this book should not be read all the way through at once, partly because it is composed of author's talks and interviews and so the same topics are covered in the same way and the new material has to be teased out over several chapters and partly because it makes you want to read her novels and stop reading about her novels. I have wanted to know more about Diana Wynne Jones' childhood for a long time since I learned that she lived near Beatrix Potter and discovered that Potter hated children. Her stories are so bizarre and fanciful I figured her life must have been as well and it was. A very enjoyable read about a fascinating woman.