tell it. A Southern family is brought together by the death of one of their own--but this is not a story of death; it is a story of life, and of how one life can touch so many others. I highly recommend this book.

Like many readers, I have read several of the Southern Sisters mysteries, and was not sure what to expect with this novel. Each time I opened the book was like opening a lyrical gift. The story revolves around the life of a just-deceased artist, Artie, her survivors who have come to mourn her passing. The setting of a small Gulf of Mexico town is created perfectly. The characters have great depth. The plot tends to jump a bit in time (and space?), but in the end it lends credence to character development and plot. Interesting choice for title - quite suitable! What a beautiful line on p. 45, "But Donnie knew what he had seen, and the memory stayed with him all his life like a blessing." I believe this book will do the same for me.

The Scrambled States of America
By Laurie Keller
Reviewed by Jason P. (age 8)

"There's no place like home". That's what all 50 states learned in this hilarious, slightly romantic tale.

It all starts when Kansas (who was very angry) decides to invite all the states to a "states party" to meet new states.
At the party, Nevada and Mississippi fell in love. Later, Virginia and Idaho suggested that all the states switched places. All the states agreed to this, so they all changed places through the day.
Will our fair country stay like this? Find out in The Scrambled States of America!

I liked this book because (like I told you) it was hilarious! I really liked the part when all the states went home.

I recommend this book to kids who: 1) like fiction, 2) can read picture books.

Read this book to find out the funniest U.S. story ever!

It isn't often you come across a children's book that's unique in it's story, fun in it's presentation, and a delight to read. Laurie Keller accomplishes this with "The Scrambled States of America". The unique idea of each state having it's own personality and voicing it's opinions on his place in the country, is both comical and creative. This book brings together colorful illustrations and a geography lesson, which will have children learning the names & shapes of the states after reading the book for just the first time! I highly recommend this book as a source of knowledge, imagination, & fun.

Joi M. Lasnick

As our students read their way across America by earning miles, I decided to read "The Scrambled States of America" to every class in our school from grades 1-6. There is not a class that hasn't enjoyed this hilarious book.

It's been interesting for me as the librarian to see how the different ages respond to the text and pictures. The first class that heard it, fifth grade, had just completed their state reports, and they were in tune with the book from beginning to end, adding all kinds of information they had recently learned. It was a wonderful discussion.

My favorite illustration in this book is where "states all over the country were waking up, having their first cups of coffee, reading the morning paper, and enjoying the beautiful sunrise." When I ask the students to look closely, they first laugh at silly things like Florida shaving, but then they notice that our state, Washington, is still asleep. Pretty quickly, the kids pick up on the time zones, and we end up talking about the time differences in our country.

Our kids get mockingly upset that Washington hasn't arrived to the big all-state party, because they are convinced we'd either bring apples or water (from all our rain)!

The students' favorite page is when they get to see the states all scrambled up. They love searching for our state, and other states they've studied or visited!

This is an entertaining book, one that I never would have predicted to be a hit with all grades. I took a gamble, and I was pleasantly surprised. They love it, and they learn something about geography while they're at it!

Before I even finished this book I began using the "dispassionate" techniques Dr. Bradley recommends. The results have been dramatic. My 13 year-old and I have not had a screaming fight in a while (they were happening every other day) AND we have been communicating in a way I thought was lost forever. Dr. Bradley uses an upbeat and candid style to get across all that ails today's teens, from medical insight that supports the notion that our kids are crazy (his term, not mine), to an environment that inundates them with sex, drugs and rock and roll at a very early age. His case studies are enlightening, and sometimes terrifying, but a wonderful way to get his point across without bogging down the reader with too much psychobabble. I highly recommend this book not just for parents of teenagers-my relationship with my 10 year-old is already benefitting from my newly learned parenting skills-but for every parent who has, at one time or another, been frustrated while trying to communicate with his or her child.

Dr. Michael Bradley's book, "Yes, Your Teen is Crazy!" is an
inspiration and should be on every parent's night stand, indefinitely.

From the frightening statistics on teen suicide today to safety and privacy issues, you will finally understand what you're dealing with as a parent and what you can do to make the experience better for your teenager and your family.

Dr. Bradley's grasp of teen fears, trials and needs is a pleasant reminder to be kind to our teens in an otherwise punitive society. This book is a guiding light for parents trying to love sometimes unlovable kids while also providing security in the face of panic. He offers excellent guidelines to help conquer your fears while also helping your teen deal with their own tumultuous world.

