blowin' through the jasmine in my mind

Earlier this year a friend gave me a copy of The Alchemist by Paul Coelho (does anyone know how to pronounce that name? I've heard it's something like "Coay-sho," but that doesn't seem right). Despite the back cover copy proclaiming this as the kind of literary work that changes not only individuals but entire NATIONS, I'm having a hard time not seeing it as Jonathan Livingston Seagull for the new millenium. Not that I have anything against seagulls, especially Jonathan, who was arguably the most precocious and deep-thinking seagull of his time. He had a lot of pluck. Anyway, the inherent problem for me in reading something reminiscent of JLS is that, only a few pages in, I find myself unable to locate the volume control on the parade of seventies anthems streaming through my brain. Today - ALL day - whether reading The Alchemist or not, it was that Seals & Crofts song "Summer Breeze." You know the one. Come on, sing it with me. Summer breeze...makes me feel fine... Please don't curse me as you're trying to fall asleep tonight.Follow @nicole_mcinnes