The Areas of My Expertise

by John Hodgman.

Quickie recap: John Hodgman generously shares complete world knowledge with the reader in his satirical almanac (note: this world knowledge, while entertaining, is entirely made up).

Quickie review: Parts were gut-bustingly funny, and other parts dragged a bit (a list of hobo names is funny; 700 hobo names get tiresome) so it's hard for me to pass definitive judgment. I wanted to like it more than I actually did like it, but I certainly didn't think it was bad. It just wasn't as snappy as it I imagined it being based on Hodgman's brilliance on This American Life, The Daily Show, etc, etc. He's a funny guy, but he's less funny as an author.

Quickie recommendation: Better than a lot of junk out there, but not quite up to snuff.