Having read Teens in Turmoil, I would have clenched harder at every indiscretion my two teens commit, convinced that they are at risk. I was miserable and scared. but immediately when I began reading this book, my views were altered dramatically. I don't feel so nervous about all the typical-by-Dr.-Bradley's-view things my teens do. this helped me develop a perspective that allowed room for my kids to become and be who they will without me getting in the way, but with some practical measure of limits and growth applied.

it's a friendly and compassionate book both to the teen and the parent. Dr. Bradley is on the side of both teen and parent and makes me feel that I'm not doing so badly, and most important that I'm not alone. His own personal accounts are some of the most enlightening, and come with tension and suprize.

I was first offput by some cutesy language, but it is used unabashedly throughout, and so now I accept it as part of Dr. Bradley, the child psychologist with a little bit of a ham in him. the reading is very easy and grabs the reader right away, but the opening material is easy to take in, despite the fear it might instill (in what our society is doing to itself). past 1/2 way the material is more difficult, dealing with the guts of tough issues, so I have slowed down for the home stretch.

All in all, I would highly highly recommend this reading to any parent of a teen. Please read it and learn you are probably doing ok, if you are concerned enough to find the time to spend with this book.

All her life, Suze Simon has been a mediator, a person with the ability to see and speak to dead people. Because of this, her social life is constantly being interrupted by ghosts with unfinished business on Earth. But there is one plus to being a mediator: Jesse, the cute ghost who lives in her bedroom. Suze is determined not to fall for Jesse, but she does, and it's a relationship that will never work - he is dead, after all. And in spite of her complicated love life, Suze is determined to enjoy her summer break from school. Too bad her stepfather insists she get a job. She ends up working as a babysitter at a fancy resort, where her young charge is eight-year-old Jack Slater, who turns out to be a mediator himself. But then the ghost of Maria de Silva, the woman who had Jesse killed, shows up. She's determined that the truth never come out - even if it means killing Suze. This book contains a lot of amazing revelations that I won't spoil, so you'll just have to read to find out! I highly recommend this book to all fans of The Mediator series and Jenny Carroll's other books.

Suze is looking forward to summer. She can't wait to lay on the beach and work on her tan. But that's not gonna happen because she is forced to get a job. So she becomes a babysitter at the Pebble Beach Hotel and Golf Resort. There she meets Jack Slater, an 8 year old mediator and his very HOT brother Paul. But that's not all. Suze is already depressed seeing as she is madly in love with Jesse. But to make matters worse Dopey and Andy dug up a box. In the box were letters to Jesse from Maria de Silva. That night Maria appears with a knife and a threat. She tells Suze to make Andy and Dopey stop digging. Suze of course doesn't listen and soon a body is dug up. Suze has a good feeling who it might belong to. Then all of a sudden Jesse disappears leaving Suze angry and heartbroken. Then everything starts to spin outta control.

OMG! This book was the BEST! I loved the ending and I wish that Mediator 5: Haunted was coming out sooner than January 2003. I think Jenny Carroll is trying to torture us. UGH!

Fourth in Jenny Carroll's Mediator series, this is also the best so far! I looked for months to find this book, and my obsession with the series rivals Suze's obsession with Jesse. I recommend any of her books to all teens.

Suze's plans of relaxing on the beach all summer are ruined whne her stepdad makes her get a summer job. Even worse, she ends up as a babysitter at a resort with a tacky uniform, constantly assigned to babysit the same boring kid. But when Jack turns out to be a mediator, albeit a lousy scaredy-cat one, she takes it upon herself to teach him.

Meanwhile, Andy's trying to install a hottub in the backyard, and unknowingly digging up other things as well, things that inspire a certain vengeful 'MDS'to try and shut everyone up, permanently. This includes Jesse since, apparently, killing him once wasnt good enough.

Jack's hot older brother, meanwhile, has the hots for Suze. But when she turns him down repeatedly, he becomes a tad more sinister. A couple of coincidences, and the reader starts to become suspicious, even if Suze doesnt...

Let me start this review by confessing that I am biased. One of my letters from Vietnam is included in the book. I therefore view the book differently from the average reader.

I also got an advance copy of the book a week before the official release date, and have been able to read it.

Andrew Carroll produced this book by reading through almost 50,000 letters and selected roughly 200 that best show what everyday life in the military - and in war - are like from the viewpoint of the average soldier, sailor, marine, and airman.

