The nearest book: a new meme

Kacie at Sense to Save tagged me for a new meme. Here are the rules:

1. Pick up the nearest book (of at least 123 pages).
2. Open the book to page 123.
3. Find the fifth sentence.
4. Post the next three sentences.
5. Tag five people.

Kacie says she tagged me because she wants to know what I'm reading. There are two books near me as I type this: Richard Carlson's Don't Sweat the Small Stuffand Aaron Allston's Betrayal (Star Wars: Legacy of the Force, Book 1).

The Star Wars book is actually closer, but Don't Sweat the Small Stuff is a much better book to share from. So I'll give you the sentences from both. First, the Star Wars book since it is technically the "right" book for this meme:

Luke ended his roll a quick kilometer lower than his original position. Explosions continued to batter at his eardrums, but nothing as close as the first one. He glanced between his sensor board and the skies above.

For the record, this book is set 35 to 40 years after Return of the Jedi, and Luke is still seeing action in an X-wing. (And yes, as if you couldn't tell, I love Star Wars.)

From Don't Sweat the Small Stuff:

After all, none of us likes to be criticized. One reaction to criticism is usually to become defensive and/or withdrawn. A person who feels attacked is likely to do one of two things: he will either retreat in fear or shame, or he will attack or lash out in anger.

I highly recommend this book - it's very centering, and very conducive to reading in three-minute increments, which is all I often have.