"Get it while you can ... 'cause it may not be there tomorrow."

Finally finished book #17 - Love, Janis by Laura Joplin. What an incredible read. And what an incredible woman. Why have I only now discovered her?

Like many before me, I feel inspired and really connected to Janis' story. She didn't conform to society's rules, didn't connect easily with most people, and, as a result, became an outcast at her school, her town, her state. She finally did find a group of friends that were accepting - those who opposed the rules that dictated black and whites must live apart, and that it was important that one should only love the opposite sex, and one should settle down into family life as soon as possible without questioning authority. Janis was a teenage beatnik, and a twenty-something hippy. And all that time she was never truly happy. Like most of us, she had a destructive soul that she found hard to control. She was happy doing what she loved but she quickly got caught in a whirlwind she couldn't get out of. Her life ran passed her and she found it impossible to catch up. It probably didn't help that she desperately needed people to like her - she always craved that love and acceptance from her fans, and, consequently, overworked herself to her grave.

Laura's written a beautiful account of her sister's life. Funny, poignant, and full of truth - never leaving out the gruesome bits for sentimental value. Laura isn't afraid to mention when Janis' head began to get too big for her. Janis knew she was famous and, if she wasn't cooed over frequently, would quickly lose her temper and begin to doubt herself again.

It's the truth in the biography that makes it a wonderful thing to read. And I recognised some of my own flaws through discovering Janis' own. This book's definitely a keeper.

Onto other topics, I can't believe I've spent the day reading. It's been wonderful but I haven't completed any work and it's now 11.30pm. I must now spend the early hours of the morning writing a feature article for The Sprout's website on swine flu. Eeek. And remember to feed myself. Erggg. Wouldn't it be brilliant if there was a machine that could just print out everything in your brain, no matter how scrambled the words were? It would save so much time and effort.