Andy was able to get these letters by persuading Dear Abby to publish an appeal in her column on Veteran's Day in 1998. The column urged readers to contribute these letters so that the sacrifices of the writers would not be forgotten. The result was a flood of 50,000 letters - some faded, some muddy, some blood-stained, and one pierced by a bullet. One letter was written on Hitler's personal stationary by an American sergeant who worked in Hitler's personal quarters in Germany just after WW II. What could be a better symbol of justice?

The letter writers' views are very different than the views you will get by reading the memoirs of a general or an admiral. When I was in the Army, there was a wonderful comment that explained life in the Infantry:

"The general gets the glory, The family gets the body, and We get another mission."

Your view of the military - and of war - changes depending on your position in this food chain.

Overcoming an enemy machine gun is an interesting technical problem when you are circling a firefight in a helicopter at 1,000 feet. You take a very different view of the problem when you are so close to the machine gun that your body pulses from the shock wave of the muzzle blast.

These letters were written by soldiers while they were in the military. They are describing events that happened that day, the pervious day, or the previous week. Their memories are very fresh. Their views also are very different from the views that someone might have when writing his memoirs thirty years later. In thirty years the everyday pains, problems, and terrors could very well be forgotten or become humorous.

The book groups these letters by war or police action. There are sections for letters from the Civil War, WW I (the war to end wars), WW II, Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and Somolia/Bosnia/Kosovo.

Some things never change. The Civil War letter writers grumble about poor food, tiresome marches, mindless sergeants and incompetent officers. The Vietnam letter writers (myself included) grumbled about the same things.

One anguished letter was from an officer in Vietnam who was torn by his need to hide his opposition to the war for fear of demoralizing his men. At the end of the letter is a brief comment explaining that the officer stepped on a mine and died shortly after writing this letter.

Welcome to life in the military. Welcome to war.

You should read this book if you want to see what life was like and is like in the military and in war.

This book, War Letters: Extraordinary Correspondence from American Wars, by Andrew Carroll (Editor) is a touching book. With the recent release of the movie Pearl Harbor, the questions that my generation wants to ask the veterans of war are rising out of the ashes once again. Carroll did an excellent job of putting together a collage of soldier's letters which portrays the true emotions of our freedom fighters. Recently having studied many of the wars included in this book, War Letters pulled everything into one book; from the Civil War all the way through Bosnia/Kosovo. The letters in WWI and WWII seemed more hopeful, and 'the great generation' seemed more patriotic. While the soldiers fighting Vietnam had more of a sense of urgency, kind of 'get this over with already' attitude. A common theme with all the letters was they were writing to loved ones, and would claim they would see them soon. Unfortunately, many of these letters were the 'last letters' to the families, some even written on backs of photographs, on scratch paper, or on Hitler's personal stationary. Also, these letters are written a few hours, days, or weeks after the events happened. The soldier has no opportunity to hear what the media said, or how the nation reacted to such a horrific event. They write with their souls, spilling their guts to their families, and shedding their blood for their nation. Granted, having just completed one year of US History helps me understand these events just that much more, but all in all, this book was everything from terrifying to heart warming.

Let me start this review by confessing that I am biased. One of my letters from Vietnam is included in the book. I therefore view the book differently from the average reader.

I also got an advance copy of the book a week before the official release date, and have been able to read it.

Andrew Carroll produced this book by reading through almost 50,000 letters and selected roughly 200 that best show what everyday life in the military - and in war - are like from the viewpoint of the average soldier, sailor, marine, and airman.

Andy was able to get these letters by persuading Dear Abby to publish an appeal in her column on Veteran's Day in 1998. The column urged readers to contribute these letters so that the sacrifices of the writers would not be forgotten. The result was a flood of 50,000 letters - some faded, some muddy, some blood-stained, and one pierced by a bullet. One letter was written on Hitler's personal stationary by an American sergeant who worked in Hitler's personal quarters in Germany just after WW II. What could be a better symbol of justice?

The letter writers' views are very different than the views you will get by reading the memoirs of a general or an admiral. When I was in the Army, there was a wonderful comment that explained life in the Infantry:

"The general gets the glory, The family gets the body, and We get another mission."

Your view of the military - and of war - changes depending on your position in this food chain.

Overcoming an enemy machine gun is an interesting technical problem when you are circling a firefight in a helicopter at 1,000 feet. You take a very different view of the problem when you are so close to the machine gun that your body pulses from the shock wave of the muzzle blast.

