Quotidiana Book

A confession: Patrick Madden was a workshop advisor of mine in my MFA program at the Vermont College of Fine Arts. But this book is one of the reasons I chose to attend VCFA. Patrick has an amazingly engaging voice. You feel in the hands of a great essayist as you read, and there's a lot to be said for that. I've put this on my "humor" shelf even though it isn't conventionally a humor book because there are so many moments of dry and engaging humor throughout. Oh, and the opening essay--about writing essays--says all you need to know about why one writes them, and why some can't stop.