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Loading... Magical Thinkingby Augusten Burroughs
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will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book.  Rosaloca | Aug 9, 2009 |  Quick, easy read with plenty of laughs. I was never overly fond of this author's novels but his short stories seem to hit right on the head. I've loaned this book out several times, and find myself coming back to it now and again for a brief bit of escapism. Each story is a unique gem and, in many cases, a joke unto itself. (  ) Mieux | Aug 7, 2009 | My favorite story is "Debby's Requirements", the ending made me smile in a revengeful sort of way. I also like what Augusten and his art director Greer do when they realized they had eavesdroppers. (  ) Sagersaurus | Jun 22, 2009 | Reviewed on my blog :: Adventures in Daily Living :: (  ) chndlrs | Jan 4, 2009 | I like Augusten Burroughs' style for the most part, although this one didn't "wow" me like his memoirs Running With Scissors and the follow-up Dry, both of which I enjoyed immensely. But like the others, this is not for the weak at heart -- it's a very blunt, in-your-face collection of short stories which are often disturbing. The language tends to be strong, there's a lot of references to his gay lifestyle (sometimes detailed), and he tends to be rather opinionated on certain issues. But if you're okay with that, you'll likely enjoy this. The man definitely has issues, but I think I would too, had I had a background such as his. (  ) indygo88 | Nov 23, 2008 |  no reviews | add a review
Amazon.com (ISBN 0312315953, Paperback)It’s best to know this from the start: Augusten Burroughs is mean. Augusten Burroughs is also outrageously X-rated. If you can get past those two things, Burroughs might just be the most refreshing voice in American books today, and his collection of acerbic essays will have you laughing out loud even while cringing in your seat. Whether he is stepping on the fingers of little children or giving you the blow-by-blow on a very unholy act, Burroughs manages to do it in a way that fills conflicted fans with both horror and glee.Spanning from the surprisingly Machiavellian portrayal of his role in a Tang commercial at age seven to his more recent foray into dog ownership, Burroughs has what seems to be an endless supply of offbeat life experiences. Much like earlier David Sedaris collections (Barrel Fever or Naked), there are occasional fits and starts in the flow of the writing, but ultimately, Magical Thinking is worth reading (and re-reading). If you’re familiar with Burroughs's memoirs, Running with Scissors, and Dry, you may find parts of Magical Thinking repetitive, since these essays bounce around in time between the other two. In fact, in an ideal world, this collection would have come first, as it offers an excellent introduction to Burroughs's fascinating life. --Vicky Griffith (retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:01 -0400) The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details. |
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This book wasn’t what I expected. I was under the misconception that it was a compellation of short stories by various authors, but it reads a bit more like “The Things They Carried,” in that they are stories that give the feeling of journal entries… patches of a life, pieced together to make you chuckle, grin and consider how strange some people can be.
As a person who prefers very long novels (series’ are ideal), I didn’t expect to love this book, but it was recommended by a friend whos taste I trust and I found myself enjoying it more than I had planned to. It was no chore to read chapter after chapter. (