October Wind is the companion songbook to the 2005 CD release by the same name. The book contains thirteen of the fourteen pieces from the album, composed and transcribed note-for-note by Rebecca Oswald (the fourteenth piece, “Your Hands,” is an art song with vocals, not a piano solo). The beauty of having the music transcribed by the composer is that you know that it is written out as he or she plays it, not someone else’s interpretation. Ms Oswald is an exceptionally accomplished musician and some of these pieces are far from easy - especially those composed in the keys of F# and Gb. They are certainly well worth the effort, however, as the melodies are beautiful and allow the player plenty of room for self-expression and emotion. My own favorite pieces to play are “October Wind,” “Truth,” “New Leaf,” “Perseids,” and “Embrace,” but I’ve enjoyed working on all of them. The collection also includes “A Starfish Serenade,” which was composed for the right hand only while Rebecca was recovering from a shoulder injury. The pieces can be downloaded individually or as a book from rebeccaoswald.com or stores.lulu.com/raoswald. Spiral-bound copies of the book are also available by emailing Rebecca Oswald at raoswald@aol.com. Recommended!!