Extremely uneven. Some pieces are laugh-aloud funny, some are genuinely touching, and some are politically challenging. On the other hand, some pieces are just weird, some are weak in their execution, and some just fall flat when they are clearly intended to be funny. I accept that they can't all be gems, but here the semi-precious gems don't really justify the clumps of dirt. ( )

A collection of stories, poems and letters by Garrison Keillor, also with some news from Lake Wobegon. Some hits, a few misses. Worth the time to find which is which. ( )

Written by the author of "Lake Wobegon Days", "Leaving Home" and "Happy to be Here", this book reports on our public behaviour, outlandish dreams, and secret shames. Covering the things we have all had questions about, Keillor describes the perils of celebrity, being near-sighted, being tall, etc.