I would really like to give this 3.5 stars, but I've rounded it up to 4. 
 I typically don't read "life's little instruction manual" type stuff, nor are memoirs my bag, but a friend highly recommended this book, and I'm glad I read it. Since this isn't my normal fare, I read the first half in a couple of weeks, then put it down for several months, then read the second half over the past couple of weeks. 
 I found the advice to be great, and simple. This is good, because what I need is simple. KISS. Keep It Simple, Stupid. It's been a long time since I've thought of that, but that's one of the overall themes of the book. By focusing on anything other than what is immediately in front of me, I set myself up for failure. This seems to be especially true of writing. I'm working on a story right now, and sometimes I have to tell myself "OK, let's just get the main character out of the car. Now let's get him to the front door of the townhouse. Etc." The overall story is much more exciting than a trip across the parking lot, at least I hope it is, but when I start thinking about the planned ending, I lose all interest in that short walk, then feel overwhelmed, then want to quit writing. By looking at the next step only, I keep writing. It's good advice, and the part that stuck with me most throughout this book. 
 Something I really liked about the book was that the writer was completely honest with her feelings on some matters, and gave many examples of how she is, indeed, ANXIETY WOMAN!: Able to leap to the WORST possible conclusion in a single bound. I know I'm not the only person who does that kind of stuff, but it's nice to see someone else spell it out. In fact, I think she might even be worse, so that makes me feel better. She also shares how she gets past those moments. 
 Another thing to which I was able to relate was her status as an alcoholic in recovery. I wear that hat myself, and understood what she was talking about every time that part of her life came up. Being able to relate to something always makes reading it easier. 
 In fact, the only thing I found distracting in this book was her politics. She didn't expand on these too much, but she didn't need to in order for me to derail from the journey. It's very apparent that she is uber-liberal. I'm on the complete opposite side of the spectrum. Her narrative was peppered, albeit lightly, with jabs at my team, and mentioned some well known super-liberals from time to time (Molly Ivins... UGH!), and I found myself wanting to punch Miss Lamott in the face (and that's putting it very nicely for what was actually running through my head). However, I must confess that these distractions were due to shortcomings of my own, and not really Anne's fault. The anecdotes and references fit right in with the rest of the tale, and it wasn't heavy handed at all. 
 So, 3.5 rounded up to 4 stars for Miss Lamott. I recommend this to any aspiring writer, and to anyone who likes highly amusing memoirs with good advice on living life.