Reviewed by Gareth Paul Taylor

This wonderful multimedia hardback book/CD package encourages reflection on life's rollercoaster journey. Quality is doubly assured, with award-winning writer Liz writing and compiling the book, and acclaimed composer/woodwind player Simeon composing the instrumental CD. Consequently neither music nor text falls into the 'insipid' category such a combination could inhabit. The 35-minute instrumental music CD, easily worthy of a film score, is gorgeously evocative; Wood's dynamic playing is a wonderful antidote to the ubiquitous so-called 'pan-pipe' CDs from monothematic keyboard players! His compositions include breathtaking, unexpected harmonic shifts and even the odd 7/8 time signature; this is hardly background music - more like David Fitzgerald with Iona. (That said 'The Book Of Kells' regularly graced my local supermarket's speakers not so long ago!) Percussion is well employed, often creating a gamelan effect. The book, combining prose, poetry and salient quotations from worthy sources, is organised thoughtfully into nine chapters reflecting points on life's journey. They are named synonymously with the instrumental tracks, and both forms acknowledge the hard edges of sorrow and trials as well as the sweeter sentiments of joy. Beautiful photographed landscapes accompany the words, and many poems are presented visually and creatively too, the arrangement of words and lines on the page representing something of the content. This is beautifully conceived and presented - an ideal gift certain to be treasured.

The opinions expressed in this article are not necessarily those held by Cross Rhythms. Any expressed views were accurate at the time of publishing but may or may not reflect the views of the individuals concerned at a later date.

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Many people today are intrigued by the idea of pilgrimage. This book and CD offer Music and reflections for the inner pilgrimage.

The book is accompanied by a CD of beautifully evocative music composed and performed by internationally acclaimed artist Simeon Wood.

In this book, the reader is led on a pilgrimage of the heart. The road of our lives takes many twists and turns. There are mountain tops of joy and celebration, and also valleys of failure and despair. Liz Babbs uses reflective text, quotation, beautiful landscape photography and music from Simeon Wood to invite us to reflect more deeply on our life?s journey.

Themes include:
- travelling light
- mountains and valleys
- creative landscapes
- ancient pathways
- boundaries and bridges
- eternal echoes.