These letters were written by soldiers while they were in the military. They are describing events that happened that day, the pervious day, or the previous week. Their memories are very fresh. Their views also are very different from the views that someone might have when writing his memoirs thirty years later. In thirty years the everyday pains, problems, and terrors could very well be forgotten or become humorous.

The book groups these letters by war or police action. There are sections for letters from the Civil War, WW I (the war to end wars), WW II, Vietnam War, Desert Storm, and Somolia/Bosnia/Kosovo.

Some things never change. The Civil War letter writers grumble about poor food, tiresome marches, mindless sergeants and incompetent officers. The Vietnam letter writers (myself included) grumbled about the same things.

One anguished letter was from an officer in Vietnam who was torn by his need to hide his opposition to the war for fear of demoralizing his men. At the end of the letter is a brief comment explaining that the officer stepped on a mine and died shortly after writing this letter.

Welcome to life in the military. Welcome to war.

You should read this book if you want to see what life was like and is like in the military and in war.

This is my first book by "Jenny Carroll." I've read all the Princess Diaries book, but I didn't know that Jenny Carroll was Meg Cabot until after I finished the book.

IN "Shadowland" (the first of the Mediator books), Suze Simon moves to sunny, bubbly Californa with her mom. She's moving into an old, historic house that her stepdad and three stepbrothers (Doc, Dopey, and Sleepy) live in. When Suze finds out it's an *old* mansion, she freaks out. You see, Suze has powers. She can talk to ghosts, in fact, she has to help them go to the afterlife. Suze is right ~ there's a Spanish cowboy from the 1800's (named Jesse) living in her room. At first, shes kind of alarmed, but soon she becomes friends with Jesse ~ he watches out for her, and seems to have an attraction to her.

At Suze's new school, there is also a ghost. Heather, the pretty, popular girl who committ suicide the week before Suze arrived. Heather is jealous and seeking revenge on her ex-boyfriend Bryce, and will stop at nothing to kill him.

Suze keeps trying to prevent Heather's attempts to murder Bryce, but in the end - will she succeed?

This was a great book, even better than the Princess Diaries. It's a book that you won't want to put down, and won't be upset at the end. Everything comes together. Overall grade: A+

You know those books that you just have to read and can't put it down until two o'clock in the morning when you're finally finished and just can't wait to read the next one in the series? Well, Shadowland is one of them. In this book, you will meet Susannah Simon, sixteen, who is, oh, just an ordinary girl...with one slight twist. Susannah is a mediator, a person who can speak with the dead, but mainly just with the unhappy ghosts, who died with unfinished business they hadn't gotten to take care of. First, she is forced to leave good ol' NYC to Carmel, CA, where she is forced again to share a bedroom with a ghost who died 150 years ago, and who also happens to be a guy (good thing her parents don't know).
When she starts at her new school, she meets Heather, a suicidal maniac, who died over the Christmas break. Heather is furious at Susannah because Susannah just happens to be taking Heather's old locker, 'stealing' Heather's best friend and boyfriend. Heather will do anything to kill Bryce, her ex-boyfriend whom Susannah is 'stealing' away from her, and bring him down with her the land of the dead and no matter how much Susannah explains to Heather that she can't do that, it's no use.
What happens? Well, you'll just have to read the book to find out. It's definitely a book worth reading. Trust me, it is. I mean, if I, Lavender Skye, read it, then surely EVERYBODY would want to read it...right?

Sixteen-year-old Susannah is a mediator, meaning that she can see and talk to ghosts who, for one reason or another, have not passed on to the next world. Having been plagued by these spirits for the past fourteen years, Suze had hoped that moving from New York City to a quiet town in Northern California would offer her a fresh start. However, the moment she steps into her new bedroom, Suze knows that that isn't going to happen, because she finds herself sharing her room with a 150-year-old ghost of a boy named Jesse. Not only that, but the first day of school brings more trouble: Susannah's locker comes accompanied by the ghost of a girl who killed herself and who is now out for revenge on her ex-boyfriend. Suze is determined to persuade the girl to pass on, but when it seems the usual methods aren't working, will more unconventional action be required?

Shadowland, the first book in the series, is one I really recommend as an ideal book for any teens into fiction with a supernatural theme. I found it impossible to put down and can't wait to get started on the next instalment in the series. Definitely worth five stars.

