(Not That You Asked), by Steve Almond

I really, really enjoyed Almond’s recent book Candy Freak — so was excited to see this at Borders the other day. It’s really a book of (mostly) short essays about random things that Almond thinks about, like hating the Red Sox, getting married, having a kiddo. Good, funny, pop culture essays, but sometimes a little more bitter than I like.

But the meat of the book is an essay that Almond wrote about Kurt Vonnegut, his favorite author (and one of mine, along with McCarthy, Coupland, and Murakami). It’s a great, extended piece about how he feels about liking Vonnegut’s work (sometimes juvenile, sometimes not). Was fun to read, but probably worth borrowing from me, not buying, if you’re interested.