So compelling was this novel that I couldn't put it down and couldn't pay more than superficial attention to anything or anyone else while I was reading it! The other reviewers here have said enough about the plot and characters that there's nothing I need to add to entice other readers on that account, but I would like to add that the writing is so strong, so brilliant!, that had the characters and their stories, their loves, their troubles, their triumphs, not enthralled me, the sheer beauty of the prose would have. I will be buying copies of this as gifts for those to whom I usually pass on my books because I don't want to let go of this one. I can't wait to read her other books and I'd love to see this one become a best seller. The author doesn't preach, but she sure does teach--about power and love and independence and forgiveness and bonds between people and respect.

Funny, Poignant, Sexy, Exciting, Compassionate, Smart, Scary, Earthy, Heartbreaking, Courageous, Lyrical -- just like life. During a storm scene, I actually put the book down to go turn off my computer to protect it from lightning, only to realize it was a beautiful spring day in the real world -- that's how compelling the writing is. I read this novel because I liked the author's autobiographical "Bald in the Land of Big Hair" so much and wanted to check out her fiction. I am extremely impressed and look forward to reading her "Crazy for Trying" next.

A beautifully written book by an author who has a way of truly giving her characters life and substance. I found myself holding my breath with Kit, crying with Kiki and pounding my fist in the air when justice was served to Wayne. A book with pain and triumph, love and laughter, survival and true emotion. Reading this book was a great way to spend my time.

Since I spent over twenty years on the radio and have just released my own novel with disk jockeys as the main characters (WIZARD OF THE WIND, St. Martin's Press), I was very interested in Ms. Rogers' book. She didn't let me down. There's something sacred about being able to touch someone over the air, and her protaganist quickly masters that knack. Each time I was afraid she would allow the story to get too serious, she would bring me right back up with something so funny...and so real...that I was swept along with the story. I hope Juni Rogers will continue her literary career. She shows great promise. And she has done every late-night dee jay out there a real service.

19 year old Tulsa Bitters carries a lot more baggage than her 2 guitars when she steps off a train in Helena, Montana. She carries with her a lifetime of feeling ugly and inadequate, growing up in a home with a lesbian Mother and a long gone Dad. These feelings vanish when she goes on the air as a late night Dee Jay. Her new life as V.A. Lownes, in which she can be heard but not seen brings out her inner beauty and brings a jaded Viet Nam vet, Mac McPeters into her life. The romance filled battles between the old vet and the glamorous sounding young Dee Jay are fought against a background of the mountains of Montana. Love eventually overcomes the bad memories Tulsa and Mac grew up with. A classic love story that will make you laugh and cry, occasionally at the same time

I have never had cancer or even known someone with the disease, so I wasn't sure if I would enjoy this book -- but I did! What made me appreciate Rodgers' novel was that it wasn't a collection of survivor bromides and platitudes, inspirational quotes, or overused Bible passages. In fact, the author did a fine job explaining her true feelings about all those "What doesn't kill you makes you stronger"-like messages. I also liked the fact that Rodgers doesn't hide the less-than-appealing parts of the disease - vomiting, mouth sores, disappearing toenails - and also addresses more personal matters like her sexuality during the disease's course and relationship with her young children. It was real and uncensored, which gave the book a complete human quality.
And, of course, this book was also very funny! Rodgers has a way with words that will have you laughing in spurts throughout the novel.
I was never bored reading this book and finished it in less than two days. Aside from being a good read, it also introduced me to the pitfalls of cancer that I never knew about before.

Elizabeth Berg gives this book such an awesome quote on the back jacket that I had to buy and read it--she was right. She says this is "a very important book. It's not only a book about cancer but also a book about how to ground yourself in the life you're living. About how to let go of false concepts of beauty and of self and start living a far richer, truer life than you might ever have imagined. Reading this book is like being given the extraordinary insight that comes with catastrophic illness without having to endure the dieseaase itself. Read it." I couldn't say it better, now that I've read it. This is a really wonderful memoir about life, love, family, and overcoming the bad things life tends to throw your way. I did laugh and I did cry and I will read it again and again.

This is one of the most inspirational books I've ever read. It made me look at my own life in terms of priorities, how I treat my family and how I treat myself. There's a lot to learn from the author, who had cancer--but even if you don't have cancer, this is a wonderful, inspirational book. It's the kind of book I tend to read more than once so I'm keeping mine and buying a few for some friends.

ROCK TROUBADOURS: Conversations On The Art And Craft Of Songwriting by Jeffrey Pepper Rodgers I love what I do. I get to review fantastic books like this one. :-) Here they are - some of the songwriters I have most admired throughout my lifetime, all talking about what makes them want to write, how they write, where their writing comes from... It's amazing stuff. Paul Simon, James Taylor, Joni Mitchell, Jerry Garcia and David Grisman, the Indigo Girls, Chris Whitley, Dave Matthews and Tim Reynolds, Ben Harper, the Barenaked Ladies and Ani DiFranco. Hell - the first three alone would be worth the price of the book.

Jeffrey's opening words to each interview are insightful commentaries on where the songwriter has been and where they may be heading. Though the interviews themselves may have happened several years earlier, those commentaries bring the reader to the present so that everything can be put into perspective. And his questions get right to the meat of the matter. These are personal interviews that dig into the why's and the wherefore's. What are the differences between then and now? How has their songwriting changed from the early years? How do they perceive the "industry" as a whole? How do they arrive at their inspiration? How do their

instruments of choice influence their songwriting? That's only a sample. These are the questions I would love to ask if I were in a room with any of these wonderful artists - only I would be too tongue tied. Thankfully, Jeffrey does the work for all of us.

In each interview, there is a section called "What They Play" where the instruments the songwriters use are explained in detail - their preferences, what they used in the past and what they use in the studio compared to what they use in live performance. There is also a selected discography for each songwriter.

I enjoyed every moment of reading this book. Not only did it answer a lot of my own questions concerning these songwriters, but it also inspired me. Deep down, these songwriters, legends though they may be to me (yes, even the Barenaked Ladies - whom I adore and who have a true knack for not taking themselves too seriously), are still human beings with the same problems of time, insecurities, and daily difficulties that I face myself. They have managed to overcome them and create some of the very best music of the 20th century and beyond. Reading about them gives me hope that I can do the same. I highly recommend you pick this one up...