~Jenna~

This book reveals a lot, and seems like it does, but when i was done, i craved to know more (and there is more in "Forced Entries: The Downtown Diaries", but that's beside the point). It's amazing to look at his life, from his perspective, and see what he's done and what he's been through. You feel like a special guest of sorts, being allowed to learn all this information, which is sometimes scary, many times hilarious, and often very graphic. I would find myself reading this book in class, and laughing out loud at times, or often grimacing in surprise, or even an almost sort of pain- as if i were there. I often loved certain excerpts of it so much that i would share them with other people, just turning to whoever was nearest. I wish i could say i've always been a Carroll fan, but i, like many others, didn't find out about him until after seeing the movie of this same title. I immediately wanted more, and this book supplied what i wanted. It's incredible, and i am so glad i had a chance to read it.

Jim Carroll started to write this diary when he was only 12 years of age. At this time, he was finding every drug he could could get into his hands and took his first shot of heroin when he was only 13 years of age. A dark book, in the juvenile sense, but in the poetic sense, a book about a excellent book about searching for something pure. A reviewer wrote, "I think that this book was written to tell other teenagers not to use drugs." That's not true. It's a true story and merely a diary of truth. It became known as a biography for the rock star Jim Carroll. Another reviewer wrote, "This book is dark and vulgar." It is. It is really. But if you look at the book this way, there's no reason you should be reading it. Think of it this way, Puke and Pure. At the last entry of the diary Jim is in the headquarters a place where junkies from all over hang out, totally zonked and saying, "I got to go in and puke. I just want to be pure..." To me, the diary is about a lost young poet trying to find redemption through writing and finds that, not at the end, but at the end of when he becomes pure. This diary is vulgar and dark. Many swear wrods come into place, and many sexual indescence is in this book. But in the end Jim, the young poet is looking for redemption through his writing and searching for something pure...

I admire Jim Carroll for publishing this diary the best and most effective way possible- the whole and solid truth, not doctored with fairy tell endings or caviar dreams. This book depicted what I would honestly believe to be the days of living on the streets and becoming a Heroin junkie in New York City in the late 60's.

The truth was told and told passionatley and completley. Pretty picturesque references were not painted, disturbing scenes not alluded to. If something needed to be said, it was - no matter how hard it may be for the reader to accept. The most frightening thing about the entire diary is it allows you to see how easily this lifestyle can become your own, without really ever realizing or intending it to happen. I think most of socitey considers heroin junkies moraless, disgusting, putrid and empty souls; but Jim allows you to see into thier world, live in thier minds and have empathy for thier lifestyle. It sort of reminded me of 'A Clockwork Orange'; I viddy parallells between both protragonists and thier drogs. However, Jim Carroll didn't sell out at the end.

Brenda Ueland's treatise on writing, "If You Want to Write," is a valuable addition to the library of those who want to do just that. While the language can seem a bit dated at times, the meaning shines clearly through; clearly she has taken her own advice or writing truly and focusing on the things one cares about or is passionate about. To read it is almost to become hypnotized by her major themes: you are talented, you have a story or an observation to tell, you can write really well if you are true (not trying to be writerly), you need to enjoy the act of writing and be lazy about it, you need to relax and enjoy the beginnings in hazy territory. This is a good book to read to get you back into old habits, or to help writers re-assess their long-held and perhaps erroneous beliefs about what it actually takes to be a good writer. Ueland excerpts student writing to show examples, and the pieces she uses are very compelling, strong and true. I recommend this to writers and as gifts for writers. But I wouldn't suggest it for someone younger than 25. There is something in it that would be offputting for someone too youthful, too inexperienced.

A friend gave me this book for Christmas because he knew I liked to write and told me it was the best book for writing. I was skeptical, but started the book anyhow so I could at least tell him I looked at it. I found it immediately engaging and savored every page, limiting myself to a few pages a night so I wouldn't finish it quickly. The best part is that it is an "idea" writing book rather than an exercise book. There is no stopping to jot down notes or pages with writing exercises. Ueland gets into ideas and the psychology of why we do and don't write certain things. It got my brain churning, and I found myself become less inhibited with a project I was trying to get to the next level on. Excellent book for the experience writer who is feeling a need to break through to some fresh material. Ueland is amazingly insightful and even though it is written in 1938, it does not feel dated.

There aren't enough stars for this review. Ueland writes an amazing book on how to achieve our potential in anything that we do...and the things (such as trying to please other people) which prevent us from bringing forth the best from ourselves. Already I've found that I have better and brighter ideas when I write, and even when I do other things like play music.

This book is one that is best read slowly...in short doses. I find that I can't read a page without having something to think about or reassess in my life and especially in my writing. I wholeheartedly recommend this book.