Chicken Soup for the Writers Soul, by Jack Canfield, Mark Victor Hansen, & Gud Gardner

Lately I have taken great pride in spending time in bookstores without spending anything except for a hot latte. I use the time there to browse, read brief lines from the books that catch my eye, and write down titles and authors. Then in the days following, I go to the nearby newly constructed library and check the book out for free. After all, these are hard economic times and the need to hold onto the few dollars we have leads us to more traditional sources of books that we can get at no cost. Anyway, I found Chicken Soup for the Writers Soul and have spent the past two days soaking up the stories and guidance that the writers included in the book have to share. The stories tell of the support of parents, of the opportunities that public school teachers provided, and of those first days as a new writer. They are inspirational and motivational, and one can see oneself in the stories. The paths to becoming a full time writer are many, and I guess that is the main value of this book: it reveals that there are many ways to get there. Pick it up and spend some time with it. I guarantee you it will not disappoint you.